Prologue

In the darkness of a forgotten forest three adventurers sit around a small campfire. There is an elf woman, Relia the princess of the eastern woodland, Link, the hero, and Despair, the mysterious tiefling rogue. They are sharing stories from their homelands as a sort of bonding activity.

"Then they rode off into the sunset and lived in happiness for the rest of their days," said Relia, as she concluded her story.

"I liked that one a lot," said Link, with a smile.

"it was interesting, for a romance," said Despair.

"well thank you … Despair you know that it's your turn now," said Relia, with a sly smile.

Despair stoked the fire. He said nothing as his formerly happy expression changed to one of deep thought and anger.

"Uh… Despair are you ok?" asked Link.

"…. huh?... oh! … yes I'm fine just thinking," said Despair.

"We can skip your turn if you don't have a story to tell," said Relia.

"No, I have one. It's just a bit longer than yours. Actually, a lot longer," Despair said, with a false smile.

"So…?" said Link and Relia, in unison. Despair sighed.

"Okay, this is a true story, so don't laugh. One thousand years ago, in a forgotten realm, there was a land. A powerful, land of magic, and machinery. It was called Albion…"

"If we don't stop this now, no one ever will because if it goes on like this there will be no one left!" shouted Page.

"Agreed, he broke all the promises he's made us! Just look at Mistpeak; the state it's in, stripped of life. My people starve! Your people starve!" agreed Sabine.

"The only thing he's done is put the gold Albion slaves for in his pockets. My people fend for themselves alone against the spawn of darkness incarnate," protested Kalin.

"Do you have anything to add … Ben Finn?" asked Page.

"There's nothing more to say besides Edward is a terrible king and an even worse person. Even worse than his brother. Cares for no one else but himself. It's a shame we ever trusted that boy! He just played the angel to fool us all into helping him," interrupted Sabine.

"Shut it, Sabine!... Ben you haven't spoken for the whole meeting, are you in or what?"asked Page.

"I am, I was just trying not to react. Believe me I'm the most hurt by what he's done. You should have seen him fighting walter when he was possessed. It was like he didn't even care that Walter was still in there and able to feel everything, but the way Edward was fighting was the real scary part. It was almost like…" said Ben, being interrupted.

"Like he was a demon. Yes, we've heard your crackpot story often enough Give it a rest for once, boy," interrupted Sabine.

Ben was silent. He just snorted and turned away from the group.

"Stop it, the both of you… we're here to discuss how to bring down the tyrant, the hero king Edward. Not squabble among ourselves!" shouted Page, slapping the table with her hand.

"We've raided the castle before we can do it again. Remember almost the whole army is on our side, not to mention every able bodied citizen of Albion " said Ben Finn.

"He'll be expecting that. There's no telling what kind of counter measures he's got in place, or even improvisable ones. The king is still a hero, so there's no telling what he can dredge up," said page.

"so then we must find a more secret entrance to the castle," concluded Sabine.

"There's only one. Walter spoke of it before we returned to Albion. He was in a daze though. He said a tunnel to the catacombs but nothing more," said Kaylin.

"Then I may have something for you," said a mysterious voice.

The group all turned to see, Jasper the king's butler, holding the King's most prized possession, The Guild Seal.

"What is the king's pet doing here!" demanded Page.

"I'm here to give you the seal, as an order from the king," said Jasper.

He put the seal on the map table and began to walk away when suddenly Ben Finn's sword blade was right in front of his face.

"What kind of joke is this!" growled Ben.

"I was merely told by the king to bring you the seal and then I was free to go do whatever I wanted with my life" said Jasper calmly.

Ben lowered his sword and let Jasper pass.

"What are you doing!" shouted Sabine.

"I let him go because Jasper has never been one to lie not even to his master's enemies," said Ben.

"But it is hard to believe that the king would give up the Guild Seal" said Page.

She picked up the guild seal and suddenly the room was filled with the king's laughter. And then the guild seal dissolved into black fog that enveloped the four. When it dissipated the four found themselves in the foyer of the castle. It was a sight, the once grand and beautiful castle was now ugly to look at. The walls were soiled, caked with mud, blood, and leaves. Cobwebs weaved across the whole ceiling. Piles and piles of gold were on the floor creating a carpet of shimmering coins that were stained with blood.

"He hasn't even used any of this gold," said Kaylin.

"That bastard Walter could have survived, that bastard!… With this much gold he could have built a hundred armies to beat the Crawler, in it's hell hole before it ever came to our shores," said Ben Finn, kicking a pile of coins.

Where he disturbed the gold, black ooze began to bubble up from under the coins. It was rising quickly and was bubbling up from under the coins. The group were all back to back as they watched the black ooze dripping up.

"It's exactly like the crawlers ooze," said Page.

"This is the king's doing, this proves he's too far gone to save," shouted Sabine.

Suddenly a fountain of the black ooze exploded up, showering the group in it. Kaylin noticed that the stairs, though covered in loose coinage, were mostly intact, and relatively untouched by the ooze.

"To the stairs!" shouted Kaylin.

The black ooze was several inches deep now and growing deeper by the second. They started to run to the stairs, but were being slowed down by the thick liquid. Ben was the first to the staircase, the ooze was two feet deep now, Page was next to scramble up on to the filthy steps. Next was Kaylin, the ooze was three feet deep now, Ben and Page had to pull her up on to the stairs. Sabine was stuck now with his head centimeters above the ooze.

"Sabine!" said Page shocked and pointing out at Sabine, to notify Ben and Kaylin.

"Christ, Sabine can you swim to us?" asked Ben.

"I can't! I don't know how," coughed Sabine.

"Dammit, I'll get Sabine you two continue to the throne room," said Ben.

"No! You'll get stuck too" said Page grabbing Ben's arm.

"I don't care we can't leave him to die!" shouted Ben.

Page let go of his arm, then he dove into the black ooze and swam to Sabine to pull him out. Once Sabine was safe on the stairs and Ben was starting to climb out when, a phantom force grabbed him and pulled him back under the ooze.

" Ben Finn! " shrieked Page almost diving in herself.

For almost two minutes there was no sign of him below the surface of the ooze. When suddenly Ben burst out of the ooze gasping and floundering towards the staircase. Once his comrades pulled him to safety on the staircase, he spent the next few minutes coughing up the black ooze.

"It's blood … the black stuff is black blood," said Ben still coughing.

"Rancid blood… from where?" asked Kaylin.

"Probably all the kings victims. Mercenaries, soldiers, animals, townspeople, the hundreds he's murdered," said Page.

"That doesn't matter now, let's go" said Ben, coldly.

The four continued up the stairs to the second floor where the throne room was. At the top of the stairs was a set of double doors. Through the doors was an empty room with two halls on either side and another set of closed double doors that lead to the throne room.

"Now it's time to end this," said Page

"Should we knock… no let's surprise it," said Ben.

"Oh ho let's give the devil some hell, " said Sabine pulling several bundles of TNT from his vest.

They drew their weapons, Page and Ben kicked the doors hard enough to knock them off their hinges. Beyond the door they saw only black, abrand of darkness like none they had seen before. It was shifting like it was alive. Then suddenly the chandelier right above them lit with blue flame, as did the candles in the sconces on either side of the door. One by one each of them lit until every light in the room was alive with blue flame. And when the room was lit with it's eerie blue glow, it dazzled of the enormous piles of gold that filled the floor. Mixed with the gold coins there were bits of bone, and armor, and rusty weapons, The whole place smelled of rotten blood and other filth. The walls of the throne room were like the front hall, disgusting and covered in filth. On the other side of the room around the throne long claw marks were cut deep into the wall, along with scorch marks the whole place looked as if someone had already attacked. The once beautiful stained glass window behind the throne was now tainted with dirt and what little light that came through was dingy compared to the blue flame candles. The throne itself was cut clean in half and upturned on the stair leading up to the thrones original platform. And standing on that platform, was the king, wearing his royal armor, his new crown was made of a dark metal that twisted like the roots of a tree. His face was gaunt, eyes rimmed with dark circles, his skin pale as a ghost, lips a sickening blue like he was cold. Raven colored hair hung limp around his face, plastered on to his head by sweat and filth. The familiar scar across his face, three claw marks going from the left side of his forehead, to the right side of his jaw, dark against the paleness of his face. Rancid blood and mud tarnished the blue and gold of the royal armor. In one hand he held the sword named Souldrinker, rifle across his back. And despite the blue light a red aura hung around the king adding to his demonic ghost-like charm.

"I suspected you would come eventually, to kill me, no doubt. And who could blame you? I have killed many who probably didn't deserve it, not to mention ignoring your stupid promises,"said the king.

"You monster you killed thousands of innocent people. It's because of you that your people are dying and they are poor and starving, you deserve too..." said Kaylin, interrupted by the King shooting her in the head.

"Oh sorry, about that but your endless prattle about how I'm a horrible human being was getting quite dull," yawned the king.

"you're no longer fit to rule Albion," growled Ben Finn.

"Pah! ha ha ha! and do you think you or anyone else can?" cackled the king.

"Don't listen to it talk! it's just trying to distract us," whispered Page.

"It! I am an it now. Tell me does it make you feel better about killing me if you write me off as something less that human?" asked the king.

"We don't need to hear you question us, after all you've done to this country and it's people," shouted Ben.

"What i've done? what i've done was save this country from the darkness. I didn't have to sacrifice everything to save you ungrateful people," said the king, growing angry.

" you're not fit to rule now, surrender or we'll blow you to hell where you belong!" threatened Sabine.

The king was visibly getting angry as the conversation continued, and strange things began to happen. His skin appeared to darken to gray then black. His eyes clouded over and became pure white. Horns grew from his skull and curled down and forwards so they stuck out just past his chin. His hair lightened to pure white. A tail lashed side to side appearing as if to show the king's anger

"I grow tired of this!, If you want the throne then you may have it, but be warned what you have all helped create will not easily be quelled!" shouted the king. He took the crown and threw it through the window. Then he ran towards the group and then past them, and outside, shedding bits of armor as he went. once outside the light of the sun seemingly vaporized him into black mist. With that the Tyrant hero king of Albion was gone to who knows where.

"I don't think I like this story Despair," said Link quietly.

"Then you shouldn't have asked for one," said Despair.

"Uh… Despair, this doesn't seem like a story for children," whispered Relia.

"Link isn't a child; he's a hero," said Despair slightly sarcastically.

"Yes but he's still young. I think this story is too much for him right now," whispered Relia.

"No it isn't!" insisted Link.

"So do you want to hear the rest?" asked Despair.

"Don't it's too intense" warned Relia.

"Yes I would like to hear the rest" said Link.

Despair added another log to the fire, then continued his tale.

" Alright, and so…"