rtf1macansicpg10000cocoartf102
fonttblf0fswissfcharset77 Helvetica;
colortbl;red255green255blue255;
paperw11904paperh16835margl1440margr1440vieww15160viewh11100viewkind0
pardtx720tx1440tx2160tx2880tx3600tx4320tx5040tx5760tx6480tx7200tx7920tx8640qlqnatural
f0fs24 cf0
Whew, I finally wrote the ninth chapter ! Sorry to have taken so long but ever since I came back from my holidays in September, I've been having some trouble at school and have been feeling rather down. I hope the next chapters won't take as long or this story won't be over by 2010 ! Thanks for everyone who reviewed, all the feedback was really helpful to keep writing this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
The house in which Melissa's parents were living seemed old and cranky, and it appeared as though it was only standing thanks to magic - which wasn't that unlikely, since in Lut Gholein magic was used for almost everything. However everyone was high-spirited inside, as Melissa's parents had invited Melissa and her two companions to join them for diner. While Melissa chatted happily with Melampo, Welfor talked about his town to Melissa's father, and Arcadio just moped and fidgeted with his food.
"Is something wrong dear ? You've barely eaten." said Melissa's mother, Meluvia. Both Meluvia and Melchior had insisted that Melissa's friends should be invited to diner. But whereas Welfor welcomed this opportunity to relax and drink while talking about his homeland to Melampo, Arcadio had not said a word and and refused to look at Melissa in the eye. The Sorceress knew her friend hadn't taken well her withdrawal from their trio, but now that she was back among her family she longed to quit fighting and earn money to assist them economically. Welfor had frankly said they would miss her spells and her conversation in their journey as he hugged her tightly when she told them. Arcadio had just mumbled that he would miss her and hadn't spoken to the Sorceress since.
"I'm sorry the food looks delicious, but I'm not very hungry right now..." he said. When he felt that everyone in the table was staring at him he quickly added to his hosts "I'd better be going, tomorrow's going to be a long day." And without any other word he stood and left, disappearing in the night.
"Rather rude isn't he ?" commented Melchior disapprovingly.
"On the contrary, he used to be very sweet. I wonder what's gotten into him..." said Melissa regretfully.
"He seemed angry with you Sis. What did you do to him ?" asked Melampo softly.
"He's been like that since I told him I was putting an end to my fighting days..."
"One has to know when to settle peacefully on his land." commented Melchior.
Later that night, Welfor too thought it was time to call it a night and get ready for the fighting next day. After bidding his farewell to Melissa's parents and to Melampo, he hugged Melissa.
"Well it's a pity you won't come with us down there, but if we make it alive we'll be sure to visit you again." assured Welfor
"Maybe you will, but I doubt Arcadio will ever forgive me... He seemed so sour tonight." Melissa said sadly.
"It'll pass don't worry. He just liked you too much for his won good." teased Welfor winking at her.
Melissa blushed and said "You'll excuse me to him, won't you ? And since I won't be there to watch you, be careful, okay ? I don't want to lose you."
"Don't worry, we've faced worse haven't we." And with a last hug he too left and headed to the Desert Rain to have some sleep.
In his room Arcadio was struggling trying to fall asleep. He didn't want to think that tomorrow they would start another difficult journey without Melissa. Blaming the heat for his insomnia, Arcadio walked over to the window and opened it, taking in the smell of the sea that filled the night. Since the inn was located in the northern part of Lut Gholein he could also see the desert, silent and quiet under the moonlight. He knew that the quietness was just a deceptive appearance, which hid the horrors creeping through the dunes, but couldn't help appreciating the beautiful sight. Then he frowned.
'How could Melissa give up just like that ? How could she do that to us ?' He thought, gazing at the sands. After a short pause he reformulated his thought 'How could she do that to me ?'
"He seems very fond of you" commented Melampo, winking at his sister. While their parents had already gone to sleep, they had remained in the tiny courtyard behind the house, enjoying the cool temperature of Lut Gholein's night.
"Oh, Welfor is really sweet. I was really lucky to have met them, or I wouldn't have made it here."
"Still, I don't understand the Paladin's mood. He really took it that badly when you told him you'd rather not go with them ?"
Melissa blushed "It's... complicated" she said.
"Is he in love with you or something ?" asked Melampo
Melissa hesitated"Well....I'm not sure. Do you think he is ?"
"I think he might. His reaction was a bit exaggerated... Did he ask you why you're staying ?"
"No, but I told him anyway that I wanted to stay with my family... something like that." she said unconvincingly.
"Hmm, are you sure that's what you want ?" enquired Melampo.
"Why of course ! After all the trouble I went through to come back..."
"Frankly, I think you're staying because you know mother and father won't approve of your getting involved with the trouble in the desert."
"That's partly true." admitted Melissa"
"And you know, Drognan told me that if the monster in the sewers isn't defeated soon, the entire town might not resist much longer."
"You really want me to go ?" asked Melissa softly.
"Of course I don't" said Melampo hugging his sister tightly. They remained silent for some time.
"Excuse me to mother please. Tell her I'll be careful." whispered Melissa.
The next morning, when Arcadio and Welfor arrived at the sewers' entrance, Sela the Amazon was already waiting for them holding a spear.
"So, you're still determined to go ?" asked the experimented warrior.
"We promised Atma we would help her..." said Welfor.
"Right. Then if you're ready let's get started. There are many undead to kill" As they were about to enter the dark tunnels, someone shouted behind them
"Wait !" Melissa was running down the street and joined the group, panting "Sorry I'm late. I'm coming too ! I wouldn't let you have all the fun !" she said happily. Welfor congratulated her, but she was looking directly at Arcadio, who was smiling for the first time since they had arrived at Lut Gholein.
The dark-cloaked being was standing in one of the inner streets of Lut Gholein. Despite the strong sunshine, it kept his face carefully hidden. The street was mainly composed of taverns, therefore there was no one yet at this early hour of the day.'Good' thought the mysterious character 'I'd better not be seen here'. Soon enough he could hear the steps of someone running in his direction. 'A bit late'. Melampo appeared running and approached the dark figure.
"Sorry, I had to go to the shop before coming" apologized Melampo.
"It doesn't matter. Did you convince her ?"
"Yes. She must already be inside the sewers with the other by now." informed the boy.
"Excellent. You did well, young one."
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want Melissa to fight too ?" asked Melampo curiously.
"Unfortunately I cannot tell you. Know only that it is of crucial importance to our cause."
"I still don't know what exactly that cause is." said Melampo worriedly.
"You will soon be told what it is about. You will have a very important role in it, just like your sister but for now it is better if you don't know the details. Have you managed to find the true Tomb's symbol ?"
"No. It isn't in any of the books of Drognan's library. He told me Horazon was the only one who knew it." said Melampo
"Horazon... no that would be too risky.." mused the shadowy figure After a short pause he added "Well I must be going. I'll try to find it on my own. You have done well, but for now there's nothing you can do. Try to find information on the tombs anyway, I might need it later on."
The figure vanished as Melampo was left wondering if he'd done the right thing.
"What's that smell ?" asked Melissa after the four had entered the sewers' tunnels. Their only sources of light were the electrified tip of Sela's spear and Melissa's icy armor, which shone with a blue glow.
"You probably don't want to know. You'll get used to it." assured the Amazon, who was the only one not bothered by the stench. They had already stumbled upon several awfully mutilated corpses, however the undead remained hidden.
Arcadio let Welfor and Sela advance a bit further and approached Melissa."Now you tell me, why did you change your mind ?" he asked a bit too eagerly.
"Oh well, I imagined you wouldn't be able to do anything properly without me." teased Melissa, but then her expression changed and she added in a serious tone. "Actually it was Melampo who convinced me, he thinks you lo..."
One of Welfor's war cries prevented Arcadio from hearing her reply, as both of them rushed to help their friends. Sela had just dodged a flaming arrow which hit the wall and hissed as its fire died in a puddle on the ground. She was dealing quick hits, despite her weapon's massive weight. Melissa noticed that each time a skeleton got hit by it, it glowed briefly with a golden light, before crumbling to pieces to the ground. Welfor was having no problems either, slaying his bony opponents efficiently with his two axes. When Melissa and Arcadio joined the fighting, there were almost no undead standing. "Seems easy enough !" commented Melissa as she blasted the last skeleton with an ice blast.
"Don't get too cocky. It gets trickier downstairs." said Sela warningly, and she was proved right, as more arrows flied toward them, missing Welfor by inches. Again they advanced and the skeletons proved no challenge to the four warriors. After some similar battles, Sela began inspecting the walls carefully. "I marked the way with red crosses on my first visits." And indeed, there was a red cross waiting for them in the next corner.
"So far so good." said Melissa.
"How many crosses are there until we get to Radament ?" asked Welfor.
""I have no idea. I suppose if we walk ten times what we already did, we should get to him." The three friends groaned.
They kept moving and killing weak undead in an almost mechanical fashion for more than three hours. Therefore the three friends had time to acknowledge Sela's skills. She had killed by herself almost as many demons as Melissa and Arcadio combined, and more than Welfor, which slightly upset the Barbarian. Finally the Amazon announced "I've never been here before. We must be approaching the monster"
"Finally ! Walk, kill, walk, kill, it gets boring after two hundred times."
"No it doesn't." said Welfor grinning before Arcadio told them to be quiet.
"I sense an evil presence nearby." he whispered. Suddenly a bolt of fire came right toward him, and the Paladin had barely time to block the spell with his shield. "Watch out" he shouted, as more skeletons came. However, these had dark bones, instead of the crimson red bones of the weaker skeletons, and moved twice as fast. Melissa pointed one finger at the incoming mass, and summoned a massive surge of electricity that brought some of the minions down, though more kept coming. Arcadio, Sela, and Welfor were engrossed in engaging their enemies in melee combat, and thus Melissa was the only one to notice that no matter how many they killed, the skeletons' number didn't diminish. When she saw a pile of bones coming together and raising again she understood.
"Something's reviving them !" she screamed, but her friends were already surrounded, and couldn't do much about it. Realizing that they would probably be dead if she didn't do anything, Melissa ran boldly past the undead army and found a huge mummy a bit further ahead. Radament quickly summoned some more skeletons as he himself advanced to slay the Sorceress.'Ops. Bad idea' thought Melissa, as the monsters surrounded her. She used a frost nova, trying to distract Radament long enough to allow Arcadio, Welfor and Sela to kill the undead. Arcadio, after seeing Melissa run recklessly forward increased his efforts and manage to create enough space in the skeleton horde, and ran past her. When he saw her surrounded by Radament and his minions he descended on them mercilessly. Melissa and Arcadio managed to kill all of the skeletons around Radament, and kept attacking him to prevent the ancient Horadrim to revive the undead. The mummy blew its poisonous breath right at Arcadio, who was momentarily stunned. Before Radament could raise its claws to deal the final blow however, Welfor came jumping right between the demon and the Paladin and Sela quickly came to his aid. Melissa helped Arcadio get up and continued to cast fire and ice spells at the monster. Finally, with a last moan, Radament the Fallen fell for good.
"Whew. It's over !" said Melissa, still supporting Arcadio, as the poison's effects seemed not to wear off.
"There's a chest here." said Welfor, and he opened it. Two scrolls were inside. As he grabbed the first one it dissolved and a blue portal appeared. The other scroll was written in a language that Welfor had never seen before so he kept it for himself, to show it to some scholar back in Lut Gholein. The quartet entered the portal, and were brought back to Lut Gholein
Well, I hope you liked it, since it's been so long since I've last updated. Sorry again, review please.
Whew, I finally wrote the ninth chapter ! Sorry to have taken so long but ever since I came back from my holidays in September, I've been having some trouble at school and have been feeling rather down. I hope the next chapters won't take as long or this story won't be over by 2010 ! Thanks for everyone who reviewed, all the feedback was really helpful to keep writing this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
The house in which Melissa's parents were living seemed old and cranky, and it appeared as though it was only standing thanks to magic - which wasn't that unlikely, since in Lut Gholein magic was used for almost everything. However everyone was high-spirited inside, as Melissa's parents had invited Melissa and her two companions to join them for diner. While Melissa chatted happily with Melampo, Welfor talked about his town to Melissa's father, and Arcadio just moped and fidgeted with his food.
"Is something wrong dear ? You've barely eaten." said Melissa's mother, Meluvia. Both Meluvia and Melchior had insisted that Melissa's friends should be invited to diner. But whereas Welfor welcomed this opportunity to relax and drink while talking about his homeland to Melampo, Arcadio had not said a word and and refused to look at Melissa in the eye. The Sorceress knew her friend hadn't taken well her withdrawal from their trio, but now that she was back among her family she longed to quit fighting and earn money to assist them economically. Welfor had frankly said they would miss her spells and her conversation in their journey as he hugged her tightly when she told them. Arcadio had just mumbled that he would miss her and hadn't spoken to the Sorceress since.
"I'm sorry the food looks delicious, but I'm not very hungry right now..." he said. When he felt that everyone in the table was staring at him he quickly added to his hosts "I'd better be going, tomorrow's going to be a long day." And without any other word he stood and left, disappearing in the night.
"Rather rude isn't he ?" commented Melchior disapprovingly.
"On the contrary, he used to be very sweet. I wonder what's gotten into him..." said Melissa regretfully.
"He seemed angry with you Sis. What did you do to him ?" asked Melampo softly.
"He's been like that since I told him I was putting an end to my fighting days..."
"One has to know when to settle peacefully on his land." commented Melchior.
Later that night, Welfor too thought it was time to call it a night and get ready for the fighting next day. After bidding his farewell to Melissa's parents and to Melampo, he hugged Melissa.
"Well it's a pity you won't come with us down there, but if we make it alive we'll be sure to visit you again." assured Welfor
"Maybe you will, but I doubt Arcadio will ever forgive me... He seemed so sour tonight." Melissa said sadly.
"It'll pass don't worry. He just liked you too much for his won good." teased Welfor winking at her.
Melissa blushed and said "You'll excuse me to him, won't you ? And since I won't be there to watch you, be careful, okay ? I don't want to lose you."
"Don't worry, we've faced worse haven't we." And with a last hug he too left and headed to the Desert Rain to have some sleep.
In his room Arcadio was struggling trying to fall asleep. He didn't want to think that tomorrow they would start another difficult journey without Melissa. Blaming the heat for his insomnia, Arcadio walked over to the window and opened it, taking in the smell of the sea that filled the night. Since the inn was located in the northern part of Lut Gholein he could also see the desert, silent and quiet under the moonlight. He knew that the quietness was just a deceptive appearance, which hid the horrors creeping through the dunes, but couldn't help appreciating the beautiful sight. Then he frowned.
'How could Melissa give up just like that ? How could she do that to us ?' He thought, gazing at the sands. After a short pause he reformulated his thought 'How could she do that to me ?'
"He seems very fond of you" commented Melampo, winking at his sister. While their parents had already gone to sleep, they had remained in the tiny courtyard behind the house, enjoying the cool temperature of Lut Gholein's night.
"Oh, Welfor is really sweet. I was really lucky to have met them, or I wouldn't have made it here."
"Still, I don't understand the Paladin's mood. He really took it that badly when you told him you'd rather not go with them ?"
Melissa blushed "It's... complicated" she said.
"Is he in love with you or something ?" asked Melampo
Melissa hesitated"Well....I'm not sure. Do you think he is ?"
"I think he might. His reaction was a bit exaggerated... Did he ask you why you're staying ?"
"No, but I told him anyway that I wanted to stay with my family... something like that." she said unconvincingly.
"Hmm, are you sure that's what you want ?" enquired Melampo.
"Why of course ! After all the trouble I went through to come back..."
"Frankly, I think you're staying because you know mother and father won't approve of your getting involved with the trouble in the desert."
"That's partly true." admitted Melissa"
"And you know, Drognan told me that if the monster in the sewers isn't defeated soon, the entire town might not resist much longer."
"You really want me to go ?" asked Melissa softly.
"Of course I don't" said Melampo hugging his sister tightly. They remained silent for some time.
"Excuse me to mother please. Tell her I'll be careful." whispered Melissa.
The next morning, when Arcadio and Welfor arrived at the sewers' entrance, Sela the Amazon was already waiting for them holding a spear.
"So, you're still determined to go ?" asked the experimented warrior.
"We promised Atma we would help her..." said Welfor.
"Right. Then if you're ready let's get started. There are many undead to kill" As they were about to enter the dark tunnels, someone shouted behind them
"Wait !" Melissa was running down the street and joined the group, panting "Sorry I'm late. I'm coming too ! I wouldn't let you have all the fun !" she said happily. Welfor congratulated her, but she was looking directly at Arcadio, who was smiling for the first time since they had arrived at Lut Gholein.
The dark-cloaked being was standing in one of the inner streets of Lut Gholein. Despite the strong sunshine, it kept his face carefully hidden. The street was mainly composed of taverns, therefore there was no one yet at this early hour of the day.'Good' thought the mysterious character 'I'd better not be seen here'. Soon enough he could hear the steps of someone running in his direction. 'A bit late'. Melampo appeared running and approached the dark figure.
"Sorry, I had to go to the shop before coming" apologized Melampo.
"It doesn't matter. Did you convince her ?"
"Yes. She must already be inside the sewers with the other by now." informed the boy.
"Excellent. You did well, young one."
"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want Melissa to fight too ?" asked Melampo curiously.
"Unfortunately I cannot tell you. Know only that it is of crucial importance to our cause."
"I still don't know what exactly that cause is." said Melampo worriedly.
"You will soon be told what it is about. You will have a very important role in it, just like your sister but for now it is better if you don't know the details. Have you managed to find the true Tomb's symbol ?"
"No. It isn't in any of the books of Drognan's library. He told me Horazon was the only one who knew it." said Melampo
"Horazon... no that would be too risky.." mused the shadowy figure After a short pause he added "Well I must be going. I'll try to find it on my own. You have done well, but for now there's nothing you can do. Try to find information on the tombs anyway, I might need it later on."
The figure vanished as Melampo was left wondering if he'd done the right thing.
"What's that smell ?" asked Melissa after the four had entered the sewers' tunnels. Their only sources of light were the electrified tip of Sela's spear and Melissa's icy armor, which shone with a blue glow.
"You probably don't want to know. You'll get used to it." assured the Amazon, who was the only one not bothered by the stench. They had already stumbled upon several awfully mutilated corpses, however the undead remained hidden.
Arcadio let Welfor and Sela advance a bit further and approached Melissa."Now you tell me, why did you change your mind ?" he asked a bit too eagerly.
"Oh well, I imagined you wouldn't be able to do anything properly without me." teased Melissa, but then her expression changed and she added in a serious tone. "Actually it was Melampo who convinced me, he thinks you lo..."
One of Welfor's war cries prevented Arcadio from hearing her reply, as both of them rushed to help their friends. Sela had just dodged a flaming arrow which hit the wall and hissed as its fire died in a puddle on the ground. She was dealing quick hits, despite her weapon's massive weight. Melissa noticed that each time a skeleton got hit by it, it glowed briefly with a golden light, before crumbling to pieces to the ground. Welfor was having no problems either, slaying his bony opponents efficiently with his two axes. When Melissa and Arcadio joined the fighting, there were almost no undead standing. "Seems easy enough !" commented Melissa as she blasted the last skeleton with an ice blast.
"Don't get too cocky. It gets trickier downstairs." said Sela warningly, and she was proved right, as more arrows flied toward them, missing Welfor by inches. Again they advanced and the skeletons proved no challenge to the four warriors. After some similar battles, Sela began inspecting the walls carefully. "I marked the way with red crosses on my first visits." And indeed, there was a red cross waiting for them in the next corner.
"So far so good." said Melissa.
"How many crosses are there until we get to Radament ?" asked Welfor.
""I have no idea. I suppose if we walk ten times what we already did, we should get to him." The three friends groaned.
They kept moving and killing weak undead in an almost mechanical fashion for more than three hours. Therefore the three friends had time to acknowledge Sela's skills. She had killed by herself almost as many demons as Melissa and Arcadio combined, and more than Welfor, which slightly upset the Barbarian. Finally the Amazon announced "I've never been here before. We must be approaching the monster"
"Finally ! Walk, kill, walk, kill, it gets boring after two hundred times."
"No it doesn't." said Welfor grinning before Arcadio told them to be quiet.
"I sense an evil presence nearby." he whispered. Suddenly a bolt of fire came right toward him, and the Paladin had barely time to block the spell with his shield. "Watch out" he shouted, as more skeletons came. However, these had dark bones, instead of the crimson red bones of the weaker skeletons, and moved twice as fast. Melissa pointed one finger at the incoming mass, and summoned a massive surge of electricity that brought some of the minions down, though more kept coming. Arcadio, Sela, and Welfor were engrossed in engaging their enemies in melee combat, and thus Melissa was the only one to notice that no matter how many they killed, the skeletons' number didn't diminish. When she saw a pile of bones coming together and raising again she understood.
"Something's reviving them !" she screamed, but her friends were already surrounded, and couldn't do much about it. Realizing that they would probably be dead if she didn't do anything, Melissa ran boldly past the undead army and found a huge mummy a bit further ahead. Radament quickly summoned some more skeletons as he himself advanced to slay the Sorceress.'Ops. Bad idea' thought Melissa, as the monsters surrounded her. She used a frost nova, trying to distract Radament long enough to allow Arcadio, Welfor and Sela to kill the undead. Arcadio, after seeing Melissa run recklessly forward increased his efforts and manage to create enough space in the skeleton horde, and ran past her. When he saw her surrounded by Radament and his minions he descended on them mercilessly. Melissa and Arcadio managed to kill all of the skeletons around Radament, and kept attacking him to prevent the ancient Horadrim to revive the undead. The mummy blew its poisonous breath right at Arcadio, who was momentarily stunned. Before Radament could raise its claws to deal the final blow however, Welfor came jumping right between the demon and the Paladin and Sela quickly came to his aid. Melissa helped Arcadio get up and continued to cast fire and ice spells at the monster. Finally, with a last moan, Radament the Fallen fell for good.
"Whew. It's over !" said Melissa, still supporting Arcadio, as the poison's effects seemed not to wear off.
"There's a chest here." said Welfor, and he opened it. Two scrolls were inside. As he grabbed the first one it dissolved and a blue portal appeared. The other scroll was written in a language that Welfor had never seen before so he kept it for himself, to show it to some scholar back in Lut Gholein. The quartet entered the portal, and were brought back to Lut Gholein
Well, I hope you liked it, since it's been so long since I've last updated. Sorry again, review please.