A Year ago.

She did not know how long she had been here, in the Abyss; it could have been days or weeks, maybe even years. As with all dungeons time worked differently, but she had figured out long ago that she and Victor had been betrayed. She had rushed here out of worry for him, though she knew that it would take nothing less than a god to truly kill him, her emotions were getting in the way of those logical thoughts at the time.

She had left the Castle initially with a sense of anticipation, as Victor had been acting secretive but in a good way. When she returned and was told that he had rushed to the Abyss, to conquer it, to obtain a betrothal gift for her, she was distraught. She had been expecting a proposal from him, but when she heard the lies they spouted, she had reacted with anger. Though she harbored dislike towards her siblings and father, they were still family, so she had not acted upon her emotions concerning them. When Julius called her love a fool, after delivering the news, she struck out.

Tara’s fury was so great that had she meant to kill him, instead of simply maiming him, not even the protection of the Goddess would have been able to save him from her wrath with the aid of her Blessing. She left Julius in a pull of his own blood, missing an arm and a leg. Kara had been huddling in a corner, frightened when she left, though Tara had not noticed the glee in her sister’s eyes. Afterwards Tara, the Crimson Princess had left the Castle and gathered her army before heading to the Abyss.

Through much effort and coordination, she and her forces were able to clear the Cave, and secure the entrance to the Whispering Abyss itself. Though her loyal soldiers wished to follow their Princess and Leader into the Abyss, at the time she did not want to put her soldiers in danger. She advanced through the Abyss, her fury lending her strength as she cut down all who stood before her. Even the Archdemons fell before her, their raw power paled before the Crimson Warriors wrath.

Eventually she reached the bottom level, which not unlike the Cave of the Forgotten was styled as a throne room. While the other Throne Room was elegant in a dark way, this was styled to be foreboding and cruel. When Tara entered the room, the figure seated on the Throne rose. The figure was unquestionably masculine, having extremely broad shoulders and apparent musculature. His name was Rahdon, and he was a Golem, though a peculiar. He was the result of an experiment to implant the soul, the very essence of a demon into a Golem; Rahdon was the result of that.

As he rose he extended one arm and made a grasping motion, a large earthen hammer materialized in response. The two fought for an indeterminate amount of time, there was no gracefulness or eloquence in how they fought. It was brutal; they fought using pure strength and power, Great Broadsword against Earthen Great Hammer. Tara was unquestionably the weaker of the two, but her Blessing kept her in the fight. Whenever the Hammer would smash into her, the injuries would be healed, while her sword could barely scratch Rahdon’s rocky hide.

Eventually however Rahdon was worn down, however as his form crumbled away, he caught Tara in the chest with his Hammer. She was launched into the air, the impacted against the few stalactites on the ceiling being skewered in place, if only temporarily. As Rahdon finally fell, he uttered the words. “My thanks to you Princess.” After uttering his parting words his form crumbled fully, and became scattered across the floor. His remains bore little resemblance to the intimidating figure he once bore.

That was how the Crimson Princess Tara fell, her form collapsed onto the shattered remains of her demonic foe. Though she died, this was not her end, the Abyss could not go without a Master, and Tara’s Patron would not part with their Champion so easily. She was changed, made stronger, the Abyss gave her a new form, but at a cost, she would be bound to it, but her Patron gave her power, and freedom to roam. She woke up soon after, she wanted to rush out, but the Abyss’ hold on her was strong and she was still weak, that coupled with the absence of the fledgling bond that had started to form between Victor and herself kept her there.

It was at that point that Mina woke up, the vivid, informative dream still fresh in her mind. She sat up abruptly and looked around at the makeshift camp she was in. It was located in a small Glade just north of the border the Kingdom of Light shared with the Elven Kingdom of Sivell. On the other side of the campfire Tara stirred. She looked towards Mina with half closed eyes and spoke. “So, you enjoy my tale, Little One, yours was just as interesting. It seems the slight bond we share with my Love, has connected us to one another.” Tara shook away the sleep as she paused and stood up. “Come, we must make haste to catch our Love.”