Author: I have somewhat edited chapter two ; Currently I'm juggling at different styles of writing that I picked up while reading other fanfics. Thousand apologies to those reading and suddenly were disoriented by the style. Torrents of snow blast the area just as they were about to lock fists. Then something huge impacted just next to them that both fell on their bums. Smoke and debris enveloped the area along with the snow and the sudden gust of winds.
"What in Valkyrie's name?" Xuan swore he almost peed in his pants.
As the dust cleared, Xuan could make out the outline of a man crouching where the impact was. There was the smell of dragon blood that started to spread. He heard the thief screamed and manage to see something that the thief was holding. It was a decapitated three head dragon…The figure got up and grinned when he saw Xuan.
"Cap…Cap…Captain?" Xuan cried out.
"Long time no see," Harun grinned even further, "Commander."
"What is wrong?" a feminine voice teased from the roof, "Did we scare you? I'm sorry. Truly."
The high wizard landed deftly on the ground next to the priest. Her eyes then turned to the thief; mischievous glint in her light blue eyes as she crouched towards him.
"Hi cutie, I'm Suke. Wanna be my friend?" She winked at him.
The thief was either frozen by the bleeding dragon head in his hand or he was bewitched by the high wizard's charm. Either way, the silence stretched until Leena appeared. The monsters that had suddenly appeared were now being taken cared of, the injured had been tended to and property damage was surprisingly minimal.
"Well I'll be damned…" Xuan muttered as he got up and brush off the dirt on his uniform.
"Thank goodness everything is settled." Suke said. "I just hate intense battles."
"It's been very frequent nowadays…" a worried Leena added in. "The sudden summons of monsters in towns is causing panic to the townsfolk."
"I saw him." A voice spoke. All eyes turned to the thief. "The summoner. I saw the man who summoned the monsters."
If there were any strong emotions that linked to the thief's discovery, it was hidden well beneath his mask, glasses and sakkat. The thief got up, kept his dagger and walked to the exit of the alley. There, with his back facing the others, he half turned.
"He is a high wizard, adorned in blood red cape and equally insane blood red eyes. His thirst to relive the resurrection is far more greater than any evil could comprehend. His name is Za'an…"
"His thirst to relive the resurrection?" Leena queried, "What…"
He vanished. In front of everyone he had just disappeared.
'The Resurrection….' The words echoed in Harun's mind. 'It was a period that stretched 12 weeks. Everything was in chaos, there was famine, bloodlust, dishonesty….The governments were corrupted back then…People died so easily …'
'Paladin…..' someone entered his thoughts….
Harun spun around. There was no one else but him and his guildmates.
'Paladin….' The person spoke again.
"Harun is there anything wrong?" Leena asked.
"Nothing." He said, "Let's meet up at the inn, dinner. My treat."
"Free meal!" Xuan exclaimed in delight, "Let's go babes!"
Leena could have thrown a shoe at the pervert. Then again she was wearing high heeled shoes made out of crystal stones. And it was enchanted with the souls of Matyr. Despite being friends even before they entered Novice, Xuan can really drive her nerves up the wall.
Suke was lucky, Xuan wouldn't dare do anything funny to her unless he wanted to face the Asura Strike inflicted by her hubby. The priest would cry for days because of the injuries.
Harun watched silently as they were too absorbed in their conversations as they walked away. Turning to the silent streets, he waited. The atmosphere had calmed, short gusts of wind would passed through the tiny streets causing some of the debris to swirl. Life was returning back to normal, the main square was starting to bustle with life again. He stared at one of the walls that led to another alley. The building's shadows cast an eerie angle to it.
"What is it you want?" Harun said.
A sage finally materialized.
"Come with me, paladin." She beckon, "I will show you."
He followed her into the dark alley, her black eyes turned to face him.
"Do you remember, paladin?" her voice echoed like a pixie's whisper, "The Lord of Death's reign?"
"Captain! We're losing ranks!"
The ground cracked and trembled as the skies turned vermillion and a pillar of electrifying light pierced on the army. Evil laughter drowned out the torrents of painful screams as the soldiers breathed their last.
"Hold your ground, men!" Harun's voice boomed, "Let the others take up positions! We're almost done!"
The legion, had been battling with the Lord of Death for ten days, driving it to Glast Heim where they intend to trap him within the confinements of the St Abbey church. Priests, Snipers, High Wizards, Lord Knights and Paladins…..many were sacrificed during the ten days of battle.
"Devotion!"
"Get Ready!"
Priests and Sages took up positions as they prepared the final spell to bind the entrance of the St Abbey. Harun summoned his energy and stabbed the Lord of Death with his spear. All other paladins did so as well; the monster was driven far back into the holy church. The front line army rushed in to wear the monster down.
"Begin!"
The floor had glowed an unearthly light; shots of electricity flashed around the monster. The monster gave one swipe and half of the surviving army were smashed to the walls. Harun gave the order of retreat, the spells had been bind and their mission is complete for what it's worth. They ran as fast as they could, yet those who barely had any energy left, just gave up and stayed behind to hold the monster off. Harun wanted to do just that, but his role as a Captain was not over.
He ran with the others to the exit. He left 20 men behind so that they could hold off the monster and let the other 30 escaped. He had barely reached the doorway when the monster's nails slashed his back. Four elongated gash stretched from his left shoulder to his lower right side. But he didn't stopped running. He continued on, until he exited the church when he was bathed with warm sun light and he reached the old fountain.
"CURSE YOU PALADIN!" the Lord of Death bellowed, his voice rang out of the church, "BY THE WOUNDS U CARRY, A CURSE SHALL FALL ON YOU!"
"Arghhhhh!" The wounds on his back became searing hot. The priests tried to heal and recover his wounds but to no avail. Smoke appeared from the wounds as his skin and muscles boiled and forming a purplish pus.
"THIS TIME MANKIND SHALL HAVE THEIR SHORT-LIVED REIGN!" the Lord of Death declared, "BUT TIME WILL COME AND GO AND SOON, I WILL BE RELEASED ONCE AGAIN TO RULE! I WILL BRING FORTH MY ARMY OF DARKNESS AND YOU WILL LEAD THEM TO GLORY! YOU WILL BE THE COMMANDER AND YOU WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT I DEMAND U TO! BECAUSE YOU WILL OBEY MY EVERY COMMANDS!"
"Never!" Harun roared, "NEVER!"
"Someone is trying to resurrect that monster again," Harun said, "Za'an isn't he?"
The sage nodded.
"But Za'an not only intends to resurrect the Lord of Death," she spoke, "He intends to use the powers of Lord of Death to released a higher evil."
"Higher…evil?" Harun's eyes grew wide. Back in those days, the Lord of Death was the strongest.
"They slumber in the Tower of Thanatos and Odin's Temple and I am afraid…even few of the valkyries had chosen this path as well…The Lord of Death is, merely, but a key to open the cells that holds these prisoners."
Bloodshed…
"There is but a shred of hope I can offer to prevent the apocalypse. They will come together to aid you, each a specialty in their own. They come from the four points of this world. Twilight, Fury, Rose and Snow. Their names will go by these four. These guardians will be your shield as u fight to stop the end. And they will be the blade…
…that you will die by…
…should you turned evil…"
"Harun?" a voice called out.
"Hey, Captain you okay?" it was Xuan.
Harun opened his eyes. He had been in the same spot when he first heard the voice in his head. Xuan, Suke and Leena were looking at him with worried faces.
"When we realized that you weren't with us, we went back to the alley to look for you." Suke said,"That's when I noticed your body was missing the soul and got really worried."
"Didn't mean to get you guys worried," Harun said as he got up, "Let's get some dinner. There's a lot I have to tell you guys."