Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to New Nsider. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Eternal Darkness: The Coming Darkness
Topic Started: Mar 30 2006, 06:01 PM (398 Views)
Stormsworder
Member Avatar
{C7}Game Admin - Crusader for Christ
Chapter 1: Lost Past

It was the most intense part of the softball game. Last inning, two outs, bases loaded, and the opposing team was ahead by one point. For eighteen-year-old Danielle Sterling, this was her chance to shine. Two strikes, no balls, and the pitcher was about to throw. Danielle smirked, waiting for the pitch. No way was she going to mess up.

Come to us, Danielle…” a cold voice whispered. Suddenly, the warm breeze became a frigid stillness that chilled her to the bone. She felt her heart stop at the sight of the dark figures surrounding her. What was the most terrifying by far was the massive four-armed shadow towering over a man. The man was clothed in flowing black and silver robes, and most of his face was shrouded by the hood over his head. His skin looked like it had been ravaged by fire or something, and it was stretched so tight over him that it made him appear skeletal. He stared at her with a cold smile, reaching out a hand to her and beckoning for her to approach. He stepped forward towards her, and as he approached, the insistent whispers from the shadows around her grew stronger…

“Kid, snap out of it!” Danielle’s coach shouted. In the nick of time, she snapped out of her trance-like state, and the shadows vanished. She swung the bat as hard as she could, and the ball soared deep into left field. With the sounds of cheering all around her, she dropped the bat and took off around the bases. She made it to third before being tagged out, but that didn’t matter. The Screaming Eagles had won again.

The two teams shook hands, and when she was about to leave, her coach called her over to the dugout. “Nice job, ‘Longshot’,” he said gently, smiling. “You pulled through for us again. I don’t know how we’re going to manage without you for two weeks. What do you have to go to again?”

Danielle wiped a trickle of sweat from her forehead, allowing a small grin at the sound of her nickname. Longshot was the name she earned for helping the team through their tightest spots in the season. It was even on the back of her jersey in place of her last name. “It’s a mission trip to Mexico for church. Have to help out a lot of people there, that’s all. It’s not something I really want to miss.”

“No rest for the best, eh?” he joked. His smile fell away, and his expression grew serious. “I saw what happened out there. You just blanked out for a minute. You almost missed the swing. It’s just like last time, and I know exactly what’s wrong. You really need to go talk to Dr. Roivas about this.”

Danielle let out a frustrated sigh. They had gone over this at the last game, and she had managed to convince Coach Stockstill not to send her to the psychiatrist the first time. She wouldn’t be so lucky now. “Coach, I don’t need to go talk to him! I just haven’t been getting much sleep, that’s all.”

“And that’s what your excuse last time was. Not this time, Danielle. You’re going to him. Tonight. Before you leave.”

Danielle opened her mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. It was no use in arguing. She really couldn’t slip out of this one. “Fine. I’ll talk to this guy. I don’t see how some doctor could possibly help me out with just a few dreams.” Before he could reply, Danielle strode off, quickly heading for home. Yeah, she would consider seeing Dr. Roivas, but she highly doubted it. She needed to try and get some sleep for once this week.

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

All around her was darkness. Shadows flickered around her, and the outlines of those strange figures were closing in on her. The man from before walked forward, hand outstretched. Behind him once more was the massive shadow that followed in his wake. “Come join us, Danielle. Join us, and all of this will finally end…”

Danielle tentatively reached out a hand towards his, part of her screaming that she shouldn’t trust this guy, while another part of her coaxed her into accepting his offer. “You will have power beyond all your dreams... Just join us.” Suddenly, the man began to fade, and she heard a distant ringing in her head…


The phone on her nightstand rang shrilly, waking Danielle up almost immediately. She groped around in the darkness until she found the cordless phone and hit the Talk button. “Hello?”

“Miss Danielle Sterling?” an aging voice asked.

Danielle glanced at her digital clock, slightly surprised that anyone would be calling at two in the morning. “Yeah, this is her. May I ask who’s speaking?”

“I am Dr. Edward Roivas. I’m sorry to bother you so late at night, but I received a call from a trusted friend who was quite concerned about you. Since you did not come in earlier, he suggested that I call to talk to you if you don’t wish to come.”

Danielle slowly stood up, glancing at the clothes she had left out on her dresser for the trip. She couldn’t exactly be rude and say no… “I’ll be over shortly. I just sort of dozed off right when I got home.”

“It’s all right. I suppose you’ll be here soon?”

“Yeah, I will.” Danielle hung up the phone, letting out a frustrated sigh. Why did coach have to ask this doctor to call? He was just worrying over nothing more than a few dreams. She changed into the clothes, grabbed her house keys, and walked out the door after locking it.

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

It didn’t take long to reach the massive Roivas estate on the outskirts of Providence. Danielle ran most of the way for exercise and an attempt to wake herself up more. She had only been to this part of town three or four times, and the sight of the ancient mansion still awed her. Most of the land around it was covered in a sea of hills, which she and her friends used to play on when they were younger. But while this area was a beautiful sight, rumors abounded about the Roivas family line. Most of them had contracted something that slowly drove them insane. To tell the truth, some of the younger kids that were about to move up into high school had been talking about Danielle behind her back. They thought that with these dreams she kept talking about, she was probably a Roivas herself.

“Mainly those idiots who will be freshmen next year,” she muttered darkly as she rang the doorbell. Not many people believed those guys, anyways. Seconds ticked by in silence before an elderly man answered the door. “Sorry about forgetting to come earlier. I was really tired from everything I had to do today, I guess,” Danielle said quickly, but Dr. Roivas merely smiled softly.

“No need for apologies, Miss Sterling. Or would you rather me call you Danielle?”

She shrugged. “Danielle would be fine. I’m not much of a formal person.” Danielle examined the foyer as Dr. Roivas let her inside. It was huge, a lot bigger than any foyer she had seen before in a house.

Dr. Roivas let out a small chuckle and gestured towards a door to their right. “Let’s sit in the library.” Danielle followed after him and sat down in the armchair he pointed to. “Mr. Stockstill didn’t tell me much. He did mention that you’ve been having some strange dreams. He believes they may be the cause of you being unfocused all of the time. Could you explain one of these dreams to me?”

Danielle felt a bit nervous. He would probably just think she was going crazy like everyone else did. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly began. “It’s just the same one over and over again. It’s dark, and there’s a man standing in front of me. He has these black robes on, and his skin was really messed up. He sorta looked like a walking skeleton. Right behind him is this really big shadow with four arms. Then this female voice starts whispering in my head, telling me to join her. The man holds out his hand, and around that time I wake up.”

Dr. Roivas poured two glasses of water from a pitcher and offered one to Danielle, who refused it. He sat down in the chair beside her, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “This is something I have dealt with before, but not with someone your age.” He took a sip from his glass, then glanced at a picture hanging over the unlit fireplace. For a second he was silent, but then he pulled out a small photograph from his pocket. “Before I go any further, I have one small question. Does the person in this photograph seem familiar?”

Danielle took the picture, eyes widening in surprise. The woman really did look familiar, like Danielle had met her before. Actually, there was a slight similarity between them, except for the hair color. Devin was her twin brother, yet they looked nothing alike. The thought that she was really adopted crossed her mind again. Was she really related to her current family at all? “Who is this?” she asked, handing the picture back to Dr. Roivas.

“That is my granddaughter, Alexandra. And…” He seemed to search for the right words to say. “She is your sister,” he said finally. “You were separated at a very early age. After my son and his wife were killed, I took in Alex and let James’s closest friend, William, adopt you. We never knew when it would be time to tell you the truth.”

Confused thoughts swirled around inside her head. Why had this been kept a secret from her? What exactly happened to her birth parents? “Why are you telling me this now?”

Dr. Roivas shook his head. “Because something important is happening that concerns you. That man in your dreams isn’t just a figment of your imagination. I’m afraid I have no time to explain this to you in detail. I still have work to do. Perhaps… Can you return here in two weeks?”

Danielle nodded, getting to her feet. “Yeah, I can. It’s right after the mission trip.” Dr. Roivas led her to the front door, holding it open. “Thanks for telling me the truth. Maybe when Mom and Dad get back, I’ll ask them about this.” As she said those words, she wondered when they would be back. “Well, good-bye…” Danielle silently walked off, returning home.

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

Edward watched as his youngest granddaughter was swallowed up by the shadows, and he solemnly returned to his library. When Stockstill had made the call, he knew the time had come. Why else would these visions start coming to Danielle all of a sudden? And how would she take it when her parents never came back?

He sat at his desk in the back of the library, pulling out his pent and writing a note to Alexandra with a quivering hand. Inside, he explained everything about Danielle being her little sister and how to contact her. The two of them would need each other to face what lay ahead.

Edward signed the note and slipped it into an envelope, addressing it to Alexandra and leaving it on the desk. He pulled out a dusty novel from his bookshelf, sitting down in his favorite chair in front of the fireplace. The old grandfather clock chimed three, despite the hands being currently on twelve. The time had come. For him, he could do nothing more.
Posted Image

1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."
James 1:19 -- "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
Romans 12:19 -- "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MasterChief37
Member Avatar
Leave me alone....
WOW!!!! Its great.
500 reasons you know your addicted to RPing!
Posted Image
Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Stormsworder
Member Avatar
{C7}Game Admin - Crusader for Christ
Thankies. It took me over a year to do it and has been edited once, but I need to redo some of the chapters regarding the game characters like Pious, etc. I can't believe I started this one morning before summer camp for NJROTC XD
Posted Image

1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."
James 1:19 -- "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
Romans 12:19 -- "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
MasterChief37
Member Avatar
Leave me alone....
Okay. >_>
500 reasons you know your addicted to RPing!
Posted Image
Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Stormsworder
Member Avatar
{C7}Game Admin - Crusader for Christ
Chapter 2: The Tome of Eternal Darkness

Two weeks later…

“A two week long mission trip in Mexico… I am never doing that again…” Danielle mumbled, lying face-down on her pillow. As soon as she had arrived in Providence, Rhode Island, she had been called to a softball game because they were short one player. Now she was dead tired, still in her jersey, and ready to sleep twenty-four hours straight. That was when the phone rang. “It never fails,” she muttered darkly, snatching up the phone. “Hello?”

“Um… Is this Danielle Sterling?” a female voice asked.

“Yeah, it is. Who’s this?” Danielle felt a sense of déjà vu or something. This was almost just like when her grandfather had called her.

“My name’s Alexandra Roivas. My grandfather left me a note to call you. Do you think you can come to the mansion right away? It’s an emergency.”

Immediately, Danielle rolled out of bed and slipped on her tennis shoes. “I’ll be over ASAP. Don’t worry.” She hung up the phone, heart pounding with excitement and fear. She was going to meet her sister face-to-face. But what was the emergency about? She locked the door to her house and jogged down the street with the setting sun blazing behind her. In another few hours, night would fall.

Minutes passed by in almost complete silence. Every now and then a car would pass by, but that was all. Danielle walked up the steps and rang the doorbell, surprised when the door opened barely even a second later. Alexandra Roivas stood staring at Danielle with wide eyes. “You must be Danielle, right?” Danielle nodded. “Wow. I didn’t expect this… I mean, I never knew I had a younger sister and all…” She smiled a bit, obviously nervous. “Come on in. You can call me Alex, by the way.”

Danielle stepped inside, deciding to get right to the point. “Hate to be rude, but… What’s the emergency?”

Alex’s smile fell away, replaced by an expression of deep sorrow. “Something happened to Grandpa. He…” She shook her head. “He was murdered two weeks ago. I came here looking for clues. That was when I found the note he wrote. Your number was on there, along with a whole explanation about us being siblings. I figured that maybe you could help me out.”

Danielle thought about it for a second and nodded. “We should look around. Should we split up and look around?”

Alex nodded and pointed to a door beyond the left stairwell. “You go ahead and look in the dining room. I’ll be in the kitchen. If we can’t find anything, then we’ll check the library together.”

“What about upstairs?”

“The doors are locked and the key broke when I used it. The basement is also locked, and I can’t find a key anywhere for it.”

Danielle shrugged. “Guess that leaves us with only three places to look. If I find anything, I’ll tell you immediately.” Alex nodded, and they both went to check their respective rooms. “Let’s hope I find something,” Danielle whispered to herself as she entered the dining room.

All of the lights were off, so the setting sun gave the room an orange-colored hue. An elaborate piano was immediately to her left, and a table set for one person was on her right. From the look of things, her grandfather hadn’t led much of a social life… Danielle scanned the room once more. A few things of unimportance mostly, but what caught her eye was a strange painting over the fireplace.

Four colored circles with strange symbols in the middle of them were arranged in a peculiar pattern. The red, blue, and green circles were arranged in a triangle, and the purple circle was in the middle of them all. Below the painting were four marble blocks with each of the symbols carved on their surfaces.

Danielle rubbed her chin, slightly confused. Those symbols seemed to be of some importance, but what did they mean. And why did they seem so familiar to her, like she had seen them before? She was about to pick one of the blocks up when she felt a rush of cold air against the back of her neck, like something had brushed against it. She spun around quickly, but nothing was there.

“Just like every horror film… Alone in a dark, creepy house, weird things happening… Next thing you know, I’ll be seeing ghosts,” she muttered, chiding herself for getting worked up over nothing. Danielle sighed and was about to leave when she noticed an aged piece of paper on the dining room table. It was definitely old, probably by a good few years or so. She had no idea what it was from, but she was positive it hadn’t been there before.

Danielle walked over to the table, reading the words at the top of the page. “’In Darkest Night’,” she read. “Sounds like something from a book. She read a bit more and noticed a small caption just under the title. “A.D. 1990 Sterling Family Household, Rhode Island… What the heck!?” Her heart skipped a beat as she saw her name in the first line, but she didn’t get a chance to read on. A cold hang gripped her shoulder gently. Danielle glanced down at it, surprised at the sight of a ghostly blue translucent hand. Slowly, she pulled away and turned around.

Her grandfather was standing there, but he looked a lot different than when she had seen him the first time. He was wearing the same clothes as before, along with the glasses, but he had no eyes. He looked like some sort of ghost that always appeared in those cheesy horror films. Except that this time, it was real. “G-Grandpa…?” Danielle whispered, all thoughts about the page vanishing from her mind.

Solemnly, he nodded, picking up the piece of paper from the table. “Yes. It’s me. I know this might come as a surprise to you, but you’re now involved in something that had spanned for millennia. This single page from the Tome of Eternal Darkness explains how you were caught up in this war, but it is too soon to show you now.”

Danielle hesitated for a second. Here she was talking to a ghost and she wasn’t all that freaked out. “I don’t get it. You’re supposed to be dead, but you’re right here standing in front of me. What the heck’s going on here?”

“I am dead, but like the others, I can still appear in the form of an apparition. I do not have much time. Do not tell Alex about me appearing to you or what you saw on this page. You will both learn the truth soon enough.”

Danielle opened her mouth to ask him what others, but he quickly vanished. The dining room door opened, and Danielle barely stifled a cry of surprise. Alex walked in, looking slightly worried. “What’s the matter? Looks like you’ve seen a ghost.” Danielle merely shrugged, but Alex spoke before she could say anything. “When you didn’t come in, I decided to check on you. Did you find anything?”

She shook her head. “No, and I looked everywhere. That’s what took so long.” She felt guilty for lying, but she had been told not to reveal anything. “How about you?”

“There was a strange plaque that kept the pantry door locked, but that’s all. Guess that leaves the library and observatory…”

“An observatory? Dang… Never heard of one of those being inside a house,” Danielle commented as they entered the library. She looked at the door to her right. “Is it in there?”

Alex nodded. “Yup… Why don’t you see what’s in there and come get me when you find something. And this time, remember to check in,” she said jokingly.

Danielle chuckled. “Sure thing. I’ll remember to do it this time.” She watched Alex walk around a corner before turning around and entering the observatory. She let out a low whistle, examining the enormous telescope and the rows of books on astronomy. On a nearby desk was an open book with sketches and notes on a planetary alignment of some sorts.

She walked over to the desk, quickly skimming over the notes before she turned the page. There were even more notes, but this time they talked about something called the Tome of Eternal Darkness. “Wait… That’s the book Grandpa mentioned. So that means…” Danielle stared down at the notebook. This could possibly explain what all was going on around here… She took one last look at the telescope before reading on.

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

Using the grandfather clock to keep a secret passage closed is an ingenious idea, but why would Grandpa have something like this made? And why was he so interested in the occult? He was hiding something…

When Alex opened the door at the end of the passage, she found out what it exactly was that Edward Roivas wanted hidden. It was a small study with numerous shelves, paintings, and various knick-knacks that Edward had collected over the years. There was even an old sword mounted in a frame. Everything was covered in a thin layer of dust except for the desk. On it were several books, notes, and one particularly large book bound in what appeared to be leather with intricate designs on it. It had no title on the cover, but a nearby note described it as the ancient Tome of Eternal Darkness.

Alex sat down, pulling open the book. As soon as she read the first few lines of text, strange images flooded her mind so fast that she didn’t have time to remember details. She shook her head a few times, falling back in the chair. What was this book? And what the heck were those things she just saw? Eagerly, she read on.

“I did not know what was to come, nor did I care. How the knowledge changed me, it will also change you. As you read this, you will come to understand fear as I have. You, too, will come to understand, or you will perish.”
Posted Image

1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."
James 1:19 -- "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
Romans 12:19 -- "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Stormsworder
Member Avatar
{C7}Game Admin - Crusader for Christ
((Yay. An old chapter. Man, my writing was BAD almost two years ago... oO Well, the only new parts in this chapter are those regarding Alex and Danielle))

Chapter 3: The Chosen One
26 B.C. Persia

"To think that once I could not see beyond the veil of our reality… To see those who dwell behind. My life now has purpose, for I have learned the frailty of flesh and bone… I was once a fool."


In the Persian desert, two Roman soldiers stood before their commander, Pious Augustus. Behind them, the water of an oasis glittered in the sun, giving it the impression of jewels. "Rest the men," Pious said, "they will need their strength. Make sure they take enough water, and are in high spirits. Today's battle was but one of many, if we are to complete our mission."

"At once, Centurion Augustus," the first soldier replied. "I would like to compliment you once more on your battle tactics. Our enemies did not stand a chance." The solider departed, returning to the other troops. The second soldier watched him leave, then looked back at Pious.

"Do you believe it really exists, Centurion?"

I do not doubt our Emperor's beliefs… or his orders. But if we are to retrieve the artifact, then we must be strong… and patient…" The two soldiers exchanged salutes, and Pious's subordinate left.

"Come to us… Pious Augustus…" He turned around, eyes narrowing a bit. Wondering who was calling him, he followed the voice into the desert.

"Come to us… Pious Augustus…" a feminine voice said. Pious drew his Gladius as he followed the voice. It was a while before he arrived at a circle of five stone monoliths; the center one was engraved with three strange symbols. It sounded like there were whispers coming from the monoliths, but he ignored them. Trudging through the sand, Pious entered the circle. The tips of the monoliths glowed yellow, and a low humming filled the air. Yellow light connected them in a pentagon, before lightning shot into Pious, and he vanished.

The Roman Centurion appeared in a strange room, decorated in a style he had never seen before. He walked towards the pit in the middle of the room, climbing down the ladder. He found himself in a long hallway with three corpses on the ground, each one further down the hall. As Pious walked forward, the corpse all the way down the hall stood up, as if willed to. The Roman soldier's eyes widened in surprise, but it quickly passes as he readied his Gladius. Pious ran forward at the creature, slashing at its head. But the creature didn't die. It felt around where its head had been moments before, then swiped at Pious. Before the soldier could counter-attack, two more of the walking corpses staggered out of alcoves on either side of him. Instead of risking getting hurt fighting the creatures when he could just escape through the door, Pious shoved the headless monster in front of him out of the way and ran down the hall. As he ran, the soldier spotted a granite block with a strange red symbol on the ground, and he stopped momentarily to pick it up before walking through the door.

Two more walking corpses came at Pious, who easily cut off their heads with the Gladius. They swiped the air blindly, unable to see their target. On a small platform about a foot off the ground was another granite block with a strange, green symbol on it. Pondering its meaning, the Roman Centurion picked it up and walked towards the door he didn't go through.

In the next room, five of the creatures waited for Pious. Deciding to try and dodge them, he ran in between the first two, snatching up a granite block with a blue symbol on it. He spotted a ladder leading downwards off to his right, but it was being guarded by another one of the walking corpses. Pious swung the Gladius hard three times at the corpse's torso, and it fell to the ground. Without looking back, the Centurion ran for the ladder and climbed down it.

The corridor he was in went forward, then branched off to the left and right. Another of the creatures limped around the corner, heading for Pious. He wondered if they were the servants of the god of the dead, Pluto. Perhaps the artifact he sought was hidden here, and Pluto's minions were to guard it. The walking corpse was decapitated, then knocked to the ground. Pious impaled the Gladius into its torso, then pulled it out. As he walked into the intersection, he saw that a large, steel gate blocked the door to his left. Instead, he walked through the door on his right.

Pushing open the large, metal door, Pious found himself in a short hall that led into a large, circular room. Four creatures turned to him and started his way, but were quickly rendered blind as the Centurion slashed at their heads. Now out of danger, he examined the strange symbols on the walls. They were red, blue, green, and purple, and the symbols on the first three matched the symbols on the granite blocks he found. Just under the symbols were square holes. Grinning, Pious put the blocks into the holes under their matching symbols. With just one hole left, he looked around and spotted the final block in the middle of the room. As he inserted the block, he could hear the sound of a gate lowering somewhere.

Pious went back through the metal door and entered through the now unblocked gate. Before him was a statue of himself. A distant voice spoke to him. "Pious, prove your worth to us by destroying this statue." Wondering if the very gods themselves were guiding him, he slashed downward, destroying the head. Behind the statue, a door lowered a bit. Two quick horizontal slashes destroyed the arms, and the door lowered even more. Slashing one more time at the torso, the statue crumbled, and the door behind it was completely opened. Feeling he was close to what he sought, Pious walked through.

The room the Roman soldier was in was dark, but the light from the nearby torches was enough to reveal three walking corpses. Pious quickly dispatched them and looked around. There was a strange button with yellow light around it that attracted his attention. When he pressed it, three stone pillars rose up, and the circular pattern on the floor began to glow. Pious entered the circle and vanished.

--------------------------------------------------
The Eternal Darkness
--------------------------------------------------

Pious found himself in a short corridor that led into a small circular room with three pedestals. A strange object hovered over each one, and a strange power emanated from them. The Roman soldier looked at the one on the left, which resembled a red-clawed worm. The one in the middle looked like a floating dome, and the one on the right resembled a warped angel. Thinking that the one on his left was what his Emperor sought, Pious went to grab it.
As his hand neared the artifact, it began to glow. Red lightning shot into Pious, who cried out in pain as the magick filled him. Screaming in pain with red light coming out of his eyes and hands, the soldier collapsed to the stone floor on his hands and knees.
Minutes later, an almost skeletal hand shot up and grabbed the back of the middle pedestal. Pious struggled to his feet, armor black and smoking a bit. He struggled to regain his breath as he looked up from the pedestal. His entire face was resembled that of a skeleton's, and his gray eyes burned with a hatred for the human race. Humanity's betrayer had come.

"Aeons have passed since then, and I have learned much. Chattur'gha's power filled me, invigorating my dead body. With a touch, I could level buildings, rend the ground asunder, and channel power such as mortal men could only dream. Face me, and you shall surely perish!"

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

Danielle staggered backwards from the desk until she hit the wall behind her. It took her a few seconds to catch her breath. The vision she had just seen looked so real, like she was really there watching Pious as he had made his way through that insane temple. But seeing him become a skeletal monster was far worse than those creatures. When he looked up, it was like he knew she was there and staring straight into her eyes.

“Do not be afraid, my child. All of what you are seeing is the history of the Chosen recorded in the Tome.” Danielle looked up, just as her grandfather’s ghost appeared. “I cannot explain how you are seeing these visions as Alex reads, but what I can tell you is this: Over time, your questions about all of this will be answered. Just be patient.”

Danielle hesitated, watching him fade away. Was it true she would learn what she needed just from these weird visions? She rubbed her head, shaking slightly. She could only hope she would…

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

“What the heck? That guy… What was he?” Alex stared at the last lines of the page, then got up from the chair. The man in the chapter had spoke of something called Chattur’gha. Maybe if she found more pages, she would learn more about it.

Alex spotted a piece of paper that looked like it came from the book in a frame behind her. She had ignored it before because she couldn’t read the strange writing on it, but now she could read them perfectly. Maybe it had something to do with her finding the Tome? She mentally shrugged and grabbed the page, reading its title. “’The Binding of the Corpse God’… Weird title, but I’m not all surprised…” She sat back down, beginning to read.
Posted Image

1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."
James 1:19 -- "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
Romans 12:19 -- "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Stormsworder
Member Avatar
{C7}Game Admin - Crusader for Christ
((Yet another original chapter with the only new part being the once concerning the two sisters. And sorry I've been gone so long))

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

Chapter 4: The Binding of the Corpse God
1150 A.D. Angkor Thom Region, Cambodia

"I cannot say what was the true beginning, nor am I sure of its end, so perhaps here is the best place to start. I am reminded of ideas I first encountered in Sir James George Frazer's book, 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion'. We are overwhelmed by our very human need to weave a web of meaning where there may be none. Since time immemorial, ancient peoples have dressed up their lack of knowledge as gods and demons. I discovered that sometimes, the fates of gods and mortals intertwine, and legends are born…"


In a City Temple, deep within the forests of Cambodia, a young dancing girl sat on the ground, reading from the ancient book, the Tome of Eternal Darkness. Ellia, a dancer in the court of Suryavarman II, loved to read the book while in the temple. "Thy time is done, Great Ancient," Ellia read aloud. "Forever in shadow will you be, Master of Chaos, and to fade to nothing in obscurity will be thy fate. My master has planned many millennia for this day. It is the true chaos of all things that you now must be entombed amongst the beings of flesh and bone…"

Pious stood before a great mass of purple flesh, a staff of bone in his right hand. "…You have a great monument here, Mantorok. It is a pity that no one will ever recognize it as yours…" Nine glowing purple symbols appeared on the ground around him in a circle. "May the darkness claim thee, crawling chaos and wretched beast! No longer will thy reign be kept over the Ancients you have kept imprisoned. Thou hast seen the last of this world…" Pious hit the bottom of his staff on the ground, and purple lightning shot into the pillars hanging high above the room. They came crashing down into Mantorok's flesh. The Great Ancient roared in pain, body shuddering as the enchanted stakes struck it. Pious had accomplished his task and bound Mantorok, the Corpse God.

Ellia stood up, finished reading the book. "Not even these mythical fables can keep me amused. There has to be something to do around here. I only wish something that fantastic, and of higher purpose, could happen to me…" Suddenly, the stone door behind Ellia slammed shut. Her eyes widened, and she took her short sword in one hand. Walking towards the statue of the fertility deity the temple was made for; she spotted an interesting pattern on the floor in the middle of the room. There were four engravings filled with colored sand. The red, green, and blue symbols were arranged in a triangle, and the purple symbol was in the middle of the three.

Wondering what the pattern meant, Ellia walked over to the four-armed statue in front of her. There was an odd necklace around its neck, and it didn't seem to belong. When the dancer took it off, a stone door behind her and to the right slammed shut. Deciding to keep the necklace, which emanated a strange power, she walked through the only open door in the room.

Ellia looked around the dimly lit room. There was a small shine of candles against a corner of the room, and a mural of the setting sun on the floor. The four bodies that littered the room covered some of it. It seemed they had been there for a long time, which made the young dancer wonder how the temple guards missed them. She walked through the room quickly, careful not to step on any of the bodies. As she walked down a hallway beyond the room, Ellia stepped on a tile that sank a bit into the floor. There was a sound, and blades came out of the walls. Looking down, the dancer saw that the tile she stepped on was colored differently than the others. Further down the hallway were more of the trap tiles. Ellia dodged through the blades, wondering why the temple had traps in it. Proceeding down the rest of the hallway carefully, she arrived at the doorway unscathed.

In the next room, the door behind the young dancer slammed shut, locking her in. On the floor was a withered corpse with loose bandages hanging off of it. Before Ellia's very eyes, the corpse pushed itself to its feet. The beast stared at her for a bit, and she felt as if she was losing it. She slashed at the creature's arms, cutting them off. But ghostly versions of its arms replaced it, and it still tried to attack the girl. When she slashed at its head, the creature fell to the ground and flailed around. Ellia brought down her short sword, cutting into its back. The monster became still, and the door the dancer came through opened.

Ellia straightened up, looking around the room. There was a small shrine of candles near her, but it didn't seem to match the picture behind it. She put out the candle on the right, and the stone door in the room with the same pattern she had seen before lowered slightly, but not enough for her to get through. On a nearby stone urn was a bronze necklace, and Ellia knew what to do with it. She picked it up and started for the room with the statue.

When the young dancer entered the room with the mural of the setting sun on the floor, three of the bodies on the ground stood up and attacked her. She quickly dispatched them and entered the room where she started out. Ellia placed the bronze necklace around the statue's neck, opening the door that had closed earlier. Hoping that she could find a way out and soon, the young girl walked through the doorway.

The next room was empty, and she was able to get through the trap-filled corridor without stepping on the trap tiles. But when Ellia entered the room with a mural of the night sky on the floor, the door slammed shut behind her. A bluish colored corpse that resembled a drowned man got to its feet and started for the girl. Striking at its arms, the girl hoped it would go down easily. The monster leaned back, its face pointing towards the ceiling, and began to make a strange noise. A light built up within it, and its body began to shake. Ellia backed away as the creature exploded, releasing a shockwave of blue energy that knocked her back. Behind her, the door she came through opened. The other door in the room had the same triangular pattern she had seen on the other door, which made her wonder if it would open when she put out the candles. The girl walked over to the shrine of candles and put all of them out, and sure enough, the door with the pattern on it opened, allowing access into the corridor beyond.

More corpses littered the hallway, but none of them moved as Ellia navigated through the traps. About halfway down the hallway, she spotted an alcove in the wall. Sitting on a pedestal was a blowgun with poisonous darts. As she picked it up, a trap door under her opened up, and she fell down a long, dark shaft. She landed in a crouch when she came out of the shaft, and her sword hit the ground next to her, shattering into many pieces. Ellia gasped and got up from her crouch, looking around.

"A secret passage in the temple?" she whispered to herself. A temple guard to her right cried out in fear as two reddish corpses that looked like skinned men started for him. Ellia brought up the blowgun and fired two darts at each of the creatures, and they turned to her instead. While the poison slowly did its work, the dancer dodged the creatures' attacks easily. When the creatures fell to the ground, she fired one more dart at each of them to make sure they were dead. The temple guard she had saved thanked her, and asked her if she wanted him to fix her sword. Ellia retrieved the pieces of her sword and brought them to the guard. He said some words she didn’t understand, and three purple symbols appeared on the ground. A purplish lighting arced from the symbols into her sword, repairing it. When asked if he knew a way out, the temple guard shook his head.

"No, I don't. But perhaps the others know a way out." Ellia thanked him and walked through the trapped filled hallway. In the next room, more walking corpses attacked her. She easily dispatched them with her sword and looked around. One wall was dominated by a large mural, which depicted a skeletal man befriending the ancient Khmer people. Ellia continued on, noticing that there was a slot in the statue in the middle of the room, as if a lever belonged there. Wondering if she could find the lever for it, she continued on.

After another trapped-filled hallway, the dancer entered a room with a large flaming pit in the middle, a large mural on the wall, and two green and one red creature. The red one was fighting the green ones, and the red one was winning. When it had defeated the others, Ellia took it out. She then looked at the large mural on the wall, and was surprised that it looked exactly like the last scene in her book. The skeletal man, holding a staff, was standing before a great monster. Pillars were dropping down into its flesh, and the beast's many mouths were open in roars of pain. Ellia turned away and walked towards the other doorway in the room, hoping against hope that she could find a way out, and soon.

--------------------------------------------------
Chaos Entombed
--------------------------------------------------

Ellia walked down the short corridor and came upon a great beast. It looked like the one from the mural and book, and when she saw the pillars in its flesh, she discovered that this was the very same creature. "Stop! Don't go near it!" warned a voice. She turned and spotted two temple guards to her left. Suddenly, two tentacles shot out of the darkness and dragged the guards to their deaths. Ellia gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"So, you are reduced to feeding on flesh and bone, Mantorok," a voice behind her said. She turned to face the skeletal man from the murals. "How the mighty have fallen. You will surely fester for millennia to come. A slow, and torturous fate, for thee…" The man turned to face Ellia, his skeletal face scaring her. "You had best leave, young fool, or you will find yourself as food for the Dead God!" He turned around and left the room. Ellia watched him go, unaware of the glowing eyes of the statue behind her. Purple light leapt from the statue and knocked her out. She came to after a while, and was vaguely aware of a man standing over her.

"You are one of the chosen many, flesh and blood." Ellia's vision faded, and when she woke up again, she found herself reclining on some steps. "It is now your destiny to fight the Eternal Darkness." The man held a glowing object in his hands as he spoke. "I give you a gift in return for an obligation. The gift is your life, sweet dancer. The obligation is this." He put the object in Ellia's hands. "You hold one of Mantorok's hearts. The Essence of the Corpse God. To some it is a source of great power. From those people you must defend it, lest they use it to destroy what little brightness your world has left in it. Guard it well…" The man walked off as the Heart of Mantorok was sucked into Ellia's body. She screamed in pain, eyes glowing with a purplish light. After awhile, the pain subsided, and she stood up again. The dancer looked at the statue behind her, and she spotted a metal rod in its hands. She took it and started back for the first room she found a mural in.

The resistance on her way back to where the lever belonged was very light; only about three walking corpses attacked. Ellia arrived at the room where the lever belonged, and she put it into its slot, pulling it down. She heard a door open in the direction of Mantorok's tomb. The young dancer backtracked to the large room and walked around the stone path built around Mantorok. The Ancient gasped for breath, slowly dying, but still clinging to this world nevertheless. There was a large doorway in front of the girl, and as she approached it, she felt as if her adventure had come to an end.

--------------------------------------------------
Death of a Dancing Girl
--------------------------------------------------

Ellia found herself at a dead end. There was a four-armed statue in front of her, but nothing else. She walked forward, wondering if there was a secret passage. There were the sounds of footsteps behind her. Turning to face them, Ellia gasped, eyes widening. The skeletal man from before walked towards her, being followed by two temple guards.

"Fool! You should have run! Instead you will die! Where is the Essence of Mantorok?" he shouted. The two temple guards hissed inhumanly as they flanked Ellia and grabbed her arms. But she remained silent. "Where is it? I will not ask again, child!" The dancer was still silent. "Very well, then. You will succumb to the horrors of oblivion." The guards released the girl, stepping back from her. Red light built up in the man's left hand, and red lightning shot into Ellia from the floor. She screamed in pain and fell to the floor in front of Pious. Dead.

--------------------------------------------------
The Absent Horror
--------------------------------------------------

Danielle blinked a few times, looking around. Along with being relieved that the vision was gone, she felt a sorrow deep within for the girl, Ellia. She had no idea how she knew Ellia’s name, but right now she didn’t care. She had to find Alex.

Danielle walked out into the library and into the back section where Alex had headed to earlier. She wasn’t there, but there was some sort of passage near one of the bookcases. “Okay, so she somehow found this and didn’t tell me about it. Guess we’re even on secrets.”

She walked through the passage, entering a small, cluttered study. Alex jumped up from examining a cabinet and spun around, holding a small leather tube in her hand. “Danielle! What’re you doing in here?”

“I came looking for you, that’s all. Find anything?”

Alex pointed to a large book on a dusty desk. “I think we may be able to learn something if we can get all of the pages of that book together. Other than finding that, nothing. And you?”

“Just a big telescope and notes on tonight’s planetary alignment. What’s in that tube?”

Alex opened the leather tube, pulling out an old paper. “Another page, it seems. I found it when I messed with these cand—Danielle, what’s wrong?”

Danielle grabbed her head as a vision suddenly played itself out in her mind.

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

Standing before a strange stone structure was Pious Augustus. He motioned with his hand, and five red symbols appeared on the ground. A large image appeared in the structure; it was a combination of a mouth and several yellow eyes on a black background. "Your presence is long missed, my liege. I feel that my power is weakening from your absence."

"Yes…" Chattur'gha said in a deep, roaring, and guttural voice. "Your power flows from me. Without me, you are nothing…"

"My meditations reveal a flaw in our plan…" Pious reported to his Ancient.

"There is no flaw. Mantorok and the others move too slowly to counter our preparations. Once Mantorok is bound, its death will be prolonged for a thousand years. Its fate will assure that the balance of power over the opposing Ancients will remain in our favor. And with the Keeper nullified, my power grows stronger still!"

"And what of its Essence?" asked Pious.

"Mantorok has employed others to defend it. It is no matter, for the power I will wield upon my return will crush all that oppose me," Chattur'gha replied. "Enough of this. What of this Charlemagne the Frank? Is he still a concern?"

Pious grinned evilly. "His undoing has been planned in intricate detail. Those most loyal to him will be instrumental in his death. Nothing short of a miracle will keep him alive, and there hasn't been one of those in a long time."

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

Alex gently shook Danielle’s shoulder until her eyes snapped back into focus. “What happened? You just blanked out for a moment.”

“It’s nothing,” she replied quickly. “I just need to rest a bit. I’m going sit down in the library.” Without another word, she walked out of the study. Alex looked down at the page in her hand, then up at the door. What was Danielle not telling her? With a small sigh, she sat back down and read the new page.
Posted Image

1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."
James 1:19 -- "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
Romans 12:19 -- "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Stormsworder
Member Avatar
{C7}Game Admin - Crusader for Christ
((<< Yeah, another I seriously need to edit << I didn't really give Anthony much of a personality.))

Chapter 5: Suspicions of Conspiracy
814 A.D. Amiens, France

"From my research, it is apparent that the endeavors of mankind are mere puppetry at the hands of the Ancients. Whenever a king vows reform, the Ancients move quickly to stifle it. Under the auspices of Emperor Charlemagne the Frank, the new Holy Roman Empire was at the height of its power."


A young man knelt before one of the church's monks. The monk gestured for him to stand. Anthony, a messenger to Charlemagne the Frank, was handed a scroll. "Deliver this to our lord and Emperor, Charlemagne the Frank. No one but him must see it. They are words for his eyes only. At once!" The monk turned around and left, and Anthony walked off. When he heard a door open and close, he paused and glanced around to make sure no one was there. When he was sure it was all clear, he ducked into a corner and opened the scroll. Anthony caught a glimpse of strange symbols before yellow lightning hit him, knocking him to the ground. The messenger slowly got to his feet, rubbing his head.

"What sorcery is this?" a stunned Anthony asked. "A spell? I am bewitched! If this was meant for Charlemagne… then what will become of him? I have to warn him of this treachery!" He ran for the monastery where Charlemagne was, hoping to reach him before it was too late.

The monastery was silent, except for the hushed whispers of the monks. Anthony walked in between the pews and spoke to a monk standing by a coffin. He informed the messenger that a member of the order fell to his death from a tower. His tone was guarded, making the young man suspect that this was a lie. Anthony looked down at the casket, swallowing hard. He didn't want to do this, but he knew he had to. Pushing aside his fear, he pulled the lid off the casket. All around him, monks whispered feverishly among themselves. The corpse in the casket had a torn and bloodied face, and there was a gaping hole in his chest. The monk nearest to Anthony pulled him aside.

"You have proven what we have feared the most. This poor man has been a victim of great evil. Look how his body has been defiled. As if something has burst out from inside him." The monk pulled out a sword, a Scramasax, and handed to Anthony. "Here, take this for your protection, and find the Bishop! He must be informed of this horrible discovery." He walked away, leaving Anthony alone in the monastery. The door to the visiting chamber where was at was locked, so the young man walked up the stairs to the second floor. But to his surprise, the scenery around him shifted and changed, as if he was being pulled from one reality into another.

"What devilry is this?" he asked himself as the screams of hundreds of people reached his ears. The man walked forward, noticing two statues, one on either side of him. The one on his left had no torso, and the name Pious Augustus was engraved under it. To his right was the statue of a girl. The name on it read Ellia. Anthony wondered who these people were as he walked towards a statue of a hand a few feet in front of him. When he neared it, the hand opened up, revealing a book bound with human skin and bone. It beckoned to Anthony, as if yearning to be possessed once again. He picked it up, and strange images flooded his mind, showing him what happened to Pious and Ellia.

Anthony was back on the steps leading up to the second floor, as if he had been there all along. He took his Scramasax in hand and walked up the rest of the steps. Suddenly, the curse the scroll put on him flared up, and pain racked his body. When it stopped, Anthony looked down at his hands, and was shocked to see that they were gray in color. It was as if the very life was being drained from his body. No, I can't dwell on the thought. I must save Charlemagne, no matter what the cost! Looking up, Anthony spotted a strange gold medallion with three small circles arranged in a triangular pattern on a desk. As he picked it up, it pulsed with power and vanished.

"The medallion… It's vanished!" Suspecting that the book he had found had something to do with this, Anthony opened it up and flipped through a few pages. On one of him, he found the medallion he picked up, the 3-Point Circle of Power, in a space on the page. A bit confused, he closed the book and looked around the room. Behind him, a blue urn with a ghostly blue symbol on it sat on a shelf. Anthony picked it up and examined it, but the urn slipped from his hands and shattered as it hit the floor. In the midst of the pieces was a green rune, which glowed and vanished when he grabbed it. A quick check of the Tome confirmed his thoughts. The rune was now in the book. Quickly scooping up the pieces of the shattered urn, Anthony checked the bookcases in the room. He noticed that amongst the tomes and manuscripts was a single book pristine on the dusty shelf. The messenger pulled it out some, and to his right, a bookcase slid back, then sideways into the wall. There was a wooden ladder leading down into a dark passageway.

After he climbed down the ladder, Anthony walked into a corridor, and was surprised to see three greenish colored creatures turn to him. The nearest one was the tallest, and it had a rune in its body. Scramasax in hand, the young man dispatched all the creatures by merely slicing off their rotting heads, then throwing his sword into their body to finish them off. After picking up the rune the first creature dropped, he exited through the wood door at the end of the corridor.

A monk was swinging his torch at the three walking corpses that attacked him. He managed to set the nearest one ablaze, but dropped the torch in surprise as the creature flailed around and fell down the steps, catching a piece of tapestry on fire. It burned up, unveiling a wooden door. Before the brownish colored monsters could attack the monk, Anthony took them out. He turned back to the monk once he was done and asked him what he was doing down here.

"I was carrying a sacred urn from the baptismal font when I was confronted by the Bishop. He brandished a large blade, and his eyes burned with an evil fire. Frightened, I dropped the urn out of shock, and ran… When I returned to retrieve the urn, I found only the sword the Bishop had left behind. Here, take it. You will need it." The monk pulled out a two-edged sword and handed it to Anthony. He took the blade, then picked the torch up from the floor. With it, he was able to see the dark area down the steps, and pick up the fragments of the green urn. Once he had all of the pieces, he walked through the door.

Anthony walked down the stairwell off to his left, picking up a stone tablet on the floor. It had a symbol carved in the middle, with two words on it. "Magormor, item? What does this mean?" The tablet vanished, and he guessed that it was now in the Tome of Eternal Darkness. He heard the plodding sounds of one of the creatures' footsteps, so he took his sword in hand and cut it down as soon as it came around the corner. As it fell, it dropped the same rune that was inscribed on the stone tablet. This rune must be Magormor… But why did the tablet say item under it? Pondering this, he entered the door at the bottom of the stairwell.

Pain filled his body once more, and it felt like something inside him was changing, shifting around. Anthony winced, then examined the room, trying to put out a thought in his mind. What looked like a skinned man was fighting against the same creatures he had seen all over this maze, and it easily defeated the smaller creature. Off to his right, another of the creatures attacked Anthony. He brought the sword around, cutting through its torso. The reddish colored zombie came at the messenger, who found a harder time defeating it than the others. But it fell to his blade nonetheless. He noticed another stone tablet on a wood pedestal. This time, there was only one word, and they engraving matched the rune he had found in the blue urn. "Xel'lotath," he said weakly, and it vanished. The curse the scroll had put on him was starting to take its toll, and he prayed that he could find Charlemagne before he became too weak to go on.

There was a fountain in the room, and the face on it was that of a demon. From its mouth poured a sickening fluid that emitted a horrible smell. On another wood pedestal near the fountain was a red urn with a blood red symbol on the side. It was filled with the same liquid that was in the fountain. Wondering if he could use it somehow, Anthony picked it up and walked over to a tapestry on the wall. Remembering how the creature from before caught the tapestry covering the door on fire, he used the torch to set it ablaze. Behind it was another door, which he went through.

He was in a hallway that branched off to the left, and was about to walk around when one of the walking corpses came his way. It was cut down easily, and Anthony walked through the next door. As he entered the strange library, he saw the Bishop open a secret doorway and limp through it. The door closed behind him, and there was no visible way of opening it. Anthony walked forward, noticing a strange plate set into the floor. Three circles were arranged in a triangular fashion, as if something belonged in each circle. He put the filled red urn in one of them, and it fit perfectly. "Now, just to find a way to repair the other urns…" Something on the table in front of him caught his eye. It was a scroll with strange, geometric patterns on it and a drawing of a sword. Just under the drawings were some words.

"That which is broken, shall be fixed. That which is dull, will be sharp. Thus is the nature of the Enchant Item magick." Anthony smiled weakly. This was just what he was looking for. The spell scroll vanishes, and he guessed that it was now in the Tome. On one of the libraries shelves on the right side of the room was a stone tablet engraved with a symbol. The messenger picked it up, looking at the name on it. "Antorbok." The codex vanished, and Anthony knew that he had what he needed to cast the spell. Taking out the shards of the green urn, he focused hard. A female voice began to recite the runes he had found, and green symbols appeared on the ground. From them, green lightning shot into the urn, repairing it instantly. He did the same with the blue urn, repairing it also.

Anthony returned to the fountain, filling up the two urns, then placed them on the stone plate set into the floor. The door the Bishop went through opened up, revealing a corridor that branched off to the left. Another one of the brownish colored corpses walked around the corner, coming his way. But like the others, it was cut down in a single swipe. In front of the young man was the door to the Bishop's room. An uneasy feeling was in the pit of Anthony's stomach. Swallowing his fear, he opened the door.

The Bishop was standing before a shrine dedicated to a demonic god. As Anthony closed the door, the Bishop turned to face him. His eyes were blood red, and his face was torn and bloodied. He wasn't a holy man; he was a demon. "So… You have come to return my book… Very well, then. For your efforts, I promise a quick, and merciful, death." Anthony gritted his teeth and enchanted his sword. He ran at the Bishop, unaware of the two red corpses on the ground, and slashed at the demon's head. It snapped back, but he appeared to be unfazed. The Bishop swiped at Anthony, who ducked under the blow.

"Die, foul demon and servant of Satan!" he cried as he thrust the sword into the Bishop's heart. Mustering all his strength, the messenger pulled the blade to the left, cutting through the demon that was the Bishop. He collapses to the ground, dropping a gold key. On either side of Anthony, the two corpses got to their feet and attacked. When he finished them off, he gazed down at the Bishop, who was still struggling to get up, despite his wounds. Anthony reversed his sword in his hand and brought it down hard on the Bishop, and he stopped moving. Pulling out his sword, the messenger grabbed the Bishop's key on the floor and ran out the room.

As Anthony walked out the door, the curse within him acted up again, making him scream in pain. He was finding it hard to fight the curse, and he felt as though all the strength was gone from his body. Up ahead, two more corpses attacked him, but were easily cut through. Back in the Bishop's library, two of the brown colored corpses attacked him, but they fell just like the other ones he encountered. In the hallway leading back to the room with the fountain, Anthony encountered a strange red creature that resembled a scorpion. What he didn't know was that this creature was a Trapper; a being that could send humans, creatures, and objects to the Trapper Dimension. When Anthony tried to run past it, the Trapper let out a strange sound, and red light shot out in circles. The messenger got caught up in the light and vanished from the hallway.

Where the young man found himself at was a strange place with five floating pieces of land and gray mist under them. In front of him was a glowing circle of energy that would change colors to purple, red, green, or blue every few seconds. On each of the pieces of land was a circle of light with one of those four colors. When the circle glowed purple, Anthony stepped into it and found himself on the piece of land with a strange shrine. On the floor up the steps was a purple symbol in the middle of a gold circle. The messenger stepped into the circle, hoping that it would lead back to his world, and he vanished.

He was now back in the hallway where the Trapper had caught him in its attack. Deciding to be a bit more careful, Anthony snuck past the one that was in the room with the fountain. Three corpses attacked him in the stairwell, but quickly fell to his sword. Despite his fatigue, Anthony ran as fast as possible, not pausing to look at the monk he saw earlier. When he entered the corridor that led back to the ladder, pain filled him once again. It made him feel so weak that he was pretty much limping down the hallway. He climbed up the ladder, barely noticing how his hand looked decayed, as if he was becoming one of the corpses that he had fought.

Walking towards the stairs in the monastery's library, he felt and heard heavy footsteps on the floor. But when he looked around, he didn't see the source of the noise. The footsteps drew closer, and all of a sudden, a great red beast with three heads sticking out of the front of its torso walked through the wall. The creature, a "Horror", stopped in the middle of the room and let out an almighty roar. Behind it, a red barrier formed from the floor to the ceiling in front of the stairs, blocking the way down. Anthony enchanted his sword, gripping it with both hands.

"Accursed beast of Satan! I will not let you stand in my way!" He charged at the monster, slashing at its heads. The beast roared in pain as the right head was hit, and red lighting shot into the young man's body. He staggered backwards, but attacked the monster's heads once again, ignoring the pain in his body. Anthony jumped out of the way of the incoming lightning, then slashed at the last remaining head on the Horror. It roared weakly and collapsed to the ground, unable to fight anymore. The messenger stabbed his sword into the Horror, just as the barrier in front of the stairs dissipated.

In the monastery, three walking corpses attacked, but Anthony did not let them stand in his way. He cut through them with ease, ignoring the pain in his weary body. He pulled out the gold Bishop's key as he ran over to the door and unlocked it. It was time to inform Charlemagne of this treachery against him.

--------------------------------------------------
A Conspiracy Revealed
--------------------------------------------------

As Anthony opened the door, he saw Charlemagne's blackened corpse lying on the stone steps leading up to a large stone chair. Five monks were standing over him, and they all turned to Anthony when they heard the door open. "Nooo! Charlemagne!" he cried in anguish as he ran for his emperor's body. The curse on him flared up again, yellow light pouring out from his chest. "I have failed you…" Anthony fell to the floor next to Charlemagne, his decayed body smoking slightly. The monk on the top step looked down at the two as he spoke, his voice cold and uncaring.

"You are a fool for trying to save him, Anthony! His fate was decided many centuries ago, as is the fate of this world. Despite your faith, there is little to save you from the power of Chattur'gha!" As he said the Ancient's name, a reddish colored creature with bladed arms burst out of the monk's chest, the blood of its host dripping off of it.
Posted Image

1 Timothy 4:12 -- "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young."
James 1:19 -- "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."
Romans 12:19 -- "Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, 'I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it,' says the Lord."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Fully Featured & Customizable Free Forums
« Previous Topic · Fan Creations · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Theme created by tiptopolive. Find more great themes and skins at the ZB Theme Zone.