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| Scroll Five: Reprisal and Regret | ||||||||||||||||||
| By Richard LeBlanc | ||||||||||||||||||
| On the shore where the newly lured wizard was. Markys looked around. There was something in the air - it was subtle at first - but the more she concentrated - the more she could feel it. Something had changed the balance. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Something wrong little girl? Don't tell me you're scared," the wizard mocked. Markys frowned at the arrogant wizard. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Something - isn't right. Is - dangerous - very dangerous," she muttered. She wanted to speak coherently - but in her current form speaking was a difficult chore. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I'll protect you. I doubt that there is anything here that can hurt me," he said smugly. Markys frowned and shook her head. Not only would this arrogant fool not be able to protect him - in his arrogance he would most likely get them both killed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The two made their way down a path - a path she had led many an ambitious wizard down. As they walked - they could see the remains of all sorts of monsters and creatures. Markys was speechless. | ||||||||||||||||||
| The dark area they were in was teeming with frighteningly powerful creatures - yet - the moors and swamps were disturbingly silent. | ||||||||||||||||||
| She knelt down and waved her hand over one small area of swamp and sighed as she saw her mark still upon the land. Whatever did this - all the killing - it was for a purpose - but what? | ||||||||||||||||||
| "From what I heard - from the stories and myths - I thought that there would be - more excitement here. All I see here are dead bodies - maybe I should use my powers to raise them," the wizard remarked. Markys shook her head as she hurried over to where he was. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "No! Use magic - bad idea. Lure big evil here," she strained to say. What she wanted to say was that there was some powerful enemy on the island that would most likely come and attack them if they tried to use magic. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You think I fear anything this place has? I stood before the armies of the north. Hundreds - nay - thousands of knights - squires and allied beasts! My power - my mastery of the art - humbled them all. It will be no different here," he rebutted. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Not same," she rebutted. He slapped her across the face knocking her to the ground. She shook her head as she wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I have had just about enough of your lip. Do you think I brought you here to hear the sound of your annoying little voice? You will take me where I want to go and you will do so without question. Understand?" the wizard demanded. Markys wanted to attack him - but she knew she didn't have the physical power - nor the magical ability yet to challenge even this lowly fool. She lowered her eyes. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Sorry - just scared," she muttered timidly. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I don't care if this place makes you wet yourself," he began as he reached over and grabbed her by the hair. She whimpered as he forced her up to her feet. "And when you address me - you will do so with respect!" he added. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "S-sorry sir," she muttered passively. He smiled smugly as he threw her into a mud puddle. She lowered her eyes as he laughed at her. All she hoped for - prayed for was that she could live long enough to kill the pig in a manner becoming - before whatever had done this to her domain found them. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Get up and lead the way girl," he ordered. Markys sighed as she crawled out of the mud and continued down the winding path. The arrogant wizard continued rambling about his power and about how he was going to humble everyone with what he found. She blocked it out - doing her best to ignore him. | ||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||||||||||||
| At that moment - deep within the core of the mountains where Chaos ruled - the god-mage smiled as he looked at a map of all the Forbidden Isles. | ||||||||||||||||||
| For sixteen years - he and his armies hunted for the elusive demon lord. He mused at the fact that his armies were able to cleave so effortlessly through anything that tried to oppose him. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Had they stood united against him - against the dwarves - they might have stood a chance. But no - all of the factions were too petty. All they cared about - was themselves and their gain. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Such - was what caused their downfall. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Now - after over sixteen years of fighting - a fight that started in the mountains and rippled outward. Almost half of the entire map was under his control. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Where could you be hiding little demon?" Chaos pondered as he looked at the lands he had already thoroughly razed and searched. His train of thought was interrupted as a dwarf priest hurried into the chamber and bowed. "You have news of the demon?" he asked coldly. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "No my lord - but - there is an odd development," the priest began. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Tell on," he requested. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "One of our avian scouts - noticed a ship land on one of the eastern islands," the priest replied. Chaos smiled as he traced his finger over to the island where the two wizards landed and tapped his finger on that spot. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "I thought I felt something odd there," he mused. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Do you wish our armies converge on them master?" the dwarf asked. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "No - if there are visitors - it would be rude to not greet them personally. Maintain the search. Anything that opposes - dies. Anything that cooperates - is removed and or conscripted. That demon is out there somewhere. I want him found - and I want him brought to me," he almost hissed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| * * * | ||||||||||||||||||
| Back where Markys and her ambitious wizard companion were - the two reached the western shore of the island. Markys went pale as she saw the body of Lithian - the catfish dragon laying dead on the shore. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "What an ugly beast," the wizard remarked as he walked over to where the dead dragon was. "Been dead for a while by the look of him," he remarked as he looked over and saw how unnerved his guide was. "You know this thing by any chance?" he asked. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Powerful dragon wizard. Spells no hurt him," she replied. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "The beast was felled with brute force then," he rationalized. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Is strong dragon - water makes stronger," she muttered. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Interesting," he began as he smiled. "If a beast such as this is most powerful by the water - and was defeated with brute force - then perhaps there lies a challenge here worthy of my prowess," he remarked. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "How cute," a voice stated. It sent a chill down the spine of Markys. She knew that voice! "A greedy mage - and the whore that betrayed me," the voice of Chaos stated calmly as he appeared in the air over the water. Markys hid behind the wizard. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Who the hell are you?" the wizard demanded. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Chaos," Markys muttered. Only as she looked at him - she could tell he was different - he was far more powerful now than when last she faced him. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Chaos huh? I heard some stories about some wizard named Chaos. Sounded like some illusionist that got a few lucky breaks," the wizard taunted. Chaos quietly laughed at the posturing of the wizard. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You amuse me. I will let you live on one condition. Give me the girl - now," Chaos ordered - his amusement completely spent. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "She is mine to deal with you arrogant prick. You want her - you will have to deal with me!" the wizard retorted. Before Chaos could speak - black mana swirled around the wizard as a death bolt knocked Chaos from the sky and into the water. "That was what you were scared of?" he asked in modest disbelief. | ||||||||||||||||||
| It was then that the water in the channel began to bubble. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chaos began to grow and grow until he stood taller than any mountain either of them had ever seen. The wizard could feel the power that was pulsating from the giant mage before him and found himself hesitantly backing away. | ||||||||||||||||||
| "You know - I was really sort of hoping - that you would saw something like that," the voice of Chaos echoed. | ||||||||||||||||||
| To Be Continued... | ||||||||||||||||||