Chapter 2
The Sleeper Awakes
With this fleeting action, Ryu, and Arwen appeared in what seemed to be a small hovel. About ten to twenty feet in diameter, this strange place was filled with bookcases. Volumes upon volumes of ancient and forgotten lore were spread across a wodden table. In its chair sat none other then Ogmaha himself. He was an ancient looking elf, withered by the tides of time phiscally, but the same force mentally sharpened his wits. Such a blissful, placid aura surrounded the prophet that it seemed no one could care about a thing in the world.
Ogmaha stood about four and a half feet tall, average size for and elf. He had shoulder length white hair, pale wrinkled skin, and lumenous green eyes. It was his eyes that mad it so no one could mistake him for some weak old man. Such a fierce determination and wisdom was reflected that many were sure to think twice before truly angering the old sage.
At there apperation, the oldman looked up from his paper and quill, and closed the book. Arwen read the title briefly, useing her acute elven and rougish vision to see the fading words: The Complete History of Hell.
"It took you long enough to get here." Ogmaha said bluntly, getting up from his chair and walking around the table. "I have little time to play your childish games. You brief respite from the Acadamy is over, as i have somthing very important for you to do." It was these words that caused Ryu to cock and eyebrow, giving the sage a look of inquisistion. "There is also a duty i wish you, Arwen dear, to complet for me as well."
"And what can i do to help you? Oh great and powerful prophet of Avlar!" Ryu taunted. He loved mothing more then to arouse the old man to a kicking and screaming rage. He had done so many times over the past nine-hundred years of his toutured lifetime, and thus he had become exceedingly profecient at it.
"Ryu Lucius Evenstar! I demand you cooperation! This is a time of great urgencecy!" This was said to the Abomination with such a sincerity that the mage seemed compelled to slience himself. This he did, wondering what in the godsland could have happened to get the sage all in a fury before he even visited. "Now that i have your attention, i must speak upon the unthinkable." His voice became hushed, even though there was no one around for miles and miles. "I dont know how it happened, but somehow one of the members of the Magi of The Red rose seeped into Tattarus." Ryu's eyes grew wide, and it was now him that felt like flying into a fury. Arwen gasped, and clapped her hands to her mouth. "They succeeded in releaseing Him. Allow me to show you the vision The Elf-God gave me" Without waiting for approval, the prophet waved his old hand, and everything went black...
**************
The Vision of Ogmaha
Somewhere in the deep depths of Tattarus, some one either every foolish or very brave was dareing to disturb the resting place of Asmodeus The Terrible. This man was dressed in black robes that radiated so much magic it litteraly brighted the room, adding to its bleakness. What could be seen of his hands were long obsiden colored fingers. Too pittiless red eyes glared out of the sunken sockets. The remaining lords of Hell were knelt down before a rift in the endless black everyone seemed to be standing on. Although this 'hole' glowed brightly, it was with a black light that sucked happiness and joy from all around it. So unholy was this flame that even the HellLords averted thier eyes from it. The great immolation flared everytime the standing cloaked figure had the audacity to look at, or step towards the prison. If one looked hard enough, you could vaugely seen the face of some tortured entity, screaming silently in its endless pain. With a sudden, curt movement, the hooded figure gestured for one of the lords of hell to step foward.
"Cassius, come to me. Let your master taste blood. The sooner he has a sample of all of you, the sooner he may choose." A hissing, hatefully dark voice said from within the hood. One of the kneeling lords obayed. He was about seven feet tall, and wore black full plate armor. It was decorated with skulls, and had splashed of blood stains all over it. A greatsword was at his black, and it too, was covered with blood. Two perecing red eyes were barely visible from within his helmet. The inferno of black flames before them flared as if attempting to keep them away. Cassisus held out an armored hand, totally unafraid. He drew a dagger and stated in a deep, cold, commanding voice.
"With my blood i offer refuge. With my blood i offer life. With my body i offer freedom." With that, he drove the small blade into and through the palm of his hand, without the mearest grunt of pain. After all, Cassius was the Demon of Pain, so how is it possible for him to feel that which he is the master of? The blood did not fall to the 'ground', but instead flowed silently towards the immolation. One could nearly sense the pleasue in the burning soul of Asmodeus, as his near hidden face lapped up the blood of his servant. The other lords followed.
The second that offered 'refuge' was about he size of a human, perhaps six feet tall at the most. His skin was red as flames, and his eyes were black pits of dispair. Long, decorative robes covered his mucular body. Two great horns sprounted from his blad head. His name was Malvok.
The third, Dante, was a human, althugh his democic facination had lead him to a horrid appearence. His eyes were so sunken in that one would think they tounched the brain, his head was completly bald, and his fingers looked like that where skeletal, in stead of skinned.
The Forth, Adrian, looked somthing like a giant spider crossed with a hawk. A hwak that had been deprived of sulight for a very long time. His skin was a dark gray, his face elongated. His entire body stood around 10 feet tallm with eight long muscluar arms. His legs were birdlike, with talons instead of feet. His three-inch teeth were barred with sadistic glee when he slashed open not just one, but all of his hands in a machonistic fasion, and his wings spread as if streaching themselves in delight.
The Fifth, and final was named Mephostopholes. By far the most poweful of them all, this demon was nearly eighteen feet tall, with great black wings that seemed to be mad of ash, and dark eyes and an evil radience that would wither flowers with a touch. A gigantic naganaki was his weapon of choice, so long that it nearly doubled his height. His feet ended in hoves, and his muscular body rippled with magical power. His entire body was writhed in what seemed to be crackleing embers that radieted from his ambitous heart.
Finally all of the Hellords had given blood, as well as the dark leader. They backed about thiry feet away from the inferno, and waited. Then the flames bagan to spread...slowly...towards the six servants that were trying to free it. When the 'arms' of flame had nearly reached the faces of the Hellords, many of them winced in fear of being 'chosen'. Suddenly there was a scream of pain of torture. Dante had been chosen. The flame that hovered so close to his face lunged at him, searing his feace and eyes. The covered his entire body as he was ripped into the rift with a shout of desperate pain. He began to ooze blood from his pours, the more to feed Asmodeus when he reached the central flame. His eyes, mouth, ears, and nose bled freely.
He had reached the end of his hateful life when he was taken to the middle of the prison. He was slashed, cut, and ripped into millions of tiny pieces, and devoured. His screams could be hear in every torture chamber around the worlds. The flames stopped...the embers subsided...and the sadistic, cruel, heartless, and bloody lips of Asmodeus The Terrible fixed themselves into a grin. He was free at last!
Ryu kicked the nearest bookself, sending it topeling over, yet Ogmaha seemed not to care.
"Damn it all!" the mage said in his anger. In a second he reflected upon the war that took place in his childhood. It was a good three hundred years before Arwen's time yes, but her rembered it quict vividly. The world of Mal'Hal is still quite young, only two thousand or so year old. Ryu was only the second generation of his race. It was during his childhood years that the prophecy in The Holy Book of Galicran was fulfilled. It stated that an angel shall fall from heaven, mudering his wife. Put briefly he would..and did join the ranks of hell and murdered the ruling god there: Satan the Evil. There was many things most people questioned about Ryu's life, one of wich is the fact that his mother and father were both well known Seraphim before thier death...and yet he appeared to be an elf. Ryu never answered the accusastions. The war that followed the Fallen One's gain in power was one of great pain and death. He rembered that the forces of evil penetreated up the the highest point of Heaven: Celista.It was this attack that caused none other then Raziel The Watcher himself, God of Good, to enter the battle field. With his sword of radient good he and the other lords of Heaven single handedly slaughtered millions of oncomming Demons. Ryu saw this single-handedly, and Raziel gave off such and aweing radience that Ryu, no matter how much he disagreed with his teachings, never spoke and ill word aginst the church. Finally the Fallen One, who called himself Asmodeus, entered the battlefield. And in a battle that shook the world, Raziel imprisoned Asmodes in the prison world of Tattarus. (Authors note: which one so u think is the better way to say it? Az-moe-day-us or Azmoe-dea-us. 2nd one is sepperated less times. If u ever take time review,let me know.)
"Who let him free? Do you know the exact person?" Arwen asked with fear in her voice. Somthing that did not happen often.
"No...i do not. I do know, however, that the five remaining lord of hell attened the ritual."
"Give me names you sorry bastard." Ryu spat, giving the old man a look of malilce, and getting one equally spiteful in return.
"Cassius, Adrian, Dante, Malvok, and Mephostopholes (pronounced Meh-fo-stof-o-lezz)." The old man shot. "Happy? Now to get to what i need you both to do. Ryu, alert the Magi Council of my vision from Avlar, tell then that he is free. Arwen, contact the underground and get all the imformation you can about hell's politics recently. Be weary of any demoic members. I wish i could give you more information, but Avlar Elf-God only wishes me to know what he has showed me. If i can be of any aide, please have the council let me know." This time there was no anger in the man voice. He seemed to calm and un-waery, as thoght he knew more that what he was telling. This wouldent be the first time he deprived Ryu of information until 'he was ready'.
"I will do so, Ogmaha, but know that this will not be an easy task, having Raziel re-defeat Asmodeus again." Ryu said with no malevolence in his voice, as if it were a simple statment, to Ogmaha it was more then this.
"Raziel wont be able to do anything this time." He said in a criptic warning, looking at Ryu intently. "I will let you leave now." he concluded, waving his hand and telporting the two elves out of the hut back to the base of the Great Oak Ryu had been playing his flute from.
Ryu took a meaningful look at Arwen, and jumped into the branches of the giant tree. She followed him, up the 3 hundred foot tree. The mage sighed, and brached himself aginst the trunk, stitting upon the branch, which was wide enough for five or so to sit next to each other shoulder to shoulder alone, and twenty or more long. Arwen slumped down next to the man, and put her head on his shoulders. They sat there for a long time like that, peering into the forest through the brances. Arwen looked up into Ryu's eyes, and saw fear in his green depths. It was at that moment the inresistable urge to kiss the mage came over her, wanting to comfort him. Arwen too was known to be rude and sarcastic to others, but she alwasy had a strong attachment to the mage. She had know him the better part of a thousand years...after four hundred you begin to lose count. She felt safe around him, as if she knew that he would never allow anything to happen to her. He alwasy was quick to come to her when she was upset. She refused to admit she was 'in love'. Love ment a detication. It was more a 'stong infacuation'. The assassin resisted the urge, but her heart melted when Ryu looked down at her. His eyes looked into her own, almost in tears. Arwen and never seen Ryu this close to weeping, and indeed had never seen the event happen. Ryu told her that he learned never to cry when he was young. As she saw the mage fight the battle inside, she truely began to know fear. It wasnt a common thing for her, and she dident like it. A sick old feeling in her stomach. She never felt in on her hundreds of assassination missions.
"Everything will be okay, I promise." Ryu said in a weary voice, trying to comfort the beautiful woman before her. It was nearly blasfamous to his creed, but Ryu too had felt the urge to kiss his companion, the moment he look into her eyes.Those beautiful hazel eyes. He, like Arwen, resisted. Neither would admit to it, and both would forget it in the morning. For the had both fallen asleep in the tree...
The Sleeper Awakes
With this fleeting action, Ryu, and Arwen appeared in what seemed to be a small hovel. About ten to twenty feet in diameter, this strange place was filled with bookcases. Volumes upon volumes of ancient and forgotten lore were spread across a wodden table. In its chair sat none other then Ogmaha himself. He was an ancient looking elf, withered by the tides of time phiscally, but the same force mentally sharpened his wits. Such a blissful, placid aura surrounded the prophet that it seemed no one could care about a thing in the world.
Ogmaha stood about four and a half feet tall, average size for and elf. He had shoulder length white hair, pale wrinkled skin, and lumenous green eyes. It was his eyes that mad it so no one could mistake him for some weak old man. Such a fierce determination and wisdom was reflected that many were sure to think twice before truly angering the old sage.
At there apperation, the oldman looked up from his paper and quill, and closed the book. Arwen read the title briefly, useing her acute elven and rougish vision to see the fading words: The Complete History of Hell.
"It took you long enough to get here." Ogmaha said bluntly, getting up from his chair and walking around the table. "I have little time to play your childish games. You brief respite from the Acadamy is over, as i have somthing very important for you to do." It was these words that caused Ryu to cock and eyebrow, giving the sage a look of inquisistion. "There is also a duty i wish you, Arwen dear, to complet for me as well."
"And what can i do to help you? Oh great and powerful prophet of Avlar!" Ryu taunted. He loved mothing more then to arouse the old man to a kicking and screaming rage. He had done so many times over the past nine-hundred years of his toutured lifetime, and thus he had become exceedingly profecient at it.
"Ryu Lucius Evenstar! I demand you cooperation! This is a time of great urgencecy!" This was said to the Abomination with such a sincerity that the mage seemed compelled to slience himself. This he did, wondering what in the godsland could have happened to get the sage all in a fury before he even visited. "Now that i have your attention, i must speak upon the unthinkable." His voice became hushed, even though there was no one around for miles and miles. "I dont know how it happened, but somehow one of the members of the Magi of The Red rose seeped into Tattarus." Ryu's eyes grew wide, and it was now him that felt like flying into a fury. Arwen gasped, and clapped her hands to her mouth. "They succeeded in releaseing Him. Allow me to show you the vision The Elf-God gave me" Without waiting for approval, the prophet waved his old hand, and everything went black...
**************
The Vision of Ogmaha
Somewhere in the deep depths of Tattarus, some one either every foolish or very brave was dareing to disturb the resting place of Asmodeus The Terrible. This man was dressed in black robes that radiated so much magic it litteraly brighted the room, adding to its bleakness. What could be seen of his hands were long obsiden colored fingers. Too pittiless red eyes glared out of the sunken sockets. The remaining lords of Hell were knelt down before a rift in the endless black everyone seemed to be standing on. Although this 'hole' glowed brightly, it was with a black light that sucked happiness and joy from all around it. So unholy was this flame that even the HellLords averted thier eyes from it. The great immolation flared everytime the standing cloaked figure had the audacity to look at, or step towards the prison. If one looked hard enough, you could vaugely seen the face of some tortured entity, screaming silently in its endless pain. With a sudden, curt movement, the hooded figure gestured for one of the lords of hell to step foward.
"Cassius, come to me. Let your master taste blood. The sooner he has a sample of all of you, the sooner he may choose." A hissing, hatefully dark voice said from within the hood. One of the kneeling lords obayed. He was about seven feet tall, and wore black full plate armor. It was decorated with skulls, and had splashed of blood stains all over it. A greatsword was at his black, and it too, was covered with blood. Two perecing red eyes were barely visible from within his helmet. The inferno of black flames before them flared as if attempting to keep them away. Cassisus held out an armored hand, totally unafraid. He drew a dagger and stated in a deep, cold, commanding voice.
"With my blood i offer refuge. With my blood i offer life. With my body i offer freedom." With that, he drove the small blade into and through the palm of his hand, without the mearest grunt of pain. After all, Cassius was the Demon of Pain, so how is it possible for him to feel that which he is the master of? The blood did not fall to the 'ground', but instead flowed silently towards the immolation. One could nearly sense the pleasue in the burning soul of Asmodeus, as his near hidden face lapped up the blood of his servant. The other lords followed.
The second that offered 'refuge' was about he size of a human, perhaps six feet tall at the most. His skin was red as flames, and his eyes were black pits of dispair. Long, decorative robes covered his mucular body. Two great horns sprounted from his blad head. His name was Malvok.
The third, Dante, was a human, althugh his democic facination had lead him to a horrid appearence. His eyes were so sunken in that one would think they tounched the brain, his head was completly bald, and his fingers looked like that where skeletal, in stead of skinned.
The Forth, Adrian, looked somthing like a giant spider crossed with a hawk. A hwak that had been deprived of sulight for a very long time. His skin was a dark gray, his face elongated. His entire body stood around 10 feet tallm with eight long muscluar arms. His legs were birdlike, with talons instead of feet. His three-inch teeth were barred with sadistic glee when he slashed open not just one, but all of his hands in a machonistic fasion, and his wings spread as if streaching themselves in delight.
The Fifth, and final was named Mephostopholes. By far the most poweful of them all, this demon was nearly eighteen feet tall, with great black wings that seemed to be mad of ash, and dark eyes and an evil radience that would wither flowers with a touch. A gigantic naganaki was his weapon of choice, so long that it nearly doubled his height. His feet ended in hoves, and his muscular body rippled with magical power. His entire body was writhed in what seemed to be crackleing embers that radieted from his ambitous heart.
Finally all of the Hellords had given blood, as well as the dark leader. They backed about thiry feet away from the inferno, and waited. Then the flames bagan to spread...slowly...towards the six servants that were trying to free it. When the 'arms' of flame had nearly reached the faces of the Hellords, many of them winced in fear of being 'chosen'. Suddenly there was a scream of pain of torture. Dante had been chosen. The flame that hovered so close to his face lunged at him, searing his feace and eyes. The covered his entire body as he was ripped into the rift with a shout of desperate pain. He began to ooze blood from his pours, the more to feed Asmodeus when he reached the central flame. His eyes, mouth, ears, and nose bled freely.
He had reached the end of his hateful life when he was taken to the middle of the prison. He was slashed, cut, and ripped into millions of tiny pieces, and devoured. His screams could be hear in every torture chamber around the worlds. The flames stopped...the embers subsided...and the sadistic, cruel, heartless, and bloody lips of Asmodeus The Terrible fixed themselves into a grin. He was free at last!
Ryu kicked the nearest bookself, sending it topeling over, yet Ogmaha seemed not to care.
"Damn it all!" the mage said in his anger. In a second he reflected upon the war that took place in his childhood. It was a good three hundred years before Arwen's time yes, but her rembered it quict vividly. The world of Mal'Hal is still quite young, only two thousand or so year old. Ryu was only the second generation of his race. It was during his childhood years that the prophecy in The Holy Book of Galicran was fulfilled. It stated that an angel shall fall from heaven, mudering his wife. Put briefly he would..and did join the ranks of hell and murdered the ruling god there: Satan the Evil. There was many things most people questioned about Ryu's life, one of wich is the fact that his mother and father were both well known Seraphim before thier death...and yet he appeared to be an elf. Ryu never answered the accusastions. The war that followed the Fallen One's gain in power was one of great pain and death. He rembered that the forces of evil penetreated up the the highest point of Heaven: Celista.It was this attack that caused none other then Raziel The Watcher himself, God of Good, to enter the battle field. With his sword of radient good he and the other lords of Heaven single handedly slaughtered millions of oncomming Demons. Ryu saw this single-handedly, and Raziel gave off such and aweing radience that Ryu, no matter how much he disagreed with his teachings, never spoke and ill word aginst the church. Finally the Fallen One, who called himself Asmodeus, entered the battlefield. And in a battle that shook the world, Raziel imprisoned Asmodes in the prison world of Tattarus. (Authors note: which one so u think is the better way to say it? Az-moe-day-us or Azmoe-dea-us. 2nd one is sepperated less times. If u ever take time review,let me know.)
"Who let him free? Do you know the exact person?" Arwen asked with fear in her voice. Somthing that did not happen often.
"No...i do not. I do know, however, that the five remaining lord of hell attened the ritual."
"Give me names you sorry bastard." Ryu spat, giving the old man a look of malilce, and getting one equally spiteful in return.
"Cassius, Adrian, Dante, Malvok, and Mephostopholes (pronounced Meh-fo-stof-o-lezz)." The old man shot. "Happy? Now to get to what i need you both to do. Ryu, alert the Magi Council of my vision from Avlar, tell then that he is free. Arwen, contact the underground and get all the imformation you can about hell's politics recently. Be weary of any demoic members. I wish i could give you more information, but Avlar Elf-God only wishes me to know what he has showed me. If i can be of any aide, please have the council let me know." This time there was no anger in the man voice. He seemed to calm and un-waery, as thoght he knew more that what he was telling. This wouldent be the first time he deprived Ryu of information until 'he was ready'.
"I will do so, Ogmaha, but know that this will not be an easy task, having Raziel re-defeat Asmodeus again." Ryu said with no malevolence in his voice, as if it were a simple statment, to Ogmaha it was more then this.
"Raziel wont be able to do anything this time." He said in a criptic warning, looking at Ryu intently. "I will let you leave now." he concluded, waving his hand and telporting the two elves out of the hut back to the base of the Great Oak Ryu had been playing his flute from.
Ryu took a meaningful look at Arwen, and jumped into the branches of the giant tree. She followed him, up the 3 hundred foot tree. The mage sighed, and brached himself aginst the trunk, stitting upon the branch, which was wide enough for five or so to sit next to each other shoulder to shoulder alone, and twenty or more long. Arwen slumped down next to the man, and put her head on his shoulders. They sat there for a long time like that, peering into the forest through the brances. Arwen looked up into Ryu's eyes, and saw fear in his green depths. It was at that moment the inresistable urge to kiss the mage came over her, wanting to comfort him. Arwen too was known to be rude and sarcastic to others, but she alwasy had a strong attachment to the mage. She had know him the better part of a thousand years...after four hundred you begin to lose count. She felt safe around him, as if she knew that he would never allow anything to happen to her. He alwasy was quick to come to her when she was upset. She refused to admit she was 'in love'. Love ment a detication. It was more a 'stong infacuation'. The assassin resisted the urge, but her heart melted when Ryu looked down at her. His eyes looked into her own, almost in tears. Arwen and never seen Ryu this close to weeping, and indeed had never seen the event happen. Ryu told her that he learned never to cry when he was young. As she saw the mage fight the battle inside, she truely began to know fear. It wasnt a common thing for her, and she dident like it. A sick old feeling in her stomach. She never felt in on her hundreds of assassination missions.
"Everything will be okay, I promise." Ryu said in a weary voice, trying to comfort the beautiful woman before her. It was nearly blasfamous to his creed, but Ryu too had felt the urge to kiss his companion, the moment he look into her eyes.Those beautiful hazel eyes. He, like Arwen, resisted. Neither would admit to it, and both would forget it in the morning. For the had both fallen asleep in the tree...