Chapter One – "Our Hearts Still Burn"
The Hall that stood so glorious once with its thick walls and high towers, set in the pale moonlight. "I remember it as if it was yesterday, the fires, clashing of blades, screams of the fallen, they echo in my head still" John kneeled on the blackened ground, new life shot from the ashes that where left. John picked up a burned plaque of some sort inscribed with the old words of the fallen Guild's motto "Illi Quisnam Mos Haud Diutius". "We all remember John" Aeolus reacted, he looked around and could still see how this, now blackened and crippled, Hall stood tall in the summer rain, and a beautiful sight it was. His bird, which he had tamed so long ago, walked closer to the ranger and looked at him, as if he wanted to ask what was wrong. Aeolus put his hand on the Moa's head and shook his head "You wouldn't understand".
The four friends had returned to the place where it all began, or ended for that matter. Sick of the war, the hatred and the killing they all left their old guild to join the ranks of LuS, to get away from it all. Little did they know that by doing this they would be witnesses of hatred and death in its darkest form.
Radeon walked around kicking away debris that lay shattered all over, he specialized in the art of death, but not like the death they had seen two years ago. He was a Necromancer, using the corpses of fallen foes to aid him and his friends in battle, after the battle however he released the souls letting them go to whatever heaven they believed in. "The souls are still restless" He said looking up the large centre tower, "They still can't believe what happened" he sighed and walked back to the rest of his friends who where now at the door of the only tower that still stood upright.
Phoenix hadn't said anything since returning here, after the Guild Wars and the invasion of the Charr he had grown more silent every day, remembering how it was and what it could become once again, perhaps. He sighed, "I wonder what is left" he spoke in an emotionless voice, he was an Elementalist who specialized himself in Fire magic, it was cruel faith that the same fire he wielded destroyed all he had. There was nothing he, or any other, could've done but the four remaining friends all felt the same, if only, if only they could've stopped this somehow.
But alas, no matter how much Radeon specialized in death he could not give back live, no matter what herbs Aeolus would know they had not the power to return the dead, no matter how much Phoenix tried he could not turn back the flames and no matter how angry John could get it would not be enough to defy the Gods. Together they stood strong, in peace and war time they survived, but all this didn't matter, they could not get back what was stolen from them two years ago. And although the fire in the Hall died out after 3 days the fire was still burning their hearts away after two years.
They Pushed the doors aside and John was the first to enter, still smelling the dried out flames as they walked through the black corridors, the flames had eaten all signs of live, banners, seats, clothes and flesh. "No wonder the dead can't find rest" Radeon said, "They are still burning". They all looked around as they entered the big hall, the meeting room, eating room, all in one, most of the time all at once as well. "Then let's extinguish the flames and give our comrades the rest they so long deserved" Phoenix said with a glow in his eyes, he had ploughed through books, one bigger then the other, about the Monk profession. He now knew how to keep the living alive and, perhaps more importantly, how to give the dead rest. "We should set up for the ritual here" he stated when he was in the centre off the hall, on the orange shining emblem of the Guild, which designated the spot to be the centre of the hall. He stomped his feet on the ground, "Right here".
Aeolus seemed a bit out of it, they had thought it was because of the overwhelming sight, but it was not the smell or the memory that occupied his mind, he heard something, a sound that was familiar and had become even more familiar the last few years. "To Arms!" he shouted immediately reaching for his bow and arrow. Without questioning Aeolus his motives the rest of the group leaped into battle positions. They had travelled so long and trusted each other blindly.
Even before Phoenix could throw an enchantment, he had just learned from a dusty old book, a gang of Gargoyles leaped around the corner. John dashed forward, his hammer in his two hands almost flying behind him, when coming to a full stop in front of the group he used his momentum to let the hammer sweep over his head into the skull of an oncoming gargoyle. Immediately dropping to the ground bleeding all over, but even before the corpse hit the ground a Bone Horror crawled out of the lifeless body, in a flash of an eye John looked over his shoulder and grinned at Radeon.
The skies rumbled, even in this closed room, it was Phoenix his doing, he was floating in mid air casting a storm of Flaming balls, they crashed right through the ceiling and landed on the group of foes, the skill Phoenix had gained in this allowed him to keep John out of harm's way. From the Burning corpses again sprung Horrors who, in any normal situation, wouldn't bare the daylight. Hideous creatures but effective in their own way. Arrows flew around John even before he could swing his hammer back and forth, some times even two at a time. Aeolus was a skilled marksman and John wasn't even remotely afraid he would be scratched by an arrow.
Then it hit John like a ton of bricks, his body hurt as he felt his life was drawn from him. It was an ancient Mesmer hex that was cast upon him, the Gargoyles grinned with their evil and misshapen faces as they saw John in torment. John recognized the pain, he had been through it a lot of times and one day decided to train himself so that he could resist them. With a loud roar he straightened up lifting his hands with the hammer, he shattered the hex as if it was a fragile piece of glass and the energy that blasted from him where like the shards, flying back at the attackers hitting every single one of them. Not quite dead yet an arrow flew over John's head and into the fallen Gargoyles, upon hitting them they exploded throwing John on the floor with the blast but also killing off any life that was left in the foes. Even before John hit the ground he felt some kind of divine energy flow through him patching up any wounds he might have suffered from that last arrow, Phoenix had done well by learning the ways of the monk.
It drew some energy from them but they survived another attack, as they did for the past two years, not living from day to day but from one attack to the other. But the rest would not be long, although the hunt for them officially stopped at the beginning of the Charr invasion the three, now merged, guilds still had some scouts following them and watching spots. They had hoped for a long time they would return to the Guild Hall, the four mates also knew this and they avoided the hall for a long time. But the blood crawls where it cannot and the friends had returned, one single watchman was still posted there to keep an eye out and now he had to run back to his home and warn the others.
While John, Aeolus, Radeon and Phoenix where just attacked by a second wave of Gargoyle he ran back, he was a young recruit, never knew what had happened in the Hall he was posted two weeks ago. He thought he did what was best, for him and his friends, he was told that whomever returned to that place and still bears sentiment for it was evil and dangerous. This was still the way the leaders thought about the guild, a danger, even after the death of almost all their members.
Phoenix was now meeting the necessary requirements for the ritual to put his fallen brothers to rest, to let their soul be rested. Radeon and Aeolus, who themselves had interested themselves in the restoring of life and holy magic as well, helped him with this, John however stood watch, knowing that, even at these times and in this place, they weren't save. Little did they know about the threat that was just awakened by one unknowing fool who would never have ran back if he knew the truth.
Phoenix unrolled a scroll, one he had bought with his last gold, he would have sold his arm if he didn't have enough money, he wanted to do this so badly. He started praying to Gods long gone, to deities long forgotten. Hoping that, somewhere in the emptiness that was heaven, there would be an ear, an ear that still listened. Aeolus and Radeon kneeling to his right and left side, hoping that with the three of them they had a better chance of success in this personal quest.
The boy had reached the outpost, and yelled over the top of his lunges "They Have returned! The survivors, they returned!", not mentioning any other names or details everybody knew what he meant and the captain of the outpost stepped forward, "Then we march out" he stated with a heavy voice. Every arms man and women cheered and grabbed for their closest weapon making haste towards the door.
Back at the burned hall the prayers where almost complete, like thunder a ray of light had cleaved itself through the ceiling and heavenly light now shone through. Radeon felt the anger and disbelieve about him flow away into the stream. Phoenix opened his eyes and looked up. "It is done, finally they can rest" he stated and rolled up the scroll to put it back in his bag. The light from the centre tower had startled the marching group of soldiers but they didn't back up, they marched on, still thinking that the four men in there where the biggest threat to their way of life, next to the Charr off course.
When the band reached the gates, and found a burned down hall at their feet, there was silence. The captain led the way and stepped inside, immediately triggering some trap that spew fire on him and the soldiers close to him, he screamed as he fell to the floor breathing out his last breath.
John suddenly shot up straight from the ground, he had sat down in the doorway, "They are here!" he shouted grabbing his hammer and running to his three friends, ready to defend them with his life. "We can count ourselves lucky that they still fall for my traps" Aeolus said with mixed feelings, he knew that the traps where the only way they could be safe, but he just killed a man, probably more then one, yet he was ready to fight another fight and loaded an arrow in his bow.
"It's no use" Phoenix stated, "No more blood should have been shed here" he quickly gathered all the remaining stuff from the ritual "Today we run" he added with his normal calm voice and ran off into the opposite direction then the front door. He had fled the tower the very same way two years ago, now he was running again, everything had changed, he had changed, his friends had changed, but one thing remained the same, their attackers. Although Radeon almost knew for sure the way Phoenix took led to a dead end he would still follow him, if Phoenix didn't lead them out they would at least be able to make a last stand, together. Aeolus put back his arrows and dashed off behind Phoenix.
"Go! I'll cover your back!" John shouted to Radeon, "Wait…" Radeon simply reacted, he put his hand toward the fallen Gargoyles they slew not so long ago, using the last bit of energy he had to summon an undead minion from all of them. "They will slow them down" he simply stated to John, and he ran off. John smirked, Radeon always knew what he was doing. "Stay here" John heard Radeon shouting to the minions, who now formed a line in front of John. John then realized it would be best to follow his friends into the dark corridor behind him.
Radeon his feeling was right, the way was blocked, that's if there ever was any. "Damn it!" Phoenix cursed out just when John rejoined them, "Do we have to fight after all" John stated clenching to his hammer grip. Aeolus looked around and saw what Phoenix had meant, there was some sort of hole, or at least had been. Only after the beatings the ceiling had taken several minutes ago it had collapsed blocking their only safe way out. Clashing of blades and screams of both disbelieve and pain notified the group that their attackers had reached the Bone minions Radeon had summoned.
Aeolus Drew an explosive arrow, "It's no use" Phoenix said trying to stop Aeolus, he didn't react, he looked a bit up and down and counted some stones then he stabbed the arrow somewhere in a gap. "Now stand back" he said loading a second explosive arrow, "What are you going to do?" John wondered out loud. "In a stack of stones these is always a keystone, make that one go away and the entire things collapses" Aeolus said right before he released his second arrow, which didn't only explode but also triggered the first one into blowing up the rubble. It wasn't the neatest way to make a door but it sure as hell was effective, "Right where I left it" Phoenix said when the smoke dissolved, he was talking about the hole in the side of the tower, he had made this hole two years ago trying to get away from the besiegers, he had run himself into a corner and had used a massive fireball to blow up a piece of his home.
The four friends ran outside trough the hole, the Moa bird was still standing outside, being able to fool the marching group into thinking she was a wild bird in stead of a trained and tamed one. Aeolus whistled and the Moa reacted with a quick dash in their direction. They slipped out of the Guild Hall through the back door, leaving it behind now forever, for it was not safe and their job was done, their fallen comrades had found peace in a heaven they didn't even think existed anymore.
After today the four last LuS members had realised once again that as long as they stood together they would be safe, not only in life but also in death. They looked back one more time, John sighed and Radeon saluted the souls of his brothers and sisters, who had fallen so many years ago. Aeolus fired one more arrow at the tower that had held them for so long, that they used to call home. The arrow buried himself in the side of the tower. Phoenix, however, didn't look back, he looked at the road ahead knowing that this was not the end, knowing that this was just a warming up for times to come.
The spirits in the hall no longer burned, the fire was extinguished by the divine powers of three of their own. The fires that destroyed the hall had gone out a long time ago, the fires that kept the restless souls alive died out just now, but nobody knew when the fire in the hearts of the four friends would die out, if it ever would at all, for their hearts still burned.