The Gathering Over the rocky ledge looking over the tribes of the Northern Steppes came a young Son of Bul-Kathos. Though having a reputation of ruthless killings and incredible war tactics, these tribes of barbarians were not at all bad. As a member of the Kul-Tarash Klan of barbarians, the young hero, Tiger was trained in the arts of combining melee weapons, such as a sword and an axe, an axe and a scepter, or a scepter and a sword. Now in his iron-grip hands were equipped a short sword in the left and a regular battle-axe in his right. He was an excellent marksman and equally good with both hands. Resting upon his grotesquely large, muscular shoulders lay the usual leather and steel armor used by barbarians. At the end of his ten-pack abs, right at the waist, was the normal barbarian belt and groin cover, and below his tree-trunk thighs, protecting his muscularly mutated shins, were metal boots with fur lining. His long, black hair was tied into a long ponytail, as was barbarian tradition. He was a full barbarian, and along with that, he worships the animal he wishes to posses his power of mind, soul, and body. And in his case, the tiger was the animal. Tiger made his way down the sloping mountains towards the mouth of the Gulf of Westmarch. He had heard that the Sisters of the Sightless Eye were in need of dire help, and he had been requested to search out this strange force of pure evil that could bring down the force of the rouges so easily. At the mouth of the gulf awaited the ship he was to board. People waiting for their vessel, all around the dock, turned to look at him in deep surprise and fear, for it was very seldom that a barbarian is seen out of the mountains and it meant trouble if the barbarian was a warrior and not a trader. But Tiger meant no harm to the peaceful crowd, and silently made his way into his ship. As he settled into a chair on the deck of the large ship, he heard passer-bys talking about warriors of all types going towards the Sisters of the Sightless Eye's camp, some not returning, and others too wounded or scared to go back out to fight. There were also some that were waiting for more men to go on offensive expeditions. As a barbarian, it was his custom to fight in-groups of warriors, and as so was hoping to find some warriors worth joining. As he began to relax and the ship starting to go off, he felt someone tap his shoulder, followed by a voice that said to him, "I take it you are heading towards the Sister's camp. Perhaps we could join forces on such a non-easy quest..." Tiger shuddered at the cold touch of the unexpected visitor. He turned around, and in his presence stood an eerie looking individual. The wore a cloak that seemed as if it was made of a demons hide, the dark cloak concealed most of the man�s body but Tiger could see that he wore some kind of armor made out of bone. He wore black leather pants decorated with weird symbols most probably of Celtic or runic origin. A certain presence of evil eradiated from him, yet he did not know what to make of it at the present moment. The mysterious man reached for his hood & threw it back. His face was as pale as death, it seemed as if his skin did not know sunshine, his hair was long & white with red streaks running trough it, like rivers of blood on a snowy field. He sported two earrings on his left lower ear lobe, but what caught Tiger�s attention the most were his eyes. In those deep ice blue eyes he could feel his pain & solitude. He could also feel the rage against something unnatural, something of great evil something that should not exist. "My name is Jezter; I have came from the valley of the dark fire. I can sense that you are on a mission similar to mine as you can see I am a Necromancer, but yet I am not like those of my kind." Jezter touched his cloak & with a couple of ushered words it disappeared in a fiery blaze, which gave light to the dark night. He clutched in his hand the hilt of beauteous sword; one such as Tiger had never set eyes upon. It was made out of reddish metal, incrusted in it was an eagle�s talon grasping a chameleon jewel, few of them existed. It was said that these granted the weapon marvelous elemental powers, with which one could invoke the lightning from the heavens, and even the fires from hell with it. Tiger was confused, as he had heard stories of necromancers possessing wands and almost never, if ever, would rush into combat since they possessed the gift to bring the dead back to life and to invoke and control demons from the very depths of hell. Tiger asked Jezter, "Why do you possess such sword?" "My friend, as I had said I am not as my fellow mages, for I love to rush into battle, to feel one�s sword rip into the flesh of demons is such a pleasure and delicacy, I have introduced myself, but yet I have failed to hear your name." "I am Tiger of the Kul-Tarash Klan of barbarians, I am here in a task bestowed upon me by the elders of my clan it seems that an evil force has defeated the rogue's, that had defeated Diablo in Tristam. My mission is to destroy such evil and send it back to the hell from which it crept. What is your purpose on this voyage Jezter?" "The voices of the dead told me of such threat and of you. They said they had seen a young barbarian come to this port and board this ship. They also told me that if I were to discover and fight this evil presence, that I should join you they also told me that there would be more joining us on our path." As night and day passed they talked of adventures that lay ahead and the danger that they would face, but finally they had arrived ashore and in the distance they could see that the country side had been laid to waste. They camped at night and traveled by day. When one night they heard the sounds of a fight in the distance they could see that a battle had broken lose. They could not see correctly but it seemed that someone was being attacked by eight demons of a sort. Tiger & Jezter reached for their weapons & started to run towards the battle... A sharp wind cut through the early evening air. A campfire crackled carelessly, easily casting its warmth over the cooling night. A lone figure sat by fire, roasting a large slab of meat on a pole over the eager flames. He wore simple furs and seemed quiet in thought. A Raven then landed on his shoulder, crowed to him, then took flight again, and he smiled. A group approached from the distance, about a dozen in number, cloaked with swords drawn. The Leader of that pack saw a man, roasting something on the fire. "Easy Money and a Meal," he muttered quietly, signaling the target to his bandit followers. His group spread out and some disappeared into the trees leaving only 2 others behind him. He ducked into the opening, "Greetings, Fellow traveler." The Stranger did move or acknowledge him. "Cold night isn't it?" Again there was no response. The Bandit leader was starting to get annoyed and raised his sword threatening the two behind him doing likewise. In the shadows behind him his men moved into position. "Listen, Hand over your backpack and you won't get hurt," he growled. At that the Druid laughed out loud, "I think you are mistaken." The campfire blazed upward and a fiery Spirit arose from out of the campfire, which glowed red while it was hovering. Just then a wolf howled and panic filled the tree lines behind the camp. "You're Men are already dead and so are you..." The bandit leader could have sworn he saw the man's face change...into that of a Large Wolf? But maybe it was the way the firelight played tricks on his eyes. "Men Attack!" But there was no response, only 3 Hungry Wolves entering from Forest. Another of his Men, fell over nearby, some sort of vine impaled him, his skin green. "Who are you?" The bandit leader said aghast, backing away. The Wolf Man just smiled. "Hope you saved some fun for me," a female voice chimed in. She was shrouded in black, dressed to kill. "I did Shadow, I did..." The other man still with the Bandit had enough and took off running, only to fall into some kind of pit setting off some kind of blade trap neatly slicing him apart inside. "I think you should watch your step...oops, too late," she grinned. The Bandit Leader had lost all his nerve and launched himself away into the forest in retreat. The Druid looked at the Assassin. She nodded no, and he gave a quick motion to his Wolves who quickly gave chase. "And you told me earlier that you were bored..." He grinned. On the road to the Sister's camp, there stood a figure. Dressed in glimmering plate mail, he stood around six-foot tall. A battle-scared war hammer hung from his belt. It was encrusted with the finest jewels, such as amethysts and emeralds. On his back, a brilliant shield hung waiting for the chance to defend its master. He was a very strong, noble man, full of honor and charisma. It was as if you knew him your whole life the moment you first saw him. What was he doing just waiting there in the dead of night? As if he knew something.... In an instant he is surrounded by a horde of demonic creatures, each standing over eight feet tall. They were all drooling with bloodlust. Their huge claws ready and waiting to thrust through their unfortunate prey's flesh. The figure, kneeling down as if death was inevitable, chants a few words to his Master. Immediately lightning irradiated from the figure's body electrocuting three of the creatures and injuring 3 more. Two of the creatures attack the hero, but are blocked. The hero retaliates with a blow from his hammer, knocking one unconscious. The creatures perform a mass attack on the hero, leaving no space to turn. The hero fights back, but to no avail. The mass amount of attacks seems to overwhelm the hero. He manages to defeat a few more just as two strangers attack, defeating the remaining horde. Out of breath, the hero pants "Thank you, my friends. May the God of all that is Honorable bless you greatly. I am Sir Drake of Zion. I have come to help our dear sisters in their time of need. To whom do I owe this great appreciation?" "This is Jezter, and I am Tiger," says the large barbarian. "We are on the same journey, to save the sisters. We could use a man of valor, like you, in our party. Would you be willing to join us," asks Tiger. Sir Drake answers; "I would be honored to join you." The heroes continue down the road searching for a place to stop for the night. Sir Drake and Jezter looked upon each other with a sort of difficulty. Tiger knew well why. He had heard of such men. One could raise the dead at will, while the other fought for the light and glory of God. The Necromancers were dark priests, not necessarily evil by nature, but not exactly good either. The Paladins were knights blessed by powers from God himself, and were usually perfect in social standards. However, in Tiger's eyes, they both possessed powers and abilities the other lacked and would probably later need. He led the small band on a path that was said to lead to the rouge�s encampment, but not fifteen minutes on their way. They all drew weapons as the sounds of a screaming man made their way towards them. The man slammed hard against Tiger�s rock-hard body and fell limp to the ground. Behind him rushed a wolf, which instantly leaped at Tiger when he saw him. The wolf was in the air with teeth bared when it was seized by the neck. Tiger held the beast up high and let out a deafening roar that was not of a human, but of a powerful tiger! He threw the beast away and watched as it took off running with its tail tucked between its legs. Sir Drake looked down at the man, crawling away with a look of the uttermost fear. After looking him over, the Paladin said, "He's a sinner. A common thief." The Necromancer drew a knife. "So lets kill him," he sneered. Before any action could've been taken, a knife pierced the back of his throat. The thief went down hard. Blood spurred from the wound. Red eyes flickered in the night, and as they made there way closer, the band saw what they were. A pack of wolves! They snarled and bared their teeth, pacing towards them, ready to kill. "This is abnormal from the creatures of God!" Sir Drake protested. "These aren�t your God's breeding!" Hissed Jezter as the three of them backed up into each other, looking at different angles of the circle of wolves that were surrounding them. Sir Drake was confused, but Tiger cleared him. "The knife was no doubt an Assassin, and a Druid controls the wolves," Tiger muttered. He looked behind the wolves and saw a dark, furry figure in the darkness of the night. 'The Druid,' Tiger thought. With a sudden rush, he went into a furious spin, extending both arms to slice through the circle of wolves, while Jezter thrusted himself and a risen skeleton at his own section of wolves, sword in hand and ready. Sir Drake knelt to pray and a mystic aura surrounded him as the wolves rushed at him. As they entered the aura, they froze into lifeless statues that were shattered by the blows of his sword! The wolves that had rushed at Tiger's body were quickly slain, and before the startled Druid that stood behind watching could do anything, the barbarian leaped into the air and landed in front of him, the axe in his right arm stopped just centimeters from the Druid's neck. Tiger put his left arm across his right arm, pointing the tip of the sword to his right and stopping dead in her tracks a rushing Assassin! The tip of the sword was radiating its dire need to spill the blood in her throat. Instantly, Sir Drake held his sword to the Assassin's throat as well, while Jezter held his own sword at the Druid. The skeleton was back into its peaceful rest. The druid looked deep into Tiger�s enraged eyes, then rolled over to look at Sir Drake. "Drop your weapon, Shadow." "But..." She began to protest. "No. This is a barbarian, and wears the tattoo on his right arm that he has been set on a noble quest. Plus, such men are too busy trying to survive than have any bad deed against mankind. The other with his sword held at your throat is a Paladin. A holy warrior, who has no other purpose but to serve the good...or die." They all put our weapons back into their holders. The Druid nodded at Jezter, "But this one..." he started with a sudden change in voice, but as he said that, in a blinding movement, Tiger�s sword was back up and held at his right cheek. "This one is our partner. This man is a priest in his culture, which is looked down on because they raise the dead, curse their enemies, and fear no fate. Nevertheless, he is still human, and his heart is just as noble as that man's" he said, taking my sword away to point at Sir Drake. He returned his sword to its resting-place. The Druid nodded and accepted this. He then extended his hand to greet Tiger's, and soon they were all off to the encampment. On the way there, Tiger said, "Well, I'm Tiger that�s Jezter, and the Paladin is Sir Drake. We know that she's Shadow, but by what do we call you?" "My name is Darthos" the druid answered," So I figure that your quest has something to do with evil forces that have attacked the sister's." Said Darthos in a questionable fashion as if he had the answer. Tiger immediately reassured him," yes we are headed towards their camp, this trail is supposed to lead us, if we leave now we will get there in about 2 days time." "Very well then shall we" said Darthos extending courteously his hand as if saying go ahead. The day passed quickly as the new allies got accounted with each other telling stories of what they had heard and of such. The wind howled and made the flames dance as if they had life of their own. The necromancer lay next to the campfire meditating. When he heard the winds howl at him "Be wary, for death comes your way." At this the startled necromancer rose to his feet and prepared for battle. He could now feel the presence of an evil force, and in the distance he aw a single figure cloaked from head to toe he walked as if dazed but yet his speed was not that of a drunkard. Suddenly the sky became red and from the ground arose about 20 hideous demons each of them eight feet tall with swords and axes at hand all charging towards him. The necro quickly chanted a few words and cast a curse upon them. It seemed as if they were weakened by it, he quickly then cast a bolt of energy towards. It then seemed as if it were a spear made of bone, one after another he cast them, until he had about a dozen demons lay life less in the ground. He had just enough time to usher a couple of words and raise his knife to block an incoming blow when the skeletons of the deceased demons came to life and attacked their former allies. He then summoned a grotesque golem made of blood besides him and set him lose. The bloodthirsty golem rushed into battle pounding the life out of the monsters, which had surrounded him. Everywhere you looked you could see skeletons slicing through the flesh of the demons, blood bursting everywhere. It seemed as if the moment that a demon would die a skeleton would rise or the corpse would explode causing damage to the remaining demons, which still had a life in them. The necromancer laughed with joy as he saw that his army was winning, suddenly his face changed as he saw the dark fellow still walking as if nothing was happening. A group of skeletons attacked him as the sword of one touched him the skeleton burst into a million splinters, as did the rest, even the golem fell in his path. All but the two remained the necromancer and the cloaked man. The necromancer, afraid, emitted a great number of bone spears that would hit the dark man, but would not harm him or it seemed that way. With a movement of his hand the necromancer raised a dozen walls made out of bone, surely the wanderer could not pass these walls. It was impossible, but as the dark man touched them they shattered as if made of glass. "How could this be," the necromancer thought. Feet away the man unsheathed a sword from under his cloak & with a single trust with the speed of the wind he impaled the necromancer. The necro could see that the wanderer's eyes were blank, white; an expressionless face bore them he fell to the ground and with one last breath yelled "JJJJEEEEEZZZZZTTTTTTEEEEEERRRRR!!!!!!" "NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Jezter screamed as he arose covered in sweat. The rest of his party members surrounded him "What is the matter!" Tiger asked in an astonished voice. Jezter responded in a breaking voice "Mm...my br...my brother has been.... slain." "What how do you know this! And how did it happen?" Demanded Darthos in a non-believing voice. "I saw it. He fought an evil presence but failed to destroy it. The fool, I should have never allowed him to leave the temple of our people. Gentlemen what we face is not from this realm and I am more than sure that whoever or whatever it might be that destroyed my brother is the cause of all this chaos." Sir Drake in an angered voice said "I promise you Jezter, that we will avenge then life of your brother and destroy this evil presence in the name of God." Jezter extended his hand shook that of the paladin as the rest of the members agreed that this was the reason for which their paths had crossed. That they had to destroy this evil force and all of his minions, so they�re first destination was the camp of the Sisters of the Sightless Eye... Shadow sighed, "Yes, that's true. A woman can only take so much boredom," she added playfully. Both Watched the three Dire Wolves return, job finished each of curling up near the fire, resting. The Druid reached down and patted one of the wolves close by. "The Winds indicate that the Balance of Nature has shifted dramatically," the Druid started. "Five new Evils have surfaced, spawning their corrupted ways infecting all around them. And that's why I've asked for you to join me in Quest to determine the exact nature of these evils and put an end to them to restore the balance." "And why do you think I would be able to help you with that," Shadow purred. "I wasn't even able to fulfill my contract to kill you." Darthos smiled a toothy smile. "That was one hunt I will never forget. And who was to know that a growing respect and relationship started during that half of year during our game of cat and mouse." Shadow put her hand gently on the Druid's shoulder smiling softly then asked seriously, "So you think this Barbarian friend of yours knows something about this sudden change?" "Yeah, I'm betting on it!" Darthos replied. The sun rose wearily to great Tiger as he stood watching the blazing fire in the sky. The fresh air trickled into his powerful lungs rhythmically as he sought out answers in his mind. Before the hand could even touch him, Tiger had his sword drawn and pointed right at Darthos' throat. "Whoa bud. It's just me;" Tiger returned his sword and apologized. Darthos laughed and shook his head, "No need for apologies," and so they stood, quietly watching the sunrise. "It is funny," started Darthos. Tiger looked at him. "You see. I know that I can trust you for three reasons. The first is that you're a barbarian. You make a living as a hunter and mountain-man. The only difference between you and me is that I dwell in the forest, and I allow the use of magic. We even worship animals alike. Which is the second reason, animals. A corrupted man would've killed that wolf, but you knew that wolves don't attack like that, and that if they do, they always do so in packs, and would stick to that thief and ignore you. The third is that when we met, you almost killed me. The only difference between you and Shadow is the fact that you had the chance and she just couldn't keep up," he said, tapping his head. Tiger raised an eyebrow. "She tried to kill you?" The Druid nodded. "Not of her own accord mind you. She was sent, and I was merely an assignment. But we began to grow a respect for each other. Now I can trust her with my life, and she can trust me with hers. We've both proven ourselves to each other time and time again." Tiger chuckled. "Oh yeah? How?" "I'll tell you that when you grow up," Darthos grinned, as did Tiger. They both turned their backs to the rising sun to get ready for the day. "So tell me. Why were you, out of all barbarians, chosen? I know it was not without a purpose..." "I'll tell you that when you buff up," they laughed as they greeted everyone else on the rising day. Indeed, Tiger was the strongest and most melee expert of the pack, but he was no doubt the youngest as well.
Return to Kurast
Continue to chapter 2