The Final War
Chapter 3:Death Anyway
Zorbak was standing at the cliff edge. He was looking down, at the paladin leader. Artix was hanging onto the cliff with one hand. Zorbak, a necromancer moglin, used his staff and whacked Artix's hand off the cliff. But he wasn't there. And BAM! A huge gold blade shoved Zorbak off the cliff.
"Warlic! Are you alright? Why in Lore were you talking to Obesida?" Artix said quickly.
"There are dangerous things here. We were just talking about the great beast that"
"You lie! What were you really doing? Speak to me, now! What are you planning with Obesida?" Artix said angrily. He knew the secret. Artix knew that Warlic was hiding something. Blood was dripping like a brook.
"Accendio Desecret!" Warlic shouted. Gold rings popped up around Artix. He was paralyzed.
"What happened to you Artix, paladin leader? Have you lost hope in Battleon?" Warlic sneered. Soon it hit Artix like a bullet. Obesida must have done something to Warlic, to make him evil. But why? It was like a death to Artix. Losing someone who knew everything in the town of Battleon hurt. Artix was still paralyzed, but he tried killing himself. He used Holy Might, but he was paralyzed. He could do nothing.
"Life is over for you, my friend." Warlic said in a quiet tone. And he summoned, an energy dragon. Warlic released the paralyzation.
"You underestimate us paladins. Don't you?" Artix said.
"Paladins are nothing but worthless use if training." Warlic hissed. The energy dragon was coming out. He breathed lightning and zapped it at Artix. His body was held in the sky, zapped and motionless.
"You underestimate me!" Artix screamed. He resurrected himself and was still black with ash and soot.
"To death with the leader of all paladins!" Warlic shouted. The energy dragon stomped on Artix. Artix took out his blade and forced it though the dragon's claw. There was a roar of the dragon's pain, and he shrank away, as well as Artix's blade.
"HOLY MIGHT!" Artix summoned. was forced back and necromancer sign burst out of Warlic.
"Artix, help me…I cannot get back up here…" Warlic passed out. Artix felt guilty for beating him up. Warlic's staff was stained with blood, and the orb was black; Warlic was clearly out of mp. Artix lifted everything on the cliff, whether belonging to Warlic or not. Artix found interesting things like staffs, orbs, armour, weapons and potions. He finally find a blue potion and jammed it into Warlic's mouth. Warlic awoke with a start. He had a look around, grabbed his staff and got up.
"Obesida…That necromancer," Warlic growled. "Did she control me?"
"Yes, nearly killed me with an energy dragon. Paralyzation too. What did you do with Obesida?"
"She sent me message that I was to meet Twilly here. Guess she tricked me…" Warlic grumbled.
"Everyone falls for it sometime or another," Artix reassured.
"No, it cannot be this time. It is the Final War Artix, we need all the help we can get. We cannot stall. This war will decide who will rule, and cower in the shadows." Warlic muttered. They soon got off the cliff, Warlic headed in a different direction and saw Robina and Elizabeth trying to climb it.
"We saw Zorbak fall," Robina said, frowning.
"There was some confusion, but it's alright," Artix said calmly. They continued climbing down the rock and they saw a bright yellow eagle.
Robina gasped. "This is the legendary eagle. He visits only people in need," she said.
"What do you want?" the paladin leader said fiercely.
"Your town, Battleon, is in great need. Do you know what to do?" the beautiful eagle said deeply.
"Yes," Elizabeth shouted against the loud beats of the eagle's wings.
"You must go into the portal and search for people. There is someone there that can help you, but not the world. This is the Final War." And with that the eagle soared away.
"Lord Cyrus told us that. But not the part about the person who can save us," Artix grumbled.
"Lighten up, Artix. We'll stop the final war before you even know it," Robina joked.
"Robina! This is the Final War. Do you even know what final means?" Elizabeth said.
"Great… I'm dealing with serious people here…" Robina murmured. The continued climbing down when a huge gust of wind nearly blew them off.
"Windzards! On top of the cliff!" Artix cried.
"I'll handle it!" Elizabeth shouted and jumped back up. She took out her ninja's breath but the wind force she put in the zard strengthened him. Elizabeth fell off the cliff but hanged on to a rock stuck in the great mountain. Artix climbed back up and put a huge cut in the flightless zard. Artix leaped back down, but then stopped. The windzard had bitten him deeply. Artix staggered. Robina looked up, just to see Artix fall on her. Elizabeth, hearing this, got out of the way…but she didn't do it fast enough. The party fell for a long time, until they hit a big stone at the bottom, on the soft grassy hill. Elizabeth was on the bottom, and she started bleeding when she hit the rock. They were unconscious for some time…
Artix woke up. He was in a familiar land. He looked around. Trees, housing spots, like Battleon. "Wait," Artix thought. "This should be where Battleon is!" Artix looked around again. He saw Elizabeth lying there, but where was Robina?
"Elizabeth!" Artix shouted, as he rattled her awake. "Where are we?" Elizabeth woke, but groaning about her back. Some blood trickled, but it was a little.
"Where is Robina?" Elizabeth asked, still groaning.
"Don't know. I was going to ask you myself." Artix replied.
"Shall we look around?" Elizabeth suggested.
"Yeah, let's go north." Artix said, agreeing. They walked north, trying not to make any sound in the mysterious lands. Then they heard a huge noise.
"A giant!" Elizabeth cried. Artix raised his blade and was about to slam it into the giant's unsuspecting eye when the club was raised and whacked him back with tremendous force. Artix was bleeding badly, nothing there in the lands that would help him. A golden arrow was shot through the giant, spraying drops of blood and knocking the giant's balance. As Artix watched, he thought, Robina's safe!" and sighed. Soon his bleeding stopped, but he still had a huge bruise from the club. The giant was pretty much dead, but still a bit suspicious. Artix got up, and saw Elizabeth on a big rock.
"Are you alright?" she asked as Artix approached her.
"Yes, but the bruise here is hurting a bit, but other than that, I'm pretty much still alive and healthy." Artix replied.
"Where is Robina?" Elizabeth said, still not looking at Artix.
"Wasn't she the one who shot the golden arrow?" Artix asked, a bit confused.
"No, that was the legendary eagle's golden talons. Are your sure your alright?" Elizabeth said, narrowing her eyes.
"I might have passed out, did you do any damage to the giant? It left no traces of wind attacks." Artix asked.
"No, Artix. It appears I am a bit scared of something humongous without you there," Elizabeth said, her head down and eyes full of tears.
"Well, Elizabeth, everyone gets scared of something. I'm scared that Obesida will send her troops and take over Lore!" Artix said simply.
"Well, Obesida or not, this giant was a dark giant. I'm not good with dark, right? So then I sort of…called for help." Elizabeth said nervously.
"Don't worry Elizabeth, everyone need help." Artix replied gently. "Now where should we go?"
"West, I sense someone or something there. Maybe we can ask them something!" Elizabeth said cheerfully, a broad smile on her face. Artix trudged west, and he saw something big, something stony, a huge rock giant! Elizabeth immediately took out her ninja's breath and pounced it on the rock giant's head. Artix used Holy Might, healing the huge bruise that had lingered with him for quite some time and blinding the rock giant.
"RRRRWAOOOOOOOOAW!" the stone giant bellowed, spraying rocks from his mouth into the faces of Artix and Elizabeth. A huge arrow popped out of nowhere, and a voice that said:
"Need any help?"
"Robina! Where were you?" Artix exclaimed.
"Just kill this monster first!" Robina shouted, as if annoyed. Artix slashed the rock giant, and bits of stone came off. Finally, Robina took her whip and lay the finishing blow. The rock giant crumbled into many pieces, and the party had to be very careful where to step.
"Robina, where were you?" Artix repeated his question.
"I landed a bit farther than you guys for some reason, and I tried calling out when you guys suddenly left. It didn't work, so I followed you north and I got a little behind. You went west, and then I shot an arrow to let you guys know I'm here." Robina explained.
"Why didn't we hear the voices? I surely would've." Elizabeth said, curious. Artix looked around, noting his surroundings. Everywhere he looked, from left to right to top to bottom, he saw nothing but fields of grass and trees. No berries, just bright green grass and plenty of trees. A few butterflies, yes, a few wasps. WASPS! Artix thought.
"Elizabeth, Robina, listen up. Wasps were attacking Yulgar's inn right? Well if these wasps are here, and Yulgar had them for quite a time, then that means we are in Yulgar's inn right now!" Artix said, surprised at his own discovery.
"If this is Yulgar's inn, this must be Battleon! Of course, only wasps are attracted to Yulgar's attic, right?" Robina exclaimed.
"Yes," Elizabeth said agreeing with Robina and Artix. "But there may be some dangers that lie elsewhere. Common, where shall we travel?"
"East!" Robina shouted promptly.
"East it is," Artix said. As they traveled east, they saw a huge blur right up ahead. It formed several things. Robina, who did not care for anything unusual, forced Elizabeth and Artix to keep going east. The huge and strange blur started following them. Finally, when they reached bushes and bushes of berries, a huge zap startled all of them. It was a four-eyed freak!
"Robina, hit it with your whip!" Artix shouted. Robina unleashed her fury and hit the four-eyed freak with forced and left a cut, but the monster wasn't in pain in any kind of way. Artix jumped and hit the freak with his battleaxe, leaving a huge bruise mark, but it still wasn't hurt.
"Don't you know four-eyed freaks aren't weak to anything? They have every single element." Elizabeth said annoyed, the only one who hadn't attacked.
"Well I don't study a lot," Robina murmured.
"I tend to forget in battles," Artix said. "Drop your weapons! We can punch him." Elizabeth agreed, being the most skilled ninja. With Artix's thick armour, he punched the four-eyed freak's huge eye, and leaving it writhing in pain.
"ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" it seemed to say. Robina kicked it's little eyes one by one, leaving the big eye in even more pain. Elizabeth looked steady, then jumped in the air and sliced the four-eyed freak in half…almost.
"That was a nice win," Artix remarked.
"Let's go south," Elizabeth panted. "Maybe we can find someone there."
"I doubt it, we haven't seen anyone in about hours!" Robina said grumpily. Artix, Elizabeth and Robina proceeded south, and saw another thing.
"Robina, take out an arrow. Elizabeth, ninja's breath. I see something rocky over there." Artix instructed.
"What about you?" Robina asked, taking an arrow out of her quiver and nocking it.
"I shall be using my battleaxe." Artix replied calmly.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" the rocky thing yelled as the three approached them, armed. Robina whipped the rocky thing and another:
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" this time it hurt their ears, grabbing away at their health.
"Elizabeth! What is this beast?" Artix cried.
"It looks like a.. no it is…rocks?" Elizabeth said.
"Rocks?" Robina muttered.
"There levitating rocks!" Elizabeth shouted.
"Quickly! Destroy them!" Artix commanded. But the rocks' endurance was high, and launched themselves at Robina, who had the whip ready. CRACK! The rocks were flung back and in the trees.
"Good job, Robina. That will keep us good for about a couple of minutes." Elizabeth said, congratulating Robina for her win. They traveled farther south, when Artix looked blank.
"I have the feeling we should go north again," Artix said sternly.
"Me too," Robina said.
"Then we should go north," Elizabeth said, nodding. They traveled farther north, and discovered some berries. They looked fresh enough to eat, but something pulled Artix to go even further.
"Artix! Stop! I'm starving and look at these good berries." Robina shouted, almost drooling.
"I have this urge to keep going farther north. I feel like something is there," Artix replied.
"Artix look out!" Robina screamed. There was a huge rhino charging toward him. Finally his horn launched Artix into the air flying. There was a CRACK! Letting Artix know Robina was fighting the beast. Suddenly he heard some screams. He saw Robina in the air too. Finally Elizabeth took out her Ninja's breath and tackled the rhino with power and strength. There was a loud snort, but the rhino had not given up. Artix slowly got up and tackled the great beast. There was another snort and both Artix and Elizabeth were flying backwards. Suddenly they saw a black, with a touch red thing.
"Blackhawke!" Artix exclaimed. Blackhawke did not hear him though, only took out two swords and stabbed the rhino.
"Artix, Robina, Elizabeth, welcome." Blackhawke said, when the rhino had died.
"What are you doing here?" Elizabeth said, not aware Blackhawke had been pulled through the portal at the day of Battleon's defeat.
"The day of Battleon's peril, I was pulled through the portal. I thought I was dead, but this is actually better than anywhere else!" Blackhawke smiled. "You'll love it here, plenty of berries ripe for picking, quietness, clean rivers. I supposed you heard of this and came in here?"
"No, Blackhawke. We came here because Lord Cyrus has instructed us to do so. We need to find out who or what caused the carnzards, the fire dragon, and the destruction of Battleon." Artix replied, as if annoyed.
"Elizabeth, isn't Blackhawke a little different?" Robina asked quietly.
"In a way, yes. He must have been driven mad when staying here. Perhaps the berries had a side effect." Elizabeth answered.
"Blackhawke, have you traveled in these mysterious lands?" Artix's clear and stern voice rang through the clearing.
"Yes, of course! That's how I found this perfect place," Blackhawke said, offended. "Come on, I'll show you around."
"No thanks, we already traveled everywhere." Robina said, suddenly cutting in.
"We will just head farther north, thank you." Artix replied, even more sternly. Then the ninja, the ranger and the paladin went north, until they saw a huge white and purple thing.
"The portal!" Artix cried, and jumped in. There was a huge electric buzzing sound, and Artix flew back. A huge dark hand that had appeared grabbed Robina, just scratching her and leaving a very fatal mark. The huge claws disappeared through the portal.
"HOLY MIGHT!" Artix yelled. Soon brilliant beams of light shot through the dim light and it made Robina, Elizabeth and Artix feel better. The portal's health began to drop, fast. Soon swirling things began to puzzle their eyes.