A quick turn of his head let Herald Arkle know the guards were still
chasing him. Snails, how am I going to get out of this one? he thought
as he darted into a side alley and hid. His hand automatically touched his
breast, making sure "it" was still there. Such a powerful relic must be
kept in the hands of Good!
After receiving this assignment, Arkle had planned the perfect burglary. He was always a painstakingly thorough planner, but he had had to anticipate absolutely every angle for this job. Nothing he had ever done before had been this risky, and that was saying something. Trained by a master thief and warriors from the cradle, Arkle was the best of the best. However, breaking into any royal palace was, after all, no mean task. Breaking into a Mage-King's palace was impossible. Well, almost.
What is the old saying...set plans never last past the first attack?
His plan had gone so flawlessly in the beginning too. He had successfully broken into the Mage's lair and filched the artifact: carefully stowing it away. Then, that darned bird had shown up, letting out the most unholy squawks. As if that weren't bad enough, the first person to respond to the nasty winged-rat had been the Mage. Arkle had fairly flown out of that room. Yet, he barely made it out with his life. He could still smell the ground burning around him as the mage launched bolt after levinbolt.
That had been nearly three hours before. The situation had been flee and hide since then. Between the Mage-King's guards chasing him left and right, traps around every corner, and the ever-present threat of mage- attack; Arkle was fair exhausted. However, he pressed on. He had a mission to complete.
A sudden thunder of steps jolted Arkle into a keener state of awareness. He crouched like a cat ready to spring, listening for the smallest hints of sound. It seemed an eternity before he felt he could move again. But slowly, he crept out of his hiding place. No point in staying there forever, after all. Taking stock of his location, Arkle realized he was only a stone's throw away from the Sanctuary. If he could only make it there, the Mage's power could not reach him. After a furtive look around, Arkle decided to sprint there directly. He knew that he was on his last legs. This would be an all or nothing run.
Turning toward the offered safety, Arkle prepared to sprint when a large figure suddenly blocked his path.
"I've got you now..." laughed the mage darkly, his eyes glowing fiendishly blue.
"No!!" shouted Arkle, rushing the Mage with all his might. He must complete his mission! However, even as he did so, Arkle knew that all was lost...
After receiving this assignment, Arkle had planned the perfect burglary. He was always a painstakingly thorough planner, but he had had to anticipate absolutely every angle for this job. Nothing he had ever done before had been this risky, and that was saying something. Trained by a master thief and warriors from the cradle, Arkle was the best of the best. However, breaking into any royal palace was, after all, no mean task. Breaking into a Mage-King's palace was impossible. Well, almost.
What is the old saying...set plans never last past the first attack?
His plan had gone so flawlessly in the beginning too. He had successfully broken into the Mage's lair and filched the artifact: carefully stowing it away. Then, that darned bird had shown up, letting out the most unholy squawks. As if that weren't bad enough, the first person to respond to the nasty winged-rat had been the Mage. Arkle had fairly flown out of that room. Yet, he barely made it out with his life. He could still smell the ground burning around him as the mage launched bolt after levinbolt.
That had been nearly three hours before. The situation had been flee and hide since then. Between the Mage-King's guards chasing him left and right, traps around every corner, and the ever-present threat of mage- attack; Arkle was fair exhausted. However, he pressed on. He had a mission to complete.
A sudden thunder of steps jolted Arkle into a keener state of awareness. He crouched like a cat ready to spring, listening for the smallest hints of sound. It seemed an eternity before he felt he could move again. But slowly, he crept out of his hiding place. No point in staying there forever, after all. Taking stock of his location, Arkle realized he was only a stone's throw away from the Sanctuary. If he could only make it there, the Mage's power could not reach him. After a furtive look around, Arkle decided to sprint there directly. He knew that he was on his last legs. This would be an all or nothing run.
Turning toward the offered safety, Arkle prepared to sprint when a large figure suddenly blocked his path.
"I've got you now..." laughed the mage darkly, his eyes glowing fiendishly blue.
"No!!" shouted Arkle, rushing the Mage with all his might. He must complete his mission! However, even as he did so, Arkle knew that all was lost...