Chapter 4

Temptation

 

            Te’sume is the major port city of Zauberra, and it was here that Darius found himself. Two days after parting paths with Dungar and Garette, he found an inn.  Once there he mapped out his route.  He would have to enter the swamp of Valitis, within the swamp were the ruins of an old tower.  In these ruins, his disc resided.  The instructions were not much more specific than that.

            Darius had learned enough from both Vincient and the paladin to never enter a situation half-informed, especially when it comes to wizards.  His plan was to use the remainder of the day to find out as much as he could about the swamp and the tower.  He wished he had had more time to do the research at the guild, but he would just have deal with what information he gathered here.

            He went about his task shortly after sunset.  Darius wandered around the city for a time, not quite sure where he would find what he was looking for.  He then found himself in front of the town hall.  Inside was a room where the city kept its records.  Behind a huge oak desk at the back of the room sat an old woman.  She looked as if she had sat there since the realm’s creation and planned to be there until the end.

            Upon approaching her, he asked if she could help him.  She didn’t look up, she merely stopped what she was writing, carefully blew the ink dry, then shut the book.

            “What do you require?” She asked dryly.

            “Information on Valitis.” She nodded.  Rising to her feet, she motioned for Darius to follow her.  Darius was impressed with the older woman.  Despite her advanced age she walked firmly and steadily, as she guided him down an aisle of bookcases.  She stopped at a case halfway down.  From the third shelf she pulled a book bound in navy blue leather.

            “This is our best reference on the swamp of Valitis.  Though it’s not a lot.  What is it you’re looking for?”

            “To be honest I don’t know.”

            “I see, if you need my help let me know.”

            For the next hour Darius thumbed through the volume.  He learned a number of things about the swamp, from its origins as a port city to the high tides that made it a swamp.  The original city’s name was Tava’Litis, it was one of the original four main port cities of the continent.  It was through this and the other ports that Zauberra was most commonly entered.  Each of the main port cities was built around a large tower, similar to the ones at the guild.  The towers function as one part military installation and one part city hall.  The wizard in charge of the tower used it as his personal residence and laboratory.

Over the years the tide around Tava’Litis began to rise.  Finally the flooding became so great that the city had to be evacuated.  By now the water had destroyed most, if not all, signs of the city.  The stagnant depths of the swamp were choked with dying vegetation contained various breeds of creatures.  From large insects to large muck encrusted beast, the swamp had a rich ecosystem.  Other than that it gave him no more information.

            With a sigh he brought the book back to the woman.  She saw the look in his face and asked how his inquiries went.

            “Nothing of any true use.  I was looking for more information on the tower remains in the swamp.”

            “That’s an odd search. But then again, it is an odd place those ruins.”

            “Odd how?”

            “Well there are rumors about men having been called into the ruins.”

“Called?”

            “That’s just how most phrase the rumor.  I, myself, have never seen anyone who has been personally there.  I will say this, always remember that magic has been in heavy use on this land.  It never fully disappears merely changes form.”

            “My friend is a wizard, I know about magic.  What was done in that tower?”

            “None can say for certain.  Probably nothing out of the ordinary, well for a wizard anyway.”

            “Don’t suppose you have any maps on it?”

            “Those were ruins long before the time of Kagero!  I doubt that they are even stones any more, just a large block of hard moss.  You’re not thinking of going in there are you?”

            “Unfortunately, I have to get something from inside it.”

            “What could you possibly need from that place?!”

            “I can’t say.”

            “The only advice I can give you is this.  Don’t wear anything heavy.  It will only drag you down into the water.  Speed and the ability to swim will help keep you alive.”

 

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            Darius left the town hal not long after that.  He made his way back to his inn room.  Sleep was an elusive quarry that night.  It had been a long time since he had slept alone.  The sounds of Dungar’s snores and the presence of the others had become a part of his normal routine, so without them the silence was disturbing.  Mostly he felt Lorna’s absence.

            Despite his attitude in front of the others, he cared for his elven companion.  He, like Dungar, saw through her facade of immaturity.  However, he was content to wait for her to end it.  He tossed and turned as her face filled his dreams.  At one point he awoke screaming.  Once awake the dream began to fade and all he could remember was Lorna and the darkness.  It was a bit before sleep returned.

 

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            Shortly before dawn Darius began heading for Valitis.  After nearly a day of riding he came to the edge of the swamp. The sun had begun to set. Making camp, the weary warrior decided it would be foolhardy to enter the swamp at this late an hour.  After another fitfull night of sleep, Darius awoke at dawn to begin the most dangerous and difficult part of the mission. Taking the old woman’s advice he left his armor with his horse.  With only his sword and a few minor supplies he entered Valitis with tentative steps. 

The ground started out firm, but as he moved along deeper into it, the ground quickly softened. Large pools of water began to appear more and more frequently.  Some of the ones that blocked his way entirely were shallow enough for him to wade across.  Though these usually required two or more frantic minutes of pulling leeches off of him.  While others had to be crossed by means of a log or fallen tree.

            By midday he was soaked, splattered by unidentifiable muck and bleeding from several leech inflicted wounds.  His patience was beginning to thin. After nearly being devoured by a pool of mud, he found a patch of firm ground on which to rest.  Taking a drink from his water flask, he surveyed his surroundings. Large open spaces were filled with water logged soil.  Decaying trees lay half-rotted on the ground.  The ones still standing were withered, lifeless things.  The moisture-laden air dimmed even the noontime light, as if a thin silk cloth had been lain over Valitis.  The sun was a yellow stain behind the clouds.  Darius leaned back and rested his head against the tree.  He listened to the sounds of the swamp.  Frogs, insects, and water were all that could be heard for miles.  Without realizing it, Darius fell asleep.

            A loud splash woke him, he grunted as the sudden motion caused pain in his stiff muscles.  Quickly getting to his feet, the knight in training searched for the source of the disturbance.  He looked over the nearby pools of water.  Several ripples moved over the surface of the pool to his left.  Slowly as he approached it, the ripples diminished.  At the edge he found several small pebbles, Darius grabbed a handful of the stones and tossed a couple into the center of the scum-covered water.  They splashed harmlessly in the pool sending tiny ripples to its shore, but nothing else happened.  He tapped the tip of his sword on the water and got no more reaction than the stones had.

            “Probably imagined it.” He muttered.  Turning from the water and beginning to walk away, the water exploded. Whipping around he was able to see a large black figure leap from the previously tranquil pool.  Without giving it a single thought Darius raised his blade up to his face, stopping several sharp talons from rendering it into a shredded mass.  The claws caused sparks as they scraped against the sword’s edge.  Through them he saw the creature’s features.

            Its head was an elongated oblong shape.  Two large red orbs were centered in its head, they shifted under a translucent membrane.  The mouth was a ragged gap in the lower part of its head, numerous sharp teeth filled it.  They ground together in anticipation of a hot meal.  Hideous noises, that no human mouth could mimic, issued from it.  The sweet, yet sickening smell of decay hung around it like a mantel.  Darius brought his foot up into the creature’s midsection.  As the blow made contact Darius felt and heard something crack.  The creature moved back.

            Now that he had some distance from it, Darius could see it more clearly.  The rest of the creature was as ugly as the head.  It looked like someone bundled together a bunch of sticks. Its body and limbs were long and thin.  Even the lengths of its fingers were exaggerated, there were about four bending joints per finger.  The legs were mere poles on which the rest of it sat.  The exposed ball and socket joints of its hips and knees allowed it to move in directions impossible for other creatures.  It sat in a hunched down position, waiting like a coiled snake.  The sunlight glanced off its strange skin, which seemed hard. He saw its chest and noticed that his hit had left hairline cracks.

            “It’s got an exoskeleton!” He whispered in surprise.  The more he saw it the more it made sense.  Its features were a strange combination of human and insect.  This thing is probably ten times faster than me. Darius thought.  As if to prove him right the creature darted forward with great speed.  Darius shifted his sword to a threatening gesture.  The creature hopped out of its run, flying back away from Darius.  It returned to its waiting position.  Darius kept his sword ready to strike at a moment’s notice.  The creature crab-walked side to side, even making some moves forward, but always moving back just as quick.  It made no real ground.  Darius mimicked its movements, soon he picked up the pattern.  As they faced off both were ignorant of the strong winds shifting the clouds.  All they could focus on was each other.

            Darius was able to follow the creature’s pattern of movement.  It would hop right, back, left, forward, and back again.  It repeated it over and over again.  Darius moved in accordance with the pattern, moving forward to meet the creature.  This in turn would cause it to jump back.  They continued this dance for several minutes.  Soon Darius could keep up without thinking.  It was at that time, when the movement had become automatic, that the creature made its move.

            On its next move it jumped forward.  Darius met it and after a split second moved to the next position he anticipated it to be in.  Almost instantly he realized his mistake, that split second, however, was all the creature needed.  It launched itself from its spot moving with blinding speed.  Darius only had time to bring up his blade and it flashed with a brilliant light.  The light flare caused the creature to stop its attack, it squealed in pain.  It flailed around, batting at its wounded eyes.  Darius looked up into the sky and saw that the sun was exposed for the first time since he had entered the swamp.  The few solid rays of light had reflected off his sword.

            “That little bit of light hurt it?” He asked.  He saw it still batting at its eyes.  Of course! This thing lives in a swamp, where light is dim at best. Its eyes can’t handle bright light.  As Darius thought this over, a smile formed along with an idea.  He tightened his grip on the sword’s handle.

            His training under the paladin had improved his skills greatly.  Fighting wasn’t the only skill the paladin taught him.  Between it and Vincient he had learned some small magic spells, mainly ones that would trick or blind an opponent.  He cleared his mind and focused on his blade.

            “In the name of Tenaria I call upon the light.” He whispered.  The creature danced before him in anticipation of an attack.  Darius kept his eyes on it, but his attention was elsewhere.

            The sword began to vibrate with an invisible force.  It was a low vibration, its movement barely visible, but he felt it.  A strange sensation that something was flowing out of him.  It came from every area of his body, to his right shoulder, down through his arm and out his hand into the sword.  As this flow continued his sword grew gradually warmer.  The sensation was a strange one for him.  Though he knew how to cast a bit of magic, it wasn’t often that he did so.  He took a step forward, causing the creature to crab around.

            Darius made a quick step to the right then immediately went left. The creature apparently refused to be caught in its own trick and shot left. A second before it reached him, Darius brought his sword up.  “Flash Blade!”  The silver steel burst with a dazzling white light.  Light raced out illuminating the swamp for a few hundred meters.  Caught at point blank range, the creature’s pain was signaled by a high pitched scream.  It convulsed all over the place trying to beat the pain from its eyes.  Darius raised the sword up and lunged at the thing.  The creature turned in time to see the attack head on.  Darius brought his weapon to bear on its left shoulder, cutting its body.  Its exoskeleton cracked like glass under the sword’s edge.  A thick beige-colored substance oozed out of its body as it fell apart.  His attack left the thing torn in two.  The half with the head still moved sluggishly as the last bit of life left its body.

            Darius staggered back a bit and wiped the sweat from his face.  He looked at the ruined remains of the creature and breathed a sigh of relief.  "I’m not even half way through yet." he thought worriedly "I had better keep movin’."

           

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            Darius continued deeper into the swamp.  His progress was about the same as earlier.  Only this time he kept an eye out for any other creatures.  Besides nearly losing a leg to a crocodile he mistook for a log, he had no other trouble with the swamp life. It only took a couple more hours to reach his destination.  However, the state of the tower was not what he had expected.

            The ruins couldn’t exactly be called “ruins”.  The tower was made of flawless white stone, rising high out of a lake.  The only substance on the stone was healthy ivy, which clung to the base of the tower.  Even the water was a crystal clear blue that shimmered in the light.  Looking up he saw that even the sky had improved.  The gray mist had given away to the peaceful azure blue of mid-afternoon, allowing the sun to shine unhindered.  He blinked in amazement at the beautiful scene.  He had expected the building to be a worn mass of moss covered bricks.  This was beyond all belief.

            “Magic, probably.” Darius muttered to himself.  To his right he saw a stone bridge, made of the same material as the tower, leading to its base.  He carefully examined it by taking a few tentative steps to test its strength.  It seemed solid enough so he quickly made his way across. 

            He found an arched gateway at the end of the bridge.  It led to a small vestibule with a pair of oak doors on the other side. Like everything else they were in pristine condition.  Darius grasped the iron handle on each and opened the doors.  Beyond the entryway was a well-illuminated room.  Again he was struck by the condition of the tower.  This room proved an even more powerful example.

            He was in a large square, stone room.  Directly in front of him was a wide set of stone stairs leading up to a landing.  Two smaller sets of stairs, one on each side of the landing, led higher into the tower.  The stone ceiling blocked him from seeing anything further.  On the wall of the landing was a large stained glass window.  It was a large circular pane, divided in quarters by black lines, and etched with arcane-styled characters.  The glass was burning with a silvery light.  Something about it grabbed his attention.  After a few moments staring, he shrugged the feeling off.  The rest of the room was lavishly furnished.  Large overstuffed chairs, finely made ebony bookcases and tables, sliver candles, and leather sofas lay about the room.  Beautiful tapestries hung on the walls with finely painted pictures, the overall effect was a little over-stimulating. “Decked out more than a Salin whore.” Darius said as he gazed about.

            “I’m not entirely sure how I should take that.”  Darius turned to the steps.  On the landing stood a woman.  She wore a long blood red dress.  The sleeves were over- lengthened at the cuffs, hanging to her calves.  A slit went up the left side of her dress, revealing a long slender pale leg.  Her chest was stretching the limits of the fabric, but not the imagination.  Darius’ breath caught as he looked up to her face.

            Her features were finely carved on her face.  The cheeks were high and blushed, her eyes shone like twin sapphires.  The lips were full and as red as her dress. Long red hair appeared to burn around her head and shoulders.  Darius stared at her in awe for a moment.

            “Is something wrong?” She asked leaning towards him a bit.

            “I…I’m just surprised is all.” He stammered.

            “Oh? About what?”

            “Well were should I start?” He responded sarcastically. “Finding a beautiful woman living in a swamp, in a place that should be ruins and is anything but!”  The woman laughed as she walked down the steps.  She walked with a slow purposeful stride. Darius tried his best not to stare at the smooth beautiful legs as they moved, but failed horribly.

            “I guess it is a bit surprising.  As you can see though this is far from a ruin.  I lived here for many years.”

            “Isn’t this a rather dangerous place?” Darius’ breath caught in his throat again as she drew closer to him.  The sight of her was almost too much for him to bear.  He felt his blood warm at the merest glance at her.  Her scent sent it from warm to boiling.  It took every ounce of his will not to reach out and grab her.

            “Dangerous?   Perhaps, but…” She turned her head to look at him.  A sly smile played on her lips, “Then again I’m a dangerous woman.”

            “I doubt that!”

            “Hmmm.” She laughed.  She pulled a decanter out of a cabinet, along with two glasses.  She filled them with a reddish brown liquid, then handed Darius a glass.  Darius nearly dropped it when their fingers brushed, just for an instant.  “It must have been tough getting through Valitis.”

            “Not…not really.”

            “Modest, huh? Hahaha.” She said laughing.  The fire-haired vixen led him to one of the large sofas. “Come sit beside me.  It’s been awhile since I had visitors.”  Darius sat next to her, his hands shook as he did so.  She spoke to him with her soothing voice.  Slowly Darius became more comfortable, sipping liquor that he hardly tasted, staring into her eyes.   Each second he found it harder and harder to look away.  Reality began to slowly bleed out of view.  The beautiful wall coverings, the sofas, the tables, everything in the room faded from view.  For him there was only the woman.  Her presence intoxicated him more than the drink.  His hand went slack allowing his glass to tumble to the floor.  He vaguely heard it shatter on the floor as he fell into sleep.

 

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            Darius awoke to find he was lying on a bed. Glancing around, he saw he was on the other side of the room.  His sword had been removed along with his shirt and boots.  He felt weighted down, like he was underwater.  As he sat up, he saw the woman standing at the foot of the bed.  The sight of her returned that feverish desire.  As if responding to his unspoken desire she slowly climbed on the bed and moved on her knees until she was straddling over his stomach.  He sat, propped up on his elbows, starring at her.  He longed to touch her.  It would be she though who would initiate by cupping the back of his head with her left hand.  The small touch sent spikes of pleasure through Darius’ body.  His back arched as the sensation passed through him.  The woman seemed to draw equal pleasure from it as she leaned down and kissed him.

            Darius’ hand went into the mass of red hair.  The desire was uncontrollable now, she returned his attention in equal passion.  As he started to give into his desire other images began to fill Darius’ head.  Each flashed in his head, fragments of memories, and one after another.  He saw his first meeting with Lorna, followed by images of their time traveling together, each went by in rapid succession.  Soon the images began to affect him.  The desire was now mixed with an unpleasant feeling.  Each image brought with it the feeling of being trapped and suffocated.  He struggled to stop what he was doing.  He moved his head back and forth, trying to shake it off.

            “Don’t resist, its so much better if you don’t resist.” Her voice softly cooed.  As he struggled against her, the images continued on, even faster than before.  Soon the only thing he could tell about them was that Lorna was in each one.  The images suddenly stopped in a flash of pale green light.  Darius was no longer aware of the tower room, or the woman. There was only the pale green color all around him.  As he looked around he spotted two figures.

            One was kneeling on the ground and the other was standing directly behind it.  As he looked closer he was able to see each more clearly.  The standing figure was a young elf male.  His eyes were cast down at the person kneeling in front of him.  Darius could not believe his eyes when he saw who it was.

            Lorna!

            He saw his elven comrade with a look of defeat and humiliation.  He ran to her, to help her, but he saw the blade across her throat.  His heart sank as he saw part of the blade slice into her neck.  Her blood flowed over the silver sword in tiny rivers.

            “No!” He whispered.  Lorna lifted her eyes to him.  Darius felt positive that she was looking right at him.

            "I love you." She whispered to him.  The silver blade then disappeared into her neck.  Blood sprayed in its passing.

            “NOOOO!” He watched as her head fell to his feet.  Darius dropped to his knees, clutching the side of his head.  The pain he felt was unlike anything he had ever known.  His world was crumbling around him.

            “This can’t be real! This can’t be real!” He screamed. “Lorna!”

            The strange green surrounding him shattered like glass.  The shards fell all around him and the floor gave way and Darius fell as well.  All he could think of was Lorna.  The sickening feeling of sadness was fading into rage.  He saw her eyes, filled with defeat and anguish.  He then remembered the blade retreating into her throat, and the blood.  Her beautiful red blood, flowing all over the ground.  Each time he thought of it he felt a rage like never before.  A sudden burning sensation flared to life in his shoulder.  He grasped the skin and felt the heat from it.  He wouldn’t get time to contemplate it, because his thoughts stopped dead when he hit something cold and wet.

            Looking around he found himself in a puddle of slime-choked water.  The putrid water soaked into his pants, shirt, and boots.  It was as the pair of boots filled that he realized he now had everything on he had entered the tower with.  He even found his sword tucked into his belt.  Darius surveyed his surroundings as he rose.

            Once again he was in the tower room.  However, it was far different from when he first entered.  The beautiful paintings, tapestries, and furnishings were gone.  The clean white stone was also gone.  What replaced it was gray mud stained stones, moss, and several other kinds of vegetation, which fought for space on them.  The large staircase still remained, as did the landing it led to.  The ceiling and the upper portions of the tower were utterly gone.  Darius saw that several large stones were resting in broken sections of the floor and others in shallow pools of water.  Looking up he saw the azure blue had given way to the graying purple of twilight.  Bolts of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the darkness in the ruins. 

In one of those flashes he saw the windowpane was gone, a stone disc now in its place. It was a foot in diameter and made of silvery-gray stone.  On its face were the same arcane characters as the pane.  The center was a jewel surging with sharp points of light.  The light pulsed in synch' with the lightning overhead.

            “Why?” A voice asked.  Darius looked at the base of the stairs to see the woman on her hands and knees.  She faced the floor as she spoke, “Why did you have to resist? Wouldn’t it have been better had you just given into me?”  Her voice had a strange sound.  The soft sensual voice she had used before now seemed to be overlaid with another.  Only this one was much colder.  The voice wasn’t the only change that had occurred.

            Her appearance was now different as well.  Her dress had become darker and appeared harder.  Light pooled on its surface, like the dark colored scales of a dragon.  Slowly she rose from her knees, revealing that her dress had become leg cover.  Once he saw her fully standing, Darius realized that her dress was actually a scaled outer layer.  The same dark red scales covered the sides of her face and neck.  The eyes were now an amber color with horizontally shaped pupils.  Darius eyes widened as one more of her features altered itself.  With a snapping and popping sound, two large scaled wings sprouted from her back.  They spanned several feet.  After stretching them for a few moments, she enfolded herself with them.  She looked at Darius for a few moments before turning away. The creature climbed the steps to the landing.

            “What are you?” Darius asked in horror.

            “I am what you think I am.” She responded.

            “What kind of creature are you?  What foul magic made you?”

            “Hehehe.” She chuckled. “Just like you I was born...just not on Kryastal.”

            “What?!”

            “I was born in the Dimulata.  I’m a demon born and raised.  I now live on this realm, here is where the tastiest souls are.”

            “You eat souls?!”

            “In manner of speaking.”  She had reached the landing and began circling the disc. “Most never become aware of what I do.  They gave in to the temptation.  To date only one has ever resisted.”  She gave him a glance.  “Strange though, I would like to know what kind of woman gave you the power to break my illusion.”

            “Of course!” Darius muttered. Everything from the moment I saw the tower until now was all an illusion! He thought. But that means  what I saw happen to Lorna was one too.  Darius’s jaw clenched in anger. “Why did you show me the illusion of Lorna?!” The woman stopped and gave him a puzzled look.

            “What are you talking about?”

            “Don’t play dumb with me!”

            “I can assure you I am quite done playing.  As for this other illusion, I am innocent.  The only one I used was to change the appearance of these ruins.  Anything else was unnecessary.”

            As Darius thought it over it did seem to make sense.  She had had him, he probably would have given himself to her. If only he had not began to see those images.  Then that nightmarish scene of Lorna, the look in her eyes, he would always remember that. What does this mean?  If it wasn’t her then who or what?

            “I do hate to interrupt, but I’m not done yet.”  Darius returned his attention to the demon woman.  His hand slowly moves to his sword. “I still intend to take you, only now it will be far less pleasant.  Before that though I am curious as to why you came here in the first place.”

            “What does that matter?”

            “It really doesn’t.  I’m just curious is all.”

            “I was after something.”

            “Ah, you mean this.”  She motioned to the disc.  “My little charm.  So, the guild is preparing to once again bind Kagero eh?”

            “You know about that?!”

            “I was old when that happened, boy.  A demon is ageless!  I guess he’ll have to choose a better warrior to get it next time.”  The wings flew open.  “Now I feast!”

            She leapt from the landing and dove towards Darius in a glide.  He locked himself in a stance as he drew his sword and awaited her.  Just as she reached him, he threw himself into a forward roll.  Darius righted himself as he came out of the tumble, then ran for the stairs.

            The demon woman saw his movement at the last moment.  She twisted her wings up to break her glide, as she slowed her legs came forward.  The clawed and scaled feet sparked as they skidded on the stone floor, and then she twisted so she could see where he had gone. The demoness spotted the fighter running up the staircase. “Oh, no you don’t!” She said leaping from her twisted stance into the air.  With a quick snap she righted herself into a proper flying position.  Once again the demon woman dived for Darius.

            Darius ran up the stone steps as fast as he could.  His heart was pounding, his lungs burned, and his side ached.  Damn! What the hell did she do to me? I feel so tired.  As he ran, the sound of heavy movement came from below.  A large snap of wind made him stop and look over his shoulder.  He saw her diving after him and quickly turned back to run away, but as his foot touched the edge of the step it crumbled.  The sudden shift caused him to lose his footing and slide down several steps.  A second later the demon passed slightly above him.

            She almost crashed face first into the steps.  The demon quickly and forcefully arched her upper body.  This gave her just enough momentum to glide up the steps, rather then into them.  The force of the incline now restricted her new flight pattern.  If she tried to make any other moves she would risk crashing into the steps that were only an inch below her.  She shot like an arrow into the night sky.  Her flight carried her well into the swamp before she could turn herself around. Darius took advantage of the time he had accidentally bought for himself.

            The moment she cleared the ruins, Darius was scrambling to the landing.  After a few false starts he was able to regain enough balance to reach the landing.  He halted once he saw the disc.  It floated, bobbing up and down, above the ground as if it were in a tank of water.  Though made of stone it had a metallic gleam about it.  Darius gazed to the crystal center.

            From below it had seemed to pulse with a light.  However, now that he was closer, it looked more like a lightning storm raging inside of it.  The movement of the light within was chaotic.  Once again he notice the lightning that had been raging above while he had been distracted by the demon.  Of course, how could I be so stupid!  He used the power of the elements to make these things.  This must be powered by thunder and lightning!  Slowly he reached out to it.  Touching it with the tips of his fingers, he stopped.  There was no pain, just the hairs on his arm standing on end as he felt the field of static around it.  It was almost a pleasant sensation that brought a smile to his face.  The smile died when a winged figure grew on the horizon.  He had lingered too long.  Darius grabbed the disc and turned to run.  As he did so one of the stone blocks that made up the landing exploded next to him.

            Looking down he saw smoke rising from the broken stone.  As it cleared he saw that, though blasted, the ground had no scorch markings; just broken stone.  He whipped his head around to see that the demon was almost upon him.  She was tossing small red blasts of energy at him.  Several streaked by him and crashed against the floor.  The explosions shook the stone stairs.  He tried to keep his footing, but as he stumbled something large flew overhead.

            “Oh, shit!”  He cursed as the demon passed.  She made a tight turn to bring herself around. Darius was quickly stumbling down the steps; she swooped down after him.  Moving even quicker she made up the distance, and bore down on him repeating her earlier landing procedures.  Only this time her feet caused a shower of stone fragments instead of sparks.  The force of her landing shook the ground and knocked Darius onto his back.  He almost lost the disc, but was somehow able to hold on.  He looked up into her cold murderous eyes.  There was a dry, dusty scent around, it made Darius think of ancient things.

            The demon grasped his throat with her red scaled hand.  She pulled him closer to her face and looked him over a minute.  “It’s hard to believe that someone like you could have lasted this long against me.  I wonder where that strength comes from?”  The grip tightened as Darius struggled even more.  His throat was becoming raw from the lack of air.  “Now how about that kiss you owe me?  Or maybe perhaps this woman who gives you your strength.  Lorna I believe you said her name was.” Darius froze, staring at her in terror.  “Someone with that much influence over you will have a powerful soul, and I must taste it.  Savor it.”  Darius’s face tightened in rage, as did his grip on the disc.  He vaguely felt the burning sensation returning to his shoulder.  The heat there went unnoticed due to the fire in his soul.  The static field flared to life around the disc, only this time much more intense than before.

            The hair on the back of his neck raised.  Loose strands of his hair lifted up, the field rapidly gained strength.  Soon every hair on his body stood straight up.  It was as if his body was charged with lightning.  His eyes never left the demon woman.

            “What the hell is this?” She cried in astonishment.  Several sharp flares of light escaped the disc’s crystal heart.  It then went silent, but for a moment, before a thick blast of lightning surged from the crystal into her chest.  The blast forced the demon away, screaming in pain.  It poured continuously from the disc into her chest until it knocked her into one of the stone walls.  With a thunderous crash, the wall collapsed on top of her.  The falling wall pulled a good deal of its connecting walls down as well.  Soon the stone stairs, its walls, and most of the floor were all that was left of the ancient ruins.

            Darius quickly moved down the steps.  He figured he could make it into the swamp before she could get out of the rubble.  If he got far enough he could hide from her--at least he thought he could.  As he crawled over the rubble to get out, the battered warrior heard several rocks shift.  A few feet from him a small mound of broken stones heaved up and down.  Within less than a minute the stones flew up and away, as she rose with a roar from underneath.

            “Damnit!” He swore.

            Her mood appeared to be no better.  The face was a mask of hate and pain.  Taking in her condition, the reason for the pain was obvious.  Her left wing was broken.  The light bones that composed it were poking out through the scaled skin.  The thin webbing was torn on both wings, more drastically on the broken one.  The unscaled portions of her face were scraped and bleeding.  Her blood was dark and had a purplish tint to it.  Even with all that, it was the wound at her chest that drew the weary fighter's attention. The bolt had heavily burned the area from her cleavage to her stomach.  A deep charred crater appeared there.  As she breathed lines would crack open and seep that purple blood.  Parts of her ribs were visible under the charred surface.

             Damn! He didn’t tell us they could do something like that!

            “Never before have I been hurt like this!  I shall be sure to pay you back before I kill you!”

            Even wounded as bad as it was, the demon still had good speed.  Darius was barely able to dodge her.  Though fast, the wound still hurt enough to slow her recovery from the failed attack.  She stopped as her wound flared with pain.  Only got one shot Darius, make it count.  He drew his sword and held it backwards so the blade pointed at an angle behind him at the ground. Once again she charged at him and once again Darius sidestepped her, turning his back to her as he did so.  The demon expected this and changed her movement. With a sudden flexing of his wrist, Darius brought the sword up and into her.  The sword plunged deep into the demon woman as she ran herself onto it.  With a jerk upwards, its edge passed easily through the charred wound.  She looked at him in astonishment, before falling to the ground.  Her body slid off the sword as effortlessly as it went on it.  Rivers of her dark purple blood flowed onto the ruined wall.  Her eyes remained open, gazing at the heavens.

 

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            Before leaving Darius had set fire to her body, ensuring her death.  He made his way through the darkening swamp.  The swamp’s inhabitants kept at bey because of the presence of the disk.  The disk also increased his running speed and stamina. In half the time it had taken to reach the ruins, the muck splattered warrior reached the dew covered grass at the swamps edge.  He laid down on his back and stared at the stars of the night.

            “I can’t believe it!” He giggled exhaustedly.  “Thank Tenaria that’s over with!”

            “Your thanks are premature.” A cold voice said.  Darius bolted upright and looked for his visitor.  Shadows covered everything on the grassy field, blocking most of it from his view.  Carefully he rose to his feet, the disc in one hand and his sword in the other. Something cold, strong, and metallic wrapped around his around his throat.  He was lifted off of his feet, sword and disc thudded as they fell from his grip onto the grass.  His airway was choked off.  He struggled to break the hold, but each movement only served to make him weaker.  Soon the edges of his vision went black.

            What’s going on here?! Who…is…this?

            Darius’s world faded to black.

 

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