I awoke to the sounds of a bunch of blundering fools the following morning. As annoying as the sounds were, I was still thankful that I wasn't awakened by the wards I had placed. Even so, I reminded myself that even though my wards did not alarm me, I still could not be too complacent. A trained assassin could sense the wards I had placed and opt to attack at a later time as opposed to give away his or her identity.

I gathered my belongings and left the rented room. I gave my area a quick magical scan to check for anything, or anyone, that could be a threat. I concluded that my immediate area was free of any dangers. I went back down to the first floor to pay the innkeeper and begin my quest. When I stepped foot in the lobby, I looked around for the fool known as Elzix. At first, I had difficulty picking him out of the bunch of miscreants in the lobby.

I first noticed a man with dark skin, low quality armor, and a rusted sword for a weapon. I concluded that he must have been one of the many adventurers that had flocked to Lut Gholein since the discovery of the seven tombs far out in the desert. He greeted two similarly clad warriors as they approached. They took turns checking their gear and collecting water skins for their journey into the desert with the hopes of finding fortune in the tombs. I continued to scan the room.

The next man I looked at had a light skin tone like the natives of the western kingdoms, but slightly paler. He wore a plain brown cloak like the one I was wearing to look inconspicuous. His hair was cut very short, barely longer than stubble. There was a small patch of equally short hair on the very bottom of his chin. When I looked at him, he glanced back with icy blue eyes. His cold gaze seemed to freeze me in place. I felt fearful, and didn't know why. I quickly averted my gaze. As I did, so did he. I felt some relief when those frigid eyes were off me.

As I continued to peer around the room, my eyes stopped on a man that appeared to be an Aranoch native. He had the expected dark tan skin and was dressed in the common attire I had seen around town. He was peeing off into space, stroking his beard. Upon closer inspection, I realized that he was blind. The man with no sight spoke. "They must end hatred before they can face terror. Only then can they stop destruction." His words made no sense to me. To my right, a man behind a counter spoke, pulling my attention off the babbling blind man.

"Don't mind him. He speaks nonsense all the time." The man who spoke I recognized immediately. It was the fool, Elzix. I approached him to pay for my stay. Before I could speak to him, the blind my rambled on some more.

"Where you fear cold, you die by fire."

I ignored the rambling man and pulled out my gold purse to make my payment. I was very tempted to charm him to get a lower price, but I knew that would bring unwanted attention. Elzix thanked me with a smile. I use the term "smile" loosely; he was missing half his teeth. I turned and headed for the exit. Before I reached the door, I heard the blind man utter one last line.

"Few will know the story of the Shadow and the Damned."

For some reason, this comment caught my attention. I shot a glance back towards the blind man, but missed my mark. My eyes landed on the man with the cold stare. When our eyes locked again, I felt and eerie tingling up my spine. With a shudder, I exited the inn.

I walked down the street to a tavern by the merchants square. As I tried to enter the establishment, a large brute walked out and ran into me. "Watch where you're going you blundering fool!" After I shouted this, I got a better look at him. He was tall and muscular. His grayish eyes peered down at me with a frenzied look. Dressed in materials commonly found in the north, I deduced that this man was a member of the nomadic tribesmen from the steppes, a barbarian. We both stared at each other in awkward silence for a moment. I read in his eyes that he had seen much violence in his life. A confrontation with the brute, I was sure, would end badly.

Fortunately, before tensions rose any further, a dark skinned man in brilliant armor appeared and placed a hand on the barbarian's shoulder. "Peace, brother." The man in armor said this, then looked at me and nodded with a smile. I nodded back, with no smile.

With a grunt, the barbarian brushed past me and headed in the direction of the docks.

"Please forgive him, kind sir." I looked back to the man who spoke, the one in armor. This man had kind looking brown eyes, as opposed to the maniacal grey eyes of the barbarian. The man's armor was bright and silver in color. An expensive looking shield was hanging from his back. The knight's right hand rested on the pommel of a sheathed sword. His left arm secured a helmet to his flank. The helmet was just as shiny as the man's armor.

"Eh? Why should I forgive such insolence? The man holds true to his ancestry. He is completely barbaric. This world has no place for such…barbarity."

"Well, sir, I can assure you that, regardless of his class, he is a good man that champions light." I rolled my eyes at the words. "He is just brash right now because he was recently injured very badly. If it were not for his sturdy frame, the combative support of our party, and some prayer from myself, he would have surely died." Pity. "He is just disgruntled from his injuries."

I returned my attention to the brute. It was then that I noticed he was walking with a limp and was bandaged in various places across his massive body. "Well, tell your companion to watch where he's going. He might not get injured as much that way."

The knight, I could see, was not pleased at my words. Even so, his manners never faltered. With another nod of his head, he said, "I'll take it under advisement. Have a good day, sir."

I did not return the knight's gesture this time as I entered the tavern. I sat at the first small empty table I saw. I looked around the diner. The same low class of people surrounded me. I stopped looking around so I wouldn't lose my appetite. When a server approached, I let him know that I wanted soup and water. He offered ale. I was tempted, but I needed to keep my wits about me.

While enjoying my soup, which surprisingly tasted rather good, I saw many people come and go. Some were adventurers, some were common drunkards, and some were ordinary citizens looking for their morning meal. A handful of the people I saw at the Desert Rain Inn were among the crowd that came to the tavern. I recognized the three dark skinned warriors with cheap gear. I saw a man sitting in the back corner wearing a plain brown cloak like mine. I didn't remember seeing him come in, nor did I remember him being there before I arrived. I was curious if it was the frosty eyed stranger. I couldn't tell because his hood was pulled over his head. I kept staring to satisfy my curiosity. It only took a short moment for the hood opening to face my way to get a glimpse of one of the wintry blue eyes. I decided it was time to leave. I left a pile of gold that I was sure would cover the cost of my meal.

Just across the street from the tavern was the merchant's square. I went there and stocked up on supplies, which mostly consisted of water skins. I had a travel sack with the Necrotome, a few scrolls I had saved, water skins, maps, notes I had written, a little bit of food, a few vials of various potions, and a very special item that I will detail later in this story. I am a smart man, but I was never a strong man. The sack was heavy. I needed to hire some help.

I went down to the docks to find someone willing to help carry some, or all, of my gear. When I got there, I saw a group of adventurers boarding a boat that was so worn down, I was surprised it stayed afloat. Two of the adventurers already on the vessel were the dark skinned knight and the brutish barbarian. But my attention was not on them. One of the members of the odd group of adventurers was a young, pale skinned female wearing black clothing. She was the last type of person I wanted to see. She was a member of the Viz-Jaq'taar. I turned around and walked as quickly as I could away from the docks.

My eyes locked on the city gates that lead out to the open sands of the Aranoch desert. I walked until those gates stood right before me. I stopped and looked around. The desert mercenary captain, Greiz, was checking on his men standing guard at the gates. He noticed that my attention was on him. The mercenary captain greeted me.

"If you're planning on going out into that wasteland, I advise you to hire one of my men. We're the best at what we do and will guarantee you make it back safe. If you're interested, we can discuss prices. If not, it's been nice knowing you."

I thought about the captain's prospect. I would have liked to have someone come along to help carry all my gear. After all, it was my intention to get someone for that very task at the docks. But, of course, I had to leave prematurely to avoid contact with a certain young woman. It also occurred to me that these men probably knew the layout of the desert well and what dangers would most likely be encountered. Having one of these men in my employ could be very beneficial for my quest.

I looked over the men. I did not want to pay too much, but did not want to get a cheap and inexperienced man, either. After looking over the men and discussing how well seasoned each soldier was and how much each one cost, I settled on the most expensive one I was willing to pay for. I pointed him out. Greiz nodded and called the mercenary over.

"Alhizeer, front and center!" The mercenary broke from his post and quickly ran over to us. He nodded to his captain and stood at attention.

"Yes, sir!"

"Soldier, you are to escort Mr. Elymas here to wherever he tells you to for the time being. When your services are done, you will immediately report back to me here. Is that understood?"

"I understand, sir." The mercenary and his captain shared a nod. Alhizeer turned his attention to me. With a thud, he struck the bottom of his spear on the stony road. "Ready for orders, sir."

I told him that I planned on exploring the area commonly known as the "Lost City." His eyes showed surprise, but he still listened to all his orders with enthusiasm.

After hearing all I asked of him, he quickly inspected the shaft of his spear, then the tip. He nodded with satisfaction and informed me that he was ready to go when I was.

I stood in the entryway of the massive city gates. I quickly glanced back at Lut Gholein. It looked so amazing at the angle I was at. Regardless of its aesthetics, I rejoiced that such an amazing sight would soon be completely destroyed by my own power. With a dark grin that briefly startled my new companion, I began my journey into the blazing desert. I felt that nothing could stop me from gaining absolute power. Nothing, that is, except maybe for the angry looking beetles charging our way that were as tall as men.