CHAPTER I: IN THE BEGINNING
Jack lay near the fire, thinking. His trusty club lay at his side, its shape casting strange shadows on the ground next to it. He sat up and looked around; he had overslept. He picked up his club and ran over to Akara.
"I need a mana potion and a health potion." He said, trying to make up for lost time.
"Well, here you go." she replied, handing him two bottles. She held out her hand, expecting money.
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, searching for enough change to pay for the items. He was five gold short.
"I'm sorry Akara, but."
"But what?" She asked, pulling back the potions.
".Sorry he'll have to pay with small coins." Said a voice, dropping five gold into the waiting hand of Akara.
"Uh.thank you." Jack stuttered. He looked over at the person who had helped; it was an assassin; an amazingly beautiful assassin.
"Hey, I've seen you in the den before.you really need to stand up for yourself." she said, referring to all the times when other adventurers had taken treasures from evil he had vanquished.
"Well.it's just that they're all so much more powerful than I am," he explained, looking at his boots.
"With those wolves? No way!" she replied, smiling at him. "I'm Becka by the way, Becka the assassin. Do you have a name, or should I just call you shy- guy?" she laughed, causing joy to appear in Jack's heart for the first time in several years.
"Jack. Jack the druid. And thanks again for the gold. How can I pay you back?" He asked, putting the potions on his belt.
"Well, I was looking for someone to come with me to the den tonight.but now it's daytime for a few more hours. Do you wanna do anything?"
"Sure! Would you like to have dinner with me?" he inquired, finding strength in her beauty.
Jack and Becka had steak for dinner, courtesy of the rogues. When they were finished, they strapped on their equipment, and ran into the wilderness. Three zombies and a quill rat later, they stood at the entrance to the Den of Evil. "Well, I guess we go in now, huh?" Jack ventured, making sure his rusty buckler was on his arm tight enough.
"I guess so." Becka's voice quivered.
They slowly stepped inside, to find.nothing! They saw no evil; they saw no blood, not a single body! They walked around for a while, before finding the dying body of a paladin.
"I'll be okay.I will!" he said, the wound in his gut bleeding profusely.
"Just lay back, everything will be alright!" Jack said, pulling the healing potion from his belt. He held it at his lips, and the blood red liquid poured down his throat.
Suddenly, the bleeding stopped, and the wound was healed.but Jack had no way to heal himself from battle.
Since paladin was still weak from battle, they had to carry him back. The rogues took him in, he thanked the two, and Jack and Becka walked back to the den. They followed their route back to where they had found the Amazon.
"Let's go!" Becka said, pulling Jack forward.
"They crept along, until they found the final chamber of the den. They slaughtered the last fallen, and started back out, when they heard the sounds.
The sounds, the groans, the moans.of the undead. Six zombie minions staggered forward, followed by their leader, Corpsefire.
The Zombies approached slowly, but somehow Jack had no time to conjure any wolves. He smashed one of the minions' head in and Becka was able to slash one to death before both of them had their weapons knocked to the ground. The zombies closed in around, Becka doing her best with her martial arts to keep them back.
Suddenly, they heard a noble sound.a yell, from another person near them. A huge blur leaped between them and the zombies. Before Becka and Jack could even tell what happened, the two of the four zombies were on the ground, and their weapons were back in their hands.
They immediately began to fight the beasts, and with the other person's help, they were soon dispatched to Hell, where they came from. The two adventurers looked over at the person who had helped them. There stood a huge barbarian; 7' tall, brandishing two axes and wearing a claw helm.
"Are you two alright?" asked the barbarian in a deep, gravelly voice. This couldn't have been the voice they heard earlier! "I suppose we are, thank you." Becka replied, shaking the man's giant hand.
"Oh, you're hurt!" Becka added, ripping a strip of cloth from her skirt. She wrapped it around Anhell's arm, and he thanked her.
"Anyway, I am Becka, and this is Jack. Who are you?" she asked, a curious look in her eye. "I've never seen you here before."
"I am Anhell. I have just arrived from the Frozen Highlands, and this is my first time here." Anhell answered, wiping the blood from his axes.
"We could show you around. We've been here for a while." Jack offered, holding out his hand for the barbarian to shake. As Anhell took Jack's hand and crushed every single bone, an alliance was born. Becka put her hand into the center and the trio made their way back to camp.
Jack lay near the fire, thinking. His trusty club lay at his side, its shape casting strange shadows on the ground next to it. He sat up and looked around; he had overslept. He picked up his club and ran over to Akara.
"I need a mana potion and a health potion." He said, trying to make up for lost time.
"Well, here you go." she replied, handing him two bottles. She held out her hand, expecting money.
Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, searching for enough change to pay for the items. He was five gold short.
"I'm sorry Akara, but."
"But what?" She asked, pulling back the potions.
".Sorry he'll have to pay with small coins." Said a voice, dropping five gold into the waiting hand of Akara.
"Uh.thank you." Jack stuttered. He looked over at the person who had helped; it was an assassin; an amazingly beautiful assassin.
"Hey, I've seen you in the den before.you really need to stand up for yourself." she said, referring to all the times when other adventurers had taken treasures from evil he had vanquished.
"Well.it's just that they're all so much more powerful than I am," he explained, looking at his boots.
"With those wolves? No way!" she replied, smiling at him. "I'm Becka by the way, Becka the assassin. Do you have a name, or should I just call you shy- guy?" she laughed, causing joy to appear in Jack's heart for the first time in several years.
"Jack. Jack the druid. And thanks again for the gold. How can I pay you back?" He asked, putting the potions on his belt.
"Well, I was looking for someone to come with me to the den tonight.but now it's daytime for a few more hours. Do you wanna do anything?"
"Sure! Would you like to have dinner with me?" he inquired, finding strength in her beauty.
Jack and Becka had steak for dinner, courtesy of the rogues. When they were finished, they strapped on their equipment, and ran into the wilderness. Three zombies and a quill rat later, they stood at the entrance to the Den of Evil. "Well, I guess we go in now, huh?" Jack ventured, making sure his rusty buckler was on his arm tight enough.
"I guess so." Becka's voice quivered.
They slowly stepped inside, to find.nothing! They saw no evil; they saw no blood, not a single body! They walked around for a while, before finding the dying body of a paladin.
"I'll be okay.I will!" he said, the wound in his gut bleeding profusely.
"Just lay back, everything will be alright!" Jack said, pulling the healing potion from his belt. He held it at his lips, and the blood red liquid poured down his throat.
Suddenly, the bleeding stopped, and the wound was healed.but Jack had no way to heal himself from battle.
Since paladin was still weak from battle, they had to carry him back. The rogues took him in, he thanked the two, and Jack and Becka walked back to the den. They followed their route back to where they had found the Amazon.
"Let's go!" Becka said, pulling Jack forward.
"They crept along, until they found the final chamber of the den. They slaughtered the last fallen, and started back out, when they heard the sounds.
The sounds, the groans, the moans.of the undead. Six zombie minions staggered forward, followed by their leader, Corpsefire.
The Zombies approached slowly, but somehow Jack had no time to conjure any wolves. He smashed one of the minions' head in and Becka was able to slash one to death before both of them had their weapons knocked to the ground. The zombies closed in around, Becka doing her best with her martial arts to keep them back.
Suddenly, they heard a noble sound.a yell, from another person near them. A huge blur leaped between them and the zombies. Before Becka and Jack could even tell what happened, the two of the four zombies were on the ground, and their weapons were back in their hands.
They immediately began to fight the beasts, and with the other person's help, they were soon dispatched to Hell, where they came from. The two adventurers looked over at the person who had helped them. There stood a huge barbarian; 7' tall, brandishing two axes and wearing a claw helm.
"Are you two alright?" asked the barbarian in a deep, gravelly voice. This couldn't have been the voice they heard earlier! "I suppose we are, thank you." Becka replied, shaking the man's giant hand.
"Oh, you're hurt!" Becka added, ripping a strip of cloth from her skirt. She wrapped it around Anhell's arm, and he thanked her.
"Anyway, I am Becka, and this is Jack. Who are you?" she asked, a curious look in her eye. "I've never seen you here before."
"I am Anhell. I have just arrived from the Frozen Highlands, and this is my first time here." Anhell answered, wiping the blood from his axes.
"We could show you around. We've been here for a while." Jack offered, holding out his hand for the barbarian to shake. As Anhell took Jack's hand and crushed every single bone, an alliance was born. Becka put her hand into the center and the trio made their way back to camp.
