Chapter 4

Adrianna, Daniel, and Derek entered the cathedral. They entered a huge dark room. Creepy noises drifted and echoed off the marble walls. Small movements were heard in the nearby darkness. The sounds could only be that of small foul creatures. Adrianna still did not believe the rumours of demons.

"The Sanctity of this place has been fouled!" Adrianna countered looking around the room. Adrianna remembered back to what had happened earlier. Derek had said he was coming with them. They had both refused but there was no changing Derek's mind. He said he was coming and had grabbed a sword he called Derek's edge and changed into appropriate armour. Adrianna figured that he must have decided that the best way to avenge the death of his father was to help them fight. As she looked at him she realized how much she was attracted to him. He was tall, with black hair. He was muscular like Daniel, due to his work. He had been one of the most sincere of all the young men in the past. But the death of his father and her sudden disappearance had hardened his heart. In any case she did not believe that he had the will to fight. She remembered the Butcher. If he had fought against him and survived then he could survive what they faced. She was worried if she could survive Derek's constant cold stare. Derek was about two years older than Adrianna, she was twenty-two. He looked rather handsome and she had to wonder why she hadn't wanted to marry him. Her answer came quick as she fingered her bow. She had been thirteen going on fourteen when she found out she was to marry him. But she wanted to be a warrior and fight and protect the lands she loved so much. She had sacrificed so much in that selfless act. Yet Derek did not seem to believe her intentions. She knew one day that a warrior would be needed to defend her homeland. A prophet had come to her home when she was young. This old woman had said that there would come a day when Tridosios would need a warrior to defend it. She wanted to be that warrior. Now here she stood at the brink of a new battle. It reminded her of the wars she fought in the past. Perhaps she actually was the warrior that the old woman had predicted.

"Hey are we gonna stand here all day?" Daniel asked annoyingly, jarring Adrianna out of her thoughts again.

"Oh yeah let's go" she replied quickly. They moved forward and saw about ten figures move towards them. In the light she saw they were walking skeletons, their bones pure beige. Bits of flesh and clothing clung to their rickety bones. Red shone through in their eye sockets. They held long swords and shields. A five-point star with a circle was painted on theses shields. They made her shudder. The symbol seemed somewhat familiar, though she could not remember where she had seen it. There was no more time to think as she grabbed her bow, aimed and fired. The arrow hit the skeleton in the rib cage and it collapsed in a heap of bone. The secret was to hit in a joint that supported most the weight. Daniel grabbed his war hammer and swung his arm around and whacked a skeleton in the knees with his mace. The skeleton fell as he blocked another attack using his buckler. This skeleton also collapsed with the impact of the buckler. Derek gripped his sword and faced off with a skeleton. She heard the clang of the swords as they touched. Derek brought the sword forward and cut the skeleton's skull off. The skeleton collapsed and the skull rolled across the mouldy stone floor to rest by a mossy pillar. She turned and saw Daniel as he raised his hammer and smote the skeleton in front of him with a crushing downward blow, cracking bones in half sending his foe reeling, as she stared at his battle mastery his muscles rippling blow after blow she almost fell victim to one of the foul demons in front of her, saved only by Derek's heavy blow to the decrepit spine. Shaking herself, Adrianna brought her bow around and shot a skeleton not but a foot away and shot him point blank range in the forehead. The skeleton seemed to tremble and shake and then fell in a massive heap of weapon and bone which was quite odd considering they were dead. The warriors would soon find out the many horrors that still lay ahead of them. They continued this fight until all ten skeletons were dead. They moved across the room attacking small little screeching demons that wielded wicked spears and curved knives.

"Fallen Ones" Derek cried out as he hacked one to pieces. They were stout little creatures, coloured a light sickening brown with a foul stench that made Adrianna want to hurl and they were so scrawny you could see the tendons and veins through their skin. The trio attacked the small demons and checked out any tombs and chests that lay scattered along the floor. In some tombs skeletons emerged and leaped out at them. They were easily destroyed. Ahead they saw that there were arches symbolizing a long dark hallway. They moved cautiously down it and found themselves surrounded by skeletons, Fallen Ones, and now Zombies that were rotting and decaying. Bits of fabric clung to the rotting flesh and round creepy and glowing eyes stared back at her, with only one intention, to kill its foe. In this case it was her companions. They seemed to be closing in on them. They began to attack the trio trying their best to keep them at bay. Adrianna too close to the demons to fire, put her bow away, and pulled her dagger from her belt. She slashed at one zombie. A foul hand swiped at her, scratching her arm. It began to sting as it bled. Beside her Daniel had gripped his hammer with both hands and was swinging the hammer around, hitting anything that was in his path. Derek now back to back with her, slashed at demons with his sword. A strange feeling came over her, but lasted only a few seconds when suddenly a handful of blue-white balls of fire flew across the room and attacked the zombies and skeletons killing them on contact. They seemed to vaporize into thin air. The trio finished off the Cursed Ones, and then turned to see two figures.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked.

"I am Lothar. And this is my brother, Jayalm", replied one of the figures as he stepped from the shadows followed closely by another. "We are on your side. We must go to see Cain at once. You will not survive otherwise".

"Why should we trust you?" Daniel said accusingly.

"Because we saved your life!" Jayalm said calmly.

"Come on guys we should get better armour anyways," Adrianna said eyeing Daniel who looked ready to beat this man to a pulp. Derek only glared at these two men, not saying a word.

"Fine you just better not try anything" Daniel said angrily. The trio followed the two other men. Adrianna recognized the men's attire. One was from the Jungle world of Kurast and the other was a Magi. The magi wore a long faded red robe that went to his feet and wrists. He held a basic straight staff with no ornament upon it. The other wore a helmet, shield and light plate with a vibrant red sash running from his shoulder and across his chest. They left the cathedral and went up to town, where they found Cain. On the way Lothar explained that he had come with his brother Jayalm from Aranoch to see Cain, due to a premonition that Lothar had seen during one of his routine rituals. Upon their arrival, Cain had told them to retrieve the three warriors battling in the cathedral. They arrived at the centre of town.

"Cain we have brought them back to see you" Lothar said, bowing.

"Ah yes I see. It is true then you are the Sacred Warriors". Cain said smiling at them and gesturing towards them.

"What!" Adrianna, Daniel and Derek said at the same time.

"Yes. You have the power to find and destroy most of the demons in the cathedral. I wasn't sure when you first came to visit me that was why I said nothing, but when Jayalm and Lothar arrived I knew that the ancient prophecies were true. Four of you have a single elemental weapon to use. The first is the Holy Hammer of Water! This goes to you Daniel". Cain said pulling a hammer out of a big sack by his feet and then handed the hammer over to Daniel who looked at it in disbelief.

"Huh?" was all he could say.

"The whole story will be explained later. Next is the Burning Staff of Fire. This goes to you Lothar.

"Thank you Sir Cain", he said bowing to him. He wore a turban and it looked to be like he was actually from Aranoch, for he had dark brown skin and the movement of one who has lived in the deserts. He stood rigid, like all sorcerers from that area. He had penetrating brown eyes, was rather thin, and wore many tattoos with many unknown symbols. To anyone who had never met a man from the East, they would appear as simple tattoos, but to Adrianna, she knew that they were powerful runes that gave him his power. He wore light, beige clothing, not leather armour. She figured he was from the council of the Vizjerei, an ancient group of Magi.

"Next is the Blowing Flail of Wind. This goes to you Jayalm" Cain continued.

All Jayalm did was bow and he too looked like he came from Aranoch or perhaps somewhere in the eastern jungles of Kurast. His skin was a lighter shade of brown than Lothar's. He did not wear a turban but wore the beige, baggy pants and a breastplate. A red sash ran from his shoulder to his waist, and he wore a silver helm. He held a gold and silver kite shield. It was split into four sections. Two golden and two, silver. Perhaps he was one of the Iron Wolves, magi and warriors in one.

"Finally, here is the Electrifying Sword of Earth. This goes to you Derek". Speechlessly Derek took the shining silver sword and nodded to Cain. Adrianna noticed that he looked incredibly handsome when he was surprised. She realized what she was thinking and turned away to look at anything but Derek. She felt her cheeks go hot in embarrassment. It was then that Adrianna realized that all four men had gotten an elemental weapon, and there were only four elements, which meant she didn't get a special weapon? She wondered why this was so and felt suddenly left out. She seemed somewhat out of place in this place that was once her home. She felt herself longing for the comfort of her friends at the Monastery. Adrianna could not help but wonder if it was it because…she was a… woman. That could not be so. She had every right. The memories of the wars she fought drifted through her mind. There had been so much pain, so many scars. So many of her friends had been killed. The battlefield there had looked much like the one where she had found Hope. Hope, the adopted kitten was snuggled safe and sound in Agden's tavern. Adrianna remembered that so much blood had been shed. How much more blood would be shed? Cain motioned to the four men to touch their weapons to his hand at the same time, as she came out of the daze. She heard the clang of the weapons as they touched and instantly there was a blinding flash of light. Adrianna covered her face with her arm. When Adrianna opened her eyes again she saw all four men wearing shining armour from head to foot. All of it Silver with golden edging. It appeared to be plate mail, with chain mail covering their thighs and upper arms. Silver wrist plates covered their lower arms. Daniel, Jayalm and Lothar wore a great helm, with a raised bump down the middle of the helm. They protected their entire heads except for their face. Derek wore a crown upon his head. It too covered most his head and a small metal piece covered his nose. The crown's trims were gold as well. They wore chain gloves and high silver plated boots. They wore golden belts too. On the belts was a symbol that looked like a heart with a six-point star around it. Their daggers were fastened to their belts. Daniel's other dagger Adrianna noticed was now secretly nudged in Daniel's plated boot. A small gleam caught her eye. She looked down at herself and found she was wearing the same shining armour as them. It covered her chest rather well, not crushing her body beneath it. Her armour did not appear to weigh her down much. She reached hand to her head. Her fingers closed around a circlet around her head. She pulled it off and looked at it. The circlet had golden runes set into the metal. They had secret Rogue enchantments on it. In the middle was a small Diamond. Diamonds had secret enchantments that increased resistances to certain elements. She looked up at Cain who now held a shining new silver-white Long Battle bow. The arrows were white as well and had a silver point on the end. Cain turned towards her.

"You have a very special weapon my dear. You get a weapon with all four elements to use together or in any combination or on their own. You get the Shining Elemental Bow of Light." She took the bow and arrows from his hands and slung the quiver around her waist. Her old quiver, she noticed had disappeared. She then held the shining bow and felt a powerful surge of energy through her entire body.

"This is amazing but why us?" she asked confused.

"Well it was decided long ago by a secretive group of mortal magi. You have to find the three Messiahs who can defeat the most powerful demon in the cathedral. He is the source of all the evil. Only the Messiahs can defeat him. Now go your way. I shall tell you more once the Butcher and the Cursed King have been destroyed. You will find the Butcher on the second floor and the King in his tomb on the third floor. Be cautious and be prepared to destroy all that you see in the cathedral".

"Surely you don't believe that King Leoric has risen do you?" Adrianna said in disbelief.

"I am positive, but you will have to discover for yourself young one, for the wars of the East have changed your outlook". With that final word he turned and pointed his hand towards the path that lead to the Cathedral...