Chapter 4: The Uninvited Guest
"Then maybe you should learn to know yourself!" A familiar voice answers.
But the question remains who...
The mage stiffens feeling something warm resting on her shoulder but in the reflection; there was nothing behind her. A cold chill shivers up her spine.
"This can't be real!" was all she was thinking.
The yellow puddle quickly evaporates into the red carpet causing it to soak into a deep dark red colour. Jessica slowly inspects her shoulder to find a pale hand resting on it. The pale wrist stops and is not covered in dark violet. There is more. There was cut off from the dark violet shirt, revealing more teal green colour. Glancing up from the strange coloured body, there were red demonic eyes and flashing hair that spreads wildly. The wicked purple lips that sparkles in the light completes the picture. Having looked behind her is to only find that she is staring at her own self who smiles with glee. Her manipulated clone, just like Dhoulmagus stands before the mage, giggling amusingly.
Jessica's eyes widen as she immediately knocks the woman's hand away of her shoulder. She steps back and away with fear whispering. "What kind of trickery is this!? You! Did you do this?"
"Ha! You are hopelessly devoted to your own mind!" The pale cold-hearted woman chuckles with confidence.
"What have you done to me?" Jessica whispery snarled.
"Well, since you're so oblivious to what has happened, you fail to realise that the great Lord himself has manage to undo you before your very eyes!"
"What do you mean?" Jessica asks hastily as she almost tipping herself over. She did feel lightheaded and dizzy all around. Is so going insane? No. The power of Rhapthorne's curse is clearly clouding her thoughts. Only darkness surrounds her judgement.
The scene slowly begins to deteriorate. The throne room was losing its colour. The grey tall buildings surround the dusty room. Jessica is in complete awestruck realising that she is now standing in the Dark Ruins. Jessica examines the Dark Ruins in amazement. The evil clone notices this and smirks in triumph. From nowhere, a Lost Soul emerges from the dust, wailing the ritual. "Behold the mural, of beings of flesh and blood! Behold the magnificent image of Lord Rhapthorne, locked in his titanic struggle to bring darkness into the world! Long ago, he created the World of Darkness by filling the ground with the bodies of those who failed to obey him."
"The World of Darkness? A land wrapped in shrouds?" Jessica summarised as she examines the enormous painting above. A thin monster, with horns, towers the painting with a number of dead souls cringing in defeat underneath. "Is this an illusion? No... I remember this! So thats..."
Suddenly, the evil woman cast a Frizz spell, hurling it directly into the picture, which ignites in flames. Down, down, down and the flames went higher. The temperature had risen dramatically that the whole room became heatedly intense. The Lost Soul cowers and flees but Jessica braces herself as she slowly back away from the unexpected heat. The scene changes once more as the volcanic flames mysteriously vanish as they fade into the stone walls. The room temperature drops down now slightly colder than before. The scene now illustrates a circular market street of some kind. It was long, hallucinating and confusing. The surprised mage shakes her head in denial, wanting to believe that this was all just a silly dark dream. She watches the evil woman, who wickedly smiles at her with her arms open ready to create another evil trick. "Ha! Ha! Ha! You are in my world now! Welcome to Rhapthorne's lair of doom!"
Jessica turns instantly and dashes off into a mad sprint. The evil woman does not chase after her but begins to laughs instead. The laugh transforms itself into an endless echo that it filled the market street. The mage runs very fast trying desperately to get away form the evil laughing but soon realises that she is running round in circles. Indeed it is the same confusing corridor that she once visited. No matter how fast she tried to get away, the laughter continues to haunt the frightful Jessica. She panics as she skids, along the hard ground, to stop herself from falling into the purple toxic. She quickly scans the area but soon spots a wooden door near by. She hastily races towards it, shoulder-barging it open but she falls and rolls, stumbling into the room. The door somehow slams shut and catches itself on a lock. Jessica then glances round at her surroundings.
It is a small room but cluttered with books. Books. Books. Books in all different shapes and sizes. There is an untidy rickety bookshelf that stands in the corner alongside with a desk and chair. There are a number of items, what appears to be a workshop, and tools that lay on the table scattered and unfinished. There were various potions of different sizes and shapes accompanied by handwritten labels. The ink trail (presumably used for handwriting) had already been spilt and dried up staining the floor in the making. In the middle of the circular ring of the room, lays an elf looking creature. He appears tired, holding a bottle in the process of his wayward slumber.
Jessica, who now climbs to her feet, starts apologising to the elf. "I-I'm sorry! T-The Dark Lord, Rhapthorne is after me! I must-"
"You want to learn something? Take a look at this book!" The elf groans as he slung the navy book in front of Jessica's feet. Jessica carefully bends down to retrieve it from the floor. She opens the navy book and proceeds to examine it with caution. She flicks through a couple of pages until she finds an interesting section that catches her eye.
Classifications
Magician: Typically, this is a broad term used to denote someone that practices magic in general. Thus it's sort of the overarching types of the other terms. A wizard, however, is just your average spell caster. Again, all wizards are magicians, but not all magicians are wizards. Some are necromancers and enchanters.
Sorcerer: This type of magician has been represented in a variety of ways, but typically they have a connotation of being an incredibly powerful wizard, that is to say, less than a god but more than a magician. They aren't immortal, but their powers are truly mighty when compared to the average magician. Think of it being something akin to comparing a hair dryer and a tornado in strength. They are on par with forces of nature.
Enchanter: This is a special type of magician. Unlike the majority of their counterparts, they usually cannot cast direct, active spells. What they can do is add an effect to something, such as giving an animal the ability to speak, or causing the land to grow plants at an alarming rate, or cause someone to have an irresistible charm to all who lay eyes on them. In contrast, they couldn't shoot a fireball at someone, or lay a death curse directly or heal someone directly. They typically have to manipulate their environment to achieve their ends.
Necromancer: This is a type of wizard that uses works with the powers of shadow and darkness, but specifically death and the undead. These powerful beings can armies of zombies, suck out and trap souls, drive victims of their black magic insane, and the strongest of their kind can even summon demonic forces. However, there is a price to pay for all of this power. Blood rites, sacrifices and dehumanisation are all required to be ritualistically performed to achieve it. If the necromancer isn't incredibly skilled, there is a strong possibility that their lust for power will result in them summoning a spirit that they cannot control, and will likely consume them.
Jessica closes the book in silence. She then examines the floor in deep thought. Despite the cluttered room, she immediately marches over and stands in front of the old elf, who obliviously unaware of her presence. He drowsily looks at her groaning as if he were paranoid. "What do you want?"
"How do I defeat this Lord of Darkness?" She asks politely, still holding the book in one hand.
"Didn't you read the book?" He replies in a sarcastic way.
"Of course I've read the book! Well, briefly anyway, but it doesn't tell me how to overthrow a Necromancer! So... I would like some advice!" She sounded as if she were insulted.
"What do you expect me to do? Do a card trick? Pull a rabbit out of the fucking hat?" He foul-mouthed her.
"Excuse me!? Just who do you think you are?" Jessica raised her tone.
"Ah shut up!" The elf slurs in his speech. The alcohol has consumed him. He sways his body as he tips over smashing his head on the floor. "Good! Ah, another on bites the dust…" He mutters to himself. The elf now falls into a deep slumber snoring heavily.
"What a drunken hypocrite! I'm leaving!" Having lost her patience, Jessica tosses the navy book on the table. She sighs angrily as she storms out slamming the door shut. She now storms her way through the market, totally unaware of what lies ahead of her.
"What a bloody moron!" Jessica mutters to herself in annoyance. Indeed she felt the need to hit something.
"I can see you…" A teary voice calls out of the blue.
"Crap! I should had known better to stay inside that stupid house!"
Jessica clasps her hands as she gasps with pure fright. The evil woman stands before her accompanied by a number of floating shadows that all appear to be carrying shackles. Without hesitation Jessica bolts into a manic run. The shadows fly past the evil woman and chase after the fleeing mage. She races through the dormitory cells not daring to look back. Some shadows appear in front of Jessica trying to intimidate her. Jessica manages to stop herself as she changes direction. But the same thing happens again. The army of shadows circle round the mage creating a ring-around-a-roses-ring as they surround her. The panicky mage tries to fend the shadows off, throwing her arms around, but there were too many of them. Some of her punches manage to hit the shadows; others miss or went straight through them as if there were immune to them. The army charge forward embracing the mage attaching shackles onto each limb.
Once they were done the shadows fly up into the black sky. Jessica examines the bangles of each limb taking the chains (that were on her wrists) and clenches it tight. She begins to pull it somehow believing that she would break free.
"Hwa! He! He!" A deep voice echoes the blackness.
Jessica gasps, looking up with fear. Two bright shiny eyes gleam, once more. The Lord of Darkness, Rhapthorne, emerges form the blackness. Using his finger, he lifts a spare lose chain that magically hurls towards Jessica's throat. It snaps and locks. He then tugs the chain hard towards him as Jessica suddenly went flying forward. She lands face first upon seeing the red carpet in view. She grunts as she struggles to get up.
The Lord of Darkness has control over her. "You will obey my command!"
"No! You will let me go this instant! I don't have time to play your mindless game!" Jessica resisted tugging the chain with both hands.
"Allow me to remind you the consequences of your brother's soul as well as your own!"
The mage pauses at holds onto that thought. The Lord of Darkness sighs letting out the aggression in his tone of voice. "You are stubborn indeed as they all say... Very well then, let me rephrase the question that I have once asked you before. Do you commit yourself to cooperate this fixture in order to save the one you love?"
She looks down at the chain that lies in her cold palms thinking critically about her decision. She already hated Rhapthorne but what could have she done? Her magic was completely useless against the Dark Lord let alone her fighting abilities. If he truly a powerful dark magician, who could demand unspeakable powers, then it is likely that he will seek the answers for her: to revive her beloved brother. Jessica sighs heavily closing her burning tired eyes. She reluctantly lets both of her hands lose grip of the chain that she was holding, hanging her head in defeat. Rhapthorne could see that she had finally give in to accept his will.
Nevertheless, he forcefully jerks the chain causing her to move closer to him. She stumbles, almost falling, but lifts her head to witness the Dark Lord. He stares at the mage malevolently until a sly grin creeps across his vast mouth. He smiles evilly as he throws his staff into the thick black air shouting with full pride.
"Come, my slave! You will comply me! Together we will devour this doleful world!"
[A/N: I made up the title 'Rhapthorne's lair of doom!' Inspired by the grottos in Dragon Quest 9. See you in chapter 5]