WARNING: do not try to read this all at one time, it has been proven to cause total paralysis of the legs! :biggrin:
The War of Illarion
Chapter One:
It was a cool day. Astral walked alone on the cobbled road. The large sun had just rose over the horizon, and the day was beginning. He greeted all those he passed, as there were few on the road at this hour.
When he got to the harbor, he immediately noticed how plentiful the boats were that day.
“Many boats in the harbor today!” he said aloud to himself.
He continued to walk along the path which was laden with shops and stands, for this day was Sunday, Market Day. He met many of his friends and stopped to speak with them. They told him that the boats from all across the world had come to this land to deliver materials of all sorts. He was told that many of the massive ships were taking passengers back to the land they came from for extra profit.
It was then Astral realized that he had never traveled, and how he wished to do so. He spoke with the captains of many of these vessels to learn more of the lands they came from. One caught his eye.
“The land of Illarion, isle of mystery and beauty,” said the captain of one vessel.
So Astral went home to fetch some gold, and the next morning, he was on the ship that was bound for Illarion.
*******
Weeks passed as the ship sailed through the open seas. On the second day of the fourth week, the mystical land of Illarion became visible over the horizon. The captain called all the passengers (23 in total) to the main deck.
"There she is!" said the captain happily when the passengers had gathered "The mighty land of Illarion!"
Astral stared in amazement at this new land shrouded in mystery. He wondered what new adventures would take place here. He pulled out a scroll from his pocket.
"Korwin" he read, "Lives in the town of Troll's Bane. The house number 7516."
He had been given instructions by one of his traveling friends to find Korwin, and he would help him adjust to the land of Illarion.
A few hours later the ship was in the dock, and Astral was already on his way to Troll's Bane. As he grew near, a swarm of insects flocked towards him.
"Begone!" he said angrily as they buzzed around him.
Just then a man appeared out of the forest. The man seemed to speak silent words with his lips. Suddenly a great ball of fire appeared near Astral and the insects were no more.
"You're new around here, aren't you?" the man asked inquisitively.
"Yes. And what might be your name?" replied Astral.
"I am Korwin, Forest Ranger" said the man, "And you are Astral, correct?"
"That is true. I came to this land and was told to seek you out. I was told that you would be of some assistance,” said Astral.
"Come with me" replied Korwin instantaneously.
And so Astral followed Korwin back to his nice house in Troll's Bane. They sat down for some tea and chatted for a while.
"I noticed that you seemed to summon a ball of fire in the forest. How might one do that?" asked Astral with great curiosity.
"Ahhh, the realm of magic!" replied Korwin with a smile, "I knew that you would ask, being new to this land. Learning this magic is a complex task. I will explain in more detail in the morning, for you have journeyed long today and are weary." Korwin gestured Astral to follow him down the hall and pointed to a spacious and comfortable room to the right. "This shall be your room for the night. Rest well, for tomorrow there is lots to do. Good night."
After many hours of comfortable sleep, Astral finally awoke. He put on his armor and ventured down the hall. He saw that Korwin was already sitting at the table reading a scroll.
"Good Morning!" said Korwin turning to face him, "Did you sleep well?"
"Indeed I did. Thank you for your hospitality." replied Astral.
"Come sit down and have some bread. Then I shall tell you all about this magic." said Korwin pulling out a chair.
Astral sat down in the nicely adorned chair and Korwin passed him a piece of bread along with some condiments.
"To use this magic, one must first learn the secrets of certain runes. Here is a simple rune. Learn this rune, then learn more of these to combine." said Korwin passing him the book titled RA.
"Thank you." said Astral kindly as he studied the old looking book.
After the meal, Korwin showed Astral to a quiet and well-lit room with a view of the forest.
"You may study here,” said Korwin, "I am going out for a while now. I expect to be back by sundown. I left some lunch on the counter for you."
"You are too kind!" said Astral happily. "Thank you."
Korwin smiled and left the room.
Astral sat down in the comfortable chair and opened the book.
"RA, The Rune of Fire" it read.
Astral studied the book for many hours. He stopped for the nice meals Korwin had left when he felt hungry. Just as he completed studying the table of known runes, Korwin walked in the door.
"How have you faired?" he said as he entered the room.
"Very well. All I need now is to learn a second rune." replied Astral happily.
"Alas, it is quite late. You had better get some rest. Remember what you have learned today, as you will need it to use it tomorrow." answered Korwin in a tired voice. "I need rest myself. Finish this book and then rest."
"That be true,” he said looking out into the night. "Good night."
Korwin nodded and left the room.
Astral took a last look through the book before he closed it up and set it on the table. He walked down the hall to his room and stretched out on the bed. He soon fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Two:
The next morning, Astral awoke late to find a small meal and a note sitting on the table. The note had been left by Korwin, who had left long before. It read:
‘I have woken early on this bright morning and I expect to be gone for a good part of the day. Alas, I once again cannot be there with you, so you might go for a walk about the land. Venture to house number 8629 where you will find a man named Inioch. He will assist you today in my absence.’
Astral ate the small meal and then set out around the town. Many people were busy today, for it was market day. He found his way into the slightly newer area of town and soon came across a cozy little house bearing the number 8629. He tapped at the door gently.
"Ahhh, you have arrived! I have been expecting you for some time now." a man said while making his way to the door, as if he already knew who it was. The man hastily opened the door and beckoned Astral inside. "I am Sir Hope, Inioch is my name."
"I am Astral. It is an honor to meet you." replied Astral. "I slept long this morning and have not arrived until now. Korwin said that we might go adventuring."
"Yes, that is what we shall do. Just let me get my walking shoes and we will be off." Inioch slipped his shoes on and they stepped outside as Inioch quietly closed the door behind him.
"Where shall we go to?" asked Astral as he looked around in awe.
"We shall follow the river east until it ends. Then we can go off into the forest and venture to an ancient temple deep within." Inioch replied with enthusiasm.
So they were off down the river. The sun was mid way in the sky as they approached the end of the river.
"Here is where we may sit down and rest our weary bodies over some biscuits." Said Inioch.
"I too grow tired. Let us rest now before it becomes late,” said Astral happily.
The lunch bag was unpacked and they sat around a makeshift campfire. They ate many biscuits then, for they had traveled far already. Astral turned his head and looked over the river. Just then a bright gleam caught his eye. He strained his eyes and could make out the shape of a circle made of bright gold moving down the stream. He plunged his arm into the water but did not catch it in time.
"Curses!" he said as it slipped past his fingers.
He ran further downstream with all the speed he could gather hoping to catch the object again. Inioch sat back in amazement as Astral flew down the riverbank like a shooting star. He came to a spot where the current was weak, sort of held back into a pond. Astral suddenly dived into the water with and enormous splash. He remained underwater for several moments fumbling his fingers around the object.
Inioch had already gotten to the area. Astral then stood up and climbed out of the clear, but cold water holding a shiny object in his right hand. Inioch stared at the ring for what seemed to be minutes. It was very bright, and if you looked hard enough it seemed to have a bluish tint, but very faint. There was also traces of writing on it, but very small and worn out.
They both agreed to return to town at once and consult the council of Korwin.
*******
"Hmmm..." said Korwin quietly to himself. "It is like nothing I have ever seen before..." Korwin sat at the table examining the ring.
"Strange indeed" answered Astral. "It was just flowing down the river."
"Flowing?" inquired Inioch looking confused.
"Yes. It seemed to neither sink or float, but rather hover." replied Astral.
"Let us go down to the library and investigate!" said Korwin.
So they passed down the main path of the town and soon came upon the library. Korwin carried the ring carefully. Suddenly Korwin saw a small pond, for it had rained recently.
"I would like to see this floating for myself" he said to them as he turned back.
Astral nodded. Korwin walked over to the small pond and dropped the ring in. It sank to the bottom.
Korwin sighed and was about to reach in after it when suddenly it floated back to the surface.
"Alas!" he said. "The tale has been proven true! Let us go now in haste, for I fear that there is more here than meets the eye."
The three quickly entered the library. They searched first for elvish tales. There was nothing found. Tales about rings next. There were quite a few, so they split up.
"Ring of Fire..." mumbled Inioch. "Somehow it does not look fiery."
Astral picked up an old book and blew the dust off. "Guardian's Ring - Protector of all good. Fits only the fingers of a hobbit." Astral read. "Well I think it rules this tale out." he continued, eyeing the ring.
"Glendeur" read Korwin suddenly. "Bringer of Mystical Power. Forged by the elves in AC143"
"It must be speaking of the 'Azaryth Calendar', thus the AC. Let's see..." Korwin said silently, then paused to think. "Today would be 1253 in their reckoning. It all seems to fit."
"...bears the inscription 'High Kings of Azaryth'." said Korwin curiously.
He got up and walked over to another bookshelf. Astral and Inioch watched with great interest.
"It seems that the phrase would translate to what we found on the ring in Azrian. So the name is Glendeur." said Korwin triumphantly.
"Glendeur..." repeated Astral after receiving the ring back. He looked at it carefully.
"Guard it well, for we know not of who or what else may seek it. Do not speak of it openly." said Korwin in a low voice. "You will have to sleep at my residence for now. I have been informed that your new house is soon to be ready. But let us rest now, for we are weary."
So they returned to their houses and rested.
Chapter Three:
Astral woke early in the morning to read a new book, titled 'Pen - The Rune of Spirit'.
By mid afternoon, he had finished the book. Korwin went with him to the woods to test out the new spell.
When they arrived, Korwin proceeded to cast a lightning bolt of some sort to keep the animals away. "Try combining the runes 'ra' and 'pen' now." he said.
"Alright" replied Astral. He curled his lips and they moved as if he was speaking, but yet no sound was heard. 'Ra Pen' he thought, but all he seemed to summon was a small cloud of smoke. As the smoke appeared, the ring seemed to twitch in his pocket.
"It takes practice" said Korwin encouragingly. "Give it another try."
Astral repeated the same process, and targeted the spell where Korwin indicated. He did not notice that the ring had slipped onto his finger. Suddenly a great ball of blue fire appeared and Korwin was nearly knocked off his feet.
Regaining his balance, he saw the ring on Astral's finger. "Take it off!" he hissed.
Astral slipped the ring off his finger. "I tell you, I did not try to put it on! But somehow it was on my finger. I do not know what caused it to do that." he replied to Korwin.
"Nor do I." said Korwin. "That is why I suggest you not mention it or use it again until we learn more of its nature."
"Agreed" said Astral. "I think we should head back now. The sun is approaching the horizon.
Korwin nodded and they set off back to town.
When they arrived in town, they had a little diner, then settled off to bed. While they slept, the quiet creak of a door opening echoed through the house. Footsteps across the wooden floor then rang. Someone was in the house.
*******
Astral slept silently. All of the sudden the clang of iron meeting iron was heard. Astral jumped to his feet and grabbed his sword. He ran to the room that the sound was coming from. He found Korwin fending off against a figure dressed entirely in black. He rushed at the strange figure.
"Why do you disturb us?" demanded Astral when the fighting had temporarily ceased.
"I wasss in thosse woodss yessterday. I knowss of the ring. I sseek it. Give itss to me nowss." said the figure in a whispery voice.
"We will not surrender the ring to you! You will have to take it from us by force!" said Korwin angrily. He pointed his sword at the intruder.
The fighting resumed again. The figure was able to hold off Korwin and Astral together. He fought with the strength of many men.
Then with a turn of good luck, Astral pinned him against the wall. Korwin pulled out a wand, pointed it at the strange figure, and a large ice bolt hit the it.
The figure cringed as it hit. Astral stepped back and it backed away.
"Iss will be backss. Do not thinkss that you are ssafe here." the figure said.
"Begone!" shouted Korwin.
The figure turned around and vanished into the night.
"He will return." said Korwin wearily. "Thankfully we will be ready. You get some rest. I will keep watch, and in the morning we will go speak with the others about this."
Astral nodded and went to bed. The ring seemed suddenly to ease, although in his haste, Astral did not notice it tense up.
Chapter Four:
After an uneasy rest, Astral and Korwin arose from their 'sleep'. They had a quick meal and set off to the town hall. They reported the incident to the people who were gathered there. The town guards were informed to keep watch.
After they returned to Korwin's house, Inioch was soon there.
"Good." said Korwin as Inioch entered. "You have arrived. We must prepare for the problem at hand. Come with me now."
Korwin lead Inioch and Astral to a small room in the corner of his house.
"This was something that I acquired with great difficulty." Korwin said as he opened a closet and pointed inside. "Sharpen your blades, for we will need them soon." Then he turned to Astral.
"Here is something that I acquired for you." he said pulling an object that appeared to be a tree branch from the same closet. "It is a Magic Wand. It will be useful to you now that you are learning the ways of magic. Use it wisely."
"Thank you," said Astral, staring at the object.
The company sharpened their swords on the grinder and soon grew weary. When they finally finished they were exhausted. Their swords lay glimmering on the table in front of them, sharp cutting knives.
"Come now, for it grows near to the hour of lunch." said Korwin pleasantly. "I have prepared much for us to feast upon."
They followed Korwin back to the kitchen and soon found that plates upon plates of food had been placed in front of them. They ate long. When they finished, they relaxed in the den.
Just then there came a knock on the door. Korwin went to answer it.
"I bring news to one named Astral. Might I find him here?" said the man.
"Indeed you will. He is in fact right here." replied Korwin.
The man turned to Astral. "I have come to inform you that your house is ready. Number 9965. I will lead you to it if you will follow me now."
So the three of them put on their shoes and followed the man. It was not a very long walk to the new house. It was nicely adorned already. They thanked the man and set out back to the house of Korwin to move Astral's belongings. When this was all over and Astral had settled in, Korwin and Inioch prepared to leave, for it was already late.
"Alas, the day already draws to a close." said Korwin. "I have gotten some guards to watch the house in case our uninvited guest shows up again. Sleep well!"
"Farewell" said Inioch.
"Bye" replied Astral.
And with that, Korwin and Inioch departed. Astral felt safe knowing that the house was being guarded. He settled into his new bed and soon was in a deep sleep.
********
Astral slept well into the morning. When he awoke, he made his way to the kitchen to find that his cupboards were already filled with supplies. He took out some bread that he had purchased from a bakery nearby and an apple. He sat down on the table and began to eat.
"Mmmm, this is good bread!" he said to himself.
After his breakfast, he made his way into the town. Before he had gotten there, he met Korwin.
"Hello again!" said Korwin. "Did you sleep well?"
"Indeed I did. " replied Astral.
"Nothing unusual happened during the night?" inquired Korwin.
"Nothing that I noticed anyway. But I slept so well, the only thing that could have disturbed me was the collapse of my roof!" exclaimed Astral.
So they talked for a while and met some others in the market. They did not get much done that day, and no attention was paid to the ring in Astral's pocket.
By night, they were all weary. They ventured back to their own houses.
When Astral got back, he prepared to go to bed. Just as he was climbing into the nice bed, he heard shouts and the sound of swords meeting swords outside. Alarmed, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his sword. Quickly he put on his outdoor wear and rushed down the hallway.
When he got to the main room, the door burst open and the black figure stood in the door.
"Now I ssshall have my wisssh!" said the figure.
The voice seemed not to come from the figure, but rather it echoed across the room so the source could not be pinpointed.
Knowing that he was outmatched, Astral slipped the ring on his finger. The figure seemed to let out a wail of distress, but held its ground. Astral saw the wand sitting on a table and grabbed it. He pointed it at the figure and summoned ra pen. It hit the figure, but appeared to be of no avail. The figure seemed to laugh insanely, though still with distress in its voice.
"Give it to me now, and you ssshall not be harmed." said the figure.
"Never shall I surrender to one such as you!" answered Astral angrily.
"Ssso be it!" said the figure. "We ssshall fight."
With the power of the ring, Astral pinned the figure to the ground. The figure's hood slipped off his face, but only to reveal the absence of a face. The air seemed dark where the head was to be, but no actual outline could be seen.
Just then Korwin and Inioch ran through the door. Astral looked up at them as they ran towards him. But the figure seized the opportunity and grabbed the ring from Astral's finger. He then quickly put it on his own dark finger. With a snap of his finger, Astral was thrown off towards the wall and the figure climbed to its feet.
"At lassst!!! The ring isss mine!!!" cried the figure.
Korwin, Inioch and Astral stood back in fear. The figure cackled wildly.
"Mwahahaha!" it shouted then glanced back at the company. He looked up at the ceiling and the next second it was on fire. The figure raised his arms and disappeared.
"Run!" yelled Inioch. The three scrambled to the door as the roof collapsed.
They had just barely made it out before the house was in flaming ruins. They traveled a short distance away, then turned and looked back upon the ruins.
The ring had been lost.
Chapter Five:
"What have we to do now?!" asked Astral in fear. "The Ring has been taken from us!"
"The answer is obvious then," replied Korwin. "We take it back."
"How shall we go about that? He clearly possesses higher power than us!" said Inioch in disbelief of Korwin's words.
"We shall think of a way, do not doubt us Inioch. With hope, all may succeed." answered Korwin sharply.
Knowing of nothing else to do, they wandered back to the market, for the sun was rising. When they arrived at the market, the smell of fresh produce was already in the air. Walking ahead of the other two,
Korwin went up a bakery. Inioch stopped with Astral by the center square, which had a fountain containing the dazzling water under the rising sun. Suddenly Inioch turned to a man passing near.
"Roke!" he exclaimed to the man, with Astral wondering who he was.
"It is a pleasure meeting you here, Inioch Hope!" replied the man.
"I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, Astral," said Inioch politely.
"Nice to meet you, sir!" said Astral.
"Same to you Astral. I am Roke. I recently came to this land as well, and am just settling in. I see we have something in common." replied the man.
"Indeed you are correct, I am also new here. There have been many queer events taking place here though. I am beginning to wonder if I really should be here." said Astral with thought.
"I am sure these problems will be resolved and you shall settle in, just give it time," said Inioch. "Korwin is a master of these arts, he has great knowledge of many things. Trust him if you have nobody better to trust!" exclaimed Inioch.
"Ahhh, Korwin! I need to speak with him as well. There he is over there in the crowd!" proclaimed Roke. "It has been a pleasure to meet you Astral, I am sure that we shall meet again soon. Farewell!"
"I share your thoughts, and I do hope we meet soon. I bid you good-bye for now!" said Astral.
With that Roke turned and went out in pursuit of Korwin.
"I have a feeling that Roke will have a part to play in our upcoming battle, but only time will reveal which part." said Inioch.
*******
So Inioch and Astral went off again to the library in search of legends. They studied long and hard, and the warm sun moved silently across the sky. Dull became bright and bright became dark. Yet still nothing had been uncovered. Just as they were about to leave, something caught Inioch's eye.
"Wait up a second Astral!" cried Inioch. "I think I have found something!"
Astral hurried over to where Inioch stood hovered over the newfound book. "This is useful indeed!" said Astral. "I think that we may be able to make use of this."
And the two went over to the librarian, who handed them a scroll. He gestured to a point where the current writing seemed to end. "And would you please sign out the book here." he said.
Inioch jotted down his name and the title of the book underneath the previous entry. The librarian took the scroll back and quickly initialed beside where Inioch had written.
"There you are, sirs," said the librarian. "You came here in the very nick of time, for I was about to close up for the night. May the book benefit you!" he called as they left the library.
"Farewell!" said the two as they turned around before stepping out of the large building. Neither them or the librarian knew about the dark figure that had just entered silently through a window on the shadowed side of the library. The figure hid behind the shelf as the librarian walked to the door and locked it, humming.
*******
In the morning, Inioch and Astral were well rested, for they slept as though as the ring had never troubled them. Astral had stayed at Inioch's house while the repairs took place.
Just then Korwin was once again at the door, but this time he was accompanied by another man, tall and slim. It was Roke.
"Good Morning!" exclaimed Roke as Inioch invited them inside.
"Indeed it is," replied Astral while studying Roke.
"I have been informed of some article you have found detailing the ring. May I look upon this item?" asked Korwin hastily.
"Yes, you may," answered Inioch handing the book to Korwin.
"The History of Elven Wizard Rings!" exclaimed Korwin as he set his eyes upon the title. He slowly opened the front cover as though he was undecided. He turned to the table of contents, read it quickly, then flipped to a page about half way through the book.
By this time, Astral, Roke, and Inioch were already seated in the gathering room. Korwin sat down to join them, but did not take his eyes off the paper.
The page read:
The brilliant ring, forged many years ago by the elves in a land called Azaryth. To its bearer it grants keen magical ability and is said to carry good luck. The ring remained in the hands of the elves for hundreds of years, passed down through the line of rulers. But then one day, the ring fell from the cliffs from the hand of the bearer into the sea. It was forgotten for thousands of years, as it drifted in the sea. It seemed to have a will of it's own, guiding it and protecting it from danger. The ring has been lost all these years...
Copied here is the inscription on the ring:
"I believe that we have all seen this sketch before," said Korwin.
But Roke was puzzled. "What is all this talk about a ring, if I may ask?" he said inquisitively.
Astral and Inioch explained in great detail the story of the ring as Korwin continued to read. It was mid-day before all four of them had finished their discussions. Korwin had sat in thought for many long minutes after he had finished the portion of the book.
Suddenly he stood above his chair, and set the book gently on the table before him. "I believe that it is time for mid-day meal!" he said with a sudden but full smile. The other three nodded in agreement. This sent Inioch unwillingly into the kitchen to prepare a meal.
A nice feast it was, but it was a shame to pack such a great meal into such a short time. Back off to the library they were, all four of them, hoping to discover more secrets in the expansive building.
They all split up into certain sections of the library. After many long hours, much like the night before, they had not uncovered anything. They grew weary and sat down for a short snack that Inioch had packed.
After only a couple minutes after the snack, Roke came across a strange looking book in his section. He called out to the rest of them and was soon surrounded by the company.
"The servants of Glendeur," he read softly as if he was chilled down under. Roke passed the book to Korwin, who soon had the important parts sighted. He than looked up as if frightened by what he read.
"The night of darkness, the 23rd day!" cried Korwin. "And today is the 23rd! Let us go now and warn the others, for tonight is the night of the servants of Glendeur!"
"Where must you go in such haste, Korwin the Wise?" asked the librarian as they rushed by.
"No time to explain now!" spoke Korwin. "Come with us, it be in your best interests. And be sure to lock this place up!" he said in a hurry.
The librarian ran after them and locked the door behind them. He then ran to keep up. Korwin looked at the sky and the company noted that the sun was not far above the horizon.
After a short pause, Korwin beckoned "Haste, my friends! Not much time we have left to prepare!"
And they were off, following Korwin's lead, knowing that he knew best of the events to come.
Chapter Six:
With haste, all five of the men went off to the market and town hall. They spoke quickly with the people who were present.
“We are all in great danger!” shouted Korwin to get the crowd’s attention. “I am sad to announce that I have been led to believe that tonight there shall be an attack on Troll’s Bane of massive proportions. Let us come together now and prevent this threat! All who are skilled in combat and those who wish to defend the town, come to the clearing just outside of town! All who are able to help out, please do, for we shall need all the help we can get.”
As Korwin ended, a great dread was evident on the crowd. They knew too well of these attacks, for one Drakhen Vorkalion had been present many times before.
As the crowd dispersed, the four headed back to their houses, Astral to Inioch’s. They put their armor on and clipped their sheathes of their swords to their belts. They drew their shields and carried their helmets.
When they arrived at the clearing, they were amazed to find so many people. Korwin was now absolutely sure that they would victor. He rose to the front of the crowd and they fell silent.
“I am glad to see that so many of you have deep concern for this town!” he said, and there was a cheer from the crowd. “I am sorry that this is the grim occasion on which we come together. The plan shall be: guards posted at the street junctions, many guards present at the town gates, and some patrols. The attackers will come as one large force, so we need not worry much about attacks from two sides. Once the foe is spotted, the war horns shall be rung, and we will all converge on them. The shall not stand a chance against us, fine people, if I may say so!”
And the crowd applauded for Korwin and his plan. They began to split up the duties between themselves, and there were no quarrels, for all realized the severity of the situation. Soon groups had been made, and they were ready to take their posts.
“In the name of Troll’s Bane!” shouted Korwin, and the army began to move into the town and take their posts.
He then turned to the other three. “The Ring shall be present Astral, if I have interpreted correctly, so this shall be our chance to take it back. We will have to be the ones battling against the figure that holds the ring. I hope that we are more than a match for it.”
Korwin smiled grimly, and so did the others. They reluctantly gathered their strength and marched toward the town once again.
Chapter Seven:
Astral, Korwin, Inioch, and Roke sat in a circle around the fire place at Korwin's house. Apparently the attack had not happened yet and the companions grew weary of waiting outside. Hour after hour passed without a sign of any attacks. Astral, Inioch, and Roke had fallen asleep, but Korwin lay awake, tired but alert. He seemed to be aware of something, but there was no knowing what it was.
Suddenly he sat upright and awoke the others. On the table sat a Griffin Bow, the mightiest bow that had been seen by any of them. It was not known how it got there, but it was undoubtedly there now. Korwin got up, cautiously picked up the bow, and drew back the string. When it was at it's maximum extension, he released the string with a "twigg" sound. The bow fell to the ground with a clatter and Korwin stared at it, for it continued to vibrate even though the force that was applied had been long used up. The company sat there and observed the strange phenomenon as it continued. Then suddenly Korwin looked at the roof.
"This is a mere distraction to us!" he shouted angrily as he realized that the attack had begun and he had been fooled. "Grab your swords and follow me!"
They ventured out into the cold night and hurried to the source of a sudden trumpet call. The sky in this are was a dark brimstone colour, and the very heart of it was deep crimson red. Lightning flashed across the sky as wicked calls were heard. Many of the town's guards had already been slain and lay motionless in the streets. Past the library they saw the enemy. There appeared to be four of these apparitions that had been spotted before. As another lightning bolt flashed, the ring was illuminated on the finger of the one who was directly in the middle.
"Ssso you wissssh to challenge ussss? Very foolisssh decisssion. We sssshall victor over you and and thissss town sssshall belong to ussss." came a voice from the general vicinity of the shade.
Korwin held his sword up high and a golden light flowed through it. "In the name of Illarion, bless this blade!" he shouted up into the night sky, and the lightning seemed to calm momentarily. Then he put the sword back at his side and spoke to the shades.
"You do not speak the truth. Even if you defeat us, there are many others you must take before you can truly lay claim on this land. Do not underestimate humans, they are very resourceful. Soon you shall soon learn the true prowess of Forest Rangers!"
And with that Korwin pulled out his old composite bow and fired off four well aimed arrows into the foul beasts that carried the apparitions. Lightning flashed across the sky towards the group and came unnervingly close to them. But Korwin held his own even when the rest of the group grew weary.
Soon the two sides were involved in a full out sword battle, one on one. Astral fought with the shade which wore the ring about it's finger. Korwin fought with what seemed to be the co-leader of their pack, for it was adorned in more magnificent robes than the other two. Once and a while Korwin paused to cast a paralyze spell on his opponent so he could get a clear shot at Astral's arch enemy.
The battle continued for long. The shades did not tire, but the four companions did. It was just then that Korwin used his last magical energy to paralyze his opponent while he finished it off. While the shade was stunned, he held the sword up to absorb the golden light, then thrust it angrily through the torso of the figure. When Korwin withdrew his sword, the shade fell to the ground, and then the robes collapsed in on themselves as the essence of the ghost drained out into the evil sky. The other three paused for a moment, but both sides were too stunned to take advantage of one-another.
Then they turned on each other again and resumed the battle. The figures now seemed to fight with more determination, which made Korwin's side fight with a seemingly lack thereof. Korwin then noticed how Roke was tiring and went over to assist him. Korwin paralyzed the shade and Roke finished it off. The shade fell to the ground and there was a slight pause, allowing Inioch and Astral to catch a breath of air.
When the battle resumed once again, both extreme determination and slight fear were apparent on the expressions of their enemies. Then with the help of Korwin, Inioch defeated his enemy. The last shade appeared very startled to notice that it was the last one left. It was pressed up against the wall of the library by the four companions. Astral then drew his freshly polished wand and pointed it at the shade.
"ra-ke-qwan" Korwin formed with his lips, and their was an intense scream as the spirit broke alive in flame. It danced in fury for a few seconds, then fell to the ground in a pile of ashes. The ring that the shade was wearing fell to the top of the pile of ashes. It began to turn a very bright blue colour. Then in the blink of an eye, the ring exploded, sending Astral, Korwin, Inioch, and Roke flying backwards through the air. The ring was no more.
After a few moments of disbelief, the four companions picked themselves up off the ground. They sheathed their swords and began the walk back to their houses, leaving the rags and ashes to blow in the wind. Astral was once again staying with Korwin until his house was rebuilt.
Inioch and Roke departed to their seperate houses leaving only Korwin and Astral in the night. They were both evidently extremely tired, so they spoke rarely. Into the house they descended, and the griffin bow lay now still on the floor. Korwin set his other bow down beside it and continued off to bed. Astral stared for a second at the two bows, as if he noticed something strikingly interesting but could not quite remember it. 'oh well' he thought as he walked to the bed.
"As long as I can get some sleep" he said aloud.
(Edited by Astral at 5:45 pm on April 15, 2002)
