Those Who Fear the Dark
Chapter 4
Kra'ak played idly with his horns as he stared down the emissary that appeared before him. The nether-spirit floated a short distance from his throne. Its grey-blue skin resembled that of a corpse that had been floating in the water for several days. The demon lord began to tune back in toe the sprit as it finished with the usual formal nonsense and got to the point.
"My Master Talpa requests that you meet with him on the issue that stands of great importance and value to you as well as him. He pledges you safe travel within his realm and-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it. Tell your master that I'll meet with him - just give me the time and place." Kra'ak waved his hand impatiently at the nether-spirit. He knew very well that issue Talpa wanted to discuss. His mage's armor. Talpa wanted the Halo armor. Kra'ak wanted its bearer. However, there was no way to separate the two except the bearer's death. This meeting would go nowhere but he might as well get it out of the way now.
After the nether-spirit left, Kra'ak allowed himself to muse on the past and its influence on present circumstances. Though he respected Talpa as a ruler in his own right, he wanted no place in his grandiose scheme to conquer the mortal realm. Kra'ak had his own plans for that world…
Five keys. Five keys were all that were required to merge his world with the mortal realm. Not merely his pitiful prison but the entire realm from which he originated - that of dreams and energy, of magic. The place where Omini took pure, physical form. Within the mortal realm there exist certain boundries and laws to enable life as were know it to continue. The remaining four keys, accompanied with the one he had now would unlock these boundaries and release chaos unto the world. Then he would step in and impose his own boundaries. The mortal realm would take the form of his choosing. And every mortal soul would be slave to his whims. He would be able to twist Omini - the life energy - into his own perverted fantasies. And Sage Date would be the one to gather the keys for him.
Still, there was always the issue of the Ronin armor. Talpa would have to be dealt with. Kra'ak would not stand for his interference. The time of the meeting had come. Kra'ak rose and transported himself into the center of Talpa's Dynasty - the evil emperor's very throne room.
"Lord Kra'ak. It's been a long time." The ruler of the evil Dynasty made no attempt to rise. Instead, he gestured with his fingers as a chair appeared for his 'guest.'
"Talpa." Kra'ak acknowledged as he sat down. "You seem well enough for having lost so much so recently."
Talpa's smug tone did not fade. If anything, it grew. "You must refer to Anubis. He is no great loss and I have other plans that will soon take place."
"Perhaps."
Talpa continued. "You too have recently lost one of your best servants... And to only three of the enemy.."
"Talpa, you know as well as I do that my interest lies solely in Sage of the Halo. Now then, what good would he be to me if he was unable to defeat my minions? I would be better off without him if he were so weak." Now it was Kra'ak's turn to sit smugly as Talpa sputtered in anger. He soon recovered his presence, however, the fury could till be heard in his words.
"And what of the armor - it belongs to me!"
"To possess the armor, you need to possess the bearer. If you absorb the one, you must absorb the other. The bond between bearer and armor cannot be separated except by death, and the armor cannot be activated without a proper bearer. I would know..."
"Yes, you would." Silence flooded the chamber as both dark lords contemplated. The deal Kra'ak had made with the Ancient One went like so: if Kra'ak would assist in the forming of nine new armors from the original one, the Ancient One would see to it that the armors would not affect Kra'ak's powers. It was a bargain made out of desperate necessity on the Ancient's part. In order to guarantee that armor's would stay separate, stable armors, he needed to ensure that they would be bound to the bearers. Only Kra'ak, with his access to mages able to harness Omini, could do this. However, this devils' bargain appeared to come back to haunt both of them.
Kra'ak's voice broke the pause.
"I must go. There is much work to be done."
"We're not finished here-"
"Of course we are." Kra'ak chanted a few harsh words. The spell he had placed upon arrival took hold. Throughout Talpa's domain, activity halted as time itself was enchained. "Rage all you want Talpa." Kra'ak grinned at the hellfires blazing in the eyes of the motionless statue. "No bargain could have been made between us. You would have only tried to betray me and I you. I just skipped to the final result. Your actions will remain in stasis as long as I exist." The demon lord threw back his head and laughed before vanishing to return to his own throne. His cruel voice echoed throughout the frozen Dynasty. "And I plan on making that forever!"