Fine. Be that way. Everyone bein all like nag nag nag dont stop! plz! plz! I upload new chapter. Silence.
Better review this one otherwise I will be stopping for good.
"Are you sure this is the right way?" Erion was complaining to Nami. A little annoyed she pointed to the large towering shadow in front of them. "Positive that we are heading the right way. Now shoo!" Erion scurried off to the rear of the group again, keeping a safe distance from Diana, who was having a hushed conversation with Alex.
"Please, I need you to do this for me, Diana." Alex pleaded. "There is no logical reason for me to help the Artisan, nor to sacrifice my sleep." Was her irritable response. "Come on Diana, it can't hurt to connect to someone. I know you like your solitude but why would you want to live out your days that way. Besides, Pantheon will be very thankful."
"I did not come here to gain favors nor to strengthen group spirit. I was told to come here by forces I do not yet outpower, no other reason. Your friend would be the last person I'd wish to connect to." She quickened her pace trying to rid herself of her poltergeist. "Okay, I admit that Erion is a little difficult to talk to, but really he is a nice guy once you get to know him." Diana glanced his way. "I will… consider your request." She said cynically. Alex was about to continue driving his point home when he ran into the solid wall that was Pantheon's back. Alex took a step back, somewhat startled. "What's happening?" He asked.
Ahead of them a forest unfolded itself along the delta planes of Kaladoun. "Why have we stopped, it's only a forest right?" Erion asked. Pantheon looked to the summoner. "Many tales about this marsh exist. Not too many who started their quests to find the truth about it lived to tell the tale, and that didn't exactly encourage others to follow in their footsteps."
"What do people say about these forests?" Nami asked out of genuine interest. "Many things." Leona said. "Most is probably rumor, but what we do know almost certainly is that after a strong spell laid waste to their homeland during the Rune War, the few remaining Icathians fled through the magus-pass. The myth tells us that being pursued by the shadows from their homeland they held their final stand in these woods. In an attempt to prolong their impending doom they unleashed a powerful magic to bind their pursuers to the earth from which they came."
The forest loomed. A hungry beast waiting to consume it's next prey. A pale mist hung over the forest and it's leaves were a sickly green-gray. It was an obstacle they would have to take though. The trees spread a hundred miles east and at least twice that distance west. A toppled black monolith lay to the side of the road.
"What happened after that?" Nami asked. "The story doesn't tell." Pantheon grunted. Erion stepped towards the fallen stone and brushed some of the grime away. "It's ancient Icathian." He said. Trailing along the glyphs he translated them for his audience "'Now that C'ith-al, that means ancient Icathia, has come to ruin, Axiron, That is an ancient being I don't know too much about, is pacified;The pass has been plundered into every sort of woe:Ashkelon, What we now call the Shurima Desert, has been overcome;Gezer, I have not heard that name before, has been captured; Yano'am, Icathia's capital, is made non-existent. What was ours is laid waste and our seed forgotten; C'ith-al is become a widow because of him. Beware the night.'" A primitive carving of a screaming face had been put in place underneath the cryptic message. "I don't fear tales of dead men. They will perish under the moon's cleansing light." Diana muttered before pushing Nami aside and continuing down the path. "Why does she always do that." Nami said. "Because she is Diana." Alex said to her, before following Diana into the woods.
"I don't know about this place, Alex. It feels… Contaminated." Nami said, keeping a tight grip on her scepter. "Let's just carry on, with luck we will only have to spend one night in this wretched place." He responded. They carried on through the dense forest, following the never ending trail that led through it. The road was unmaintained and thickly overgrown with brambles and vines. Pantheon led, carving a way through it.
When the already dim light started to fade to darkness they set out to find some shelter for the night. A steep cliff rose up to their left. Seeing as the choice went between the relatively clear area next to the cliff and the dense, insect filled shrubbery of the forest, it was an easy one. Alex was helping Diana set her tent up. "So have you… considered?" Alex asked hopefully. The sun was setting over the horizon, shrouding the forest in a dusky twilight. Alex briefly looked over his shoulder to see Leona look at the final few rays.
Diana tightened one of the tent pins, her hair gaining a bright white glow in the moonlight. Her stance tightened. "Did you hear me?" Alex asked. She motioned for him to be silent. "What is it?" Nami asked, approaching the two. "Many eyes in the shadows. Not friendly, not human." She responded. At that exact moment something jumped out of the bushes, leaving a trail of dark mists behind. Pantheon quickly threw his spear, impaling it on the cliff before it had the chance to collide with Erion. A creature that much resembled nocturne, yet still had a skeleton and dressed in the remains of perished robes in forgotten colors was thrashing around on the spear, producing unsettling noises and relentlessly refusing to die.
A loud shriek filled the air. Leona quickly pulled her sword and hunched down defensively. Nami got behind her. Diana pulled her moon blade from her hip and stood in front of Erion and Alex, who were mentally beginning to recite ward spells. "Here." Nami said, tossing two arm-length daggers to the boys. An answering shriek came from the distance. The sound of war drums ensued. Pantheon pressed the edge of his shield to the creature's neck. With a firm push the head came clean off. The movements stopped. Pantheon pulled his spear out of the rocks it had been embedded in, the bones at his feet lost their darkish glow and turned to ashes. The dark substance formed a vaporous mist and dissipated into the forest.
The ground under their feet began to shake. One by one more figures emerged from the shadows, seemingly unhindered by the shrubbery. "To your left!" Leona shouted to pantheon. He moved aside in a fluent motion, catching the thrall on his shield and slamming it to the cliff behind him.
With a petrifying shriek multiple foes launched themselves at the six companions. Diana sank to one knee, cleaving one clean in half, whilst Leona thrust her sword straight into the cowled face of another. Nami unleashed a piercing bolt of water, penetrating through several foes. Relentlessly they continued their charge, only to be stopped by Pantheon, who moved fluently between his foes. His spear moved through the air, slashing foe after foe apart.
Erion summoned a barrier to Diana's left to protect her from several unidentifiable flying projectiles. More came out of the shrubbery and the cries and shouts heralded many more to come. Too many.
"It's not that I mind the excitement, but we can't hold off a whole army on our own!" Leona shouted, ducking aside whilst a clean bolt of arcane energy from Alex passed over her shoulder. "Alex!" Nami shouted as one of the creatures slipped past Diana. He whirled around, swiftly moving his dagger diagonally across the creature's back. Erion in the meantime, was busy shielding everyone from what turned out to be shards of bone that seemed to magically originate out of nowhere.
"We have to get out of here! Someone teleport us up there!" Pantheon shouted. A thrall wielding a large club made a swing at the warrior, who caught it on his shield, but stumbled back a few steps nonetheless.
Diana rushed from her position to the closest foe, taking several of its limbs, before gracefully whirling around, taking two more foes down in the process. "Hey!" Leona shouted to her. In between blows Diana glanced over her shoulder to see the Solari and Rakkor brace their shields in the ground and held out their weapons, forming a primitive two-man phalanx. Diana flipped herself over one of the creatures, positioning herself between them and her allies. Nami and Alex were bussy maintaining a gap between the backs of their friends and the endless sea of darkness ahead. Erion, still trying to keep the shields up was also attempting to move the half set-up tents out of the way, pushing them as far to the cliff as possible.
Diana produced an artificial gravity well, pulling a significant number of enemies towards her. She quickly rolled out of the way, letting them collide with Leona and Pantheon, who made short work of them. A thick black fog was amassing around their feet. One of the projectiles made it past Erion's shields, slicing a long gash across pantheon's shoulder, ignoring the armor protecting it. He let out a roar of anger. "How is that teleport coming along?" He shouted, trashing four of the goons in a clean quick thrust of his spear.
Nami and Leona shot an expectant glance at Erion. "Don't look at me! I don't know the spell. Alex is the only summoner here!" He yelled. "Bit busy!" Alex responded, launching scatters of arcane energy bolts at his attackers. Diana cut her way through several of the shadows, moving back towards the group. "Just get chanting, we will protect you." She said.
Alex moved himself back to the cliff where the others formed a tight line around him. A robed figure floated into the clearing. An ominous voice whispered through the night. "Those who walk my realm will be doomed to stay forever." He gathered the shreds of mist around him, directing them in a single beam towards the six travelers. "Die now." Erion was just in time putting up a shield. "I can't hold him for long! He is very powerfull." He shouted, whilst Alex was furiously mumbling a memorized spell behind him.
Diana stepped him behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder and channeling her own magic into the shield, her example was followed by Leona who grabbed his other shoulder. "Hurry!" Leona shouted to Alex.
A purple glow rose from Alex's hands, forming a globe around them. The mage finally managed to break through Erion's shield, but was too late to do any harm to him or his friends as Alex's spell took hold. In a final act of malevolence he manifested a dark spear in his hand and hurled it at the group before it disappeared into thin air, leaving a crater in its wake.
Rematerializing a rough meter above the air, everyone lost their footing in the drop down to the ground. Alex had taken the courtesy of taking the tents and their belongings along as well, yet in doing so had taken a rough portion from the earth they were standing on as well. It crumbled under their feet forming a large mound of dirt.
Pantheon walked over to the Cliffside and looked down. The forest appeared to be alive. As far as the eye could see shadows amassed around the save haven they were standing on. A brief look confirmed that they were on a plateau. Safe, but locked in. The remains of ancient buildings were everywhere, no doubt once part of an elaborate temple complex. Pantheon winced as the cut on his shoulder stung. "Did everyone get out alive?" He asked.
When he received no answer he looked over his shoulder, to see the rest of the group kneeling in a circle. Quickly he made way to his companions. In their midst lay Nami, a dark spear protruding from her gut. She reminded pantheon of a fish that had been out of the water for too long, she was gasping for breath and made weak movements.
Alex was seated with her head on his lap. He had to keep strong and suck it up. He wouldn't break down in front of his fellow travelers. "Please…" She whispered. "Please leave us for a moment…" Blue blood trailed down from the corner of her mouth. The others nodded in understanding and moved away a respectful distance.
"It… it wasn't supposed to last it seems." She whispered, smiling sadly at Alex. "Don't say that. We will find help. We will save you." He said, suppressing his tears. "Don't fool yourself Alex. We are stranded on a god forsaken rock surrounded by undead and I know a mortal wound when I see one." She whispered, a tear forming in the corner of her eye.
"Nami please, I cannot go on without you. You have to stay with me!" Alex said frantically. With her last strength she pulled Alex close to her and pressed her lips to his. Despite the metallic sensation, Alex still found some of Nami's characteristic taste underneath.
"I love you, Alex."
She whispered before breathing her last.
