He surveyed his troops with satisfaction. They were a vicious and evil lot by all accounts. All had reputations that preceeded them, which of course forced Malekariel to expect much of them. And should they fail him, they would suffer more than they realized was possible. He patted Nahkless on the top of his head, a rare sign of a approval with his pets work. Nahkless grinned and hissed. The soldiers looked up at Malekariel as he paced back and forth on the large boulder he was standing on, like a pedastal to put him above the others. The land was beautiful, evergreens scattered about, large rocks intersperced with low green grass, and snow on the tops of the trees. And in the background behind Malekariel was a mountain range, and somewhere in there lay their destination. "The village is well hidden." said Malekariel. "I expect that will not propose to be too much trouble for you. Find it. Bring me to it. And then we will destroy what we wish, and torture those who will hurt him most. And when he comes to save them, as i know he will, we shall destroy him." and he grinned. Slowly, his demonic laughter began to escape from between his teeth. As it grew louder it echoed off of the rock walls of the mountains around them.
"Finally!!" Molluk yelled as Korren approached. They were standing on the sidewalk now, Molluk's nerves no longer allowing him to stand in the appartment. Korren was followed by Arioch and a new demon, one Molluk had yet to see. Damian leaned against a wall behind Molluk, with Raven sitting on the steps. "Who's that?" Molluk asked.
"A friend. His names Kadon." said Arioch. "Good to see you again fallen one."
"Wish i could say the same. We always seem to meet under the worst conditions."
"Maybe we should get together for lunch sometime then?" Arioch returned
sarcasticaly. Molluk just glared for a moment. "Uh... That was a joke..." Molluk just looked away at Damian and Raven.
"Shall we then?" Damian nodded and Raven stood from the steps. Molluk turned to Korren. "Any ideas for transportation? I might be able to open a portal there, but it would take hours to work up that much energy and in the end we may end up in the wrong spot anyway. Plus once we get there id be exhausted."
"Follow me." Said Korren. Molluk didnt like the idea of following another on what was a very personal mission. So he resolved at that moment that once they arrived in Asia, it would be his mission, and god help those who couldnt keep up. And unseen by any, a small cat followed the procession of otherworldly creatures.
"So all the players have taken the bait then?" said LeSair as he sat across from Magg at the dinner table. The extravagant feast far more than two creatures could ever consume in one week. Roast turkey, pheasant, entire pigs with apples, and other various forms of meat as well as side dishes.
"It has gone almost exactly according to plan. The ones from Hell were not anticipated but they only make it more interesting. As for Malekariel, the fool still has no idea that it was you who implanted the information in his mind. Molluk has yet to even consider how Malekariel found out about his mountain sanctuary. And so the two old rivals go with their respective soldiers to do battle one more time. If niether dies, at least it gets them out of the way for a time." Said Magg, as he cut at his slab of pork.
"Good. And you can begin the spell soon then?"
"As soon as i have the proper preperations made."
"Very well then. Let the seige of Earth begin." said LeSair, a smile on his face. Their master had been displeased with their lack of progress, but now things were truly going to come underway. And with the most experienced of Earth's supernatural heroes out of the way, there would be little that could even hope to stop them. The plan had all worked out perfectly.
She carried the bucket of milk into the house with a struggle. Seemed no matter how many times she had done this it never got easier. "Grandpa! Im done with the cows!" she said.
"Thats a good girl Reahnaa. Now be sure to feed the chickens. Im almost done plowing the fields." he yelled from the backyard. There was no feed left in the bag and so Reahnaa had to buy more from the general store. She waved to the other townspeople as they greeted her on the street. As she neared the store however an old woman stepped out in front of her. She bent down and looked directly into Reahnaa's eyes.
"Um... Excuse me." Reahnaa said, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable. She tried to step around the woman but found her shoulders locked in the grip of the old lady's claw like fingers.
"Death is coming child. Demons gather and plot and plan and they arent far now. They are coming child. They are coming for you." she said. Reahnaa was stunned and more frightened than she had been in years. She shook free of the old woman. It was not the first time this lady had been heard spouting her strange warnings. The townsfolk ignored it. Since Melkor had left, nearly a year ago, the demon population of the village was zero. And what self respecting demon would waste his time on some small mountain village? But something in this womans eyes made Reahnaa wonder, could it be true? Perhaps Melkor was coming back finaly. Perhaps he was bringing friends? But something told Reahnaa that if this woman was speaking the truth, she could expect a less than friendly visit. She backed away from the woman.
"I am very busy. Please leave me alone." Reahnaa said, trying to sound brave. She stepped quickly around the woman and headed to the store.
"Heed my warnings girl! Hide well! Your savior is too far off! He'll not make it in time to save you from the Hell that walks though he shall try with all his heart and soul!!" Reahnaa tried not to listen as she neared the store, but then she heard something else. As if the wind itself was mocking her, strange laughter began to echo through the mountains. But this laughter held no joy and instead was filled with evil, insanity, and pain. She wasnt sure how, but she knew that indeed, the laughter she heard held more pain than anything she had ever encountered.
And as Malekariel's laughter echoed throughout the mountains it was heard miles away, each mountain wall passing on the dark warning of impendind doom far greater than it would have naturaly gone. There was still time, for the village was far off, but Molluk and his friends were much farther off. And in the end, it was all fun and games to Magg and LeSair, who played chess with the lives of their enemies on a regular basis.
