Ruination

The first to move He had known was with Him and counted on His prompt alliance. Raj stepped forward before any could move and dropped to a kneel in front of the Questor. My Lord, You didn't have to ask, I am with You always." He turned to His cadre, raising an eyebrow in the fashion of the Questor.

Almost as one the leaders of the Eagles moved next to Raj their Prince, dropping into a kneel beside Him they each pledged their lives, their talons and their wills to the Questor.

As the Questor smiled at these warriors who defended the heights of the Valley so well, the young monk who had brought Him the summons to the meeting moved forward and threw himself at the Questor's feet. "My liege, I wish to join You and these brave Eagles in whatever comes. The Questor silently noticed that the monk had lost that stammer and had a look in his eyes that belied his tender years. This would be a good lad in a fight. He hoped He wouldn't die too soon.

One by one each of the upper monks moved forward and bowed, we are always at Your behest Questor, You are the Master and the Chosen, simply speak and We will be there.

Finally, there was a noise at the back of the room. A sharp gasp reached the Questor's ears and He looked up. She was here ... fireinnereyes was dressed for war, her bow on her back, her sword and cane close at hand, none of the silks of a pleasure slave, this was a warrior princess, trained and honed by the Questor's own hands. "I'm coming My Master!" she said quietly and without question.

He stared at her for a minute, pride filling His eyes ... love gracing His heart and soul, and then He replied. "You are not girl." Before she could protest, He simply stated, you will protect O/our home, the valley and the Palace, this is your charge. We will be marching to meet the Monster and there may be trouble here while We are gone."

A soft tear fell from her eye, but she was a good girl. "Yes Master, I shall obey of course ... but you must make Me a promise."

"What is it girl?" the Questor replied?

Her head bent, her voice quavered, and then she said in a sweet clear voice that wrenched the heart of every Man in the room, "Come Home." With that she turned and walked back to T/their quarters and cried.

They planned strategy late into the night, until the sun started to rise over the Eastern Mountains. This morning the sunrise was a sickly color, the Darkness twisting the light and making strange shadows everywhere. They would leave in two days; the Questor had one more card to play before they departed.

In a dark circle deep in the jungle a black cloud issued forth, strange sounds were heard, nearby trees died. When the cloud began to clear there was a strange gate. Dark, menacing and evil it sang a song of hatred and destruction.

Ruination was coming .....................

The Questor rode out as the sun tried to rise over the mountains. The sickly colors of the clouds did not bode well. An unease had settled over all in the valley and erstwhile friends were snapping at each other this morning. Slavegirls cried as their Masters prepared their weapons for war, monks were even more silent than normal and the fear in the eyes of the valley people was palpable.

The Questor leaned over the neck of His great black Stallion Dragonbinder. Born and bred in the High Himalayas he had the chest of a bull, the stamina of a giant, and the ferocious nature of the Tiger. No Man had ever ridden Dragonbinder, he simply deigned to carry the Questor, yet there was a bond and a love like no Man or Horse has ever had for another.

"It's time to visit the Dale old friend", the Questor said into His ear. "Hopefully it will not be the last time."

They blazed down the hills and through the deep dark jungle surrounding the holy place of the Questor. Neither of Them noticed the Eagle soaring overhead until they reached the Dale and the Questor threw Himself off Dragonbinder to face the woods.

He looked into the dark trees and saw the eyes of the Tiger Clan guards peering back at Him. As He stepped forward to greet them the wings of the Eagle flapped and the golden bird landed next to Him. A brief moment later Raj stood by His Liege and Friend. A roar erupted from the jungle as one of the Tigers trained to protect the Dale rushed forward at the sight of the stranger. As he raced close the Questor raised His hand and stopped the Tiger in its tracks.

The Tiger paced back and forth nervously watching the Eagle until the Questor gestured it closer. As the Tiger moved next to the Questor, He ran His hand over its massive head. Skritching behind its ears He knelt down and stared into its eyes. The Tiger gazed back and the Eagle noticed the similarity of the two great Warriors as they bonded. Finally, the Questor rose and pulled Raj next to the Tiger, holding Raj's arm out He allowed the Tiger to capture His scent. "This is one of Mine, He is My right arm and you will honor that bond Cat." The Tiger looked at the Eagle, smelling the feathers inside the skin and snuffed, and then the long rough tongue reached out and licked His hand. Raj smiled, Eagle and Tiger allies, what an unusual chain of events.

"I have need of your brethren Tiger, the ones who live deep in the jungle and have not sworn fealty to Me. I know this is much to ask, but there is a danger coming that will affect Us all."

The Tiger watched and listened, His green eyes glittering, a questioning look in the cock of his head.

"The Ruination is coming again Tiger, the death of many Men, Eagles and Tigers is upon Us, even more threatening is the death of the jungle and the emptiness of life that will bring. The Eagles are with Us, the monks are ready, and soldiers from the valley are already in training. There is need for the Sentinels of the Jungle, the Prince of Beasts that rules your clan must be convinced. My pet, take My message ... We march tomorrow, the Darkness lies to the East. We cannot wait, but hope that your clan will join Us before it is too late."

The Tiger turned and raced to the edge of the forest, looking back over his shoulder and then as was their way, slipping into the jungle unseen, unheard, and sped to the task at hand.

The Questor turned to the Eagle, "gather Your men My Friend, We leave tomorrow. Kiss your women goodbye, hug your little ones. The time for Heroes is upon Us. Many of Us will not return. Pray to your gods for victory and make love one last time."

Whereupon the Questor leaped back on the Stallion and rode back up the trail to the Palace. He stormed into the Main Hall .. "where is My girl!!"

Startled monks and Warriors turned to see the Questor, dressed for war, striding through the Palace eyes a blazing blue.

He found her looking out over a palace wall at the rising darkness in the East ... He quietly slid up behind her and wrapped His arms around her, His hands joining at her waist and pulling her back against His tall strong frame. A tear dropped from her eye onto His arm and with a little catch in His own voice He said, "turn now fire, look at Me."

The beauty of her took His breath, her eyes sliding slowly up from under sad lids to fix on His. He bent to kiss her softly then held her out at arms length. "My love, you asked for a promise in the Hall yesterday. This I swear, as long as there is breath and life in Me, I will find a way back to you."

She fixed her eyes on Him, "Master, you must ... I cannot bear to be without You. I am merely a little slavegirl whose life purpose is to please You."

"Girl, you will never be merely anything, you are My love, My life, My heart, My very soul. I as well cannot survive without you. Now, come .. We have one last night before I must go."

He lifted her gently into His arms and carried her into the solitude of Their quarters. Anyone listening that night would have heard soft sighs, sad tears, cries of delight and roars of pleasure till late into the morning.

As He rose to dress she slid out of the bed and embraced Him from behind. Her breasts flattened against His muscles. Her arms searching Him, memorizing every inch and then sliding down into His slacks to grab His manhood. He turned slowly back to her and bent, whispering in her ear, "I adore you girl, keep Our home safe. Defend it like the warrior queen you are. I shall return, this I swear."

He strode out the door to the gathering of Men and Eagles and monks in the courtyard without looking back, she dropped to her knees and wept for the ones who would die and prayed for the ones who would return damaged and soul shaken. Most of all she prayed for the return of her Master, the one Man in the entire world that could touch her soul.

The group in the courtyard mounted, they passed through the Palace gates and the war was set.

Deep in the woods, the Dark Gate glowed, strange forms issued silently from it. Small, large, misshapen, beautiful and grotesque alike, the creatures of the Ruination came forth, hungry for blood and souls and tears and fear.

Inside the Evil smiled and danced ............

The army of the Questor rode down out of the Palace onto the jungle floor, the Darkness was closer by the day and He feared that the Ruination was closer than He suspected. An impressive troop, the group left the Palace with high spirits, singing songs of war and victory. The leaders of the groups allowed them to enjoy themselves for now, no reason to share the fear that would soon be coursing through them at the hands of the Ruination.

The plan was to move through the jungle with a minimum of noise and disruption, difficult to do when you were leading over a thousand Men, most dressed in armor with swords clanking and armor creaking.

The Questor soon saw that the plan was not going to work, the noise of their approach warned the enemy so they could flee or even worse, set traps. Three horses, a Knight and two monks fell to various obstacles, both straightforward as traps and magical like flesh eating insects never seen in this part of the jungle. For the sake of expediency the Questor and His lead advisors decided to separate, continuing East where it was obvious the Enemy was massing, hoping to come upon them silently and with deadly intent.

The groups split into four, the Eagles because of their freedom and clear vision took to the skies, watching the Darkness and searching the canopy of the jungle for movements of troops. The soldiers and Knights of the Questor massed together, lances and swords ready, horses eager for combat moved through the jungle like a mass four times their size. The monks, trained in ancient ways of combat unseen by any not from the inner circle, traveled silent and ghostlike as they melted into the trees and crept forward almost invisibly.

Finally, the Questor, dismounted from Dragonbinder and stripped to His skins, Bowie and Sword He was the deadliest creature possible. His powerful, lithe frame moved like the Tigers, His eyes had the clarity of the Eagles, and the superior training of the monks only served to enhance gifts ceded to Him by the Ruination when He was captive and an experiment. He moved through the jungle, both on the ground and in the branches above like a flitting shadow ... looking and listening for the first sign of the enemy.

The soldiers found them first ... apparently the noise had attracted a small band of creatures wending their way Westward. They attacked quickly and savagely. Two rat women like creatures with savage teeth and broken jagged claws and a huge ape armed with an axe the size of a small tree. The rat women came in low and fast, gutting two horses and tearing at the throats of the Knights who tumbled beneath them. The ape was much less circumspect, driving through the ranks swinging the great axe to and fro, destroying armor and beheading or maiming the few who dared to stand in front of it. In a manner of moments ten Men were down, horses were bucking and rearing, soldiers were standing back to back trembling as the three beasts closed in on them.

The ape never saw it coming, Raj shooting down from what was left of the sun, talons full out, razor sharp tips covering them, His eyes a bright golden hue that lit up the clearing and gave hope to the ones who saw Him. His talons dug straight into the ape's eyes, His beak rending and tearing at the flesh between. The battle cry of the Eagle bringing others with Him until the air was full of the beating of wings, screams and rent flesh.

As His followers left and returned to the heights, Raj landed and transformed into a Man, tall, blonde, eyes still golden and walked among the wounded and dying. Speaking to them all as equals, holding the hand of one youngster who died looking into those magical orbs, and bringing hope and courage to the survivors. When He was sure that the troops could continue on, He transformed back and in the midst of the transformation leaped into the air, His head turning back and the change burning itself into the mind of all who watched. Truly it was a time for Heroes.

In the meantime, the monks scattered deeper into the forest, drawn by the Evil like magnets of opposite polarity and the Questor continued His hunt for the source.

Inside the Dark Gate the Ruination laughed and dressed for war. Soon the full darkness would be upon Them and His most fearsome creatures could roam at will.

There was blood on the ground today ...............

While the Questor was fighting His way back to the Palace and reuniting with fireinnereyes for a night of love before the War to come, Suha was dragging her feet on the way to meet with The Ruination.

Even as she found her way into the haunted area of the jungle the Dark Gate appeared. Her heart sank as she neared the portal; the air issuing from it was fetid and blotted out any thoughts. She knew as certain as the beat of her dark heart that The Ruination was waiting for her. There would be a report and then there would be consequences. They would be excruciating, both physically and mentally and the scars would remain on her soul forever.

For a few short seconds she flashed back to an earlier time. As an Eagle, she had been free to ride the mountain winds. She had made love in the air, had born a son above the valley of the Questors, life had been good.

Then the General of the Ruination had captured her and a number of the other Eagle women, taking them to His Master. She would never forget the blank look on the Questor's face as The Ruination changed her and twisted her and maligned her very being, then slaughtered her sisters before her eyes. The other day she had seen something in His eyes that had shaken her to her core. The Questor was whole. He had redeemed Himself somehow and was at peace with the Monster He had been.

She thought again of that young Eagle she had given birth to all those years before. What had He grown to be, was He a good Man? Sighing, she stepped through the dark Gate and gathered her nerve. She would never know she suspected, and now it was time to answer to the Ruination.

The Darkness enveloped her as she passed into Its realm. The cold of Its evil seeping through to her bones and her heart. She stood still in the midst of a dark space and listened, then heard the slithering dank sound as It took form and approached her. A hissing, sibilant voice this time (It could sound like anything) said, "The Questor, tell Me how did He die?"

She could tell by Its voice that it knew everything, and her head bowed in fear. "My Lord, He was alive when last I saw Him. He killed all my men and burned down the Hold."

She couldn't tell what the sound was that The Ruination made a chuckle, a hiss, a growl? She knew however that It was not amused. The Questor had driven It back into the dark abyss that it came from the last time and almost slain It. Even more than she, The Ruination feared and hated The Questor.

Her dread was complete when she felt cold hands grab her and lift her off the ground. The Beast was hungry, she could sense it. It knew that nothing was more vile to her than Its touch and to be forced to have sex with It.

It drew her to It and she suddenly saw the shape it had taken, appropriate ... The Serpent. Its reptilian face close to hers, the tongue of the Beast licking up the side of her face felt like acid against her skin. They lifted off the ground together and as the Beast entered her she wept for the first time since she had been changed. For some reason that look in The Questor's eyes flashed before her and she growled with envy, to be whole, to be complete again, she would give anything.

The Beast took her growl as pleasure and grinned evilly as It used her body for Its pleasure. Piercing her again and again with Its vile tool it finally spit Its foul seed into her and dropped her to the ground in a heap.

Drifting away it spoke over Its shoulder, "don't disappoint Me again Suha, I want The Questor ... Dead!"

She lay on the floor and wept and finally sleeping dreamt of the sky and the winds and a young Eagle learning to fly.

When she arose, she called for the Blue Warrior ...

The monks were silent wraiths, able to move through the jungle, over the mountains even through the open without being seen. Trained from childhood in the fine arts of kung-fu and Chinese magic, they were individually fearsome forces to contend with. In a group they had never been defeated. Few could hold their own against a mature Questor monk; fewer still were those who talked about it after the fact.

The jungle was oddly silent when the small band of six monks passed through the clearing and into the jungle on the other side. Their senses told them that something was amiss, but none of them could pinpoint the danger and they put it aside as nerves. This was understandable under the conditions, the Ruination was every man's nightmare wrapped into one and some of them remembered the previous war. It had cost them many lives and many years of training new monks to regain the strength of the brotherhood to its present level. Many monks had disappeared during the last great battle, their bodies missing, their families still seeking answers. Thoughts of what might have happened to them were enough to send a shudder through the strongest, it would be better to die than to be taken by the Ruination.

The day was turning nice, strange when the sky was still so dark... but the temperature was comfortable under the leaves and a small stream running by provided cool fresh water.

The leader of the small troop stopped them and told them to take a break, observing of course protocol of security to make sure they weren't taken by surprise. It had been a long difficult trip so far and several of the monks rested in the roots of the large banyans surrounding the stream. Two monks, the leader of the troop and the young man who had brought the news of the council to the Questor watched the woods and listened for anything out of the ordinary.

With their eyes and ears trained on the forest, neither of them noticed the figure that rose from the stream, seemingly from the water coalescing until it stood on the shore and watched them boldly.

The youth noticed him first and shouted to the leader. The monks who had drunk from the water and were laying in the roots of the trees lay there as if drugged, aware of what was happening but unable to move.

The blue clad warrior stepped forward and in a low voice stated simply, "you should not have come monks, you'd be better off in the temple playing with candles and scrolls."

Then he attacked. His speed and moves were blinding, obviously trained by monks but with speed that no one but the Questor Himself could match and a strength that was terrifying. As he engaged the leader, his hands flew out in a double strike move that literally threw the monk 20 ft back to crash into a tree. By the time the monk recovered from the blow and had lifted himself to his feet the warrior was on him, a sweep kick taking him back down and a stomp to his skull leaving him quite dead.