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[Cal Hurst]

---

As the sun's rays gently touched the house sitting on the northern part of Dark Cove, Vaen rustled around in bed, resisting the light that attempted to wake him from his slumber. His wife who lay next to him leaned down closely to his ear and whispered, "Wake up sleepy head."

Grumbling to himself, Vaen sat up slowly and stretched his arms to the air, looking out the window to the horizon as the sun reared itself up over the water level. He brought his hands to his eyes to rub the sleep from them, and turned towards Brianha with a slight grin. "You know that if you go with me, you're staying with Aless, and not going with Mave, Beo and I."

She nodded and placed a hand softly on his shoulder, and then leaned her head down, placing her head on her hand, looking up to him. "I know, love. But I'm going. And you can't stop me." Vaen chuckled at her words, always having admired her stubbornness. He patted her hand twice and kissed her forehead, and then removed the warm blankets from their bed, and stood up.

"Hopefully Beowulf is up and ready. Damn guy was late for his own party last night."

"You expected him to be on time, love? Perhaps you are losing your senses with your youth."

Vaen looked sharply to her and then let out a light laugh, "Beowulf would be late for his own funeral."

Brianha grinned and then stood up from the bed, and reached over, putting on a robe. She walked over to Vaen and kissed him lightly, wrapping her arms around him and laying her head on his chest. "When do we leave?"

Running a hand through her hair, he kissed the top of her head and whispered softly to her, "Mave said he was sending transportation. It should arrive within ten minutes of sun rise. So we have about ten minutes."

"Have you said your goodbyes to all of your friends?"

"Most of them. A few I did not get to see, but that is no matter."

Brianha nodded and took a step back, heading towards the far corner of the room, where a few bags lay, filled to the max with clothing, equipment, and other assorted items. "Where is Beo meeting us?"

"Mave has sent for transportation to Beowulf as well."

Brianha nodded. Something then caught her attention out of the corner of her eye, and she peered out the window to the ground below. She nearly shrieked as she jumped backwards. "What the hell! There are dragons outside!"

Vaen raised a brow and stepped towards the window, looking down. There sat two small dragons, each with a saddle and a one large bag on eaither side of the saddle. He turned towards Brianha and winked, "Our transportation has arrived."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"We're flying? What if I fall off?!"

"Hope we're over water, and hope you can swim."

Brianha slapped Vaen's arm and then sighed. "I don't have another alternative, do I?"

"Nope."

Brianha sighed, and then walked towards the corner of the room to retrieve the bags. Vaen followed her, grabbing a few of the bags. Both of them took one final look over their bedroom. "I'll miss this place," Vaen said.

Brianha nodded in agreement, "As will I. But we'll be back soon enough."

"Nadia is old enough to watch the house. Hopefully she doesn't have too many parties."

"She's your daughter."

"Mmm, I hope we have a house when we return."

Brianha laughed at his words, and the two of them slowly made their decent out of the house, taking a little longer than normal as they savor their view of each room of the house. A sad smile splaying on both of their lips as they finally make their way outside.

Vaen took their packed bags and loaded them up on the larger bags provided to them by their transportation. Holding Brianha by the waist, he hoisted her up onto her dragon. "Now just hold onto the reins. You'll be fine. She nodded to him, and then he took his spot onto his dragon. They both turned around to take one final look at their home. Brianha let out a soft, sad sigh.

"Onward!" Vaen commanded, as he snapped the reins of his dragon. The dragon sprinted forward and spread its wings, jumping off the small cliff overlooking the water and took to flight. As soon as Vaen's dragon took to flight, Brianha's dragon quickly followed suit.
_________________

[Cal Hurst]

---

The two had been flying for what seemed to be hours. Beneath them, some hundreds of feet down, were the lands they were leaving. As the two of them passed over Minoc, he tried to catch a glimpse of any activity, but it was too far down to notice anything going on. He was able, however, to look upon the mines that set in the eastern part of Minoc, just over the river. Memories of his childhood swept into his mind, and a smile crept over his lips for a moment, until they had passed the town.

Vaen furrowed his brow a moment and placed one hand over his chest. Something wasn't right. A sharp pain made its presence known immediately as Vaen groaned a little, though the sound of the wind and the dragons' wings flapping drowned the sound out so that Brianha could not hear it. He felt slightly dizzy, and he held on to the reins as best as he could. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and then let it out through his nose. Slowly, the pain began to dull, and his dizziness faded.

Opening his eyes, Vaen let out a deep sigh. Looking back to Brianha, who appeared to be holding on for dear life, he smiled slightly. She offered a quick smile back, but then returned all of her concentration to holding on to the reins.

He turned back forward and closed his eyes. "Just hold in for this one last adventure," he whispered.
_________________

[Tay Thormear]

---

Beowulf did not sleep his last eve in Sosaria. He spent the evening walking through his beloved Moonglow, once more.

"I stayed away from you for so long. I only just returned, and now I leave you again." Beo whispered quietly, pushing dirt forward with the toe of his boot. "I find myself with more pressing matters though. Aless, is like a sister to me. Vaen and Mave are family. We've stood together for far too long, to let them stand without me."

Beowulf held a book in his hand. He made his way south of the Headquarters towards Vargus' home. On the steps he left the book for him.

He smiled to himself. Every training technique him and Vaen had ever practiced, was in that book. Notes of his apprentices' names were left for the General, in case they ever came across Moonglow. A reminder that Sarian had learned everything that Vaen and Beo could have possibly taught a student. He'd be the vessle of knowledge left for Vargus to use at his desire.

A messenger was sent to the Umbra Inn, with a chest. Made only for Tay. The lock was keyed to a weapon that his adopted son already wielded. The chest held some of the most powerful weapons and tools any army would desire.

His last will and testament was left in the bank. If anything were to happen to him while he was gone, it'd be delivered to Phyrra. A sinking feeling fell through him. Beowulf realized he wouldn't be able to walk her down the isle. Her "Wulfy" wouldn't be there for her on the happiest day of her life.

He sighed quietly.

The sun began to rise over the coast. Beos back arched, his eyes closed, his head tilted back. One deep breath, savoring the smell of the ocean in the distance, the fresh air presented only by Verity Island. His lips curled into a smile, he relaxed his body and stood straight.

"It's time..." He whispered quietly enough for only him to hear.

Ten minutes after the sun had risen, his transportation met him at the destination Mave had promised. The small Dragon sat waiting patiently. It's eyes peered the surrounding area, looking for it's rider. Beowulf was late, as usual.

Beo groaned as he approached. "I'm not going to enjoy this am I?" The Dragon snorted, in reply.

The bags were loaded, Beo was strapped in. They were off. He looked back one last time at Moonglow, unsure of when he'd return.

* * *

"Slow down!" Beowulfs screaming demand was muffled by the howling wind. "You crazy reptile! You're going to kill me!"

The reigns were wrapped around Beos' hands, for fear he may let go. His feet had already fallen out of the saddle straps. His stomach laid flat against the saddle, his boots pressed into the Dragons scales. His hair whipped violently behind him.

In the distance, he made out two other small Dragons. He assumed it was Vaen and his better half. He tried grinning to himself, it just resorted in flapping lips.

"Is this why you're going so damn fast? You're trying to catch them?" Beo growled in frustration. "Ah what the hell, mise well picker up a notch then! Catch them!" He demanded.

The Dragons head raised in agreement. The speed picked up. The wind howled louder.

This time, Beowulfs' yelling drowned out the wind.

[Cal Hurst]

---

Vaen held tight to the reins, glancing around the now evening sky. He was in an unfamiliar place. Looking down, he saw small villages and people at work on their farms. A small lake or two, as well as some mountains off in a distance. The dragon began rearing its head from side to side, seeming to search for its destination. It let loose a loud roar, and then immediately began to dive bomb.

"Woah! Woah! What are you doing!?" Vaen yelled at the dragon, but it made no difference. Brianha's and Beowulf's dragons also began dive bombing as well, with both of them screaming at their dragons as well. "Damnit, I said what are you doing?!" Vaen yelled once more, but to no use. Vaen held on tighter to the reins and bent forward, the wind rushing to his face faster than before. As they got closer to the ground, the dragon began to slow.

Down below, Vaen spotted a large tower, with two figures standing out in front of it. The dragon began circling the tower now, and then finally made its landing out in in front. Loosening his grip on the reins and catching his breath, he looked over towards the two figures and smirked.

"Had to send dragons, didn't you?"

"What's the matter? Can't handle it?" Mave replied with a smirk, and beside him, Aless laughed at his words.

Several other screams brushed their ears as Brianha and Beowulf made their landings. Brianha, despite a relatively safe landing, was still clutching on tight to the reins of her dragon, happy to still be alive. Aless made her way over to her, and the two began to talk.

Vaen hopped off of his dragon and walked towards Mave, extending a hand to him. "It's been far too long, brother."

Mave grasped his hand and shook it. "Indeed, it has. I'll help you get your things and come inside. Aless has prepared a feast for all of us."

"Aless... cooked?" Vaen whispered hesitantly.

Mave leaned in and whispered, "She's improved. Heavily."

Vaen let out a sigh of relief and grinned. "Well, good then." He turned towards the dragon and unclasped the side bags from the dragon, handing them to Mave. Vaen then made his way over to Brianha's dragon and unclasped those bags, taking them. Not wanting to interrupt the women's conversation, he simply gave Aless a kiss on the cheek, and then followed Mave inside his tower alongside Beowulf.

As they entered, they saw a tower customized perfectly for one such as Mave. The walls were stone like most towers, however they were heavily decorated. Decorative swords and paintings of dragons were all along the walls, as well as a few pictures of Mave and Aless themselves. Vaen was surprised to find a picture of a group of men, one of them resembling him, another Beowulf, and another Mave, all dressed in forest green robes.

"The dining room is this way," Mave said. Beowulf and Vaen followed Mave down the hall admiring. Once they reached the threshold into the dining room, Beowulf and Vaen stopped. Their eyes glanced over the table with both amazement and hunger. Sitting on that table, awaiting to be devoured, was a large turkey, stuffing, garlic potatoes, tender steak tips, buttered corn on the cob, Vesperian salad, and some of the finest Yew wine.

"Do you think... Aless... could teach Bri... to do all of this?" Vaen asked.

Mave laughed, "It's a miracle Aless knows how to do this. Let's not push it."

"I heard that!" Aless said, as she walked into the room with a smile. "So what do you think, Vaen and Beo? Hmm? Good enough for you?"

"Absolutely! Teach my wife how to do it!" Vaen exclaimed.

"If I cook for you, I'll intentionally poison your food, brat." Brianha smirked.

"Hah! Yeah, you would. All right, well enough talking. We have food to eat!" Vaen exclaimed.

"Ya. Lookin' at this is makin' me hungry. Shut up all of you and let's eat!" Beowulf said, immediately taking a seat in front of the big turkey.

The other four sat down, smiles on all of their faces. As they gathered food on their plates, conversations and laughter filled the room into the rest of the evening. The family was back together again.
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[Cal Hurst]

---

After dinner, Mave had asked that Beowulf and Vaen join him on the roof of his tower. The two ladies reluctantly agreed to gather up the dishes after dinner so that the men could talk.

When they reached the tower roof, not much could be seen in the night. Few clouds were above in the night sky, while the half-moon shone down a small bit of blue light that kissed the lands ever so slightly. Mave walked over to the north corner of the tower, and pointed due north-west.

"See that large town over there?" Mave asked.

"Yep," Beowulf replied, "what about it?"

"That's Lysoria. It is a very noble town. It has a decent sized militia, but nothing impressive. And now, due east of that, do you see that broken down castle?" Mave pointed east. "You'll only be able to make it out just slightly, but it's there if you look."

Vaen stepped closer and placed his hands on the edge of the roof, leaning over just slightly as he peered. "Ah, yes. I see it."

"That's Darkwhisper Castle. Years ago, the Lysoria militia stormed the castle to do battle against an infernalist cult. They were ultimately victorious, and the remaining cult members fleed the castle. There are rumors in town that say a large amount of infernalists have congregated in there once again, and they are doing some sort of ritual. No one really knows what."

Leaning back, Vaen nodded at Mave's words. "What of the militia?"

"They are preparing to strike tomorrow. I offered my sword, but they wouldn't accept it. That's why I called you two here."

"Ah, ya want our firepower." Beowulf added.

"Yes. But we're going to be operating separately from the militia. Come noon tomorrow, we're going to travel in through one of the broken walls in the back. We need to get to the center courtyard. That's where the ritual is said to be happening."

"Infernalists you say. So, what, exactly, is the ritual?" Beowulf asked.

"Not entirely sure, as I said. No one really knows what's going on there. The militia isn't taking them too seriously due to what happened last time, but my gut instinct is telling me that it is something far more dangerous than they believe."

"Well you have our help, Mave," Vaen said, "we're here for you."

Mave smiled and brought a hand to both Vaen's and Beowulf's shoulders. "Rest well, boys. Tomorrow brings bloodshed."
_________________

[Mave Gerhart]

---

Mave looked over the landscape from his tower roof as the Vaen and Beowulf went back downstairs to "make sure the food was properly put away". He grinned slightly then sighed, looking at the crumbling castle.

"This was supposed to be an easy, peaceful life for us Belegohtar" he said as his long time companion dragon landed on the roof behind him. "Yet somehow there always seems something to be done, some battle to fignt."

As the dragon laid down, Mave leaned back into his flank, still staring at the castle.

"There is just something not right about that place... something more than a bunch of heretics playing with their secret words...", he mumbled as he watched.

Turning slightly to look at the dragon's head, Mave added, "Oh, and as always my old partner, if anything should happen to me, your first priority is to look to Aless."

With a snort, the dragon gave a slight nod and laid it's head back to the stone. It had heard it all before, everytime Mave went into battle, it was the same speech and everytime, he and his friends found a way to escape victorious.

After a few minutes longer, Mave heard the slight rustle of fabric and knew that his wife had come to check on him.

"Are you going to sleep up here tonight m'love?" Aless said with a grin as she walked up to him.

Mave chuckled and held his arm out so that she could lean into him. "Perhaps my love, perhaps. What are Vaen and Beowulf doing?"

"According to them, they are merely filling up the spots in their stomaches where the food has settled" she said with a grin. "But to me it looks like a second supper"

"Ah, well at least you know that all your work didn't go to waste" he said as he pulled her close in the night air.

For long minutes, they held each other on the roof, gazing out into the night sky until quietly Mave whispered, "I know you wanted to settle down a bit my love. I'm sorry that something always seems to call my attention elsewhere."

Slowly, Aless turned her head up to look into his eyes.

"You are who you are Mave Gerhart, when people need you, you always heed the call. I have known that since we met and would have you no other way. You, Vaen, Beowulf, you are all alike. You speak of wanting a quieter life, but you were all put here to do what you three do. You all make a difference in everything you touch, but just remember, when you are finished being the hero with your friends, I am always waiting to make the quiet times worthwhile..."

With a soft kiss to his chin, she quietly gripped him close until the hour grew late and they quietly made their way to the bedchamber. As Aless climbed into bed, Mave sat on the side, slowly looking at his hands. Though his half-elven blood kept him from showing age as much as his two friends, he could still feel the effects of his life and many battles beginning to take their toll. Looking from his hands to his sword propped by the bed, Mave let a slight grin touch his lips as he laid back.

We've still got one battle left in us he thought as he gently blew out the candle by the bed...
_________________
Honor is the sword I wield...

"If you have to explain why it makes RP sense, then odds are it doesn't" -Leshok (or his DM)

[01:48] Deathwisp: well I always rub the fuzzy part before I pull it off
[01:48] Mave: ...what?
[01:49] Deathwisp: you know, the fuzzy... nvm

[Cal Hurst]

---

The sun slowly began to rise over the land; the rays shining gently up the tower and through the windows. Vaen opened one eye as he peered towards the window, and brought one hand to his face. Running his hand through his hair, he looked down at his wife, who was still fast asleep with her head rested on his chest.

He placed both hands on Brianha's waist, and guided her gently to her side of the bed, being very careful not to wake her up. He brought his lips gently to her forehead for a kiss, and then slowly got up and out of bed, staring out of the window in his room.

"mm.. time already?" Brianha groaned from the bed. Vaen smiled and turned around to face her.

"Yeah. It's time."

Brianha sighed and sat up in the bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes. "You boys are going to be careful, right?"

"Come on, you know us."

"That's what I'm worried about." Brianha frowned.

Vaen walked towards the bed and gently climbed into bed with her, sitting down next to her and placing his arm around her. "We'll be careful. Don't worry." She looked up to him and kissed him. He responded in kind.

"Hey! Vaen! Time to go!" Beowulf shouted from outside the door, knocking heavily upon it. "Get off your woman and let's get movin'!"

Brianha and Vaen just smiled at eachother and laughed. "Hold your horses, old man. Let me get dressed." Vaen replied.

Vaen and Brianha both got up out of bed and began to dress themselves. Vaen reached under the bed and grabbed a large black bag, filled with equipment for the adventure ahead. Vaen walked over and opened the door, and Beowulf was there leaning against the threshold with a smirk on his face.

"'Bout time the two of you stopped romping and got to moving."

"Don't be jealous, Beo." Vaen smirked.

"Hah! Yeh. Right. Anyway, les' get movin'. 'Less has a breakfast made for us downstairs. A light one."

"Mmm! Breakfast!" Brianha exclaimed with a smile, rushing down the hall and downstairs to the dining hall.

"She's hungry." Beowulf pointed out as Brianha rushed by.

"Just being a woman. She's had cravings lately."

"Well enough 'bout that. You got the stuff? All the equipment ya be needin'? All that?"

"Yeah. I brought potions, extra weapons, rope, rations, and some torches."

"Good, good. I got some o' that stuff, too. Migh' need ta borrow one a' yer torches, though. I didn' think a' that."

Vaen nodded, and patted Beowulf on the shoulder. "Come, let's eat. We have a very long day ahead of us."

Beowulf smiled and patted Vaen on the back. "Nothin' like a good meal before a good fight, I say. I been itchin' for this for the past few days. Gonna be good to fight side-by-side with both of ya again."

"Hey! Are you guys going to come down, or what? It's getting cold!" Aless yelled upstairs.

"Coming, mom!" Vaen replied with a smirk. Beowulf laughed, and the two of them made their way downstairs into the dining hall, where a table full of eggs, ham, cheese, and bacon awaited them.

"Damn, this looks good." Vaen said, smirking.

"Hey, health-awareness boy, your food is over here." Brianha smiled and pointed next to her at a bowl full of hot oatmeal, with a single slice of bacon, ham, and cheese seated to the left of it, and to the right was a single egg.

Vaen furrowed his brow, and made his way over next to his wife. "Yeah, probably for the best."

Unlike last night, there was no conversation and no laughter at the table. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought. What today brings was no doubt weighing heavily upon the minds of everyone gathered. While the breakfast was enjoyed by all, it was enjoyed silently, as they all quietly hoped that tomorrow morning, they would all be here at this table once more.
_________________

[Tay Thormear]

---

***Prior to waking up Vaen***

Beowulf stood on the roof of the tower. The night had seemed to be dragging on. Once again, he went without sleep. His head felt like one-hundred ingots sat in it. A light groan escaped his mouth. He placed his fingers on his temples, rubbing gently.

"Did I cover everything before I left?" Beo began to question himself quietly. "Is Tay going to open the chest before he's suppose to? Is Vargus ready to command Moonglows army by himself, with neither Vaen nor I to advise him? Is Sarian able to fill in our absences if needed?"

Beowulf dropped his hands and paced slowly. He placed his hands on the edge of the tower walls and peered out across the land. His eyes closed tightly, his breaths slowed.

"I suppose I have more pressing matters to worry about. I'm sure everything will be fine back home." He reassured himself. "I'm sure Vaen and Mave are focused solely on our mission. As I should be..." He sighed quietly and turned about face, and leaned against the wall.

Hours had passed and Beowulf still stood sentinel against the wall. Yet again, another night without sleep. He shuffled a stone back and forth with his boot, trying to amuse himself.

Vaen and Bri in their bed, Mave and Aless in their own, all laid content. Love filling each of their rooms. Both men had a reason to come home. Someone who would shed a tear if they fell in a battle. A reason to press harder to survive.

"I hate being fifth wheel." He muttered.

The sun began to glitter over the horizon. Beowulf pressed his foot against the wall and pushed himself to stand upright. He made his way to wake the others.

[Cal Hurst]

---

"Grab your equipment and we'll meet out front," Mave commanded, "and we'll be off shortly thereafter."

Standing up from the dining table, Vaen and Beowulf nodded, as the ladies began cleaning the table reluctantly once again. Vaen headed to his room and opened his bag, removing a letter he had written previously. Looking for Brianha's bag, he slowly slipped the letter in there, and then went back to checking on his equipment. Having gone over the checklist, he tightened the strings on the bag and picked it up. He turned to find Brianha standing in the threshold, watching him.

"You're coming back, right? I mean, Mave seems worried about this, and I've never seen him worried."

"Yes, my love. I will be back." He smiled to her, though his eyes betrayed the faith in his words that his tone held.

Brianha walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him, placing a deep, passionate kiss on his lips. After a moment, she pulled away and looked up into his eyes. "Come home to me."

He smiled down to her and kissed her forehead. "I will."

She nodded slowly and took a step back. "You better." She reached for his hand, and he offered it to her. She turned and the two of them walked out of the room and out in front of the tower, where they met the rest of the crew.

"Everyone have everything they need?" Mave asked.

"Check." Beowulf replied.

"Yep, got it all." Vaen replied.

"Good." Mave turned to Alessandra and whispered into her ear. A few tears could be seen trailing down her cheek.

Vaen turned and kissed Brianha on the head once more, and she embraced him in a tight hug.

Beowulf laughed to himself. "Ey! Les' go!"

The gathered crowd let out a soft chuckle, as the men picked up their bags. "We'll be back for dinner," Mave said, "and make it the same as last night."

"We'll be waiting for you. We'll be waiting for all of you." Aless said softly, fighting back tears.

Hoisting the bags over their shoulders, the men slowly began their trek to the north east, towards the abandoned castle. Equipment in their bags, rations by their sides, and weapons sheathed, the men were ready for battle. And a battle they would receive.
_________________

[Nadia Swiftar]

---

Brianha stood there next to Aless and reached for her hand as they watched the men leave. She had a sinking feeling about this battle no matter the reassurances her husband had tried to shower her with. She saw a look of uncertainty in his eyes she had never witnessed in all of her years by his side. “he just has to come back” she had whispered quietly to herself as she stood there and reached down to her belly… She was glad she had thought to slip a small letter into his pack of rations before he left.. perhaps it would be motivation to succeed and return to her side.

Thoughts of all they had been through danced through her head, the good and the bad. And even with the fear that gripped her she had no regrets with the paths that she had chosen. He never had been and would never be a man suited to a quiet life, that was what drew her to him so long ago.. that fire, the arrogance, his confidence… so many things that were not fit for a woman who wanted to settle down and live a quiet life. Brianha realized after they attempted to live that life it was not something that fit either of them… she also could not sit still and watch life pass by…. That was not living.

Inhaling deeply she squeezed Aless ‘s hand and smiled sadly looking into her eyes.. they had a long day ahead of them of waiting and worrying.. it was time to find a distraction for her friend.

[Cal Hurst]

---

After traveling for two hours, the men reached their destination. Some hundreds of yards in front of them stood Castle Darkwhisper. Above the castle, some peculiar cloud formations had formed, and swirled around the castle like a whirlpool. Once every few minutes, a lightning bolt would strike down into the castle courtyard, seeming to hit the same place with each strike.

"We need to find a way in." Mave said.

"When will the militia arrive to lay siege?" Vaen asked.

"Not for another few hours, so we have some time." Mave reached into his bag and took out his spyglass. Extending it, he placed it to his eye and gave the castle a good once-over. "There," he exclaimed, "just before the far right corner-tower, the wall has crumbled enough to be able to sneak through. There's only one guard there, in robes. Should be an easy in."

"Then les' git 'er done." Beowulf said.

The three men began running towards the right, using the surrounding trees, rocks, and hills as cover. Every time they took cover next to something new, Mave would take the spyglass out to check upon the same wall, making sure the guard had not moved, and also to be sure he had not been accompanied by another guard. As they moved within fifty yards of the guard, there was little cover they could take from here on. They stood there, a large boulder between them and the guard. Mave once again took out his spyglass to observe the situation, and then took cover once again.

"Odd. He's not there any more. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. I'm not sure I want to debate about it." Mave said.

"Me neither, so we're going in. Weapons at the ready, boys." Vaen proclaimed, as he reached for his mace.

"Ah, jus' what I've been waitin' fer." Beowulf said with a smirk.

Vaen began counting, "Three, two, one, GO!"

Bags in one hand, weapons in the other, the three of them began to make a mad dash for the hole in the castle wall. At the moment of their run, the sun crept over one of the clouds in the sky and shined the fifty or so yards between them and the wall. As they ran, Vaen looked around frantically to see if he could spot any scouts, but there were none. This seemed all too easy. As they reached the hole in the wall, the sun hid once again behind a cloud, no longer illuminating the path they had traveled.

"Look inside." Vaen whispered to Mave.

Mave nodded once, and then peeked his head into the castle, glanced for a moment, and jolted it back quickly, his eyes widened slightly. "There's at least twelve of them in there. All in black robes with red trim. Some with swords, others with spellbooks."

"Black robes, red trim? Ah, matters not what they wear. On my count, we rush in and take them head on." Vaen said, nodding to Beowulf and Mave.

"On yer count, boss." Beowulf nodded.

"I'll take point, Mave stay close, and Beowulf trail behind by ten feet."

"Got it, boss."

"You ready, Mave?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, brother."

"Good. Hands in."

Mave, Beowulf, and Vaen all put their hands between them, one on top of the other.

"We leave no man behind. We leave no robed figure standing. We come out of this victorious, and we press on further into the courtyard. Are you ready?"

"Ready." Mave replied.

"Ready." Beowulf replied.

"Then let's give 'em hell."
_________________

[Cal Hurst]

---

The three men immediately stormed into the hole in the castle wall with their weapons in hand. The room would have been pitch black if it weren't for the candles along the hall, providing spotty illumination. As soon as all of them were in the castle wall, Vaen began his charge down the hall towards the dozen hooded figures. The sound of their feet running against the stone of the castle floor caught the attention of the twelve, and they turned and immediately faced the three.

"INTRUDERS!" shouted one of them, his voice echoing in the halls. With the shout, the other eleven armed their oak wood staves defensively, crossed over their chests. Forming a circle, they all began to chant some sort of incantation as their eyes took on a devious red glow.

Beowulf stopped in his tracks and began an incantation of his own, intent upon interrupting whatever it was these robed figures were casting. Muttering the power words, he pushed his hand forward as a dozen fireballs erupted from his fingertips. Vaen and Mave both felt the heat from the spell as these fireballs zipped passed their heads, landing a direct hit on each of the robed figures. Each of them slightly taken aback, their incantations failing, and their eyes losing their glow.

Taking advantage of their confusion, Vaen and Mave thrusted their shoulders into two of the robed figures that took the front of the circle facing them, pushing them immediately to the ground. Both of them made a point to slam their greaves into the hood of the figures as they passed over them, and into the middle of the circle.

Regaining their senses, the robed ones turned to face center, eying Vaen and Mave, each of them preparing their own incantations once again. Vaen and Mave took to different targets, charging at opposite ends, swinging their weapons furiously. Vaen's mace connected instantaneously with one of the figures' faces, sending a splattering of blood and teeth shards to the side. Using the momentum, Vaen spun and landed the mace to the adjacent robed figure's midsection, causing him to double-over. Vaen then upper-cut the figure with his shield, blood splattering all over his shield, sending the man to the ground. Mave slashed violently and recklessly with his katana, landing grievous wounds to three robed figures. Dropping his shield and unsheathing another katana, Mave thrusted one right into the hood of the figure in front of him, and the other into the chest of the figure to his left. Removing both blades from the bodies, he turned and slashed both blade towards the neck of the figure to his right, severing the head completely from the body; a fountain of blood squirting upwards as a result for a few seconds, before the body fell to the ground.

Beowulf rushed to Mave's and Vaen's side, as the half-dozen remaining robed figures dropped their staves and armed themselves with runed swords. The swords glowed eerily in the dark halls, taking on a red glow. The figures surrounded the three.

"Multi-target. Go!" Vaen shouted an old Legion command. At that moment, Beowulf began muttering the Wither incantation, and Mave and Vaen muttered the Wild Fire incantation. Immediately, a circle of flames surrounded them, and bursts of deathly cold air spread from them. The cold gust forced the figures off of their feet and back, landing them in the wild fire. The six began screaming in agony at the pain. Holding their weapons at the ready, Vaen and Beowulf only watched, until their screams died out. As soon as their cries of pain stopped, their bodies immediately turned to dust. All twelve corpses were now no longer corpses, but piles of dust. The weapons no longer had their red glow.

"What...?" Mave asked, confused, as he looked around him.

"Don't have time to worry, we need to press----" Vaen was interrupted.

"OVER THERE! There they are!" a voice yelled from down the hall. The halls of the castle seemed to illuminate in a very dark, blood red, as the sounds of what seemed like dozens upon dozens of men were running in their direction.

"Aw crap," Beowulf said, "we need to move, now."

The three ran in the opposite direction, but were met with a similar shout.

"HERE! They are over here!" Fifty hard down the hall, another few dozen men could be heard running in their direction.

"Sh*t!" Vaen exclaimed, "Damnit! What do we do?!"

"This is an old castle. The walls can't be holding up too well. Quickly, try breaking through the wall." Mave said, as he picked up his mace and began smashed it against the wall.

Vaen responded in kind, taking his mace and slamming it against the wall. The stones seemed to move with relative ease, but the wall wasn't coming apart fast enough.

"I've an idea. Keep hittin' the wall!" Beowulf commanded, as he began casting a spell. "Ort Por Ylem!" A large stone removed itself from the wall, and Beowulf send it rumbling down the hall towards one of the oncoming groups. "Ort Port Ylem!" Another stone was removed from the wall, and sent in the other direction towards the other group.

Mave then took a step back and ducked his shoulder, charging into the wall. The weak support of the abandoned castle wall caused part of the wall to give way, as Mave crashed clear through it, stumbling into a fall on the other side of it, into a dirt patch.

"Mave!" Vaen rushed into the newly created hole, pulling a few stones off of Mave and helping him to his feet. "Beo! Let's go!"

"No! These guys will only be chasing us forever. You guys go on, I'll catch up!"

"Now isn't the time to be playing hero, B---"

"Vaen, GO! Take Mave, and GO! I -will- meet up with you!"

Beowulf immediately turned and ran down the hall, out of sight. "Damnit, Beo! Agh, Mave, let's go, we have to move forward."

Mave grumbled slightly, seemingly in a bit of pain. Looking back through the hole they made, one of the groups ran right by the hole, ignoring it. "He better know what he's doing," Mave said in a hushed tone.

A lightning bolt caused a thunderous boom to echo in the air with a flash of light, and Vaen and Mave's attention was immediately snapped towards its direction. Vaen quickly reached for his spyglass, peering through it towards where the bolt has landed. And there, roughly two hundred yards away from them, the center of the courtyard could be seen. There, at least thirty figures stood in a circle, all wearing red robes with black trim, reading from a spellbook.

At the center of this circle, a large, magical gate appeared, no bigger than a small child, and its edges seemed to catch fire. A red beam from each of the figures reached out towards the gate, seeming to somehow drain a little bit of power from each figure every passing moment, causing the gate to slowly expand.
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[Cal Hurst]

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Vaen threw the spyglass to the ground, looking around frantically.

"What? What did you see?" Mave asked.

"I think they are summoning something. Something big. I don't know what, but all I know is that we have to get there, before whatever they are summoning gets here."

"Well let's hurry it up then, no time to waste!"

The sky began to darken, as the lightning bolts struck down more systematically near the portal. Grabbing their weapons, Vaen and Mave began running towards the center of the courtyard. As the sky continued to darken, only the fire from the portal illuminated the surrounding areas between bolts of lightning. Each passing moment, the red beams from each figure moved quicker, the robed figures wavering as the beams strengthen.

Behind them, a massive explosion suddenly erupted and destroyed the entire east side of the abandoned castle wall, sending hundreds of stone blocks outward from the castle. The pieces of the wall further away from the center of the explosion began to crumble as a result. Mave and Vaen stopped in their tracks and turned around.

"Beo..." Vaen said.

"Vaen! We gotta move!"

Vaen took a one last look at the wall, nodding his head once, then turning and running once again alongside Mave. As they made their way to the center of the courtyard. In the center of the courtyard was a large marble structure, with pillars surrounding it, with no roof overhead. There were eight pillars, symmetrically placed around the center of the structure. In the very center, a small marble table stood, the body of a female who seemed no older than eighteen was stripped naked, and a runic dagger stabbed into her chest. Blood was dripping from her body down onto the marble floor, where a few puddles began to form. Above her, the fiery gate, which had now reached a massive twelve-feet high and wide, burned strong. Peering into the gate, all one could see were flames.

Taking in a deep breath, Mave and Vaen both showed a level of hesitation that neither of them have ever shown before when it came to battles. All they could do for a few short moments was stand there, staring, as the portal grew even taller, wider, until it reached fourteen feet in diameter.

"Heh heh heh heh heh..." a deep, daemonic laugh could be heard echoing from outside of the portal. "Heh heh heh heh heh..."

Now without hesitation, both of them sprung up with weapons ready, aiming for the robed figures standing around the portal that were strengthening it. But as soon as both of them brought their weapons to connect to the robed figures, all of them dematerialized, leaving simply their robes in their place. The red beams from all of them trickled their way towards the gate, now leaving no more trail behind.

"Heh heh heh heh heh...." the deep laugh seemed to be getting closer. Mave and Vaen slowly backed away from the gate and off of the marble structure. They continue stepping back, putting fifteen yards between them and the structure itself. "Heh heh heh heh heh..."

"This is not good..." Mave said.

"No... it's not..."

Both of the men were visibly shaken, their eyes wide as they just stared into the portal. A figure finally appeared, and begin to rear its head out of the gate. Mave and Vaen backed up more, but the creature immediately spotted them, and pulled itself quickly out from the portal.

The creature stood at roughly twenty-one feet tall, donning daemonic armor fashioned from the otherwordly metals. Spikes and skulls littered his armor. In both of his hands, two runic axes were held, both with mysterious markings and a strange glow to them. Tusks protruded forward from the sides of his mouth, and massive horns came down from the temples of his head, curving downward and forward.


"No choice now, brother." Mave said, looking over to Vaen.

Vaen nodded once to Mave, then looked back at the daemon that awaited them. "No choice now..."

Holding tight to their weapons and shields, the two men charged forward, weapons raised. The daemon saw this, and slammed both axes together, and began charging towards them with one axe raised, letting loose a thunderous warcry.
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[Cal Hurst]

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Vaen and Mave charged forward with their weapons raised, ready to strike. The daemon moved forward, his warcry booming through the air. Vaen narrowed his eyes, focusing on the daemon's exposed shin, deciding upon that to be his target. As he brought his weapon back, ready to strike, the daemon cross-swiped at both men with both axes. Mave and Vaen both brought their shields up in defense. The pure brute force on the weapons colliding against their shields sent them flying off to the side; Vaen to one and Mave the other. Their shields were rendered useless, having been bent almost in half by the blow.

"Agh!" Vaen slammed against a castle wall sharply. He inspected his shield, and then tossed it to the side. Slowly making his way to his feet, he saw the daemon eye Mave and charge over towards him. Vaen picked up his mace and began running in the same direction.

Mave had landed in a nearby bush, and managed to get himself up and out of it just in time to see the daemon charging him. Tossing his shield aside and gripping his sword with both hands, Mave stood tall, awaiting the daemon with a determined look in his eye.

With another thunderous warcry, the daemon lifted both axes and slammed them down towards Mave. Jumping to the side, Mave slashed his weapon hard at the exposed claws of the daemon. Though drawing blood, the daemon seemed unaffected by it, and lifted his weapons from the ground, raising the weapons to strike again.

As the daemon lifted his weapons, Vaen came up from behind him and drove his mace with both hands into the exposed area of the back of the daemon's left leg. The daemon stumbled a little, and Mave took the opportunity to side step and slash at the same leg that Vaen had hit, drawing more blood. The daemon grunted slightly, seemingly in pain, and turned towards the two with narrowed eyes, and bared teeth.

"XUN SEHT, DU KAV!" the daemon screamed in anger. Dropping one of his axes, the daemon placed a hand to the back of his leg, inspecting the wound.

"Run back, out of his range! Then regroup! Tactical guerrilla, Vaen! Only way to beat this!" Mave yelled, as he began running back.

Vaen stumbled a little, placing his hand over his chest. His vision became blurry, his lips numb. He could feel his heart beating faster, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Mave's voice, although he was only ten yards away, was drowned out as if he were hundreds of yards away. Vaen bent forward, clenching his chest. The daemon removed his hand from his wound, and glared immediately at Vaen. "XUN SEHT! DA SHIV!" The daemon raised his axe, ready to strike at him.

"VAEN!" Mave screamed, running towards Vaen with every bit of strength he could muster. "VAEEEEN!"

Shaking his head, Vaen took in a deep breath. The pain was gone, his vision wasn't blurry. He looked upwards to see the daemon standing right over him with one axe raised, gripping it with both hands. "XUN SEHT!"

"VAEN!" Just as the daemon began forcing the axe towards Vaen, Mave had leaped to tackle Vaen out of the way. As the axe was brought down, it severed through Mave's waist, separating his upper body from his lower body in a single swipe of the axe. "Aaggh!"

"Heh heh heh heh... Xun seht, dak vah zen ku ta," the daemon said, taking a step back, seeming to enjoy the sight of Mave in agonizing pain.

"Mave.. MAVE! Sh*t!!" Vaen crawled out from under Mave and turned him on his back, looking him over. He was bleeding out, and fast. His skin paling as the blood drained from him. A look of panic set in Mave's eyes.

"S... sorry... br...other..." Mave struggled as he spoke, bringing a hand weakly to his arm. "Don't... give up... kill... the son of... a b*tch..."

"Mave. MAVE. Don't fade out on me!" Vaen began slapping Mave's cheek, struggling to keep him conscious. "Come on, Mave! MAVE! Don't die on me!"

"Sorry..." Mave muttered, taking his last breath as his head tilted over towards the side. His body quickly losing its heat.

"Mave...." Vaen laid a hand on the chest of his friend, unable to any longer feel a heart beat.

Slowly behind him, the daemon moved closer...
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[Cal Hurst]

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"Mave... I'm so sorry..." Vaen whispered, a hand placed on Mave's chest. His body laid there, lifeless, and cold to the touch. A few tears ran down Vaen's face as he reached forward and grabbed Mave's two-handed sword. In an instant, the expression on Vaen's face turned from deep mourning, to immense anger. Vaen whirled around to find the daemon standing over him.

"You daemonic piece of crap. I will see the death of you if it's the last goddamned thing I do!" Vaen yelled as he charged forward, slashing the sword at the daemon's shin. Quickly ripping through flesh, blood squirted out and covered Vaen's face and tunic. The daemon roared in pain, and stumbled back. Vaen reared the blade back, but the daemon lifted a leg and side-swiped Vaen, sending him a few feet to the side and on his back.

"SEHT KA DUV!" the daemon yelled, lifting an axe in the air. Vaen froze as he looked up, his eyes wide. "SEHT KA DUV D----" the air exploded near the daemon's head, sending him stumbling to the side.

"Oh no you don't, you piece of sh*t!" Beowulf yelled, running towards the daemon. "Vas Flam! Corp Por! Por Ort Ylem!" Firing spells off faster than ever, Beowulf immediately took the upper hand in the fight. The daemon was having trouble regaining composure, and was quickly losing his grasp on the fight. "Vas Ort Flam! Kal Vas Flam! Vas Flam! In Por Ylem!" Beowulf was draining himself, but the daemon was quickly losing the fight. Vaen quickly collected himself and got to his feet, and then charged the daemon.

The daemon dropped his weapons and raised his hands in the air. "Xas, Falm Kex Dvak!" the daemon screamed. Immediately, the earth began to rumble around the courtyard. Beowulf quickly lost his balance, as did Vaen, both of them falling to the ground. Lowering his hands and picking his weapons back up, the daemon charged for Beowulf.

Beowulf struggled to his feet and attempted to cast a spell at the daemon, but the daemon brought the flat side of his axe to Beowulf, hitting him hard and sending him flying ten feet to the side, landing in some nearby bushes.

Vaen struggled to his feet again, and looked over in Beowulf's direction. Quickly, he began running towards him.

The daemon roared once more, dropping one of his axes and running over towards Beowulf. Leaning down, the daemon picked Beowulf up with his free hand and stared directly at him, growling deeply, his eyes narrowing. Beowulf stared back, though fear was readily seen in his eyes. The daemon began tightening his grip, and Beowulf tried crying out in pain, but nothing came out. He couldn't even breathe. The daemon grinned, baring teeth, as he gripped tighter.

Vaen picked up his speed, running faster towards the daemon. The daemon turned his head and dropped the weapon in his other hand, pushing an arm out towards Vaen. "Vas Dvork!" A wave of energy shot towards Vaen, sending him spiraling across the courtyard, landing hard on the stone pathway.

The daemon turned back towards Beowulf, who's face was now almost completely blue. The daemon began squeezing even harder, as loud cracks echoed throughout the courtyard; the sound of countless bones breaking on Beowulf's body. The daemon clenched his fist as tight as he could, breaking every single bone in Beowulf's body. Blood began dripping out of his nose and mouth, and his head dipped to the side. The daemon threw his lifeless body to the side, and turned his attention to Vaen.

Slowly crawling to his feet, Vaen looked over at the daemon, pure hatred flashing in his eyes. Limping slightly, he charged the daemon as best he could. The daemon charged back, unequipped, and swiped at Vaen with his hand, sending him flying up against the castle wall, in severe pain. Blood was spilling out of his nose and mouth, and countless scars were all over his body, bleeding out. Vaen struggled to his feet once more, and limped towards the daemon. Again, the daemon swiped at him, and this sent Vaen flying towards the center of the courtyard, slamming hard against a pillar. He cried out in pain as his back slammed against the marble, and he fell face-first to the ground. Spitting blood and a few teeth out of his mouth, he slowly moved up towards his feet. Again, he limped towards the daemon.

The daemon picked up his axe and walked towards Vaen. In a distance, a castle wall crumbled, catching the attention of both Vaen and the daemon. As the dust settled, the war cries of hundreds of men echoed the courtyard, as the Lysorian militia stormed into the courtyard, spears in hand, charging towards the daemon.

"THERE IT IS! GET IT!!!"

The daemon turned towards Vaen and charged him quickly, bringing his axe up high. Vaen limped towards the daemon, his sword raised. The daemon bright the axe down directly towards Vaen, and Vaen side-stepped, but not before the axe caught his arm, severing it just below the shoulder instantly. Vaen's eyes widened as he fell to the ground, his arm gushing blood to the ground. "AGHH!!" Pushing with one hand against the ground, Vaen tried to pull himself to his feet, but he could not muster the strength. He rolled over on his back, staring up at the daemon.

"QUICKLY! SURROUND IT! THROW YOUR WEAPONS NOW!"

Though Vaen's vision was heavily blurred from the loss of blood, he could see the air littered in spears as they were thrown towards the daemon. Some of the spears piercing skin, the rest ricocheting off the armor. The daemon roared in pain, but looked down at Vaen determined. Vaen gripped the two handed sword with one hand, and sat up, thrusting the blade into the exposed part of the daemon's shin. The daemon roared in pain, blood was squirting from all parts of the daemon's body. Again, Vaen brought the sword to the daemon's shin, cutting deep into the bone. The daemon's leg weakened and began to shake.

Vaen reached into his bag and grabbed three explosion potions, gripping them all by the bottleneck. Finding the strength to make it to his feet, Vaen slowly stood up. The daemon looked at Vaen and leaned down to grab him. Vaen extended his arm upward, as to not allow his arm to be constricted by the daemon.

"AIM LOW! HE HAS SOMEONE IN HIS HAND!"

The daemon began squeezing Vaen, just as he did Beowulf. Vaen began shaking the bottle in his hand, feeling all of his bones under intense pressure. The daemon roared loud, his mouth wide open, exposing all of his teeth. Vaen quickly threw the explosion potions into the daemon's mouth. Narrowing his eyes at Vaen, the daemon squeezed with all of his daemonic strength, cracking and breaking every single bone in Vaen's body. Blood poured out of his nose and mouth, as his head dipped to the side. The daemon threw Vaen's lifeless body towards the side at some of the militia men, knocking them over.

A loud explosion boomed within the daemon, as it wavered, blood pouring out of its mouth by the galons. The daemon then stumbled forward, and fell down, dead.

The militia men cheered, raising their spears in triumphant victory over the infernalists. The captain of the Lysorian Militia looked around the courtyard, noticing the spatters of blood, and the signs of battle. "This man did not work alone. Find his cohorts."

"Sir, we came across a shattered body on the way in, and half of one over there. Three bodies, sir."

"These men... they fought this thing." The militia men dragged Beowulf's body and Mave's upper-body to the Captain. "Ah. That is Mave..." the Captain spoke softly. "He mentioned something of bringing his friends to help. Men, gather the bodies. These three men took the frontline of this battle. Without them, we may just not have succeeded today. Their names will be engraved in stone in our town hall. They will forever be known as the Legends of Lysoria."

A moment of silence was held in honor of the three. The Captain motioned towards a group soldiers, and they all leaned down, and picked up the bodies. "Bards, a soft song of victory in honor of these men, and of our efforts. Come, I'm sure these men have families that deserve to know of their fate."
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