Chronicles of the Unrealm - a PuF RPG story

[PsychoMoggieBagpuss]

"It is time"

The wind was dying down now, the shutters had stopped banging and the previously torrential downpour was now turning into a rather despondent drizzle.

"After over fifteen thousand years it is now time", the hunched figure repeated again, eyes gazing intently at the remenents of a temple font, split in two by the vast forces unleashed just moments earlier.

"His feet have touched this land and all that is may yet be undone ..... but if he can be .."

TAP-TAP

The hunched figure paused in his/her/its monologue, disturbed by the unwelcome intrusion from the outside. He/it/she? stretched out an arm and gestured with a wrinkled hand.
A brief flash of light.

A portion of the wall slid noiselessly aside, just wide enough to admit a slight figure, wrapped in a heavy fur cloak, who upon seeing the hunched figure dropped to her knees and touched her head to the floor.

The girl started to talk, obviously frightened, her words coming out in a rush,
"Lord, the villagers are getting more ... troublesome ..... by the hour. You MUST talk...."

"Did I give you permisson to speak?"

The girl stops abruptly, her eyes widening as she realises in horror what she has done.
She starts to shake ..... "but...but.....the villag..."

"Silence" The word snaps out like a whip, only a slight movement coming from the hunched figure sat on the cold grey throne."I will deal with the villagers shortly, until then I need your assistance ..... open the other door"

Still shaking the girl walks over to the otherside of the room and stops in front of a featureless part of the wall.
"Now hold" comes that whispery scratchy voice from the thing that she calls her lord.
A few minutes pass, the silence becoming more oppressive, until suddenly a dull green glow appears in front of the girl. She stares at it briefly, before closing her eyes and thrusting her arms through the glow, through the wall to somewhere else.
It is obviously causing her pain, her jaw muscles are clenched and she is shaking even more, but with a cry of anguish/relief she pulls her arms back out of the wall, out of the glow, holding something wrapped in grey cloth.
"Bring it to me" whispers the figure on the throne.
For a moment the girl looks as if she is about to resist, but finally she drops her eyes in resignition and turns about, walking towards the throne before kneeling and placing the bundle in front of her.
"I never thought I would see this day", a papery thin hand caresses the wrapped item, "but now it has come it shall not find me old, befuddled and weak!"
The hunched figure stands, and then straightens to its full height of 6ft4", before pulling back the hood of its robes.
The girl starts, she has never seen her lords face before, the high cheekbones, slanted eyes and slightly elongated ears appear to be the hallmarks of the elvish people, but yet there is something alien and indescribable as well. Her lord must once have been a mighty warrior, but now his bones are brittle, his flesh and skin hang off his skeletal frame and one of his fierce golden eyes are cloudy.
Sudden recognition dawns in the young girls eyes, her look changes from amazement, to shock then to fear,
"You're a ..."
"Stop" the figure growls, this word must have had some type of magical command about it, as the girl is frozen to the spot, unable to even blink.
Slowly the figure picks the bundle of the floor, gently unwrapping it. Soon he is left holding a sword and scabbard. The scabbard appears to be made out of some type of red leather scales, the hilt of the sword is plain and unadorned, the pommel stone black and unrecognisable.
"You know nothing of me, of us ", whispers the figure to the paralyzed girl as he circles her, "we were rulers of the skys and the seas whilst you were still living in caves and banging rocks together. You know nothing of our truimphs, our arts, our musics, or the sacrifices we made ...... the sacrifices I made," the ancient figure looks saddened, "to ensure that HE did not win".
The figure sighs.
"Yet I would make those sacrifices all over again if it gave me just a chance, the most miniscule of chances, to right what was wrong, to bring back that which was lost ..... to rescue my people."
"But all this means nothing to you. You have seen me for what I am, and I cannot allow you to inform others." The figure stops in front of the girl and places a withered hand on her shoulder, "it may be no solace to you, but I am truely sorry for what I must do here, it brings me no pleasure."
The figure releases the girls shoulder and the hold spell though she does not run, instead steeling herself and looking him squarely in the eyes.
"Sleep peacefully" whispers the ancient figure as he touches his lips to the girls forehead.
Her eyes widen briefly, then she smiles a most beautiful smile before crumpling slowly to the floor, dead.
The figure stands over the still smiling girl, before kneeling beside her and closing her eyes for the last time.
"I am so sorry little one, may you find the happiness in your next life that I denied you in this one, and may you be stronger for it"
The figure straightens, he appears slightly younger, healthier than five minutes earlier, leaning on his sword to pull himself up.
"And now I must leave"
The figure walks out of his throne room and proceeds through a maze of tunnels, appearing to turn left and right at random.
Eventually he enters a darkened chamber, the only light coming from a small glowing globe that the figure is carrying, casting harsh shadows along the walls.
In the centre of the room is a large stone sarcophagaus of some type, with the top carved into the shape of a tall warrior woman, appearing to have the same features as the ancient globe bearer.
The figure walks to the head of the carving, running his hand along the cheekbone of the carved warrior woman,
"Llaeresil.." he whispers, "you will be avenged ... you will ALL be avenged ..... soon we will be together ... soon I will have you back ..... and our people can once again start building our cloud castles, soaring the waves and dancing under the moons", the figure pauses for a second, appearing to be searching for something to say, "but there are things that I must do to open the paths for you, to be ready for you ... horrible things ..... I hope that you can forgive me ... I hope I can forgive myself"
With that last word the figure turns abruptly and heads out into the passages.
One hour later he is squinting down into a village, the setting sun behind it, watching the villagers gather in front of the bonfires, shaking there rustic weapons in the air and shouting amongst themselves. There appears to be a few people, in armour, standing on a raised dais, shouting to the crowd. A cheer goes up. The shouting is getting louder ..... soon the figure is able to pick out some of the words ... "abomination", "evil", "thief", "murderer".
The figure shakes it's head, he is in no doubt that he's the subject of the villagers ire, he just cannot understand why. Until four hours ago he had not killed for over two thousand years, but this last couple of months had been filled with accusations, fighting and cruelty amongst the villagers TO EACH OTHER.
Then he hears it, a word, carried by the brisk evening air to his enhanced hearing.
Upon hearing it he starts, then sighs, and then unsheathes his sword.
The blade, some type of silver/grey material glints red in the setting sun as he advances under cover towards the bonfire, tears streaming down his face, muttering to himself a litany to keep away the darkness.
"Llaeresil forgive me ... it is to soon for them to know that our people our not truely dead, that we were never the monsters they thought we were .... the sacrifice we took upon ourselves to preserve this world and all it's creatures from HIM cost us too much...."

Soon the screams begin.

Two weeks later a figure is spotted by several groups of travellers heading towards the coast. He appears to be some sort of tall elfling, a mighty sword strapped to his back, looking maybe mid to late twenties in human years, though at certain lights and angles there appears to be something terrifying about his features.
Quite often he appears out of nowhere, yet always he asks the same qustions and is gone within minutes of recieving his answer.
No one ever sees him leave.

But always the same questions ....

"Which way to the coast ?, which way to Khaine?"

[Edited by RumpleForeskin|PuF on December 7th, 2000 at 03:01 PM]

 

[Wolf Blackstar]

"Forsooth; we should leave this place, for lo, even now, the sun sets upon us, and I sense something about the forest that does no bode well in the balance of life."

Wolfram addressed the three. He could not quite explain it, but something was wrong. Unsure of his identity as he was, Wolfram knew he did not possess manifested magic, but he had been driven from the start by extraordinarily powerful instinct. It had brought him to the forest, to the village, and to the monster in the cave. But now this same instinct was telling him that there was more evil here than the flesh eating beast that he had slain, and it seemed to indicate that it was stirring into life with every moment that the sun approached the horizon. The whole forest seemed rife with danger signals. "We must be off. To the village!"

The other three seemed to agree, and the party set off at a brisk pace over the forest trails.



Back at the shop, old Doy was almost finished cleaning. And good that he was, for the sun was just touching the horizon. He'd remember to give Moy an earful about not revealing the secrets of maintaining the place. Doy could hardly believe it had taken an entire day to clean and stock the little shop. Doy was also feeling somewhat uneasy, since those two women that had interrogated him earlier about Moy were still outside. He had no idea what they were after, but he did not appreciate being shoved around. He stole a glance out the window, and it appeared that the tall redhead with the bow was setting up camp. The shorter woman was sitting on a rock, her arms folded across her knees and the staff lying flat in the palms of her hands. Her eyes were closed in meditation, and Doy saw what looked like sparks flowing across the surface of the staff.

The tall woman suddenly turned and looked directly at him, and Doy jumped away from the window like a kicked cat.


"Freyja, he's watching us again. Are you sure he doesn't know anything?" But no answer came from her friend. Isis knew she she wouldn't speak until she had finished meditating, attuning herself to the frequencies of life itself, gaining strength and ethereal mana. Isis sat down next to Freyja and laid her longbow across her lap. Crafted from the ribs of an elder dragon and imbued with the essence of its blood, it was indeed a fine weapon. The dragon bow and it's blood-treated arrows could pierce any armor and completely nullify even the most powerful warrior's defenses.

The sun's lowermost edge sank beneath the horizon, and the pines cast long shadows over the trails. Isis was suddenly overwhelmed with a host of mental signals of danger. Only warriors knew this feeling, and those who survive battle quickly learned not to dismiss it. Isis stood, tall and strong, her studded leather armor girt tightly about her athletic figure. Slung over her shoulder was a formidable array of throwing knives and two short swords. She nocked an arrow to thw bowstring and held it taught. Then she looked at Freyja. If there really was a threat present, she would eventually feel it too, through the mana energies...

Freyja had just achieved a complete state of inner peace, and unity with the ethereal realm. Though her eyes were closed, she could see the world around her entirely through magic, as well as the forces and energies which the naked eye could not see. She felt her inner essence recharging as she absorbed energy, siphoning off the power given off by nature itself and giving her strength and ability. Her meditation was nearly complete when foreign energies suddenly focused themselves into existence. This was wrong. These were not the elemental forces of the world, but could only be from another source - demonic magic. Suddenly the malevolent energies synchronised themselves into a radiance of hatred that grew stronger by the second. Then the evil force turned on her and lashed out....

"Freyja! There is......" "Evil, I know, I have felt it, and it is very powerful." She rose to her feet and gripped her staff closely. She approached Isis, who had already prepared her bow and arrows, and steeled herself in a fighting stance. Freyja's long, flowing gown was crafted of elven mail. It was soft as silk to the touch, but was intrinsically stronger than steel and could absorb the most punishing of blows. It was also imbued with magical essences which gave her a reserve of mana energy that would also recharge faster. Her staff came to life in her hands, glowing brightly and radiating azure sparks which gathered themselves within the skull that sat on top of it.

Isis and Freyja stood back to back in the Forest of Silence, weapons and magic at the ready, and were more than prepared when a host of screaming creatures charged forth from the darkness and attacked.

 

[Omega-Seven]

Quite suddenly, the weirdlings left...

"Most puzzling Jing. Quite likely they found other prey. It could be a trap, but I doubt it... weirdlings are difficult to control, and in band as large and diverse as that one... I'm not surprised."

Jing regarded his hand, the talking Sinistre for a moment, then released the banishment spell.

"Please come inside... there are things you should know." Said the old man.

Inside, the old man bustled about quickly, gathering leathery tomes and strange potions, all the while studying his mysterious savior seated by the fireplace. Tall (6f2), and athletically lean...he bore a finely crafted katana of silver, etched with ancient runes not even the healer, wise beyond his years, could recognize. Several silver throwing knives were concealed under his cloak, marking the stranger as a Vampire hunter. This was at once strange, since most vampire hunters were much more heavily armed, travelled in groups, and were much younger, due to their high mortality rate. Of further interest was the silver flintlock pistol at his belt. Such weapons worked only by magic, and were hideously rare. Moreover, they were the common domain of werewolf hunters. The stranger's pale skin spoke of his profession, though he did not wear a cross, as so many others did.

The old Healer cleared his throat, "And how should I address you, lord?"

Silently, Jing began to trace sigil after sigil within the air... Each flared in order, floating in ethereally in the air, interweaving.
"That is the name of my family clan. You realize who and what am I now, I assume?"

The Old healer stopped, his heart threatening to tear itself out of his chest. Could he have read the sigils incorrectly? The Vampire Hunter sitting so placidly by the fire was older than all the trees in the forest outside!
"Yyy....you....you.....you are.... the son of -"

"Aye. I am known by many names. The people of the east saw fit to call me Jing as a testament to the clarity of my purpose, and forged for me this blade."
"You know Jing," Began Sinistre "That was almost 500 years ago."
"That it was, you misbegotten summoning gone awry. And how many years has it been since the master librarian miscast the summon familiar spell that placed you in my hand?"
"Hmmm. It is a faint memory..." the finger's on Jing left hand began to move, counting off years...or perhaps centuries.

"If you are fit to travel and have your belongings, we should hasten... something is still lurking, and bears you great malice."

The old healer nodded. He placed his books and potions in a bag, then handed an old book and some potions to Jing, "I know these potions of healing and the grimoire Guerir of healing is of no use to you...but perhaps?" The old man continued packing. "You know, your mother was the one woman truly loved by your father. According to legends, he did not impart his dark curse upon her, leaving her a human."

"Aye, that he did, left my beloved mother human...and mortal. And the villagers burned her for a witch. She brought medicins to heal the villagers, and when they became well again, the healing was a testament of her witchcraft. That village was destroyed that night, and it's name has not been uttered for ages. My mother, with her dying words, sent me forth to do good among the people. But I cannot forgive those shades of the past, and I'll not revive them by uttering their name."

The old man nodded sagely as they walked through the forest. "Bear not the people malice, for ever do people fear what they do not understand. And know that now, they need your help. A great evil has set foot on our land this day, an evil from a faraway island nation across the sea. And -"

A hideous, incessant laughter breaks from the forest.
HeeHEhEEeehEheEHEhe HAahaAHHAhahHAHHAhahAHha EHEHAHahaheEHheHAH
"Jing" warned Sinistre, "It is the undead... and a powerful one come to replace the weirdlings!"
The old man looked panicked, "The laughter is nearer! we must make haste! The forest edge is ahead!"
HeeHEhEEeehEheEHEhe HAahaAHHAhahHAHHAhahAHha EHEHAHahaheEHheHAH
The old healer ran towards the edge of the forest... he could see two warriors, an amazon and a sorceress putting to death the last of the weirdlings...if only he could enlist their aid...
"Old Man! Neither stop nor run! You must WALK!"

But it was too late. In blur of black motion, and the healer was cut down. Over his dying body stood a squat, skeletal, black demon... it had long, razor sharp claws instead of fingers, an angular face with burning red eyes and a beak like mouth.
And it never stopped laughing.
HeeHEhEEeehEheEHEhe HAahaAHHAhahHAHHAhahAHha EHEHAHahaheEHheHAH
Jing had stopped inspite of his own warning to the old man.
"A screeling" he hissed softly.

 

[The_Dudester]

{Wolf, Cammy, WAnk - I thought I might need to actually explain what the h*ll this gem is I have...so here goes...(my apologies for the bad dialogue) }

The sun was almost set, casting an ominous bruise across the horizon, as the quartet of adventurers arrived back in the ruins of the village.

Du-de-es-ta began building a fire from the fragments of wood strewn liberally around the area,
aided by the thief Natalya, whose slender attractiveness had not gone unnoticed by the explorer. He wondered briefly
whether this help, and the glances she had been giving him during the walk back, suggested a reciprocation of
feeling...but then thieves were known to be suspicious types, so it was equally likely that she was simply
wary of this unknown quantity he represented.

Soon, the fire was built, and the four were sat around it, sharing in its warmth (the night had become unnaturally cold for the season).
From the direction of the Forest of Silence came muffled screams and the sound of fighting...which attracted the interest of all the party for a brief while.
They ended soon after they started, however, and no-one was particularly enamoured of idea of investigating such things, especially at night, when pain elementals and
worse were abroad.

After a long silence, Du-de-es-ta took a long breath and recounted his story to his sister and their companions. The shock on Chun-Li's face when she heard of the
destruction of the Eye of the Golden Dragon was almost too much for the hardened explorer to bear, but he forced himself to continue...

"My sister, I know how much it grieves you to find our family's heirloom destroyed...it was a great force for good in this world. I can only say that I fought with all my life to
resist this tragedy - but my blades and magic could not resist the forces of the daemon horde, and the hideous forces at the command of their leader. I will regret this day to the end of my
life, but, look, there is at least some good to come from this..."

With that, Du-de-es-ta brought forth the heavy box from his side, and gingerly opened it a fraction so that the bale-light of its contents spilled out over his allies. All three started at the light's touch,
as if a jolt of pain passed through them (although the warrior Wolfram tried to hide his reaction to save face...). Then, the box snapped shut.

"Du-de-es-ta, my brother, is that what I think it is?" asked the healer anxiously.

"Yes, it is. An elemental cyst - capable of absorbing any elemental force and holding it for a time, until the gem's bearer wishes to release the essence within.
At present, it contains the elements of pain and injury which I projected into it to save my life...this is why its appearance is so threatening, and its light is bane to all living things.
My magical powers are no match for yours, dear sister, but this gem seemed almost hungry for my agony - as if it were used to such contents.
You of course know what this means?"

Glancing at the puzzled expressions of Wolfram and Natalya, the Chun Li nodded, then exposited for their benefit...

"It could only mean that the gem had been used to hold a pain elemental - a daemon of some kind. More so, for the gem to want pain so much,
the trapped daemon must have been incredibly powerful..."

A shudder passed through the group as they considered what this could mean...

 

[Cammy]

"Shouldn't we help those poor people?" asked Chun-Li upon hearing the screams.

"At present our powers are not yet fully recharged," replied Du-de-es-ta, "so if we attempt to help them we'll only put ourselves in danger. We can always go to their aid at daybreak. After all, we can even resurrect the dead within one day of their death."

For a time there was only the sound of crackling fire. Then Natalya decided to change the topic. "So that crystal actually serves as a prison for those demons, eh?" observed Natalya, referring to the crystal Du-de-es-ta had just shown them. "Perhaps we can find more of these crystals. They ought to be a great help in handling the demons and elementals."

"I've got some magical crystals myself," said the warrior, producing a few. "They were given to me by the old healer-mage I spoke of. I'm actually not entirely sure myself what other use they might have, and I employ them mainly as a source of illumination."

Du-de-es-ta studied the crystals. "These... These are elemental cysts, too!!" he cried excitedly. "They should aid us greatly in fighting the evil creatures!"

"Are these creatures really that terrible?" asked the warrior skeptically. "I've already shown one of them who's the boss!"

"Big boy," said Natalya with a shake of her head, almost losing her patience with the warrior's youthful impulsiveness, "you simply do not know what you stand against."

"Natalya speaks truly," answered Du-de-es-ta. "These creatures are not to be lightly reckoned with. The one you fought was in truth but one of the weaker ones. We cannot afford to act on impulse in dealing with them. If they can destroy even the Eye of The Golden Dragon so easily, you've got to give them some credit for their terrible abilities."

"Ah, the Eye of The Golden Dragon..." sighed Chun-Li, shaking her head. Then suddenly, as if struck with an inspiration, she brightened up.

"Du-de-es-ta," asked Chun-Li excitedly, "do you recall the thirtieth verse from the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine?"

"I fear I no longer recall any such things," apologised Du-de-es-ta, "preoccupied as I have been with travelling and exploration. Why?"

"Because, according to that source, there are actually two Eyes of The Golden Dragon, a left eye and a right eye! As long as one is intact, it will always be possible to restore the other. And furthermore, should the two eyes be combined, they will form an utterly indestructible Third Eye of The Golden Dragon, which, so the Classic relates, can destroy every evil creature of every kind within a thousand feet of its wielder!"

"If all this is really true," said Wolfram, "we must find the other Eye!"

"But how?... Where?..." asked Du-de-es-ta.

Silence again, interrupted only by the sounds of the fire. How indeed were they to find this other Eye?

Then suddenly, the fire's colors changed -- changed from orange to yellow to a blinding white -- and the tongues of flame also arranged themselves in an increasingly symmetrical fashion like the petals of some giant flower. For some curious reason, the four did not feel frightened by this sudden change; indeed, they actually felt reassured, filled with hope and courage... Then in the middle of the flames appeared the figure of a seated lady of such beauty she could not be human... And Wolfram and Natalya found themselves involuntarily falling on their knees...

"Lady Kuan-Yin, most compassionate one!" cried Chun-Li and Du-de-es-ta as they prostrated themselves before the goddess. "Your servants hear and obey!"

"My beloved and faithful servants," spoke an ethereal voice, "you have suffered much in my service and for this I am proud of you. Do not fear, your loved ones are now safely reborn in the Western Paradise; but for you much work remains to be done. It is in this respect that I have chosen to come to your aid -- by giving you the Right Eye of the Golden Dragon..."

 

[trinity]

A host of dead weirdlings lay at the feet of two exotic, powerful women. One screeling faced one strange man with an even stranger blade in his hand. And one little troll peered out of a shop window, watching the scene unfold:

The stranger (my what a shiny sword he has!) is standing, just facing the evil creature. Perhaps unaware of the danger? No, I sense some strange power in the man (is he a man or some other being?), he must know what to do. Why are the women just standing there? (that one has a curious gem in her sash, it seems to be what brought the screeling and the wierdlings in the first place). The screeling's insidious laughter filled the air. Horrors were coming...
The little troll shuffled closer to the doorway and peered out for a closer view.

Suddenly, an armed man ran from the forest. Wielding a deadly axe, he fell upon the demon...

 

[Wolf Blackstar]

Wolfram had heard the unholy laughter first, and followed it to its source. He had rushed through the forest, departing the little ceremony almost as quickly as it had begun, despite warnings to wait for further instruction, only to arrive just in time to witness the butchery of the kind old healer-mage who had helped him earlier. Studying the creature, he instinctively chose his battle-axe over his sword, feeling that bludgeoning would be most effective. Though his memories had been cut off, the undead demon was somehow familiar. Could he have fought something like this before? That same instinct, almost a sixth sense, compelled him to advance, but slowly, at a steady pace instead of charging headlong.

When he had closed to within twenty paces of the creature, he reached to his belt with one hand, and flicked a throwing dagger into the tree nearest the creature. It had been concentrating on someone else within the shack, but the sound of the blade striking the tree grabbed its attention immediately. It whirled around and let out a blood-curdling scream of laughter.

Wolfram leapt with all his might, synchronising the jump with the initial burst of the demon's laughter so as to mask the sound of his feet leaving the ground. He sprang like a tiger, closing the last few yards in midair, his powerful body spinning for maximum power as he came down upon the creature, his arms like solid steel pillars as the y applied their force....

....And clove the undead demon through its skull, severing it nearly in twain with a single crushing blow of the axe. The damn thing laughed even as it fell in pieces to the ground. Wolfram had to place his foot on the carcass in order to apply enough leverage to wrench the weapon free.

A man emerged from the shack, a silver katana in his arms. A vampire hunter? Wolfram also noticed that all had fallen silent once more, and there were a great many carcasses of animals lying about. Du-de-es-ta, Chun-Li and Natalya emerged from the forest at about the same time two women, one a warrior like himself, the other clearly a magic user, entered the little clearing near the old mage's shack. Chun-Li instinctively knelt by the crumpled old man and examined him. Wolfram noticed that the vampire hunter, if that was what he truly was, for something seemed familiar about this man too, was smiling, nearly at the point of breaking into laughter.

"And what is it that you find so amusing?" he asked. The man pointed at Wolfram with his sword and said: "You got some entrails on you, boy." Wolfram looked down on himself and he, too, began laughing. His breastplate was spattered with blood, as well as his face, and pieces of demon innards, some still twitching faintly, had been sprinkled liberally on his chest and shoulders, so great had been the power of the blow which felled the creature. As Wolfram wiped the guts from his armor, the man with the silver sword spoke. "You did well, approaching quietly at walking pace, choosing a bludgeoning weapon instead of a piercing one - but remember, next time you see a screeling, two or three swift chops with a weapon such as your axe would do the work your......unleashed outpouring of power can accomplish, with far less the effort."

Wolfram nodded at the widom in the man's words. He looked up to the dark skies, watching as the last portion of sunlight disappeared from sight, and wondered what the future would hold.

 

[Cammy]

"I think you all need some healing," said Chun-Li, who held the Right Eye of The Golden Dragon high above her head. A blinding flash came forth from the large blue gem and lo and behold the bruises and cuts on everyone's body were completely healed.

"Hey, that trinket of yours really is something!" remarked Isis the amazon, eyes gone wide. Freyja the sorceress, however, did not appear surprised; indeed she smiled at Chun-Li as if she knew it would all happen. Chun-Li smiled back.

Then Chun-Li turned to the body of the old mage-healer. "Du-de-es-ta, I will need your help," she said.

Du-de-es-ta nodded. He and Chun-Li propped up the old man's lifeless body and sat cross-legged behind him, each of them pressing a palm on the old mage's back and closing their eyes in concentration. Waves of power could be seen travelling down the arms of Chun-Li and Du-de-es-ta into the mage's body, and after what seemed like ages the body began to show signs of life...

The aged healer's eyes fluttered open. "No! No!" he screamed in horror...

 

[Omega-Seven]

The Vampire Hunter Jing approached the old healer who continued to scream in terror.

"The pain of transition is great within you. Sleep now." Placing his left hand on the old healer's shoulder. The healer quite suddenly went limp again in Chun-Li's arms, his breathing slowly becoming peaceful and measured.

"Though you are a healer, you must not have had great occasion to revive the dead. This is a task better left unattempted. The soul of the departed is measured by the years spent in the living; one as aged as our hermit's soul lies far beyond the barrier between the living and dead. It becomes more difficult to bring a person back the longer they have lived."

Jing walks to the corpse of the undead, and begins to draw a circle around the two quivering pieces.

"It is not meet to return a soul to the realm of the living. And so, the barrier resists your attempts; if you are not strong enough, then your soul is claimed as well. It is well that you have your relic and the aid of this young man." Jing points at Du-de-es-ta; the face on his left hand smiles in greeting. Having completed two concentric circles and several runes, he continues to draw a star within the circle, inscribing elemental runes within each corner.

"The trouble in reviving also lies in the fact that the barrier grows stronger with the passage of time after death. It is further rumored that for every life brought back to life, the life of another is prematurely ended. Be wary."

The circle of power complete, Jing begins to repeat the symbol, a much larger version, centered around what was completed.

"I must warn you also; the relic gems that you possess, they are being sought by evil. You must not use them, for when they are used, the agents of evil can see us clearly. Be sparing and wise with their power."

As Jing finishes checking his work, the incessant laughing returns. Both halves of the screeling have each formed a new undead, laughing maniacally.

"Invoke! sunder! souls bidden, bring the summoner!"
Both screelings fall to the ground, their laughter eerily fading to echoes as the corpses turn to ash, blown away in an unnatural wind. A pair of tortured souls float above the circlular-symbol, bathed in it's blue light, twisting in agony. With a final screech they flee back to the nether realms. Slowly an image resolves.

A lanky, humanoid figure of rotting flesh and bandages appears. He (it appears to be male) is dressed in tattered robes of a magician. Its mouth is sewn closed in large, obvious crosswise stitches. And where one would expect eyes, are two empty, bloody sockets.

With a voice like the opening of a stone sarcophogus that resounds in the minds of all those present, it speaks, "I knew Kuan-Yin would be foolish...and now you, lady, will deliver the eyes of the dragon to me...you will do so now..."

The compulsion hit Chun-Li like a tidal wave. She staggers towards the Lich, mumbling "I.....bring.......the......eye....." but is stopped at the outer circle by a translucent blue dome of energy. The Lich howls in frustration, it's shadow beating against the blue dome restraining it. After a final, tormented howl, it vanishes.

 

[Cammy]

The blue dome of energy suddenly stretched out into an elongated cone, then into a long tube, and shot towards the Right Eye of The Golden Dragon, disappearing into its crystalline depths.

"I wonder who's truly the foolish one," laughed Chun-Li, who had actually merely pretended to have come under the spell of the Lich. "To think that Lich had the nerve to condemn as a fool one who could reduce him to ashes with a mere unspoken thought! In truth our Lady Kuan-Yin already knew all of these would happen and warned us accordingly, and as for the Eye itself, this one's going to be a lot harder for the vile ones to get their hands on."

"Why so?" asked Du-de-es-ta.

"Because the Right Eye is masculine by nature, unlike the feminine Left Eye. Its powers are of a more aggressive and forceful kind -- it will actually repel evil creatures and their spells with its stern power in protecting itself and its wielder, as you all have seen.

"As for the risks of resurrecting the dead," continued Chun-Li, turning to Jing with a smiling nod, "my brother and I are in fact already more than aware of them. And in fact we have no fear of such transgressions against the scheme of things as you have mentioned, because, if our attempts at resurrecting a person are successful, that by itself already means that person was destined to be resurrected. Our Lady Kuan Yin would have let us known otherwise. But thanks for your concern in any case, friend."

"But of course," replied Jing with a smile. "I should have thought of that."

"Hey, enough talking!" interrupted the tall warrior woman. "Shall we introduce ourselves to each other first? I see so many new faces!"

 

[Wolf Blackstar]

"We can do the introductions on the road," said Wolfram. "The village is destroyed, and the forces of evil run rampant in the night. We must find its source and destroy it!"

"There is a town - much larger than the village - only a few hours' hike from here." The sorceress was speaking. "It is possible for some of the villagers to have escaped, but if the evil here is as agressive as it appears to be, there next move would be to advance on the town.

"Then there is not a moment to be wasted. Let us go forth at once!"

 

[MoyDoy]

Moy was walking down a dirt road. He knew there would be a village just down the road and he needed to get there before sunset. He haden't travelled for a long time but the land haden't changed. Still so beautiful, he had to himself earlier that day. He was hoping that people had not become less hospital to strangers on travel. Suddenly he felt a cold, though it was a warm season. "Oh no, it is already happening".

 

[hal]

The suns and moons had risen and fallen many times on the old-one's pathway. Many more than most would have believed existed. Still, it began to wonder when "Khaine" was going to see fit to landing the blasted water vessel. Not much more time could be wasted...there were things to be done.

And time was already quickening.

These were possibly the end-days for this planet. It wasn't sure it was worth the trouble of being here when it all came to a head. Wasn't that thier own responsibility? Still there was a greater evil at hand.

It would have to be stopped here.

Wierdlings and Archane Magic were all around this planet. Elements commanded as though they were play-things. Sometimes the old ways were better left alone. But maybe this time it would be used for the better.

Land was near.

 

[Wolf Blackstar]

"Ahoy there!" a voice rings out through the mists over the waters. Khaine snatches a spyglasses from the capstan head and points the instrument in the direction of the voice. Fifteen degrees off the port bow, a small, sleek craft rides low and fast in the waves, having left the docks and now headed directly on an intercept course with his vessel.

Khaine carefully sweeps the horizon and can just make out the outlines of two more of the small vessels hiding behind the first.....

"This....should be interesting, to say the least." Khaine smiles.





[Edited by Wolf Blackstar on 10-30-2000 at 01:03 PM]

 

[Cammy]

Meanwhile, back in the ruined village:

"I think we should take a quick look around this village first," said Chun-Li, "just to see if there are any villagers left whom we can help." Du-de-es-ta nodded in agreement.

"Perhaps we can instead just use that magic trinket of yours to do a mass-healing of the village," suggested the amazon, "and then be on our way. That would be much faster, wouldn't it?"

"Then again," said Natalya, "what Chun-Li suggested might be a good idea. Besides helping any villagers, there might be clues or items scattered around the place which might be of further help to us. What do you say? It won't take that long, anyway -- this is a small village."

"Come to think of it," joined the sorceress, "that's a good idea. We have the time to spare, besides; I can use my magic later to conjure an elemental mount to take us to the city at an enormous speed, so in fact we'll only need a quarter of an hour to reach the city."

And soon everyone started combing the village. No one in sight...

Then there was an excited voice. "Hey, everyone! Look what I found!"



[Edited by Cammy on 10-30-2000 at 02:43 AM]

 

[Cammy]

Elsewhere, in a celestial dimension far removed from the mortal world, Kuan-Yin was on her way to see the other Cathayan gods regarding the adverse changes currently taking place in the world of Unrealm when she met the Hellenic god Zeus and the Teutonic god Thor, so she decided to appeal to them for help.

"I'm not asking you to go down to Unrealm to help those mortals in person," said Kuan-Yin, earnestness in her voice. "I'm just asking of you that you spare a few of your Thunderbolts to aid them in their struggles against the evil forces that now assail them and their world."

"My gang and I couldn't care less," answered Zeus idly, fingering the laurel crown on his head. "They're just a bunch of mortal worms. Why should we gods bother ourselves with them?"

"You Hellenic gods are all alike!" remarked Kuan-Yin sharply. "You wallow like pigs in your glorious hovel on Olympus while those poor mortals below struggle in pain, and go down to make sport of them if it suited your whims. If one may ask, what makes you think you deserve any worship?"

Had a mortal said this Zeus would not have hesitated to blast him with a Thunderbolt. But this was one of the most powerful and respected of all Cathayan gods, not a mere mortal. If he were to engage in an actual fight with her, it was by no means certain he would win.

"Look here, my dear" sighed Zeus, "I happen to have better things to do than listen to your great speeches. If it's an audience you want, go see Dionysus and his bunch of Satyrs. For now, I'm out of here." And he covered himself with a great storm cloud and vanished with a rumble of thunder.

Kuan-Yin sighed and shook her head, then turned to red-bearded Thor nearby. "Well, Thor?" she asked very softly, trying not to look him too directly in the eye. "Will you help?"

Thor fingered his magical warhammer Mjolnir and his Girdle of Giant Strength with hesitation. "I..."

 

[The_Dudester]

"...would love to help, Kuan-Yin," continued Thor, "but you know how jealous Freya gets. If she saw me doing a favour for a goddess like you, I'd never hear the end of it."

"You could always ask the other Aesir though - I'm sure that Heimdall would like a change from gate-watching for a while."

{Apologies for the shortness of this post...I have to rush off now - normal service will be resumed as soon as possible , i.e. tomorrow}

 

[Cammy]

After a long pause, Thor finally decided to give in.

"All right, Kuan-Yin, tell you what," whispered Thor. "I'll loan you my Girdle of Giant Strength. Just keep this a secret between you and me, okay?"

Kuan-Yin was greatly pleased. "Fear not, Lord of Thunder," thanked Kuan-Yin. "I will never tell anyone."

But just as Thor was about to unbuckle his girdle...

 

[Omega-Seven]

...Jing Suggested the group split up to search for survivors. "My Name is Alucard... Should you require my assistance, but simply call."

Wolfram was the first to hear it...the sounds of fighting to the east of where he was, where the mysterious Alucard had focused his search. Hurrying as best he could with the Old healer, reluctant to leave this most tenuous link to his past behind, he traced the sound of steel ringing against steel.
stalemate he thought to himself, able to mentally choreograph the battle, to some limited degree. There is something odd however...

When Wolfram arrived presently, he could see Isis on the rooftop of a building, her bow singing softly of blood and death. Freyja was beside her raining destructive energies upon the host of daemon-spawn beneath them... Natalaya was with Chun li and Du-de-es-ta, who had been searching the farthest side... they were not here yet, if they had heard the commotion.

And the daemon, massive 12 foot tall monsters known as "Baal-rog" slowly turned to face Wolfram. Their eyes spoke of only one thing. Pain and torture. Time slowed.

Beyond them, the Vampire Hunter was fighting another man sword to sword...it seemed as if the Baal-Rog were present only yo prevent interference. Neither swordsman seemed to gain the upper hand... Until Isis fired her arrow, straight and true, It sought the heart of Alucard's adversary.

And It pierced Alucard's chest in a font of blood.

It was impossible to conceive of... that the archer could miss so flagrantly...more over, the two were separated by quite a distance...

It was Alucards' words that made the memory stand out in Wolfram's mind: "I'd heard of you...a Mutant who could bend space around his body." Right before the arrow pierced the mutant's chest, it reappeared right in front of Alucard, and impaled him instead...

"Wampyr, you should be dead on the ground with that arrow in your heart... perhaps you are not the one I seek?"

A brief, sardonic smile came to Alucard's lips as he pulled the bloody arrow from his chest. "This side may be your left idiot... but it is my right... and my heart is not on the right."

"It is no matter...your father gave me this candle," replied the mutant, nonchalantly... he produced the candle, and lit it, brandishing it as a weapon before Alucard.

And to the Hero's utter amazement, Alucard falls to the ground, rigid and stiff, barely able to mutter, "What....magic....is.....this?"

"Ah so it does work... the light of this candle will paralyze anyone with Vampire blood. Your father bids his prodigal son to return. I hate to do this Alucard, but you were bothersome to hunt down, and Lord Dracula will never elevate me to your royal clan if i let you get away."

As the mutant draws for a wooden stake, Isis begins to loose arrow after arrow...however, the Baal-Rog spread their massive bat-like wings to shield their 'master'... Wolfram runs forward, Lochaber axe held at ready and berzerker blood rage ... and with a casual back hand is sent crashing through two houses before being stopped by a stone wall.
And suddenly Chun Li and Du-de-es-ta and Natalya are fighting as well... but when the smoke clears and the demons are banished, neither the mutant nor Alucard are anywhere to be seen. In the clearing where their duel took place, a birght red patch of blood can be seen..at the center of which is a small divot. Nearby, his fingers leave five small furrows in the ground, and an imprint of Sinistre's face. The only evidence that he had ever existed lay on the ground; his magical flintlock pistol, a were-hunter's weapon (magically fires silver bullets; is reloaded after each shot by a minor amount of mana. And no, you can't shoot bullets, collect them, melt them down for silver, etc...)

"And just like that, he's gone."

 

[Wolf Blackstar]

Somewhere in the distance, a bird is singing. The horizon is lit brightly with all shades of the setting sun as dusk approaches. The sky is nearly free of clouds, and small flocks of blue songbirds dart back and forth through the skies. And further away, a great eagle soars over the hills....

Wolfram is lying flat on the ground, looking straight up. The green grass is fresh and soft. The smell of fertile soil is strong. Several paces to his left, a cherry tree is in full bloom...

I am dead? The first thought that enters Wolfram's mind causes him to sit up with a start. It is then that he notices he is without armor. No shield or helm is near; no weapons upon him, save his one-handed war sword,and instead of its metal sheath it is slung in an elegant leather scabbard with brass trimmings. Instead of the blood-spattered garments of war, Wolfram is wearing a clean white shirt, black pants, and soft leather boots instead of his metal greaves.

As he stands up, he is amazed at the softness of the ground... not a single square inch of it has been defiled, burnt with fire, or soaked in blood. Where is he? There is almost complete silence for several seconds... Wolfram watches the black eagle as it glides effortlessly over rolling green hills in the distance...

This is so foreign, but so familiar at the same time. Has he returned to his homeland? This is not as he remembers it...

As if on cue, voices suddenly ring out over the hills. Children's voices..... Wolfram walks toward the sound of the voices. A large hill stands in his way, and he quickly ascends it. He reaches the crest of the hill, and is amazed by what he sees.....

A massive stone castle lies on the other side of the ridge. It is built on lower, flatter ground. The battlements and turrets tower over the small houses surrounding it,and over the tops of the towers fly banners, all of them bearing the same insignia: A black eagle on a crimson background. Wolfram follows the slope of the hill, and then looks beyond the castle. He is further dumbfounded as there appears to be an edge to the landscape, and beyond that only clouds and sky. The castle, and all land around it, floats in the very skies, held aloft by some powerful magic. Wolfram looks behind him and sees what he did not see earlier: several more of the floating isles, each with small castles and cities builded upon them.

The voices call out again, and Wolfram is drawn away from the great castle, down to where the smaller dwellins are built. A small homestead, with a modest house. A sizable yard, with some horses and cows, and many gardens. He sees the children now, one boy and one girl, both about 5 or 6 years of age. They are running towards him, arms held out wide, smiling and laughing. They run to him and without thinking he scoops them up, one in each arm, and begins to walk swiftly to the house. "Father!" the boy cries out. "Where have you been? you'll tell us, won't you?"
"Yes son, I will." Wolfram replies, again subconciously. The girl looks at him with almost somber eyes, and says: "Please, Father, you won't go to war again, will you? can't you stay?" Wolfram is suddenly stricken by strong emotion and cannot reply. A woman's voice breaks the silence.

"Wolf! please, come inside and eat! Supper is getting cold, and I won't ask you again!" She stands at the door, beautiful without equal, tall, with long, flowing dark hair and eyes the color of the sky, dressed in a simple white dress, on the porch of the stone and wood house. There is no sight that ever was more perfect in his eyes. He walks inside, a warm fire crackles in the fireplace, and on the walls hang swords, shields, axes and daggers of many varieties, all kept in mint conditon. For a single moment, one sliver of time and space, Wolfram is free from the horrors of war as he stands with his arms around the woman he loves and his son and daughter.

Then suddenly demonic laughter ensues from seemingly nowhere, growing louder in volume. It fills the house, and suddenly the very foundations of existence are shattered, everything vanishing as if violently destroyed.

And before him, his wife and children turn to skeletons, which slowly crumble into dust. A second later, all is black.

A strong voice echoes from somewhere. His own voice?

"Arise! You have only begun to experience the might of true evil. Now you also have begun to understand that which I have carried upon my mind for hundreds of years! I did not choose you because you were weak. You are more powerful than your mortal limitations, and I will show you the way! But first, you must GET UP!"

Wolfram's eyes suddenly fly open, and he is again lying down, this time on cold, hard ground. there is a stone wall at his back. He picks himself up slowly and somewhat painfully. He turns around, and sees that there is a deep indentation in the wall, in the shape of a man about his size. Looking forward, he sees the same human shape as a hole punched clean through the wood and plaster wall there. He is in a small house. As he steps out of the house, he see the same hole in the walls of the house adjacent to it. He checks his armor, though covered in dust and small fragments of stone, it is still intact.

"Are you alright?" the amazon and sorceress are standing there, and there is blood and corpses of demons lying everywhere outside. "I think so" says Wolfram slowly. "But I also seem to have gotten some of my memory back."