Darkness enveloped him, like an all-encompassing blanket it encased his form in its depth. Time stood still in that dark place, there was no beginning or end to anything, only silence. With an audible snap, a rectangle of light appeared in front of him, blinding him with its abrupt appearance. The silhouette of a man appeared at the door. "Stand up boy." He said. Garrett stood and walked to the door, his eyes slowly adjusting to the harsh light. Garrett exited into the bright light of the courtyard. He remembered this place; he had spent many of his years here. The Keeper Compound. The man standing beside him was a Keeper, cloaked in black, despite the sun and the warmth. "Move." He said, and pointed to the cobbled area of the courtyard. Garrett walked over and stood waiting. The keeper walked to the cobbled area and stood facing Garrett across it. "Take this." The keeper said tonelessly and produced a sword from within his cloak. He tossed it to Garrett, who caught it effortlessly. The keeper raised his own sword and held it out in a ready position. "Begin." The keeper moved with speed, attacking Garrett swiftly. Garrett defended with equal skill, thrusting and countering wherever he saw an opening. Their blades flashed in the sunlight as they danced each seeking an opening.

Then Garrett found his opening. He parried a swing directed at his legs. The keeper was slow in recovering. Garrett whipped his sword up around his head and down on the keeper's skull. He clove down the center, his blade ripping the cloak in half. It was empty. Garrett's sword wriggled in his hand, as though it had a life of it's own. The handle was searing to the touch and Garrett dropped the blade with a start. The weapon wriggled and jerked its form changing shape, colour, and dimensions. The Vestrius now lay on the cobblestones between Garrett and the empty cloak, its blue stone glowing. A blinding flash exploded from the artifact and a bolt of black lightning blasted skyward. Garrett was hurled from his feet. The sky darkened instantly, and bars of dark clouds edged with deep purple appeared in the sky in fast motion. Rain poured forth from the heavens, drenching the courtyard and hammering the ground. Lightening flashed from the sky and thunderclaps pealed angrily. Garrett stood, his entire form drenched, water dripping off him.

Cloaked forms appeared all around him in the courtyard. Each time the lightning flashed they came closer and closer until they formed a ring around the cobblestones. The Vestrius suddenly twirled skyward and stopped hovering above Garrett's head; the blue stone on it glowed brilliantly. The hoods on the cloaked beings flew back and each one had the head of the beast Garrett had seen at Donovan's estate. They screeched their unearthly call in unison... the sound was deafening. There was a tremendous bang, a flash of lightning and the beasts were gone.

A door in the courtyard opened and a figure strode out; Garrett couldn't make out whom. Then it was in front of him. It was Donovan. "GarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrett GarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrettGarrett." The voice spoke so fast it was incoherent. Pop. It was Emilio's evil grinning face. "G-a-r-r-e-t-t." He said agonizingly slowly. He raised a blood-drenched dagger over his head, the rain doing nothing to cleanse it. Garrett suddenly found he was holding a sword. The swing seemed to take an eternity, each second extended into hours; and the rain dripping off the unblemished steel. The blade cut through Emilio's neck and his body toppled back while his head rolled aside; there was no blood. When the head hit the ground it was that of Urgoth, bloated and blue, his tongue lolling out. A woman screamed somewhere and suddenly every light was extinguished. There was another clap of thunder and a colossal flash of lightning…

****

Garrett sat bolt upright in bed. He was drenched in sweat and shivering. Outside the rain hammered against the window. Garrett surveyed his surroundings. He was in a dark, circular bedroom with a single window and door. It was furnished with the usual bedroom accouterments. Garrett was in a four poster bed of clean white sheets. Behind him was a half canopy of gauze, which extended a quarter of the way down the bedsides. Garrett was breathing heavily as he slumped back down into his bolsters. He was dressed in a light set of cotton garments. Garrett was too tired to worry about where he was or who had brought him here. As he drifted off to sleep he noticed something, the absence of pain.

Garrett awoke several hours later as the bedside clock told it. It was still the early hours of the morning; the sky was a Grey-black, and the rain was unrelenting. Garrett rose and moved over to the dresser. He poured himself a glass of water from the metal pitcher and drank deep. Garrett looked at himself in the mirror. He felt much better than before. The pain in his chest and limbs was gone, replaced by a dull numbness within him. His body was healing quite well, the wounds were closing and the swelling in his bruises was going down. He was still weak, but it was more fatigue than physical pain. Garrett went and sat on the edge of the bed in the darkened room, trying to make sense of everything that had happened.

About an hour later the door to his room creaked open. Garrett looked up as Galen entered the room. She smiled at him. "You're finally awake." She said. Garrett nodded. "Where are we?" He asked. Galen lit an oil lamp near the door and went to stand near the dresser. "You're in my tower." She told him, her eyes examining him closely. "How did I get here?" He asked, looking down at the floor. "I've no idea. You showed up at my door looking like a walking corpse and collapsed on my doorstep. My servants took you in and I used my magic to heal you. You've been asleep for nearly two days straight." She told him. "I barely remember anything about that night." He said. "How did I even find your house? I was delirious with pain…I…it was all I remembered. I knocked on a door and then…nothing." He said, and looked up at her with dark eyes and she looked back sympathetically. "I don't know Garrett." She said plainly. There was silence for a time as Galen watched Garrett stare silently out the window into the rainy mist. "Are you tired?" She said suddenly. Garrett took a few moments to respond. "No." was all he said. "In that case, I've got something to show you." She said. Garrett stared at the rain for a moment more. "Alright."

****

The study was dark; the only light came from the two windows across from each other and the pale glow they radiated from the downpour outside and from the small lamp on the desk. Galen and Garrett sat side by side in two high-backed chairs in front of the desk. A large leather-bound tome lay open in front of them. One of many countless others which stood or lay on tall, cluttered bookshelves that reached almost to the top of the circular chamber.

"This is the creature that attacked me at Donovan's manor." Garrett said quietly as his finger traced the drawing aimlessly (he had told Galen all that had happened since they parted). The picture was a crude but effective sketch of the creature from Donovan's manor; its forearm claws were outstretched above its head, which was thrown back in a shriek. Garrett shivered and tightened the robe Galen had lent him. Next to it were strange characters that Garrett recognized at once. "These are keeper runes he said." He said, his eyes flicking over the writing. "Yes." Galen said. "This is one of the many chronicles which the Keepers have written. It details the Age of Creation. This section is on the early races of the Age and this… is a Raknesh." She said solemnly. Garrett wondered for a moment on how the Keepers would know about anything during the Age of Creation. Most scholars had nothing but theories. He wondered a moment more about how Galen could have obtained such a volume.

"The Raknesh was a race that came before mankind even existed. They were beings of powerful magical abilities, which they used to shape and alter the physical world. They were not a kind people and they preformed many cruel acts of murder and torture upon other races and each other in their time. They were a scourge upon the world of then, and used their powers for their own sick and twisted pleasure. The Gods grew angry at this evil that had come into being in the world and so punished the Raknesh for their malicious ways. All of their blood were stripped of their magical abilities and forever sealed in a labyrinth of impenetrable stone and magic. All of their power was trapped in a single artifact crafted by the Gods for that singular purpose."

"And that Artifact is the Vestrius, right?" Garrett said, interrupting Galen's tale. "No." She said. "The Vestrius is but the key to…let me continue." She said. Garrett gave her a strange look but shrugged.

"Now, although the Raknesh were a terrible people, there was still one among them who was bigger and more evil than any other. Thus…he became their leader, self-appointed, of course. He was known as Xath-en, and it was for him that the Gods devised a special arrangement. He would be bound to the artifact for all eternity. Sealed in the labyrinth with every other Raknesh, he would feel the consuming hunger for the artifact, which was sealed deep within the maze, out of his grasp. The hunger would gnaw at the core of him, his magic, and cause him immense pain when separated as such. The Gods hide the entrance to the maze and created a magical key for it, that, is the Vestrius."

"So, if you only hold the key, you've got other plans, right?" Garrett said. Galen looked up, her face partially shrouded in the shadows. "Yes, Mister Garrett." She said, her voice sounded ominous. The thunder boomed outside and Garrett stared into her eyes for a moment. "How did the Raknesh get out then? Weren't they sealed in the maze?" Garrett said slowly. "It is possible that due to the proximity of the Vestrius pieces to each other, the magical seal may have weakened and some may have escaped. Xath-en would still hold dominance over them all, even with his power in check he is still the strongest and most cunning. He would send them after the Vestrius and they would listen, for he is…persuasive. Or I could be completely wrong; we have no way of knowing. If they obtain the Vestrius they could open the labyrinth to the outside and deeper in. They would have their power and their freedom, exactly what they want." "But the one at the manor sounded human, sounded like a keeper, how is that possible?" Garrett asked. "Though their magic could be separated, their innate psionic mental abilities are impossible to remove. Their minds have the power to alter their features and senses. They can give themselves larger musculature, elongated bones, and enhanced vision. Their mental capacity allows them to mimic the verbal patterns of any living organism or give them reflexes, which border on precognition. However, they only have to ability to alter a few at once, for they must divide their energies properly. So, if one were to enhance his speed tremendously, he would have little or none left to assist in anything else. They cannot, take on the form of another, shapechange, so they would need to conceal their appearance were they to infiltrate human society." Galen finished and peered back at the book.

Garrett watched her stoically. "I think its time you told me what your plans are. I've got a feeling our business is not yet concluded." Galen slowly sat up in her chair and turned to face him. "The original deal can obviously no longer stand, Donovan is missing or dead and your payment with him. I offer an alternative solution to your dilemma." Galen said, "I thought you might." Garrett replied sardonically. Galen ignored him. "Within the labyrinth is more than simply tunnels and passages. There is a vast hoard of both wealth and knowledge contained within the vaults below. This, Mister Garrett, is my goal, to plunder that hoard." Galen said. "That's it? A simple treasure hunt? That's the value of this 'Vestrius'?!" Garrett exclaimed incredulously. "You have no idea as to the extent or the power of this hoard mister Garrett." As Galen said this, her eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment. "I'm willing to share it Mister Garrett." Galen said, snapping out of it and staring at Garrett again. "What about these…Raknesh?" Garrett questioned. "Won't they be a danger?" he asked. "Of course they will, and a very deadly one at that. But, they are unavoidable if we are to take what we want. And…I concede that your abilities would be a great help in circumventing them." Galen replied. Garrett sat thinking for a moment. "How will we know where these vaults are?" Garrett asked, determined to have all the details laid out. "I have been able to acquire a very dated map of the labyrinth, that should allow use to find these vaults quickly enough." Galen said. "Just how dated?" Garrett asked. "There may have been some structural alterations throughout the years due to cave-ins and such, but I doubt they will pose such a difficulty." Galen told him.

Garrett mulled this over for a time. Finally he responded. "I guess I don't have a choice if I want my compensation for this venture." Garrett said. "Indeed you don't, but believe me, it will be worth the hazard." Galen said. "It had better be a substantial amount, I want a choice in what my share consists of and Galen…if we do this we do it together, no secrets." Garrett said, staring hard into her face. Galen looked back for a few moments, her face just as cold. "I am disappointed to think that you still believe that I harbor mistrust or hate for you Garrett, I thought we had become more that just associates." Galen said tonelessly. "Then I'm sorry for disappointing you." Garrett said unfeelingly. "Business is business Galen." Garrett said simply and held out his hand. Galen looked at it and then at him. "Then we have a deal." She said stiffly, and shook it.