Prologue to the Prologues Prologue

A pale orange sun glowed in the sky over an ancient forest. Its true name long forgotten to time.Now Known as Nightwood there were few that dared enter it. Along the edge of the forest sat a row of massive trees that stretched to the sky casting long shadows across the tall grass of the bordering plain. A single crow sat on one of these branches looking out across the plain at the burning town that sat in the far distance.

If the crow could think anything other than simple crow thoughts, it would have been amazed at how a single man could be capable of causing so much hesitation. Yet there the man stood Halfway between the forest and the town surrounding by a massive army. Clad head to foot in pale black iron it seemed to ripple drawing the surrounding light down into its darkness. Still the crow sat and watched, waiting, wanting to be the first to the inevitable feast

The man, whose name caused the men and woman surrounding him to pause, took a step forward. With a roar the army moved against him. The man slowly fought his way through the horde that pressed their way into his path leaving a trail of desolation in his wake. His destination was the city in the distance that was being razzed to the ground by the very same soldiers that were fighting tooth and nail to hinder him from reaching it.

The crow slowly moved closer to the battle flying from tree branch to tree branch as the man fought for every footstep. His sword rose and fell claiming a life with each stroke. If one paid close attention they would see waves of energy pulsing from the sword as it moved through the air. The sword twisted almost as if it were alive as it moved slicing through armor as it was cutting grass.

The man was not without wounds however and was slowly gaining more as he advanced. His armor deflected most of the blades and arrows that were thrust at him but several had managed to puncture through joints and the wounds were making his movements difficult. Nevertheless, he still moved foward.

In the far off distance the commander of the army was frantically ordering about several soldiers who were in the proccess of turning two massive ballista, which had been used to bombard the town, to bear on the man. With a twang that was loud enough to startle the crow into flight the two ballista were brought to bear and fired. Two massive bolts sped across the plains their points glistening in the sun. The bolts tore through the rear of the army ripping through everything in there way as the commander sacrificed his own men in an attempt to stop the armored man’s advance.

The man’s head snapped up as he recognized the danger and with incredible speed he managed to duck his left shoulder seconds before the first bolt reached him. The first shaft glanced off the top of his shoulder with a horrendous shriek tearing off a massive chunk of his shoulder plating. The back of the shaft smashed him upside the helmet the impact staggering him and swinging him into the path of the second bolt. The second bolt hit him in his front right shoulder punching through his armor. The impact blew him off his feet, carrying him backwards several hundred yards before the bolt lost speed burying its tip in the ground leaving the man impaled on its shaft.

The man's right hand opened drooping his weapon on the ground, yet he made no sound. The surrounding soldiers took the opportunity they had been given rushing him. They surrounded him stabbing in with their swords. The man's left arm swung out blowing back the closing tide of swordsmen with a ring of darkness only to be met by a group of spearmen and lancers who took the opportunity to thrust their weapons against his armor. There was no cry of pain. The swordsman continued to push closer to him piling on to restrain him and trying to push him down on the bolt. The lancers continued to stab his armor causing cracks to appear on it as they thrust their weapons against him. Yet somehow, the man remained on his feet. The ever watching crow circled high above the field when the man suddenly managed to free his arm raising it high in the air. With a quiet voice he spoke two words.

“Narchis release.”

With a deafening blast, a ring of black smoke billowing out from around the man’s hand spreading through the ranks of men. Limbs were torn, bodies were torn apart, and heads simply vanished as the black fog tore through everything that it touched. The final straw the soldier’s finally broke, fleeing in panic as they ran towards the town in retreat. But still the black fog follow them. The man hung limply on the bolt that kept him standing. Lying On the groundnext to him his sword bent and twisted as it liquefied. The liquid metal slowly grew rising from the ground as it formed into a humanoid figure. The figure reached towards the bolt keeping the man upright.

“Leave it Pulvis”

The form's had dropped and it took a Knee in front of him.

“As you command”

With an effort The man’s armored head looked up “Pulvis, you and your brethren have served me well. My time here is short. Go, I release you from my service and entrust you with the task we had discussed.”

The still kneeling humanoid looked up at the man “you will always be my master" it replied, " and I shall wait for your call even if it means waiting till the end of my days”. With a loud flash the figure folded in on itself and was gone.

In the distance the black smoke had ceased its pursuit of the fleeing solders and was returning. It condensed into another humanoid figure and walked back towards the man until it stood in front of him. It also reached out a hand towards the Shaft.

“Leave it Narchis” The man said in a quiet voice “to remove it would needlessly tire you out further and you trip is long. Go and rest. It will not be long for me now.”

Narchis stared down at the man as his armor began to crack, small wisps of smoke floating from them. “You may have ordered away my fellow brethren but I will not leave your side. It would dishonor the name that you have bestowed on me” Narchis’s humanoid figure expanded swirls of black mist swirling through the air before condensing into a black dagger. A black dragon coiled around the handle. The ridges of its tail forming the grip. The dragons head rested at the base of the short blade and its eye, a single blood-red Gem, glowed. The man let out a tired sigh as the dagger fell at his feet.

With a sickening tearing noise his shoulder suddenly tore free from the bolt. Landing on his knees blood began to leak from his fractured armor in rivulets slowly staining the ground around him red. Circling High above The crow saw its opportunity and flew down landed on the edge of the ballista shaft that slanted over the man. Hopping closer the crow eyed the man's eyes with obvious hunger before suddenly taking back to the sky as Man and woman suddenly appeared among the dead on the plains with a loud thundering crack.

Cawing in frustration the crow headed for a body further away when the shorter of the figures suddenly spun on a heel, a white mist lunging from her hand towards the crow. The crow cawed in protest and fear, veering sharply to avoid it but was too late. As the mist engulfed the crow it froze solid dropping through the sky to the ground with a thud

"What was that for?" The man asked as they walked through the dead towards the kneeling man.

“It was suspicious looking”

"Everything looks suspicious to you" The man said with a small chuckle "Your just looking to up your rates on me.”

The short figure smiled as she looked around the battle ridden plains. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway this is the one right? How do you want to handle this?" she asked gesturing towards the kneeling man in front of them.

The man's face seemed to smile in delight before it suddenly warped into a questioning frown "Well were too close to that town to simply leave his body here. Some stupid scavenger will find it. Also I am not going to drag him all the way to the woods."

"Agreed," the woman sighed,” it is a long way. But I can’t do anything with him here. My mana presence is too well known.

"That is true," the man replied with a hint of disappointment. "Give me a minute to come up with a solution.”

“Really,” the woman snorted in disdain as the man rubbed his chin in thought, “You come up with a solution that does not involve stabbing it several times in the back. I doubt it.” “

“Hey” The man said a hint of hurt in his voice. “I have my moments of genius” The women rolled her eyes disbelief. “I do, I really do.” His response earned him another eye roll. With a huff of frustration the man rubbed his head in thought. “I know” he said with a sudden snap of his fingers. “Lets just dump him on another plane.”

“That is the best idea you could come up.” The woman said with a hint of sarcasm. “Do you even understand how much mana it takes to send something to another plane? I don’t even have a destination to send him to.” She threw her hands up. “If crossing planes is so easy why can’t you do it?”

“Ok,ok” the man cried defensively “No need to be so testy. Who said you need a destination? Just drop him through, he’ll land somewhere eventuality that’s if the crossing doesn’t rip him apart.

The women thought about it for a moment “You might be on to something.”

“See” the man replied pulling a sinister looking dagger from the belt around waist. “I have my moments.” Pulling a small green vial from a pouch on the opposite side of the belt he carefully uncorked it. Holding the dagger well away from his body he poured the vials contents over it before looking for a chink in the kneeling man’s armor. Finding a large one on the side of the man’s breastplate he slid the blade through it. The kneeling man swayed slightly before slowly tipping over on to his side. Pulling his dagger free the man tossed it to the side where its blade began to smoke. The woman eyed it with a questioning gaze.

The man looked at her “Insurance. Wouldn’t do to have him survive somehow.

I’ve never seen a poison so potent” she replied with A thoughtful look.

The man nodded in agreement. “Same here. It is some very Strong stuff. Shame our employer only gave us the one vial”

The woman stretched her arms. “Guess it’s my turn now.” Turning she made a gesture and a staff materialized out of the air. Grasping it with both hands she slammed the butt of it into the soil. A shudder running through the ground ruffling her robes and forcing her partner a step back. A large glowing circle appeared under her feet the runes in it shifting and churning. Mumbling an incantation, the woman slowly raised the staff in front of her When she paused two words short of completion.

The armored man had suddenly moved his armor vanishing into wisps of black smoke. Struggling to his knees he look towards her as if in defiance. She paused as the man’s helm dissolved. Two pale blue eyes locked on her and she felt an involuntary shudder run through her. There was nothing in that stare but pain and the eventual promise of death. With a shake of her head she Shouted the final two words finishing the incantation and slammed the staff against the ground. With a flash their target disappeared without a sound.

Silence reigned for a brief moment. Suddenly the Woman turned away. With a curt “no reason to stick around here." She walked away beginning another chant and drawing a large oval with her staff in the air. The oval shimmered turning a milky white. The woman paused in front of it and turned back. “Who was that man anyway? Do we know?”

The man looked over with a shrug. “I don’t know and frankly I don’t really care just another job to me.”

Still unsettled by the armored man’s gaze the woman looked towards where the man had vanished and reluctantly nodded. “Whatever.” She turned back to the portal “I can’t hold it open for long make it quick.” Sending a cunning smile back at the man she stepped through the portal. “I would sure hate to have you stuck here leaving me to spend all this gold by myself.”

The man watched as she stepped through the portal before he reached back into his pouch pulling out a clear empty vial. Kneeling down he dipped it into a puddle of the armored man’s blood. One full he corked it. Reaching back in to the pouch he exchanged the vial for an intricate necklace that he spun on his finger as he took another quick survey of the battlefield. Seeing nothing work taking he looked towards the town. A cruel smile spread across his face as he watched it burn in the distance. The necklace spun off his finger flying high into the air. With a sudden burst of movement the man’s hand lashed out in a blur catching it by its slender chain. A beam of red and purple light danced across the ground as the light bounced of the small stone in the center of the pendant.

Holding the pendant up to his face the man stared for a second at the gem that sat in the middle of a pale black spiral. “The game continues Karayan” The man’s cruel smile grew and he tossed the necklace over his shoulder and strode towards the portal. The necklace fell beneath the bolt and bounced of a black dagger with a quiet ding. The noise went unheard as the man paused in front of the portal reaching once again in to the pouch at his side. A second dagger appeared in his hand alongside another green vial. Coating this dagger the same way he did with the first the man shook his head with another dark laugh. “Spending it all yourself. Really, Mearan. I hired you not the other way around.” Tossing the now empty vial aside the portal rippled as he stepped through it and a second later it closed with a snap. Silence spread across the plains.

Several minutes later the black dagger rippled as a smoky translucent hand extended from the blade. The hand lengthened covering the necklace dragging it towards the blade where it vanished into its depths without a sound. The only witness to this, a field of dead and a poor frozen crow.