The Ancient Prophecy Ch. 12b

"Beware, Atrus, don't let your anger cloud your mind..." Calem said carefully.

"I don't care, let's just get over with this!" Atrus said quickly. He took a stride toward the north before doubling over, holding his chest and coughing heavily. "Damn," he cursed.

Anna quickly came to his aid and eased his breathing with her magic. Atrus nodded in gratitude to her, and then turned toward the others. The Elf, the Dwarf, the Fairy, and the Wizard were all there, staring at him with concern in their eyes. The normal Atrus would have stopped and asked what was wrong, but the anger driven Atrus would not. He was quite annoyed.

"What are you waiting for? We have a realm to save! Come on!"

The party hesitated, as they all took turns to glance at Anna. Anna was quite speechless to the change in Atrus' personality. While she could understand his anger and sadness of losing his teacher, she could never expect to see him that mad. She just nodded to everyone.

"Atrus," Calem spoke up. "I do have something I must perform. I haven't donated my part of the soul. Will you allow me to give you my part?"

"Go ahead, Old Man, and do it quick," Atrus said, but hesitated. "You're not planning on dying, are you?"

For a moment the group thought Atrus was trying to make a joke, but his serious stare changed their mind. "No, of course not," Calem replied.

He then approached Atrus, put his hand on Atrus' shoulder and invoked the Lifeleech spell. Instantly Atrus felt refreshing mist entering his veins, numbing his pain and strengthening his muscles. He nodded at him approvingly.

"Well, I'm ready now," Atrus said. "Shall we go?"

"We will catch you up," Calem said. "We need to pack our camp first. You and Adriana can go first. We will catch you up in ten minutes or so."

Anna quickly noticed Calem's hard glare and turned to Atrus. "Come on, honey. I'll help you along..."

"I can walk on my own!" Atrus said gruffly, and began walking away.

Anna stared at him sadly for a moment, saddened by the rejection. The rest of the group looked at her with sympathy, but said nothing. Slowly she began to follow him toward the north, where their destination lay.

"Poor Adriana..." Aurelia the Elf said. "How could he hurt her feeling like that!"

"I'm telling you, that kiddo is not himself!" Holgreb commented. "He seems... possessed. Must be one of those Gods thingy."

"We must understand him," Calem said. "He's being ripped apart."

"Ripped apart? How?" The Elf asked again.

"This is to fulfill Lord Guardian's prophecy. Agony beyond imagination will threaten him. He will be tortured from inside out. Only then will he be ready to accept his destiny."

"I can understand him," Lynn said softly. "I felt the same way when I lost Falstoff." She turned to Calem. "I owe you one for beating me back to my senses."

Calem smiled. "No trouble at all."

"So who can beat him back to his senses?" Holgreb asked.

Aurelia sighed. "I'm sure Adriana can do it. But I fear she's just too heartbroken to do so. Poor Adriana..."

"She loves him so dearly she's willing to die for him," Lynn said. "Adriana loves him, Captain White Lion honors him, Lord Falagor died for him, and the Gods chose him. I too will lay down my life to see him fulfill his destiny."

"Right," Aurelia nodded. "Perhaps, then, he will find refuge from his sadness."

"Don'cha worry, I'll protect him like a hawk!" Holgreb said. "Well, enough talk! Let's follow the kid!"

And they did follow him.

King Roberto, riding his horse, couldn't help but gasp.

Before him was the vast landscape of the countryside around the city of Stromgarde the capital city of Aragon. But instead of farmlands, the land was covered with thousands of beings from all major races of the realm. This time, instead of fighting each other, however, they were all here for a common cause, their very own survival. Human Knights, Pikemen, Archers, and Rangers stood side by side with the Dwarven folks, consisting of their proud Axemen, fearless Berserkers, and Crossbowmen. The Wizards, consisting of many races in their ranks, were all ready with their own spell books in their hand. And at the other side of the realm, Roberto knew, the Fairies would be ready to support the troops with their heavenly songs.

He stared at them with pride. This was indeed the Alliance Army. Or half of it.

Riding next to him was a squire, desperately trying to ride properly. He was tasked to carry King Roberto's prized weapon, the gigantic Kaiser Sword. With the size of four feet in length and a foot in width, the blade was quite a bulky burden to carry, especially if one didn't know how to carry it properly. Most people will be amazed at Roberto's ability to wield the sword with ease.

Following on his other side was a war chariot, but the one riding on it was more important. Princess Maya Murdock, the future queen of Aragon and the second-in-command for the Alliance Army, stood proud on the chariot, watching in awe on so many men and women ready for battle. She wore a full set of studded leather armor with ring padding around her chest and waist. The armor bore the symbol of the Kingdom of Aragon, fresh from the castle forge. While she had no real military experience, she stood with such confidence that elicited awe and respect from the soldiers and military commanders.

Riding along with the group was the newly promoted Commander Hawk, the Supreme Commander of the Alliance Army, in control of all five races in the army. He rode proud on his horse, carrying his long spear. An old Dwarven general named Kerish was riding a chariot, leading his Dwarven army. The stable master had tried to assign him a pony, and failed, to the general's embarrassment. Besides, it was said that the general preferred to lead the army on foot, marching along with his men.

Riding behind him was Garmeon, the temporary Arch-Wizard of the Magi. He was going to lead the mages in the battle. Sign of weariness was apparent in his face. Only days ago, the wizards had lost their second home in the Northern Peninsula to the demons. The wizard was now ready to repay his losses. Behind him was the war hero, the reinstated Commander White Lion, the leader of the Human Ranger detachment. After so many years, Atrus' foster father finally put his enchanted white armor back on. The legendary Holy Sword was back in his hand, and his old bow was again strapped on his back.

Missing from the group of leaders was Lyra the Fairy, leader of the Fairies. She would be joining the group at the battlefield. The Elves had already begun fortifying their position in Elom, and it was rumored that Prince Farn himself would be leading it. Finally, Priestess Rosa from the Holy Order of Lycra had also promised to join the army in Elom, along with her ranks of priestesses of Lycra.

As the group rode away from the protective walls of Stromgarde, the entire Alliance Army roared together, demonstrating their eagerness to go to battle. Roberto stared at the ocean of troops lining up before him, with pride and pity mixed together. Most of these troops, he knew, were villagers whose family members had been killed throughout the war. While there were people with true dedication to their cause, such as White Lion's Rangers and the Elven troops, all were respectable armies with the sole purpose of defending their homeland and the realm. But the rest were either mercenaries looking for gold and fame, or conscripts seeking for vengeance. The latter concerned him the most, since undisciplined, anger-driven troops were very hard to control, and therefore, very hard to be kept alive.

In this case, Maya's advice in having Hawk as the leader of the Human army was indeed sound. Hawk, unlike other young commanders, possessed unique leadership skills that impressed friends and foes alike. He would charge forward, and his men would follow suit, screaming like crazy. He would fall back, and his men would retreat slowly, without anyone leaving the formation or running away from the battle. Since Hawk was going to be busy as the Supreme Commander of the Alliance Army, Commander White Lion would be taking over the responsibility if necessary. Again, everyone respected the war hero and would certainly obey him to the letter.

Dwarven General Kerish fidgeted uneasily on his chariot. "Are you sure this is going to work, King Roberto?"

Roberto just smiled. They were going to do the craziest thing one would ever think of in tinkering around with magic. The use of Dimension Door spell as a means of transportation was quite common for a mid level mage. The spell would create a magical tunnel breaching through the fabric of time and space, making a trip between two places separated by thousands of miles possible in a very short time.

This time they were going to try something different. They were not only going to send a person into the dimension tunnel. They were going to march the entire Alliance Army into the tunnel and send them across the continent, all the way to the valley near the remnants of Mount Karigor, in the Elven land of Elom. Roberto's own brainchild, this plan would cut the army traveling time to almost nothing, giving them more time to rest up and fortify the battlefield. Doing so, however, would require full concentration of at least a full detachment of experienced mages, as the energy required to maintain such anomaly of time and space would normally be enormous.

And Kerish, just like other typical Dwarves, was not as familiar with magic as anybody else. The fact that this whole stunt was freaking him out was quite normal.

"Don't worry, General," Roberto glanced at Garmeon. "I'm sure our wizard allies know what they're doing. Our names will go down in history."

"As heroes or as dead fools?" the Dwarf asked.

Roberto chuckled. "As very successful guinea pigs."

The Dwarf didn't get the joke and swallowed hard. But after the entire group exploded in laughter, he let out an annoyed groan and produced a little smile. A practical joke at such troubled time was always welcomed. The weary generals could definitely use some breathing room.

But Roberto threw his gaze back to his soldiers. How many of these people will remain alive after the war, he thought. Would I be one of them? This war had taken a toll in his life, and he just wanted to finish it. But they were incapable to do so. The purpose of this war was just to distract the demonic army long enough for Atrus and his companions to do their part. If Atrus failed to seal off the Gate to the Underworld, this war would be lost.

He caught Maya staring at him in concern. He knew she understood his fear. She could only beckon him to trust in Atrus' ability. The fact that Atrus was indeed the Champion of the Guardian gave him little peace, but nothing more.

He could only trust him. That's all.

Lord Daemon dismissed his subordinates with a simple swipe of his hand. He was tired. He was tired of this war. Moreover, he was tired of losing this war. This time, he had to win.

And his plan was flawless. There was no possible way that he could lose. The demonic army would come in legions, effectively overrunning the realm with overwhelming numbers. As soon as the portal between the Underworld and this realm was established, nothing could stop them. That pitiful ragtag Alliance Army would definitely challenge them, but they were just delaying the inevitable. Their troops would fall before the powerful demonic army, and their tormented souls would be fitting decorations to the halls of the Underworld. Then, once again, Agamesh his lord could demote the Gods and rule the realm with iron fist.

He approached the one who had captivated his heart and kept him company for years of his reign of terror.

"How are you feeling, my dearest Gaea?" he asked mischievously. "Have you considered my proposal yet?"

"Don't waste your effort, demon," she scolded. "Your demise is at hand."

Goddess Gaea, the protector of the realm, was still strapped on her humiliating throne. The throne was just a long horizontal padded board where she rested her body against. It had no seat. The captured goddess was hung by her arms over her head, while both her legs were hoisted up toward both corners of the wall, revealing her privates to all eyes and providing easy access to the demon lord should he wish to defile her. She was wearing a dress made from smooth, thin, see-through material that lightly covered her body, but still provided easy access to any hands. A steel band adorned with imitation gems circled her forehead, serving as a crown, in a mocking way, of course. The crown was also to remind her that once the Lord of Darkness seized the lordship of the realm from the Gods, she would be Daemon's, serving him unwillingly forever.

The final battle was at hand, and her fate was to be decided. And Lord Daemon seemed to take delight in crushing every hint of hope she might find.

Daemon casually kneaded her breast and pinched her left nipple playfully. "Of course, you are still expecting your so-called savior to come and set you free."

"Actually, I don't want to be free," she replied coldly. "I only need to see him slay you, and my desire is fulfilled."

Daemon just grinned. "I still don't understand you, my dear. You have such great honor of being here with me. You know that pawn of mine... what's her name...? Ursula! You know what she's doing now? I don't think servicing the lust of hundreds of Orcs and Goblins in their bloody dirty barracks really appeals to you."

Gaea saw her chance and didn't waste it. "Honestly, serving those critters would be thousands times much desirable than even seeing your face, Lord Daemon."

With speed unperceivable to normal eyes, the slap came hard, drawing a loud shriek from the defeated Goddess. While her divine properties prevented the blow from drawing blood, the bruise was painful enough to get her to sob pitifully. Within hours, the bruise would heal. This was one of many advantages of being divine that she came to despise.

"You ask for it, slave! If you are to be my bride, you might as well start learning how to behave before my subjects."

"There will be no such thing!" Gaea hissed. "The Champion will slay you, just like in the Ancient Prophecy. Your fate is sealed. You are one of the bad guys, and you are dead already!"

"Precisely," Daemon grinned. "Can this Champion kill a dead man? Can he kill me if he's already a dead man?"

The demon lord waved his hand in the air, and a view of the wasteland outside the Emerald Tower came to view. Also seen in the view were six small figures making their way through the blizzard. Daemon enjoyed seeing how the expression in Gaea's face changed from curious to horrified.

"They thought they could just stab me from the back door. Well, I'm not surprised." He stared into the vision intently. "I've ordered some of my best minions to meet with them and... uh... entertain them. Besides, I want to welcome them in my new domain, true?"

He walked toward the goddess and pinched her nipple painfully, drawing a gasp from her. "Meanwhile, we can have our fun. Death always turns me on, don't you agree?"

"Don't touch me!" she cried.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't miss my touch," Daemon sneered. "I promise it's going to be raw and hot."

His hand pushed away the veil that covered her crotch and grabbed her clit. She began to twist and jerk around, but that only increased her stimulation. Soon her body gave up and began its journey to submission.

The party walked slowly, inch by inch, through the raging blizzard. While they could walk probably twice as fast, none wanted to do so. Their fearless leader, Atrus, was already laboring with his breathing, and bringing the topic up would only get him to push himself over his limit. The poison inside was eating him slowly. Their destination was still nowhere in sight, and some were worried that they might not get there before it was too late.

Some of the party members were also worried about Atrus' sudden change of personality. The Champion of the Guardian was now a cold, angry man, ready to kill anyone in sight. While this might, in a way, serve their purpose, Atrus was never a cold-blooded killer. His Ranger training had taught him the ethics of slaying his foes. But right now, he was no more than a berserker turned loose.

Only Anna was willing to tend him. She remained close by his side, helping him walk despite his harsh treatment. For many times Atrus had refused her help, and most of the time, in a very rough manner, but the priestess remained stubborn and caring. Atrus' behavior sometimes sickened his other companions, but they had no choice. They had to understand him.

He was being ripped apart from inside out.

There was nothing left inside of him but murderous intent. And vengeance.

"So, this was the place of a great battle?" Holgreb's voice came faint due to the blizzard.

Calem smiled at the Dwarf's attempt to break the surly mood, although Atrus and Anna, who were ahead of them, couldn't hear it. "Yeah, there used to be a kingdom in this continent. A prosperous one, they said also. Too bad the war against the demons really devastated the land. The kingdom was utterly destroyed and the villagers were slaughtered. They said this field was a site of a great massacre."

Aurelia stopped on her track for a moment and threw her gaze at the endless field of snow. "I wonder if after the war the great forest of Elom will meet the same fate..."

Without letting her finish, Holgreb casually nudged the tip of his battleaxe on the Elf's ass, making her yelp. "Don'cha worry! Yer sweetheart will be defending yer homeland, right matey? Besides, we're not talking about a massacre! We're gonna win!"

The Elf stared at him sharply. "Yeah, but that's not a reason to touch me there, Dwarf!!"

"Actually, she has a point," Lynn the Fairy joined the conversation, although still in her usual surly mood. "We still don't know what await us in the Emerald Tower. With the Champion's condition, it's really hard to keep our hope high."

"But we can't give up now!" Calem insisted. "We've gone way too far to give up now!"

"It's not that! It's just my anxiety is entirely valid!" Lynn defended herself.

"Of course I know that," Calem quickly added. "It's just that I believe our cause is right. Besides, we have the Gods in our side. There is no reason for us to doubt our task. Also, we will start..."

The wizard never finished his sentence as he stopped his stroll suddenly, almost not moving a single muscle. Both Holgreb and Aurelia just stared at him curiously, but Lynn quickly understood what was going on. She called both Atrus and Anna to stop their progress as well.

"What's going on?" Atrus demanded impatiently.

"Something is out there..." the wizard muttered under his breath, just faint enough to be heard clearly by his comrades.

Atrus instinctively drew his Sword of Faith, which was now glowing faintly in his grip. He was quite curious with his magical sword's behavior, but decided to ignore it for now.

The party formed a ring of defense around Atrus, currently the weakest member in the group. While the rest of the group maintained silence to locate their enemy, Calem knew better.

"Show yourself, demon!" He screamed out loud, his voice penetrating the blizzard.

For a moment everyone in the party considered the wisdom of revealing their position to the enemy. However, all knew that it would make very little difference.

Only one thing mattered. They had been discovered. Now their lives, the mission, and the fate of the realm were in jeopardy.

Gaea grunted involuntarily as the demon lord slammed his member deep inside her. Despite her undying resistance, her many years of imprisonment had driven her to succumb to the growing lust in her. At this moment, resistance was futile, and would only work against her.