When One Door Closes…
By: FortressMaximus
January 1st, 2010
Authors notes: I don't own any properties tied to this story. This story is for amusement only and no profit or copyright infringement is inferred.
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"Are you sure about this, Fellow Guardian?"
The small, blue-skinned being turned towards his oldest friend and nodded, the huge green doors that led into the main council chambers looming behind them. Clad in the traditional red and white ribboned attire he and his fellow Oan's had taken to wearing of late, the being nodded his head. The whips of snow-white hair moved only slightly with the motion.
"I am sure Ganthet" he began, but paused when his friend frowned and cut him off.
"You know the edict; individuality is the doorway to emotion. We must consider ourselves one in purpose and intent if we are to avoid…" he paused, glancing around to make sure no one caught his near slip-up…"that what must not be named."
"The Blackest Night?"
Ganthet frowned once more. "You risk too much Qur.." he started to say, only just catching himself.
Qurthos of Oa simply smiled. "It is a hard habit to break, is it not 'Fellow Guardian'?"
Ganthet sighed and fixed his friend with a hard look. "You know why it must be done!" he hissed in a low whisper. "You know the path we must follow! What Krona did we might not ever undo! Why do you seek to abandon us now, when we need your strength now more than ever?"
"Is that why you are so upset with me now, my oldest friend? That you believe I am doing this out of spite for the choices made of late?"
The words struck Ganthet hard and forced the elder of the pair into a reserved silence for a moment. "I will admit that I have…concerns…on why you are choosing this course of action among the many open to you."
"You and I have known each other for eons and that friendship shall never die. But I can not live here-in this place and time-anymore. To me, a cosmos without magic shall be a cold and lifeless realm."
"Magic is chaos; you know this! It had to be gathered and rendered inert for the very soul of existence to survive!"
"That is your viewpoint Ganthet."
"And that of the Council. A universe without the madness of magic shall be orderly and peaceful in comparison should we have done nothing to corral such chaos. It will be an easier task for our Manhunters to undertake once they are activated."
"You say that with such certainty."
"I say it with fact. Without the chaos of magic, evil must rely on the technological and in that we Guardians have no equal. All will be well."
"You hope."
"There is always Hope, my friend."
"For you perhaps, but for me hope no longer lies in this universe. I know what I must do for my own sake; I only wish my oldest friend could wish me well on my journey."
Ganthet paused once more for a moment to collect his thoughts. "There is no way I can talk you out of this?"
"None."
"Then I have no choice but to wish you luck on your quest" and with that Ganthet of Oa held out his hand.
Qurthos of Oa took that hand and shook it for the last time, a small smile on his face. "Thank you Ganthet."
A loud chime filled the air, startling the two for a moment before they backed away, the huge emerald green doors swinging open of their own accord. A deep, green light beckoned from the distance and the pair separated, walking side-by-side towards it. Saying nothing but each remembering a hundred lifetimes of friendship, the pair walked into the circle of green light as Ganthet took his place among his fellow Guardians of Oa.
"Qurthos of Oa, you have asked to speak before this council?"
"I did."
Appa Ali Apsa (as he had once been known) leaned forward. "Are you here to take your place beside us and help usher in an age of peace and order?"
"No."
If there was any feeling of shock, the assembled Guardians showed no sign of it on their faces.
Appa leaned back and steeped his fingers. "Then why have you come?"
Qurthos inhaled softly and looked around at the room. "For eons, we Guardians have been trying to atone for the great sin cast upon the universe by our brother Krona. To that end we have taken steps both wondrous and terrifying to achieve that goal. The universe must survive; life is too precious to be wasted through neglect and ignorance. We are among the oldest beings in the universe and are in the best position to be the protectors this existence needs. But in trying to be the Guardians of Oa, you have stripped the universe of the wonder of magic, and in its place left an emptiness colder than the darkest reaches of space…or the blackest of nights."
"The removal of magic is paramount to the creation of order" began another Guardian beside Ganthet, ignoring the verbal jab. "Such a step was crucial and necessary to achieve the goal we all seek."
"That is your opinion my friend; one that I can not share."
"Explain."
Glancing back over at Appa, Qurthos gestured around the room. "This is your Universe: cold, sterile…orderly to the point of stagnation." he shouted, waving his hands in a specific gesture as a brilliant mix of light and shadows erupted from his fingertips "And this is mine…!" a cacophony of colors filled the room with patterns not seen by sentient man for a hundred million years. "Vibrant and alive with a potential for greatness!"
The stone cold looks of the Guardians revealed nothing as they watched the display of magic from their brother. It was only after a few seconds did Ganthet lean forward. "And a great potential for chaos and disharmony, which will lead to the death of all creation."
With a sigh, Qurthos ended the demonstration, deep down knowing there was little chance it would have changed anyone's mind. But still, as Ganthet had said, there was always Hope.
Only in this case, Hope was simply not enough.
"This is why I have asked for this audience my friends…" he began, sighing. "You and I are at an impasse that we may never see eye-to-eye on."
"On that we agree. The question is, how do we resolve it?" Ganthet asked in a quiet tone, despite knowing the answer already.
"I take my magic and leave this universe forever."
THAT brought a mummer of shock through the gathered Oans before Appa cleared his throat and the room quieted after a few more second of disbelieving whispers. "You would do this, simply because of our view of magic?"
"I must my friend…" sighed Qurthos as he looked at who-at one time-had been his mentor. "This universe to me is cold and lifeless now; the beauty that has been lost can never be recovered. My heart aches when I see such sterility around me and I have but two choices: give into this new universe and be forever saddened by it, or remove myself and find a realm that needs me and my magic to thrive."
A dozen sets of eyebrows arched up at that remark, causing the Guardians to all lean forward at once. "You would leave us…and this universe…for all time?"
"I must my friend, for if I do not I will surely die in this new age."
"A realm you seek to live in would no doubt be filled with magic; that said, we would not open the portal again as to not infect our universe with more chaos. You do realize what that means, correct?"
"I would be trapped in that realm forever, unable to return."
"Yet, you still see this as your only solution?"
"I must, for I would rather be the master of a beauteous dungeon than a God in an empty Hell."
Appa leaned back, closing his eyes as his fellow Guardians did the same. A low hum came from the group as they telepathically debated on the matter. It was only a few seconds later that they opened their eyes and as one turned towards Qurthos.
"You will not change your mind?"
"No."
"Then Qurthos of Oa, we the Guardians of the Universe grant you your request. As of now, you are no longer a Guardian and are thus stripped of all your Oan powers other than the magic you choose to embrace. You may open a portal to the realm you seek but remember; there will be no coming back."
"Thank you, my friends."
"Do not thank us for this; we are only doing it to keep our universe safe-nothing more."
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as Qurthos knew this was the only way his former friends could wish him well and not break their vows of non-emotion. "As you wish."
The group of Guardians stood, and floated down towards Qurthos, encircling him as they began to chant. Suddenly, the latter clutched his chest and fell to his knees as the green Oan power of his eternal lifetime ebbed from his body and into the Guardians around him. Slowly his skin turned from blue to the warm hues as it once had been an epoch ago. The process finished, and the former Guardian stood shakily but soon recovered his balance.
A green energy done formed around him, protecting the universe from any magic that might escape. Gathering his power, he opened a portal in a blinding yellow flash of light. The Guardians looked on with faces unreadable as a rocky cliff lie just beyond the threshold of the spell.
Qurthos of Oa turned and bowed to his former Immortals. "Despite our differences, I wish you luck in your grand design my friends. May you find the light you need should the Blackest Night fall."
Ganthet floated over to the edge of the bubble and looked on. "The Blackest Night will not fall; we shall not let it. Farewell, my friend. May you find the peace you seek."
With a nod Qurthos stepped through the portal and vanished from sight, the yellow doorway closing as quickly as it had opened. A pall quiet filled the vast room until Appa turned towards his fellow Guardians. "He has made his choice, and now we must make ours. Activate the Manhunters."
With a nod a few of the assembled immortals floated off to turn on their robotic creations. Appa turned towards those left... "They will keep the universe safe and orderly. In brightest day or blackest night, no evil shall escape their sight for no man will escape the Manhunters."
The rest of the Guardians floated off with the exception of Ganthet, who stayed behind a moment looking at the spot where his oldest friend had stood minutes before.
"Are you coming, fellow Guardian?" asked Appa from across the room.
"Yes, of course." he replied, turning from the spot and floated down the hall, his last words outside the council chambers echoing in his mind. *I wish you good luck my friend. Perhaps, in the end, we both will get what we hope for the most.*
A dimension away, a yellow doorway closed and Qurthos looked over the rocky landscape and the lush jungle valley that rested in the deep canyon below. With a sigh he inhaled deeply, feeling the magic in his bones sing loudly as it absorbed and became one with the stunning new world he found himself in.
"Beautiful.." he muttered to himself before glancing down at his garment. The red and white striped outfit just didn't look…or feel…right anymore. With a smile he snapped his fingers and a new garment appeared: rich red folds draped over his body, forming a robe that just barely avoided dusting the ground. A matching red vest appeared underneath, gold lines forming an upside down 'T' appearing on the front. A red collar appeared around his neck, studded with golden gems equal distance from the other. With a flash a mirror appeared in front of him as he surveyed the results. "Not bad.." he said to the air around him before vanishing the mirror back to the nothing from which it came.
Looking around, the newest member of The Realm picked a direction and began walking.
It could have been months, or perhaps centuries he explored the world, finding endless wonder and danger along the way. Each day was a new adventure and he relished the challenges this new universe gave him. Only from time to time did he think of his former Guardians and wondered if their quest for order had succeeded, or would it be eternally slightly out of reach despite their greatest hopes.
It was a day like any other when an powerful earthquake shook The Realm and he found himself at the bottom of a cliff-the very cliff face he had arrived in this world so many years prior-when a vortex of wind and rain appeared before him. A surge of magical resonance hit him just as a half-dozen set of screams filled the air several hundred yards down the cannon.
He watched as a yellow…something…fell from the sky, bouncing up and down for a moment until it came to a stop against a large rock outcropping. Slowly six figures staggered to their feet and looked around at their surroundings.
A dark-skinned boy appeared first, followed by a beautiful girl with pale skin but vibrant green eyes. Another girl toppled out of the craft onto her bottom, her lightly tanned face scrunching up in a frown behind brown bangs. Laughter filled the air as her male twin tried to get out and suffered the same fate, bringing laughter to the girl and a matching frown on the blond haired blue-eyed boy. A young woman with almond skin and narrower eyes immediately went to the dark-skinned youth, her dark coal-tinted hair bouncing with the movement. The final youth was a boy, a little heavyset but with bright hazel eyes that sparkled with imagination behind sandy-brown hair.
The group gathered around the first youth, who appeared to be the elder by a year or two at best.
James looked around at his classmates. "Okay guys...hang on!" he shouted trying to get them to all be still for a second. "First off, is everyone okay? Laura?" he asked, looking at the pale girl next to him.
A hesitant smile crossed her lips as she nodded. "I think I'm okay. Nothing feels broken." she said, turning to look at the twins. "Katie?" she asked the girl, who responded by nodding. "I'll feel better when my head stops ringing, and don't you dare say a word Jack!" she warned, looking at her brother with a hard gaze. Stifling his usual caustic reply due to the danger that loomed in his sister's eyes he nodded. "Yea, yea I'm fine." he groused for a moment before looking over at the Asian girl with a much softer expression. "Uhm…Jade…are you okay?" he asked quietly, a stark change in tone to the way he answered his sister.
Jade nodded, kneeling down to the younger boy and smiled. 'I'm fine Jack. Thank you for asking though." she said, kissing the boy on the forehead and sending him into embarrassment overload as she looked up at James. "Has anyone seen Jerry?" she asked, unable to see past the group around her at that second.
"Right here.." panted the boy as he had hefted his and everyone else's backpack full of camping gear from out of the raft and over to the group, still a bit winded by the experience. "Anyone else noticed that we're nowhere even close to a river?"
It was then the group realized that their friend was right; no river…no anything but rocks and more rocks until a deep forest began about a mile or so away.
"Okay…last thing I remember is the rapids suddenly picking up and then we hit that whirlpool and…and.." James said, trying to remember but shook his head as his brain just could not find anything to recall. Past the moment the raft went under the water, sucked down by the swirling vortex, it was all a blur.
A sudden feeling of panic started to grown in each youth until a loud roar came from the edge of the woods. Startled into silence, the group looked over and off in the distance trees miles tall began to fall with thunderous crashes as some unseen force toppled them like toothpicks.
Qurthos gasped as he realized he and the children were on the edge of Her boundary into the Forgotten Woods and she probably felt the magical pulse from the craft entering The Realm just as he had.
Another roar filled the sky and a giant multi-headed dragon flew up into sight, her five heads growling and screaming as she covered the distance between them in seconds, landing with a thunderous roar over the lost group.
"Holy Shi..!"
"What IS that thing!?"
"It's gonna eat us!"
"It's…some kind of dragon! But that's impossible!"
"Tell that to it!"
"Everyone RUN!"
And so they ran.
James made sure Laura, Katie and Jade were in front, with Jack and Jerry behind them. As team leader the dark-skinned teen wasn't about to let anything happen to his best friends.
No matter what.
They ran until they could run no more, a wall of stone in a box canyon preventing any further escape. The dragon roared once more, her five heads snapping and drooling at the meal just below.
Qurthos looked on with horror. He and Tiamat had an uneasy truce since they crossed path years beyond count and each gave the other wide berth. Each knew a battle between their magicks would surely doom not just themselves but the Realm itself.
But the former Guardian also knew he could not let these youths be devoured before their lives had yet to truly begin. An idea formed in his ancient mind as he pulled up short and looked over at the group as the boys valiantly threw rocks trying to cover the girls as the trio of women looked for another way out of the canyon.
With a final roar, Tiamat leaned down to devour the children, only to pause when a familiar voice rang out.
"Fear not Ranger!" yelled the small wizard as an energy bow materialized in James as a green shirt and breeches replaced his normal clothes as a brown tunic covered his chest. Out of some instinct he pulled the unseen bowstring back and let loose a flurry of energy arrows that staggered the surprised dragon.
Qurthos drew upon his travels across the realm once more for inspiration, sending a bolt of energy towards each youth.
"Barbarian, Magician, Thief!" continued the man as a powerful glowing club appeared in Katie's hands, her shorts and t-shirt replaced by furred breeches and vest as her head sported a horned helmet. Jerry's own clothes were replaced by a green wizard's robe and hat as Jade's body became wrapped in thigh-high brown boots, lavender tunic and matching lavender cloak that shimmered with a life of its on.
"Cavalier and Acrobat!" finished Qurthos, as his beams of energy finished their strikes, hitting Jack and turning his clothes into light woven chain mail covered by a yellow tunic, a glowing triangle shaped shield on his arm. Laura was the last to change, her long pants and blouse changed into a fur bikini as a tiara and glowing staff appeared on her head and in her hands.
Led by some unknown instinct like James, Laura used her pole to vault over the dragon's head, distracting her long enough for James to stagger Tiamat with another volley of energy arrows. Now blinded and under a rock outcropping, Katie took her chance and slammed her glowing club on the ground, sending a large fisher towards the five headed monstrosity. A crack ran up the side of the canyon and the overhang crumbled, sending tons of rock down on top of the dragon.
Buried alive the creature struggled for release but was momentarily pinned by the debris.
"Come on!" shouted Jerry as he pulled off his hat and reached in, guided by the same unknown force to pull out six grappling hooks. Once secure to the cliff top, the six climbed up and vanished into the rocky wilderness leaving an enraged Tiamat far behind.
Panting for breath the group came to a stop in a clearing, unsure what just happened on top of everything else. It was then Qurthos appeared in a flash of light- and on the business end of James's energy bow.
"Who are you!?" he demanded, nerves frayed by the past few minutes. "And what was that!?" he shouted, nodding back towards the ravine and the now-departed dragon.
The former Oan knew he had to trade carefully as the children were not only scared, but now powerfully armed. He paused for a second to think of the best answer to both questions when his words to the council came back to him and a smile crossed his face. He really was no longer Qurthos; that being died the day he came here to this place; he was someone else now. Since there was a way into this world beyond that which he knew there must be a way out- and he could tell by the looks in their eyes these children would stop at nothing to find their way home.
Not only helping them would be an adventure, but the right thing to do.
With a smile he held up his hands, trying to show he meant no threat. He gave the group his most comforting smile and watched as the youths began to relax. "That was Tiamat, a force of great power. I am Dungeon Master, your guide to this Realm of Dungeons and Dragons!"
But for all that Dungeon Master did know, he could not have known those words would start a legend all their own…
End
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Authors Notes:
Hello everyone! Just a little idea I had while reading Blackest Night number 6. Not sure where it came from but I really wanted to get this down before anything else came up!
If you're not familiar with the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon series, check out a site like YouTube to see the opening credits on YouTube to give you a little background on what I used for inspiration in the final scene.
Obviously this is well before Venger and is the very first group Dungeon Master ever ran across so the show takes place MUCH later than this story, but what happens between now and then I'll leave for another author to explore.
Thanks for reading and please leave consider leaving a review!
Happy New Year to all, and to all no Blackest Night!
FM