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Vesh sat at a table sipping at a goblet of beer in a makeshift tavern the bandits had set up among the ruins. Scythe had told him to wait in the camp while he took care of any bandits in the surrounding areas to prevent them from escaping in case a fight broke out.
When he was done he would tell Vesh what to do next usinf their guild seals.
Vesh had already downed two goblets and had lost what gold he was carrying to a bandit in a card game. He was becoming concerned when he heard Scythe's voice in his mind.
"I've taken care of all the bandits in the surrounding areas. How are things there?"
"Aside from the hundreds of bandits everywhere and the faction leaders nowhere in sight everythings going great."
Vesh got up and left the 'tavern.'
"The leaders are probally meeting in the ruins somewhere underground. You'll have to find a way into the ruins underground without raising too much suspician."
"Okay easy enough. What should I do once I'm in the ruins?"
"Find a secluded place where you can describe it too me. I don't know what happens when you teleport to someplace you don't know much about so use lots of details. Right down to the dust and smell." Scythe's voice faded away, ending the conversation.
Vesh began to make his way throught the throng of bandits looking for an entrance of some sort. After several minutes he saw an archway that headed undergournd. It was guarded by two bandits that had the same uniform as Vesh. When he approached one of them stopped him.
"Oi! Who are you? Haven't seen ya' before."
"M'name's Bradley. I just joined"
"Hmmmm haven't had any new recruits fer' a while. Boss musta wanted to boost our numbers for the meeting. Well if it's in you want go on, just stay away from the library. That's where the meeting is taking place." The bandit nodded in approval as he moved aside.
Vesh entered the ruins and looked back to see the guards tell a member of another faction to beat it who in turn drew his sword and chopped off one of the guards head. A whole lot of other bandits began killing each other. Vesh quickly descended down the stairs before being noticed.
The stairs led to a long open hallway with doors on both sides. Vesh grabbed a torch that was hanging on the wall and opened the first door to his left. That door had another set of stairs on the other side. Vesh headed down them.
The stairs led to some sort of dungeon The place was completely dark as well as silent with the exception of Vesh's torch which he gripped tighter.
The fire casted a strange glow in the dark and otherworldly shadows bounced around Vesh as he slowly made his way down the hall. Vesh stopped and slowly turned around and he saw a cell door open slowly and silently on it's own. Vesh's pulse quickened and sweat beads rolled down the sides of his face.
Vesh had a secret fear of the dark but not normal dark like that kind at night. No, no Vesh had a fear of complete and total darkness which surrounded him at the moment.
Vesh slowly drew his sword and once he did the cell door stopped. Vesh gave a sigh of relief and then in the blink of an eye the cell door was shut without a sound ever being heard.
Slowly walking backwards Vesh turned around and began to proceed down the hall. With heavy breaths Vesh focused on the darkness before him.
Again Vesh stopped. This time he heard whispers. He listened. Whispers in front of him.
Whispers behind him. Whispers to both sides of him. Then... All was silent. Vesh was afraid to breathe. Then without warning there was a loud moan. Vesh was chilled to the very center of his being, His hairs stood on end. He couldn't take it. He ran. Vesh ran at full speed down the hall. At the end there was an open door that he charged into. As he entered he threw a fireball at each of the unlit torches that hung on the wall near him. With some extra light Vesh dropped his torch and Master GreatSword and slammed the door shut.
Vesh leaned against the door panting, soaked with sweat. He lit the remaining torches that were revealed when the first two were lit.
"Finally" sighed Vesh.
He waited until he was fully relaxed before he began to examine the small room he was in. It appeared to have been some some sort of office. He looked it over carefully before describing to Scythe.
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Vesh followed Scythe up the stairs he had taken to get into the dungeon.
When Vesh finished describing the room to Scythe he had teleported to there using his guild seal. Scythe had taken a stone from his coat and muttered a few words that Vesh couldn't hear and the stone lit up the dungeon. Scythe put the stone away and the dungeon continued to be lit.
When they left the dungeon and started up the stairs the dungeon returned to darkness. Vesh hadn't metioned what happened to him earlier.
When they entered the original hallway Vesh took the lead. At the end of the hallway there was a door, Vesh opened it.
On the other side of the door there was another, smaller hallway with a big door at the end.
The door was also guarded by three bandits wearing armor from each of the factions.
"Hey, you ain't no bandit!" said a bandit that was wearing the same uniform as Vesh. "Get them!"
The three bandits charged. Scythe's sword appeared out of nowhere. The blade was shaped like squid with it's tenticles spread out to serve as teeth for the blade. There was two amber piece set in the blade to ser as the eyes for the squid. The handle was actually one of the the longer tentcles that morphed into a Kraken with one head.
Scythe used assassin rush to get behind the bandit to the right and thrust his sword at a downward angle from the base of the neck. His sword went all the way through and stuck out just below the bandits ribcage.
If the bandit wasn't killed instantly, he was when Scythe pulled the sword back out.
Vesh lept at the bandit to the left and brought his blade down his head. Vesh's blade sliced down halfway where Vesh then pulled it out. The bandit's left and right sides fell apart and snapped off at the hip. Blood, bone, and guts spilled forth all over the floor and on Vesh's boots.
The third bandit tried to run but Scythe threw a fireball at him causing his leather armor to catch on fire. The bandit tried to get free but only managed to get his vest off before he was completely engulfed. He soon fell, a charred, unrecognizable corpse.
With Scythe's help Vesh mangaed to open the massive doors which opened up to a library that was fully lit.
Hundred of rows of shelves, most empty but a few still had books. The high ceilings had a mural of Avo and Skorm deadlocked in battle. The shelves were made of a very dark wood that seemed to glow.
The elegant granite floor with gold trim covered in centries of dust. They found four sets of footprints and followed them.
Soon they were in sight of the center of the library. A massive statue of Archon sat in the middle. Around the statue there were a couple of tables set up with the three bandit leaders standing at them. A fourth smaller man sat surrounded by books and scrolls scribbling furiously. The three leaders became clearer and more distinct as they got closer.
One leader had on the same color but slightlydifferent looking armoras Vesh. The man was short. Vesh estimated around four foot ten inches. He had a rigid build and had an obsidian axe strapped to his back. He had a low,
raspy voice.
The second leader was a tall, thin man with a tiny moustache and was bald. He wore a robe like leather armor. He had a higher pitched voice. He didn't have a weapon near him.
The third leader was a very muscular dark skinned man. He had an obsidian hammer leaning against the table near him. He was wearing dark chainmail armor. He had a deep, booming voice.
The short one turned turned around as they approached.
"I thought I said no on- Hey you're not bandit! Who are you? And who in Skorm's name are you?" he said motioning to Scythe.
"My name is Scythe and this here is the well renowned Paladin, Vesh."
"Ah. Slaves of the guild," said the tall leader, "Ha! I suppose you were sent to kill us?
And how do you expect to do that? You just a boy and an old man."
"I would not underestimate us bandit!" shot back Scythe.
"Is that supposed to be a threat?" said the dark skinned one. "I'll show you a threat!" he said as he picked up his hammer and ran at Vesh with it held above his head.
Idiot thought Vesh. He used force push to knock back the bandit and send his hammer flying into the air.
As the bandit started to get up his hammer came down on his head. Brain matter exploded all over the floor and Vesh was sprayed with blood.
The fourth man screamed and ran off deeper into the library.
"Yes go hide coward! I'll get you to finish when I'm through with these two" said the tall leader.
"Try and kill us now. You weapons and will are useless against us." The tall leader casted psyical shield on himself and the short leader.
The short bandit charged at Vesh with his axe at his side while the tall leader shot lightning at Scythe. Vesh drew his sword and began to parry the short one's attacks.
Scythe had dove behind a couple of fallen pillars to avoid being hit with the lightning. Once the tall bandit had stopped Scythe hurled five powerful fireballs at the tall leader.
"You are a fool to think you can wear me down. I maybe a bandit I am still an expert will user"
Across the room Vesh was becoming tired of all the blocking and was thrown against a wall with a single punch. He landed near the fourth man who screamed and ran off. Vesh was beginning to wonder how much longerhe couldcontinue this.
Scythe saw Vesh getting tired out so he summoned a couple of ghost swords to help Vesh out.
The tall leader had been casting Drain life over and over again. He quickly pulled out a flask and took a swig of it before replacing it.
"Come on out you old coward" said the tall leader. "Come on out and face death like a hero you claim to be."
Scythe grinned at this and got up and faced the wicked will user who was surprised at this but he quickly replaced that with a look of triumph.
Vesh was thankful for Scythe's ghost swords and was beginning to push the dwarf of a man into a corner.
"Any last words before I send you to Skorm?" asked the tall leader.
Scythe stared at the man for a moment before saying anything.
"Don't blink"
In the next instant Scythe was behind the man and had his hands wrapped around the leaders head. Scythe leaned close to his trapped foes ear.
"You said our will and weapons would be useless, but you forgot about out bare hands."
Scythe twisted the bandit leader's head completely around causing the spinal cord to twist and snap, ripping open the bandits back. With the will using bandit dead the short one was no longer protected by physical shield.
He was backed into a corner. The look of sheer terror was obvious on his face. Vesh had just used berserk moment earlier. The short terrified bandit dropped his axe and began to beg for mercy. Vesh slightly lowered his own sword when the shortman punched Vesh between the legs. Vesh fell to his knees. The scared bandit leader tried to run but Vesh managed to get a hold of his leg, causing him to trip. Vesh dragged him back as he screamed. Vesh sat on his chest with his knees pinning the bandits arms to the ground. Stilled frenzied Vesh easily ripped off two spikes from the bandits armor and turned them around. Vesh smiled. He thrusted the spikes into the short band leaders eyes. He died instantly.
Vesh got up panting and back to normal. He looked over his shoulder and saw Scythe walking towards the terrified man. He followed.
"No, no, no, no Avo please! Don't kill me! I'm just a scholar! Th-the bandits just hired me to translate some scrolls and books!
"We're not going to kill you we're hero's." said Scythe. "But we would like to know what those translations are."
The scholar seemed to relax knowing the two heor's weren't going to kill him.
"They, the scrolls and books, tell about two ancient artifacts."
"What artifacts?" asked Vesh.
"They don't say but apparently the two artifacts have enough power to bring peace and prosperity to the whole world as well as death and destruction."
Scythe said nothing. Obviously taking it all in.
"Well do you have everything translated?" asked Vesh
"Yes. I was just finishing the translations when you two showed up." The scholar walked over to the table covered in books and scrolls and picked up several sheets of paper. Here. These are the translations. I guess they won't be needing them" said the scholar refering to the bandit leaders.
Scythe took the translations and stuck them in his coat.
"I thank you Paladin for your help but I must return to the guild to evaluate these.
I bid you farewell and don't forget about your own clothing." said Scythe before teleporting away leaving Vesh and the scholar alone. Vesh nearly forgotten about his own clothing.
"Ummm hero? Could you escort me to Knothole Glade?
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Vesh stepped out into the evening light with the scholar right behind him. Vesh was shocked to see every bandit dead. He understood most of the deaths but eveyone? He suspected Scythe must have had something to do with it. Vesh retrieved his own clothing and proceeded to Knothole Glade.
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It was night by the time they arrived in Knothole Glade.
"Thanks hero. I don't have anything to pay you wi-"
"It's okay"
The scholar nodded and walked off towards the tavern. Vesh sighed.. He needed a drink.
In all of the chaos earlier he forgot to check out the ruins. It doesn't matter thought Vesh as he teleproted to Bowerstone.
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Finally finished chapter 3. It was 15 pages in my notebook.I'm nottoo good at dialogue. Any advice on dialogue would be apprciated.I hope you enjoy it. P.S. Scythe is AWSOME!