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Merentha: Armageddon
Chapter 7
Chapter 9

Chapter 8

{WARNING: The events at the beginning of this chapter take place during the period of Chapters 6 & 7}


.....Hazy smoke drifted between the canopy of the trees, blotting out the sun and casting eerie shadows across the forest floor. Nothing stirred in the forest below, any creature not destroyed in the fighting had long since fled the scene of destruction. Slowly, a portal began to form, a glowing vortex of color. It expanded until it was about half the size of a human.
.....An imp stepped through the portal, carefully surveying the forest in both directions before closing the gate behind him. Well rested and wearing fresh robes Outlook was quite the opposite of the battered and dirty imp who had spied upon the Asmar for Xenora. Deciding upon a direction he began walking through the forest whistling to himself.
.....It only took him a few minutes to reach his destination even with his strange imp gait, a cross between hopping and walking. The object of his search was a very primitive looking hut fashioned from bamboo and grasses. When he had come here before he could sense a strong magic near this hut, that was still there today, but dull as if old.
.....Rounding the hut Outlook found the remains of the door, torn from the hinges and shattered. The interior of the hut had been torn apart as well. Everything that could be destroyed had been slashed to bits. Not an item remained upright or in its original position. Someone had searched this house thoroughly.
.....Silently, Outlook crept up the stairs and opened the door. Like the lower section of the house this too had been ransacked, but by who? And what were they looking for? If the searchers hadn't found it he surely wouldn't be able too. He would have to return to Xenora and report a failure.
.....He hop-walked back down the stairs and out of the house deep in thought. What had happened to the Magus? Who were these searchers? What were they looking for? He almost didn't notice the young nymph who ran, panting, into the clearing glancing nervously back over her shoulder. She saw him though. She seemed to vanish and suddenly he felt a knife against his throat. "Don't make a sound," she hissed. "If you call your friends down here you'll be the first to die."
....."Who are you?" He asked.
....."Don't play dumb with me." She snapped.
.....Without warning a large horse crashed out of the forest. A mage in black robes reined up the horse before them. "You think a hostage is going to stop us?"
....."You wouldn't kill one of your own." The nymph replied. "Now get out of here before I decide to gut him."
.....The black robed man laughed. "I do not know this creature. Kill him if you will. His blood will be on your hands, not mine."
.....The nymph glanced nervously at Outlook and muttered a curse under her breath as she withdrew the blade. Stepping forward Outlook fixed the rider with a glare. "What do you want with this woman?" He demanded.
....."Our business is no concern of yours imp. Leave this place."
....."I'll make it my business," Outlook replied. "What do you want with her?"
....."They want to hold me in their dungeon until my sister decides to buy my life."
.....Outlook risked another glance in the nymph's direction. She didn't look like someone important enough to be held for a ransom. He wondered who she was. "I'm afraid you can't have her." He told the man. "Or any of your friends either."
....."You are but a minor annoyance. I will have her. Over your corpse if I must." Instinct alone told Outlook that the man was about to strike. Chanting arcane words he waved his hands and pointed. The Necromancer spasmed violently, crashing from the saddle. A psychic arrow shot from Outlook's mind striking him. The other mage recovered quickly, scrambling to his feet. The nymph lunged from behind, sinking a dagger into the Necromancer's back. Balls of lightning flew from his hands, dancing through the clearing. The nymph screamed as the lightning burned her. Outlook reacted with a second psychic arrow.
.....The Necromancer staggered back, chanting. Outlook felt his skin harden as he turned to stone. He tried to mutter a curse but his mouth had turned to rock. He set his mind on breaking the spell. The nymph seemed to dance around the necromancer, darting in with her knives. Each time she struck a bloody spot appeared on the black robes. Without warning she became stone.
.....Snickering at the statue that was Outlook, the Necromancer set about securing the nymph statue with ropes. Straining, Outlook felt the stone encasing his body shatter, enraged he struck out with his mind. The Necromancer was intent on his work when Outlook's psionic powers slammed into his brain. A strangled scream escaped his mouth as he fell.
.....With the Necromancer's death the nymph turned to flesh. The daggers in her hands vanished. Grinning, she made a bow. "Thanks for the save. My name is Ibu'ki."
.....Outlook ran the name through his mind but came up with nothing. His study had been directed towards the magic of the mind and was a bit lacking in the names of foreign nobility. "I am Outlook of Xenora."
.....She studied him for a moment before speaking. "You have killed one of them. They will hunt you now, as they hunt me."
....."Who are they?" Outlook asked examining the fallen Necromancer's body.
....."They follow a Necromancer named Rogath, an extremely dangerous and power hungry creature. Very similar in appearance to you. What type of creature are you, may I ask? Very strange with those wings and horns."
....."I'm an imp. We're a rare species. There are a few tribes inhabiting the forests near the Jeweled City, and a strange subspecies on the isle of pirates." Realizing that she had changed the subject and rather nicely he added. "About this Rogath fellow."
....."Yes, yes. Rogath leads a small army of mages and fighters. He wishes to dominate the world with his undead armies and make Merentha into a world of darkness and despair. I'm sure the Knights would be out hunting him down if the Asmar weren't terrorizing everything. He plans to use the confusion caused by the Asmar invasion for his schemes. There. That's everything I know about him."
.....Outlook glanced back at the Magus's abandoned hut. Was this Rogath behind that? What was he looking for? A powerful mage like the Magus might have any number of artifacts that could be used for these evil plans. "Do you think he could be working with the Asmar?"



.....The interrogation of these Knights was going nowhere. How they held back anything was a mystery to the shaman, yet they managed it. These Cardanians continued to surprise them, but the balance was shifted towards the Asmar. The gods had spoken to this Cortho, the Asmar would conquer these barbaric kingdoms. Knowledge locked within these Knights and their so-called Queen could speed the invasion greatly. There were other ways to break a prisoner.
.....Smiling, the shaman turned to the wide-eyed youth bound on the altar. The young man had ceased struggling, saving his strength perhaps. These Cardanians had other weaknesses, the emotion called compassion. If pain could not overcome their defenses it was time to move on.
.....He took the ceremonial blood dagger from the table where he had sat, sharpening the weapon for hours and preparing it for the required ceremonies. Turning back to the captive, he smiled showing his teeth. It was a gesture that seemed to terrify these weak humans. The young man began to struggle against his bonds. This was a prime specimen, taken shortly after the battle at the town called Lanerell. It was a pity that the scouts had killed the other one, two subjects would shorten the procedure.
.....Examining the victim he quickly made two small cuts in the human's wrists. Blood trickled down into bowls carefully placed to catch every drop. The human began to scream. The gods had delivered this young man into his hands, a close relation to the smaller of the two centaurs. It was beyond him how a human and a centaur could be related, but all things were possible if the gods willed them.
.....With a final quick thrust to the sensitive chest area the shaman silenced the boy's screams. He offered up a quick prayer with the sacrifice, which would be burned as soon as he had collected enough blood for his work.
.....Elation filled him at the mere thought of what he was attempting. No one without the backing of the gods would dare to perform such rites. With a slow smile he turned to the second, smaller altar. A creature lay on that altar, bound and muzzled. One of the strange furry things that many Cardanians considered cute. Except that this "cute furry thing" had attacked the Asmar scouts. It snarled at him now as he approached.
.....Lunging, he thrust the dagger into the monster's heart. With a strangled yelp it lay still, its blood pouring into a large bowl. Carefully, any mistake at this point could lead to his death, the shaman combined the ingredients needed for his curse, chanting softly the words required.
.....With a torch he lit the pyre containing the bodies of boy and animal. Still chanting the final words he poured the mixture into the flames. Stepping back he smiled and offered up a final prayer over the burning mixture. Compassion would break the Cardanians, the knowledge that only the Asmar could reverse the curse would be their downfall.



.....Ibu'ki reined up the horse and sat peering off to the north. Outlook, who was hop-walking along beside her, stopped as well. "Is your home around here?" They had been traveling for several days, ever higher into these mountains. Dozens of giant lumberjacks had attempted to stop them, but a word from Ibu'ki had sent them back to their work. She hadn't spoken much of her past or her family for the last few days. Actually, they hadn't done much talking at all.
....."It is nearby," She replied, turning the horse and heading farther up the mountain. Flapping his wings Outlook glided up to the horses' back and perched behind the saddle. They rode on for a few minutes before she stopped again, as if to get a sense of direction before starting again.
.....Finally, they arrived in a small clearing where a number of the giants were working to drag huge logs and dropping them into a raised wooden trench filled with water. He recognized the device as used for transporting the logs to a mill. One of the giants saw them and started towards them, raising a large axe at the sight of an imp.
....."Hello Ralph." Ibu'ki spoke with the air of confidence she always used when addressing the lumberjacks.
....."Lady Ibu'ki!" The giant called Ralph sounded surprised. Outlook started. "We wasn't expecting you. I'm afraid we don't have no tea up here, just coffee, our I would invite you to have tea with us." Seeing Outlook again he added. "I didn't know, or I wouldn't never have tried to attack your friend there."
....."We require transportation," Ibu'ki replied.
....."Well you're always welcome at our camp, Lady." Ibu'ki slid down from the horse. Ralph pulled his knit cap off and bowed, a very strange thing to see from a giant. Outlook flapped his wings and glided to the ground. "I'll take good care of the animal until you return."
....."See that you do," Ibu'ki replied. "Follow me Outlook." He followed her to where the giants were hefting logs into the water. The two giants bowed as she lay down flat on one of the logs. She smiled at Outlook as they lifted the log into the waterway. It quickly vanished from sight.
....."Come here little imp," the giant said. "It's your turn."
....."Umm...I'm not so su---" Without warning the giants grabbed him, sat him on the log, and tossed it into the chute. He screamed as it began accelerating. Water splashed up around him as the log raced down the mountain. Faster and faster it raced bouncing off the sides of the wooden structure. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly, far below he could see a logjam near a milling structure. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The log covered the final meters in seconds and slammed into the logjam at full speed. Outlook somersaulted through the air, flailing his wings. He felt his head slam into something hard and almost blacked out. As he drifted on the edge of consciousness he heard a woman laughing.



....."Where are we?" Almost an hour had passed since that horrifying ride on the log. Outlook sat in the corner of the mill's attic with a bandage wrapped around his head.
.....Ibu'ki giggled, probably remembering the image of him flying through the air and slamming into one of the support beams on the ceiling. "We are approximately one day south of the Jeweled City where my beloved sister Simoriah rules with the blessing of the Goddess. We have been on her lands for several days."
....."Your SISTER?" Outlook sprang to his feet. "Simoriah is your SISTER?"
.....Ibu'ki nodded and giggled. "We will travel north as soon as you recover and reach the city by dawn tomorrow. Once there you will be rewarded for your assistance in my rescue and you can be on your way."
....."You think I'm some kind of mercenary?" Outlook flapped his wings in irritation. "You think I rescued you for the same reason those men tried to kidnap you? Because I wanted your sister's money?"
....."You've been following me around for almost four days. I assumed you were waiting to be paid. Why have you been following me anyway?"
....."To keep you safe from ruthless brigands until you get home safely!"
....."Do I look like I can't keep myself safe?" Knives appeared in her hands and then vanished. "I could gut you like a fish right now before you even knew I was hostile!"
.....Outlook shrugged. "And what if one of those Necromancers finds you and turns you to stone? Then what do you plan to do?"
.....She sighed. "Look at us. Bickering over silly things in this time of strife. Come, we must continue our journey if we wish to reach the castle in time for breakfast."
.....Muttering about women, Outlook followed her out of the mill and into the forest.



.....Ibu'ki moved silently along the edge of the mountains. Expecting breakfast and a place to rest they had almost ran into an Asmar patrol. Their first sighting of the once glorious Jeweled City had brought tears to her eyes. The entire city was in ruins, what wasn't burned to the ground or still smoldering had been occupied by an Asmar invasion force. The outer walls of the castle lay in ruins, the inner keep breached. Everywhere she looked there were more Asmar.
....."I wonder if there were any survivors." Outlook gazed towards the castle.
....."There are escape routes built into the castle," Ibu'ki replied. "They would have sent the peasants away days ago and the Knights would have taken to the tunnels as soon as the Asmar breached the outer wall."
....."I could take you to Xenora. You would be safe there until we can locate your sister and the surviving Knights."
....."What makes you think Xenora is safe from this." Ibu'ki waved her hand towards the smoldering city. "My path travels elsewhere, Outlook and I believe yours travels with it. We must find a way to stop the invasion."
.....Outlook nodded thoughtfully. "Then lets go before more Asmar find us."



.....Waves crashed against the shore of the continent called Asmar. Their music echoed along the cliff face drifting into a cave high above the sea. The cave had been abandoned for many years, until only days before. Now a pair of dragons had taken up residence in the cavern, for a time at least.
.....A huge white scaled dragon lay in the back of the caverns, drifting on the edge of life and death. His mate, a smaller brown dragon called Dirt, guarded the entrance of the cave. Twice already the Asmar had come looking for the dragons. Twice she had driven them away. If they came again, in greater force, she might not be able to hold them off.
.....She would not leave her mate. Only his will to live was keeping him alive. Even her great powers with healing could not help him yet. With a long dragon sigh, she turned back to the cave entrance, waiting for yet another attack from the Asmar.



.....The city of Whitestorm was always bustling with activity, adventurers buying supplies, selling treasures collected from around the world, Kings and Queens of Cardania traveling along the wide boulevards, and at the center of it all the Whitestorm Square, where dozens of people from all levels of society gather together to discuss their adventurers.
.....Today the city made those old times look like a leisurely walk in the park. Every street was packed with people. Adventurers, refugees, merchants, even a few battered warriors fleeing Cardania for a little rest. BRA had never seen so many people in her life. The news from the east had sent the city into an uproar. The Queendom of Jewel had fallen. For the first time in living memory the Jeweled walls had been breached. Refugees from the Jeweled City poured into Whitestorm by the shipload, sent away by the Knights in the final days of their rule.
.....Some of the more adventurous Atherians were gathering together small groups and heading across the seas looking for adventure. Word from the Merchants Guild put most of their members somewhere in Cardania fighting for their respective kingdoms. No member of the Explorers Guild had been sighted near Whitestorm in almost a full month.
.....In taverns and back alleys rumors ran wild, Queen Simoriah had been killed by traitors, the Queen herself had betrayed the Jeweled Knights, the Explorers Guild was aiding the Asmar invasion force, the Merchants were supplying the Asmar army with weapons and supplies. One thing was certain on every tongue…the end was near.