A Barbarian’s Quest

by Robert Donahue

I go into the Mythology classroom at the High School. After the teacher introduces me, she says “He will now tell a story to you. He is well known at Renaissance Fairs and places such as that as a storyteller, or bard. In ancient times, a storyteller went by many different names in different countries. They all had one thing in common, they were well received in halls and the best ones could even be invited to stay in a ruler’s dwelling for years. He will tell you a story now, so lets all pay attention to him.” I sip some water and go through the ancient tomes of knowledge that is my mind; I find the correct one and begin.

Hunak, continent of humans, felinex, and many other races. Place of magic, steel, and wonder. The Land of Lords is a valley surrounded by mountains, from here the king rules. To the west are many towns and the dangerous Swamp Of Souls. A forest is west of the swamp and then the grasslands that lay at the feet of the Chaos Dragon Mountains. The mountains named after a great dragon that died there; they are a place of mystery. Few people have ventured into them and returned alive. Those that went sought one place: The Dragon’s Skull. The said resting-place of the great Oracle of the Dragon’s Skull. It is said this oracle has the wisdom to answer any asked question about the past or present. An evil wizard killed the good king Wilarf. The wizard is said to have banished the king’s son to the mountains, though none saw him leave. The evil man then assumed the throne and replaced a loyal, hardworking staff with his own minions. Once he established himself, he used his magic to divine the answer to the question of who is fated to kill him. His magic showed a village of special beings: humans that had wondrous abilities. One among them was destined to defeat him and establish the prince as king. He had taken care of the prince, so that wasn’t a worry for him. He couldn’t learn more about the person that was to kill him, so he sent his army to wipe out the village. The Black Army came in and left none alive that were there. But, three people were gone that day; drawn to go explore for some reason they didn’t understand. The father saw a bird alight on a branch and chirp. The father went pale “Are you sure? Then we must run, thank you my friend.” And the family dashed off further into the woods. After 20 minutes of running, a family of bears approached. They roared and the human mother said “I thank you, may your family live long years.” And handed the baby to the mother bear, drew a weapon and turned to face the sound of horses alongside her husband. Three bears stayed to help battle, and tear up the cloth the baby had been wearing. The mother took the child in its jaws and walked off, never jostling the child once or piercing the fragile skin. The mother, father, and bears fought the soldiers. The two humans died and the bears dispatched half the soldiers before they fled. The bears wiped blood on the baby’s cloth and walked off to nurse their wounds. When the soldiers returned with reinforcements, they guessed they surprised the bears that ate the child and were going to kill the humans. They turned their horses about to go report to their masters, muttering in their native tongue of goblin about the feast on the corpses they would have tonight, if the king would let them.

Rk’En looks over the grasslands that are his home, the village of the Dragon’s Claw. The barbarian, standing three heads taller than a normal human, and a head taller than most his fellow barbarians, strides down the path back to his village. The village is full of huts made of animal skins and stone buildings that house the forges. Women and men work side by side to get all the chores done and prepare for the night’s celebration. The elders, although a little too old to be a part of the warrior society, still have a great use. They teach the children all the skills they will need, from how to skin an animal to how to use a weapon. He looked away from the village and into the sky and saw an eagle. He willed it to come down to him. “How are you? Friend of the sky? Anything interesting to report?”

The bird sent an image of a rabbit hole it had been watching, and Rk’En laughed. “Very well, return to your hunt.”

He watched as the bird flew away and wondered why don’t any others of my clan have this gift? He heard his name being called and forgot his question. He entered the village to meet the chief. The older man smiled at Rk’En. “You have shown great valor in battle. Your skill with the axes in unparalleled. Tonight I shall mark you the new leader of our clan.” Rk’En smiled at him, and noticed someone glaring at him from behind the chief. After the old man left, Rk’En saw who it was, Tu’kar. The boy was as old as Rk’En, but was never praised, for he did little unless if benefited him directly. Tu’kar glared at him a little more, then sauntered off at the call of his conniving mother, Ch’ga. She was a human from the east, where they wore armor, lived in cities and castles. She was brought here by a male who died in a battle after making her pregnant. She tried the ways of her people in gaining status in the village through dishonorable actions.

Rk’En returned to his and his mother’s tent. S’Lan, his mother, was in there, sharpening his twin axes, each the size of a child’s torso. She smiled at him, “You must be ready for tonight, you will be the new leader of the clan.”

Rk’En smiled at her and got his best clothes out, a large shirt and leather pants, useful for deflecting minor blades, such as daggers used by humans. Those to the west looked just like his people, except they were smaller and had odd ways. Rk’En wondered idly if anyone to the east had his ability to understand animals.

“It is said Dargeeze the Traveler is coming to observe the ceremony tonight.”

“Oh? That will be an honor. Speaking of which, I must get ready, so mother, why don’t you help the others outside with something?”

That night, there was a huge celebration. The bonfire was roaring, people danced around it to rhythmic beats from the drums and melodious sounds of the flutes. Rk’En stood at the edge of the celebration, tired from the many dance partners that had sought him out. He noticed Tu’kar was in another corner of the party with his mother. Tu’kar was drinking again. It disgusted the clan, for while Tu’kar was addicted to alcohol, his full potential in battle would never surface. The one called Dargeeze the Traveler and some hooded figure stood with the chief, talking and looking at Rk’En. The barbarian wondered what his chief and the human were talking about. The hooded figure came over to him. Rk’En looked at the figure, its identity and even gender were completely disguised. The figure appeared to look at him and say in a voice that was obviously muffled, “Seeya later Rk’En.”

Rk’En looked in shock as the figure returned to Dargeeze. He overheard Dargeeze telling the chief, “We must go, if the king’s army sees us, there may be trouble. Thank you for your hospitality.”

He the chief shake Dargeeze’s hand and watch as the Traveler and the hooded figure leave. His attention was taken away as a slightly shorter and beautiful female warrior dragged him back into the firelight for a dance.

Ch’ga spoke to her son, “Look at him! He dances with women that should be yours. He gains the leadership that you deserve! You are the more intelligent of the two of you! While he ran off and did battle, you stayed behind and made sure things here were stable. What good is a win in battle if an assassin is waiting behind your victory chair?” She placed something on Tu’kar’s sword, “Here, this will ensure your win tonight, fight him in single combat, and all you have to do is cut him once.”

The music stopped as the chief took the dragonbone crown off his own head and started to place it on Rk’En’s. Suddenly, a voice in the crowed slurred, “That ish mine! Give it to me!” and Tu’kar staggered out. Rk’En stood up, disgusted at this public display. Tu’kar pulled out his sword and spat on the ground, an insult to Rk’En as well as a challenge.

The laws are clear, and a circle was made. Rk’En noticed the poison on his opponent’s blade, and made himself weary. Rk’En and Tu’kar started to battle. Tu’kar’s blade came close to Rk’En many times. Rk’En’s axes bit into Tu’kar’s chest and the smaller barbarian stepped back. Rk’En felt The Other surging within himself. He started to see everything through a screen of red, started to feel the lust for blood. Rk’En charged a surprised Tu’kar. Rk’En’s axes were at Tu’kar’s throat. Tu’kar had no defense, he was not only partly drunk, but The Other within himself had never surfaced. Rk’En snarled at Tu’kar, “Surrender?”

Tu’kar spit on the ground, “Yes, my mother has told me it would be dishonorable to be killed by a clanless child as well as a freak!”

Rk’En looked in shock, clanless? and looked at the chief. The chief averted his eyes, as did Rk’En’s mother.

Rk’En approached them, “What does me mean, clanless?”

The chief looked at Rk’En, “You were not born of this clan. We found you, S’Lan believed you a gift from the War God after her husband died in battle and took you in.”

“And freak?”

S’Lan looked at him, “We know of no others who have a gift that can talk the giant roc eagles out of leaving the dragon mountains and attacking us.”

Rk’En looked at the rest of the tribe. “Why has no one told me?”

The chief told him, “We loved you. It matters not what your parentage is. You deserve clan rule, and respect for your deeds.”

Rk’En had denied accepting the leadership that night. Celebrations ended soon after he left the fire for the wise woman’s tent.

“Who are my parents?” he asked the old woman.

The woman looked into the animal entrails she had spread out, “I cannot tell you. I don’t know. If you wish to find out, I know one that does.”

“Who?”

“The Oracle of the Dragon’s Skull.”

“No one knows how to get there.”

“One does. He was here tonight. He asked of you. It is the Traveler. Seek him in the great forest to the west of the grasslands.”

Rk’En spent the night awake, thinking. In the morning, he left the tent to see the whole village outside. They looked at him with questioning eyes. Rk’En spoke up, “I will go see the Traveler, and then the Oracle. When I find the truth, I will decide if I shall return here, or seek them out.”

The chief looked at him, “Very well. You have my blessing. Know that you shall always have a place of command here.”

Rk’En spent a day packing his equipment. He spent the night in troubled sleep. The next day, he set out on a path, that little did he know, would bring on a prophecy that would change the entire known world.

“Wait a minute.” One of the children says, “These are barbarians? I thought they loved to get drunk and kill stuff all the times.”

I smile. “No, these are another type of barbarian. They believed becoming addicted meant weakness. They do love to fight, however, and had an ability that only showed when they are in the heat of battle.”

Another child raises her hand. “Why would a god of war give a family a child?”

I look at the young one. “Because, if there are no children, then there will be no adults, no adults, no war. And the god rewarded brave warriors with children to carry on their legacy.”

The teacher then speaks up. “Ok class, let the speaker get back to his story.”

Rk’En walked the road that passes near his village. The grasslands were almost all he knows. They were at the base of the Dragon Mountains. As he climbed to the top of a hill, he looks over the golden carpet of grass and sees many villages. All are in the style of his village: all are inhabited by barbarians. He wiped a tear from his face and turned from the beauty of the land back to his travels. He was at the edge of the grasslands, the intermediate area that has both grasses and trees from the great forest. He walked past the small trees that had the strength to cling to the ground after the summer winds and into the cooler forest. He looked in wonder at the tall trees. He had seen them only from a distance and then above the forest. It had looked like an emerald ocean, now, under the trees, he sees them individually, they were giants. The smell was strange, but pleasant, the sounds of the birds were music that man could never learn. He woke from his thoughts in time to hear running. He saw what looked to be a young man. He was at least five heads shorter than Rk’En, and in a hurry. He saw Rk’En and stopped in front of him, panting. This person had shoulder length hair that seemed to disagree on a direction to lay and thus, went everywhere. The eyes were not human, but the rest of the face was, barring the ears, which were oddly pointed, not quiet Felinex. This strange person then found enough air to form words with, “Help me, villagers, angry, not my fault, blunt objects.” Rk’En didn’t need to hear more, he knew what this person was talking about. Humans were excitable, and tended to kill anything they didn’t like or understand. He looked around for a good place to hide. He saw a few rocks, but they were all too small to hide behind. He then looked up, and had an idea. He pushed the person into a tree, behind some thick branches. The barbarian had no experience climbing trees himself though, and couldn’t get very far. He heard laughing from an adjacent tree and his new friend peeked out “Just pretend they are steps and handrails.” He suggested. Rk’En followed the advice and managed another 5 branches before he decided not to test his luck. He then heard many people approaching. He saw a large group of people, about 20 or 30. They carried clubs and such and were very angry. They passed both trees without a look and continued down the road. After Rk’En couldn’t hear the mob, he gave the all clear and carefully climbed out of the tree. The person was already on the ground and held out his hand. Rk’En shook it and introduced himself. His newfound friend had a light voice, once again, not human, but for the life of him, Rk’En couldn’t place it. “My name is Jeddahenradamaka. Most people call me Jedd. I am an alchemist.”

Rk’En had heard of alchemists. Combining chemicals or magic components to make potions, explosives, and many other things. The goal of every alchemist is to create a Philosopher’s Stone, a fabled stone that turned lead into gold. “What did you do to anger the villagers?” He asked.

Jedd scratched his head. “Well, I was showing off some stuff I wanted to sell. I have a chemical that when it touches air, bursts into flame. I keep them in glass bulbs. I threw one a small one, and it kinda hit the roof of the guardhouse. It burned to the ground.”

Rk’En shook his head. “Well, I suggest you leave while they still think you run west.”

Jedd shook his head. “Wait, you are a barbarian, why do you move east? The only thing there is civilized towns and the Land of Lords, and the king has an iron first there, unlike the grasslands.”

Rk’En answered “I seek Dargeeze the traveler.”

Jedd smiled. “I know where he is, I will take you there.”

“I think you would do better to put distance between you and that angry mob.”

The alchemist once again shook his head. “I can’t, I owe you my life. My god wouldn’t be too happy if I didn’t repay you.”

The barbarian sighed, and allowed himself to be led. They went northeast on the road until it forked. They then took a southern road deeper into the forest. Rk’En saw the village that the mob had originated from. He saw a burnt building and guessed that was the guardhouse.

He heard the attack half a second before it came. 15 goblins attacked. They first tried a net, but only caught Jedd. Rk’En took out his axes and cleaved 3 in half on his first swings. Unfortunately, the goblins had greater numbers and soon Rk’En was overwhelmed. They disarmed them both and then started dragging them off.

Rk’En woke in a village. The village smelled of goblin. He found out why when he opened his eyes. This was a goblin village. Many were prepping a large firepit and sharpening skinning knives. He guessed what they planned. Jedd was working at his ropes when the guards turned away, but making no headway. Rk’En tried to remember all he knew of goblins. While doing this, the chieftain came out. He spoke in goblin. Rk’En could make out the basic meaning of the speech. He and Jedd were to be cooked and eaten in honor of some goblin god of raiders. During the speech, he remembered what he wanted to about goblins: The leader was only leader if he was strongest, and had to take all challenges. Rk’En decided he had nothing to loose and called out in what goblin he knew. “I challenge leader.”

The goblins were surprised, most couldn’t make the sounds of their speech at all unless they were goblins, or had their tongue cut out. The chieftain saw no alternative, except loosing face in his tribe, and sent for his spear. Rk’En was untied and given a rusty short sword. From the look of the blade, he doubted it could pierce butter unless heated first. Even then, no promises it would stay in one piece. A circle was made and the goblin and Rk’En stepped inside. Both stripped to loincloths, and started to circle each other.

One of the students calls out, “Why did they take off their clothes?” Other kids start laughing.

I smile. “To show they didn’t have any hidden weapons or tricks, and the less they wear, the less the other person can grab on to.” A few more children laugh after hearing this.

The teacher hushes them, embarrassed, but I just smile and continue.

The two circled each other, the goblin knew he had the reach, but the barbarian was a trained warrior that would still be hard to kill. The goblin made the first move. He jabbed at Rk’En, but he dodged. Rk’En swung his short sword at the goblin, but the little green guy blocked with the spear and the short sword broke almost to the hilt. The goblins on the side cheered and the leader looked happy. He jabbed again, but Rk’En caught the spear and hit the goblin leader over the head with the sword hilt. Once he was sure the leader was out cold, he lifted him up and threw him in the fire, then threw the spear into his chest, pinning him. The other goblins were unhappy. They started to advance on Rk’En, but then the front line of goblins caught on fire. A glass ball had broken in front of them and burst into flame, the liquid had got on the goblins. They ran, creating chaos. Rk’En saw Jedd with another ball in his hand and Rk’En’s equipment in the other, well, almost all, the weapons were much too large for him to carry. Rk’En and Jedd collected the remainder of his things and ran. After reaching the road they stopped. Rk’En put his stuff on and looked back. The goblins were too busy putting out flames by the look of it to bother with them. Rk’En looked to Jedd. “Ok, lets go.”

They traveled down the path a ways. He then heard Jedd say “Hmmm, what is that?” Rk’En looked forward again and saw an odd creature. It was not even knee high to Jedd, and its coloring was all black. It had a round head and a round body. It walked on two awkward feet and had two little claws for arms. It had fangs and two round eyes on its head, nothing more. The eyes…Rk’En couldn’t take his eyes away from the creature’s gaze. He felt, tranquil. He wanted to just look into those eyes. He felt something start to slip away, and somewhere, Jedd’s voice was saying something, he didn’t care, all he wanted to do is look into those eyes.

Jedd was trying to rouse his friend. He figured something was going wrong when Rk’En started to fade out. He called out for help, but heard no one coming. He took out a glass ball filled with a red substance. He prepared to throw it when a feminine voice said “That will distract me and kill your friend.”

Jedd looked around and saw a girl sitting behind him. She had drawn symbols on the ground and was now chanting something. He moved out of her way and watched in wonder. A strange light rose out of the symbols and went to the creature. It drew out what looked like Rk’En and placed it back in the rightful body. Rk’En turned around and looked dazed. He staggered out of the way and the girl chanted again. This time, a ball of yellowish substance flew out of the symbols and to the creature, almost faster than the naked eye could track. The creature was now covered with the stuff, especially over the eyes. The girl then looked to Jedd. “Now, throw that thing.”

Jedd threw the flame ball globe at the creature. After years of depending on his skill at throwing stuff, he rarely missed. He hit the target right on. The red liquid hit the air and burst into a hot fire. The creature was burned into ash. Jedd checked to see if his friend was all right. Rk’En was just looking at the girl.

She had black hair and dark eyes. Her skin was pale and she wore dark clothing under a black cloak. She had pouches from her belt and a dagger in her hand. Rk’En forgot himself for a second and then caught himself staring. He then found the words he wanted. “Who are you?”

“My name is Mystida. I am a sorceress. That thing was a soulsucker. They stare into your eyes and you disappear. That is all anyone knows about them. There are spells that break contact with mesmerizing creatures, I used one to save you.”

Rk’En bowed to her. “Thank you for saving my life. Where do you go?”

Mystida shook her head, “No, I saved you, where do YOU go?”

Jedd decided to make himself known again. “We go to see Dargeeze the Traveler. Though, I think I do not know where he is as I thought I did.”

Mystida grinned, “He is down the road and into the wilderness, I can show you to him.” And led the way.

Rk’En never got and answer to his question, but forgot it in anticipation of finally seeing the Traveler.

He was off the road a ways. One would never know where he was unless you had seen him there before. The campsite was simple. A fire was roaring in the pit and 3 pack animals were tethered to nearby trees. An older man and a hooded figure sit at the fire. The older man looked up. “Who might you people be?”

Rk’En first introduced himself. “I am Rk’En of the Black Gazer Clan. I have come to ask you a question.”

Jedd straightened himself. “I am Jeddahenradamaka of no name. I am an alchemist.”

Mystida nodded to the man and girl. “I am Mystida the Sorceress.”

The man stood up and bowed, his companion followed suit. “I am Dargeeze the Traveler. This is my traveling companion, Chana. She is half Felinex, in case you didn’t notice. I am glad to see you Rk’En. The chieftain told me of you left the village. What has happened? What brings you here?”

Rk’En looked in amusement as Chana removed her hood and stood up. She stood a head taller than Jedd’s 4 and some inches feet, but much smaller than Rk’En, and to the forehead of Mystida. She looked human except for some differences. Her eyes were green and like a cat’s, her teeth had some fangs and her hands had long nails that were much more strongly attached to the fingers than normal humans did. She had a dancer’s grace when she bowed and a soft voice. “Hello,” was all she said.

Dargeeze invited them to share the fire and they all started to discuss many things. Rk’En told his story of the goblin village, and the events at the celebration. Jedd told of how Rk’En helped him, and Mystida didn’t offer any explanation to her sojourn with the party.

“Traveler, I was wondering if you could tell me how to get to the Oracle of the Dragon’s Skull.” Rk’En finally asked.

Dargeeze looked into the fire then started to speak. “I was securing a bride for the prince when the wizard took over. I came back to see my friend, the king, with his head on a pike and the prince no where in site. I went to the Oracle to ask where the prince was. The Oracle said that the prince was where he has been since I left. That told me that he was banished before I left sometime. I now look for the prince, after all these years I have developed the title The Traveler. I know what it is like to want answers, I will tell you how to get there.” Dargeeze then led Rk’En off to the side to talk with him. Mystida listened to the directions with Rk’En, leaving Chana and Jedd talking.

Jedd asked Chana “So, how did you get to join the Traveler?”

Chana smiled. “I am a thief. I tried stealing from him. I paid off my debt by working for him, caring for the animals, fixing meals and such. After I worked off my debt, I realized if I had stayed on my own, I would be dead by now, so I decided that I should stick around.”

Jedd and Chana got further into conversation. After a few hours, everyone bedded down and slept, no guard was needed, Dargeeze had a talisman to keep any evil intentioned people or things away.

After everyone was up, Dargeeze sent Rk’En to fetch water. He then took his companion aside. “Chana, I want you to go with Rk’En and his friends to the Oracle.”

Chana looked surprised “What? Why?”

“Rk’En is the one. I need you to make sure he goes on the path that will bring him to the king.”

Chana considered this. She liked Dargeeze as a father, and worried about him in the wilderness. But, she also knew that if things didn’t change in the kingdom, rebellion was to become common. Her parent, the Felinex one and all his family would be killed as non-humans and many others would suffer. She nodded to Dargeeze and went to pack her things.

Rk’En returned and all ate a modest breakfast. He then spoke up “So, I go to the Dragon’s Skull, it is past Lake Sangra and to the north somewhere, non of you need to go with me, but I will welcome company if you have business in that direction.” Jedd spoke up first.

“I am going to see you to the Oracle, then, I don’t know, maybe I will find a question to ask.”

Mystida spoke up next “I am going there, I want to know who killed my father, the sorcerer Gertan.”

To the party’s surprise, Chana stood up “I am going too, I must see something through.” Rk’En nodded and prepped for travel.

They started down the path, back past the burnt spot in the ground where the soulsucker met his fate, past the goblin village, which, from a distance, looked like it was being rebuilt. They passed the village that Jedd had tried to sell his wares to, far enough away though to not allow them to recognize the odd alchemist. When faced with the fork in the path, Rk’En thought for a second. The left path leads home, to the grasslands, to clan and village leadership and a normal life. But the right path, although dangerous and with no guarantee of survival, will lead to the truth. The large barbarian then strode down the right path, as sure of his step as mountain goat on a large cliffside in good weather.

They arrived at Lake Sangra three days later. The water was blue, as if a gem had been spread over the top of the landscape. The party made their was down to the water and noticed fishermen only went out as far as a large white marker. If one got close to the marker, they paddled quickly back to the shore. Rk’En approached an old fishmonger that had tied strings to all his fingers and toes. Rk’En spoke in the dialect of the people in this area, “Old man, why does no one paddle to the center of the lake, the bigger fish surely quest to deeper water.”

The man looked at Rk’En with ancient eyes, eyes, that like the turtle, who had one of the longest lives, spoke of experience, wisdom, joy and sorrow. “Aye, that tis true, the fish that when caught, would feed a family for days, do quest to the azure blue waters of the deep Sangra.”

“Then why does no one go catch them and feed that family?”

The old man held up a white object big as Rk’En’s fist. “This is part of the reason, a from a monster, a Leviathan haunts this lake. Tis one of the beasts’ baby teeth. She is larger now; her mouth can swallow a legion of troops on a score of galleons in one swallow and still hunger. We dare not enter the middle, or should we be caught in her maw when she surfaces to catch fish she traps in her bubbles she blows to blind her prey.”

As if the beast had been listening, she let out a bellow that sent waves crashing against the shores of the lake and the tip of a fin pierced the surface, and stood larger than Alzaran’s Tower of Magic. Rk’En’s blood froze like the water on a lake in deep winter when he realized that this was only the tip of a fin. The rest of the monster was still under the surface, a creature that, at that size, would occupy the center of the lake, and he no longer took the old mans’ words as embellished facts, but cold truth.

Jedd had seen the same thing as the other’s. He knew of leviathans, his father had told him all about them. They ate everything in site, strong stomach acids dissolved these things into nothing, and in the ocean, they had been known to eat ships. They could get very large; ones in the oceans could pass as gargantuan icebergs that glided under the surface of the ocean like harbingers of destruction to all those sailing the 12 oceans of the world. From the look of this one, it was almost to maturity, and the size of the lake wouldn’t stunt it’s growth, for the lake was bigger than some capes he had visited and could easily hold her and probably a mate, gods forbid. He looked up to the old man “Is there any way around the lake besides by boat?”

The old man looked at the alchemist in sorrow “No, there isn’t. The dragon mountains hug the north side of the lake and there are thousands of creatures that thirst for warm blood on the shores there, ones that used to be monks of evil until the dragon’s death cursed them: first with death, then undeath. To the south shores, lie taxes, the king’s army of goblins, and thieves that would kill you for the scraps of clothing and boots a beggar would balk at. There is no way to cross the lake save through the middle.”

Mystida and Chana, at hearing this, went to what passed as a dock and found a boat. The fisherman wanted three times over the price for it, and knew he had the leverage to demand it. Mystida emptied her coinpurse, as did Chana to pay for the small vessel and called over Rk’En and Jedd.

Rk’En thanked the fishmonger with words and a gold coin, then followed Jedd to the docks.

They had tried to paddle along the sides of the lake, but the winds and rocks would surely kill them, so they decided to brave the middle of the great watery expanse. They had entered the middle of the lake. It was blue like the middle of a sapphire, or ancient glacial ice, trapped from time in the expanse of the northern cold.

Jedd looked down into the water and noticed many bubbles starting to rise to the surface. He looked to the rower, Rk’En and screamed, “Paddle! The beast is going to swallow us whole!”

Like metal pistons on a siegecraft, Rk’En pulled the oars. He sent the small boat upon the surface, almost as a bird does when hunting over the ocean’s surface. Unfortunately, he wasn’t fast enough. He saw in the distance rocks rise out of the water, and then noticed them to be teeth. Soon, it was as if he was in a valley, then a cave, then the light from the sun was cut out.

They were swallowed whole, and sent down to the stomach of the beast.

Mystida chanted some words and a ball of light appeared in front of her. It flew about along the living wall that now surrounded them. They saw hundreds of fish, almost all larger than the fishing boat 5 times over. They were being dissolved by a liquid that was now entering the chamber.

Chana noticed two things then: first, the boat was being digested as well. Second, there was a large rock that wasn’t being eaten by the acid. She motioned to her friends to help paddle to the rock. They jumped from their disappearing vessel to the slab of stone just in time. They lost their rations to the digestive juice of the monster, but retained their lives.

Jedd didn’t know how long they had been there, only they had to get out or die. The level of acid had risen to halfway up the rock that held them safe from the corrosive substance. He had collected some of the juice earlier and kept them in glass bottles, hoping to live to exploit the treasure he had discovered. Rk’En had tried to use his powers to convince the leviathan to let them go, or to just spit them out, but the beast wasn’t interested in talking to a meal, and ignored his sendings. Mystida had been trying earlier to get them out, but couldn’t trace symbols in the rock and had no chalk, so Jedd decided that he should think of a way to get them out. He tried to remember anything about leviathans he had missed. They ate anything, and in incredible amounts at that. They were extremely hard to kill. His mind started to slip away from him while he concentrated.

Like a vessel of true destination, his mind led him from the useless dribble of knowledge to his past. Jedd reminisced on his past. His mother cooking, his uncle showing him a picture of a Philosopher’s Stone: a legendary artifact that turned base metals into valuable substances, and his father, the intelligent person that showed him alchemy, telling him a story.

The story was of a small boy and his father. They had been traveling to magical lands somewhere and a Titan Dragon had gobbled them up. The father was a warrior, and tried all things of battle to make the creature surrender them back to the ground. He did not succeed in his task, and declared the two lost. Then, the boy, who was holding the torch for his father, had an idea. He gathered some wood together and set it afire. The dragon, which didn’t breathe fire, since it was a Titan Dragon, was afraid that it had swallowed a Drake or Red Dragon unknowingly and spat out all it had eaten. The father and son then ran back home and always remembered from that day to use their minds and torches.

“I have an idea!” Jedd exclaimed.

They gathered what wood that wasn’t already dissolved onto their rock and Rk’En was trying to light the fire with a flint and steel. “Churan’Ther’Sasa!!!!” He exclaimed, trying to invoke the god of war’s curse onto the pile of wood. He looked to the others, “It is no good, I can’t light this wood with sparks, we need something that catches easier to start it.”

The party looked to Mystida, who said, “Sorry, I can’t write on a rock.”

They then looked to Jedd, who said, “Even if I did have a flame ball, the liquid would splash on us and the wood would be vaporized.”

Chana then saw the answer and took out a dagger. She advanced on Mystida who looked at the half-felinex as if she was insane. “What are you doing!?” She said as she looked for a place to run.

Chana grabbed Mystida’s long dress and started to cut large pieces off it. She then wrapped the cloak loosely around some wood and used the cloth to start the fire.

Mystida looked at the thief lividly. “How dare you cut my clothes!”

Chana just smiled “Well, if this works, I will buy you another dress.”

They waited as the fire caught the wood and a blaze started. The rock was small so they were having trouble staying far enough away for the fire to not feel the blistering heat. Jedd added some chemicals to the fire that made the smoke more dense and something else that made the dense smoke burn everyone’s eyes.

They waited for a time and suddenly it felt as if the creature’s entire body was shaking. The liquid in the stomach sloshed around and fresh water entered from the huge tunnel of an esophagus. Then, as quickly as the stomach filled with water, the stomach emptied its contents into the lake.

Rk’En, Jedd, Mystida, and Chana were shot through the disgusting, fish-gut-filled water into the shallow shores of the other side of the lake. They emerged from the water onto a bare shore, a shore that showed no signs of civilization. They realized they had made it to the other side of the great Lake Sangra.

They traveled through a canyon for three days. Just as they began to start arguing about turning back for supplies, they found the exit to the walls of stone. The forest below was like a sea of emeralds. They looked in the distance, beyond the valley and up the mountain, and saw that the mountain was the fabled Dragon Skull. They knew just on the other side is the Oracle of the Dragon Skull.

Jedd remembered the legend of the Dragon Mountains. A long time ago, there was a dragon greater than the few Titan Dragons that roamed the planet, a Chaos Dragon. It flew about eating tributes from the kingdoms and sleeping centuries at a time. It woke one time to find out a small cult had grown into a great religion, and that the cult had summoned their god to the mortal plane. The god would destroy the planet and leave all the people to die. The dragon decided to stop the god and did battle with it. They fought all over the world, and finally, the Chaos Dragon channeled its life-energy into magic energy and fired a great shot of power at the god. The god was destroyed and the Chaos Dragon withered, as the life energy he spent stole his years. The dragon summoned enough power to curse the monks of evil, then fell, crashing into the earth. The body pushed up dirt and rock, and the corpse became the Dragon Mountains. It is said that the skull of the dragon now held the great Oracle, the one he and the others were going to go find.

They entered the forest at about midday. The trees stood like silent sentinels, sending its unseen gaze upon those who entered. They saw signs of life in and about these wooden towers, and the chaotic order of the wilderness swallowed them in its beauty.

They had traveled the rest of the day, stopping just before dark to slay a few rabbits for dinner. Afterward, Jedd went to work mixing various things into the potions that would help them and hurt those who would attack them. Mystida meditated and the barbarian and thief took care of their weapons.

It was past middark. Rk’En was watching over his friends, defending them against the dark through fire and a gaze that penetrated the darkness beyond the glow. He heard stirring and noticed Mystida getting up. In a quiet voice, Rk’En said, “What are you doing? It is not your watch for many hours.”

She replied “I can’t sleep, the power in this forest, in the mountains, both of magic and in life of the forest keep me up” and smiled. “So I decided to keep you company.”

Rk’En smiled, and threw another log on the fire. He quickly admired her in the firelight. Her skin was soft, the light dance in her eyes, both the light of the fire and of power. He let his gaze linger a second longer and then spoke. “I welcome your company. How far do you think we have left to walk?”

Mystida used the firelight to admire the barbarian. He was well built and despite popular belief, this grasslander kept himself clean, his bronzed skin shone well under the firelight. In his eyes she saw two people, the calm, controlled person she had come to know, come to like. There was another figure. This figure she was unsure of, it had his face, his voice, but it was not in control.

She had seen this figure while on the road. When a small band of thieves ambushed the party, she was not sure if they would live. Jedd was hard pressed to fend off two of the bandits, Chana was holding her own well, and Mystida herself was being overwhelmed. The savage face of Rk’En showed in battle as he decapitated his opponent, reveling in it. The lead bandit had let out a shrill whistle, and seven more of his friends jumped out of the trees. Mystida could see everyone knew they were finished, everyone except Rk’En, whose eyes, although they looked like Rk’En’s, seemed to have a different light to them, not a single flame, but an inferno. Three of the new bandits attacked Rk’En, attempting to overwhelm him. The barbarian let out a savage roar and increased his attack, laughing as he engaged his opponents. After the dust settled, all the bandits were dead, barely half a handful killed by Jedd, Chana, and herself combined. Rk’En had killed the rest, not only killed, but brought into overkill, for the bodies of the enemies looked as if a wild animal had torn them apart. Mystida had realized then the reason the black army did not attack the grasslands often.

When this person had left his eyes, Rk’En attempted to pass over this scene with an excuse, and his friends, her included, let themselves be convinced. Mystida became wary though, for what would happen if he got angry with a crowd of innocent people?

She took herself from the past and these dark thoughts and placed them on the present. The handsome warrior on the other side of the fire looking at her, probably fearing her own powers, but, also noticing her other aspects, her full attention arrived and she quickly answered his question.

“I am not sure, perhaps a few days. I have a question to ask of you, I have seen you use that ability, talking to animals, such as that small bird, you listened to it, and knew where that man was injured in the forest, how does that work?”

Rk’En smiled again “I don’t know, I have had it all my life. My mother says I am adopted, and no one else has the gift. I just understand them, and they me. It is as big a mystery as your magic.”

Mystida laughed “Magic may seem a mystery to most, but once you are touched by it, magic becomes simple, a tool. I just manipulate the energy to make it do something. Writing the symbols and speaking the words takes some of the strain away from the concentration required.”

The two kept talking, though the subject shifted to more mundane, pleasant topics. In the morning, the others woke up to food and the party packed up and continued on.

The party walked on through the forest. The trees were huge, taller than the ones in the barrier forest between the barbarian lands and the civilized lands by at least three times over. Chana and Jedd had strayed behind to talk. They had gotten deep into conversation when Chana’s felinex ears heard the sound of running animals drawing near.

“We’ve got company!” she yelled and pulled out two daggers.

The others pulled out weapons, Jedd pulling out green glass orbs, Rk’En readying his throwing axes and Mystida drawing symbols of attack in the dirt.

Bursting through the trees, screaming like demons, ran 7 pale hounds. Their eyes blood red and their teeth black as pitch. They ran straight for the four friends. Rk’En tried reaching the minds of the hounds, but saw that they had no mind of their own. He sighed.

Rk’En threw his three throwing axes, splitting two of the dog’s heads open and the third cleaving a leg off another. Besides the two dead hounds, the rest still ran forward. Chana picked off the wounded one with a dagger and threw her other dagger at another of the pale hounds, missing it. Having no more daggers, she brought her claws out, ready to rend flesh. Mystida, seeing four hounds still advancing, started to chant in the language of magic. If we were to hear what she said, it would be “Black as night, black as pitch, blacker than the foulest witch”. It worked, the hounds stopped, confused; they sniffed the air and tried to look through their now cloudy eyes. Jedd threw his two green balls, they hit each other right over two of the hound’s heads and shattered, a green liquid/mist fell down on them, making their flesh smoke and dissolve. Rk’En and Chana then went into melee with the dogs and dispatched the other two hounds quickly.

Through the battle, Chana, Mystida, and Jedd were almost in terror. These hounds had souls of ice and eyes of the dead. Rk’En though, had the savage bloodlust of a soul on fire. He reveled in the battle. He laughed as he engaged the last of the hounds and cleaned his axes. After Rk’En had killed them, came the tired look in his eyes and in his step as he returned to the party, who tried not to show their fear and unease.

After collecting their weapons, Chana asked, “What were those things?”

Jedd looked over to her from his seat on a rock “I am not sure, they weren’t natural though, my guess is magic.”

Mystida said, “They are dogs that have been warped, used by dark mages to guard places, and to alert their master when someone is going into the area. My guess is whoever made those knows we are here, and probably is unhappy about it.”

Far to the east, past the great forest where Dargeeze now sat, past the quiet cities to the mountains called the Land of Lords and the royal tower. Once a place of happiness, where a king ruled with a kind but stern hand, but now a place of corruption and evil. The new king, a wizard, sat in his laboratory; he reviewed the action through the crystal ball on a stand. Four adventurers killed his guards, which he had set up to keep people from the Oracle. A half felinex, no concern, he has been dealing with the pitiful nomadic race. A human female, a sorceress by the looks of her. She may be of trouble, but she has only a fraction of the power he had. An odd little man, alchemist most likely. He will be of no consequence. The large man…a barbarian! The prophecy!

The wizard ran to his spellbook, and turned to the final page, the writing wasn’t his, but of the unnamed one, the one whose magical energies created this universe and planets, had written these words, a prophecy, the answer to the wizard’s question of his future. He mumbled the prophecy; “An animal talker leaves the land of grass and comes to a mountain made by kings from the past. In the middle of the valley is a wand standing upright. The animal talker approaches the wand and the wand crumbles before it.”

The prophecy had made him seek out the barbarians of the southwest grasslands, where there were rumors that the clans there had many skills having to do with animals. He had all of them killed, but if he remembered the reports correctly, three had gotten away. The parents were found dead, but of the baby, only bloody clothing was found. How could he be so stupid!?!?! The animals saved the baby, and now that baby is a man! The wizard king MUST kill this man, or die himself!

He pulled a velvet cord, and four men filed into the room. They all said at once, “My king Maxdrinthrax, what is your command?”

The wizard king looked first to an enigmatic young man. “Resar, my best assassin, I command you to seek out these people,” showing him the four adventurers “and kill them!”

Resar, not showing any emotion, left the room.

The king then looked to his apprentice, “Hu, my loyal apprentice, go to Baron, and wait for them, should Resar fail.”

Hu smiled and left the room.

The king last addressed an ugly little man and a person that was more scarecrow than anything “Fuze, Srik, you will stay here and protect me.”

Fuze smiled, seeing the girl, Mystida in the crystal ball. He remembered her scared little face. He would enjoy a reunion.

Rk’En looked down at the forest. They crossed it in just under seven days. He looked on ahead and saw the dragon’s skull. They must cross the mountain, then, seek the oracle. The party marched toward their destination. He looked out of the corner of his eye to Mystida. She is so different from barbarian girls. She would have been a shaman or priestess if she was born in the grasslands. I wonder if she has any interest in me? No! I must keep these thoughts out of my mind until we get to the Oracle at the very least.

Mystida looked to Rk’En. Why is he so calm? If I could, I would use my magic and seek the Oracle now. The barbarian and me have something in common; we both seek information on our parents. He is pretty cute; I wonder what he thinks of me? Not a good idea, there is a reason I seek the Oracle, I can’t be caught up in any of that nonsense. But a little talking can’t hurt. She then caught up to him and started a conversation.

Jedd was lost in thought, he couldn’t believe that he was going to see the great Oracle! If only his parents were here to see this, but they weren’t, sad to say. They were at home with the rest of his people. Jedd could have stayed with them, but he wanted to see the world and meet interesting people. He looked to Chana and decided that the choice was a good one.

Chana looks at Rk’En, wondering how this barbarian is to save the planet. He is a good fighter, but enough of those have wasted their lives trying to liberate the kingdom. She then glances at Jedd, I hope he sticks around till the end. He is useful as an alchemist, and pretty cute.

The party moves up the mountain. Days turn into weeks. They are low on supplies now, dangerously low. Jedd had given them some potions that regenerate the body’s energy so they could go on, but it was a poor substitute for food and rest.

They were going to give up, but Rk’En pushed them on, telling them that once they made it to the Oracle, everything would be ok.

Three days later, they reached the summit of the mountain. The trip was long, and hard, but at least they were alive. The air was thin and the rocks were bare. They looked down and saw the other side of the Dragon Skull. Chana was the first to find the path down the mountain. She called the others over and they started down the bare rock.

They found some edible roots and a stream that night and were able to eat their fill and restock they supplies and water flasks.

In the morning, they set out. At about midday, they arrived at a large cave. With a chill, Jedd realized this was the Chaos Dragon’s eye socket. What gave everyone the chills was when they heard sounds coming from the darkness.

Suddenly, a voice boomed, “What are you here for! What do you seek!”

For a few terrified seconds, Rk’En thought of going back, thought of just leaving, and becoming village leader. He then realized that finding out about his parents mattered more, and he wasn’t going to let some voice scare him off!

“I am Rk’En of the clan Black Gazer! I have come to seek the Oracle of the Dragon Skull!”

The voice laughed and said, “You have found him!” and a shape flew out of the empty eye socket. Like a leviathan swimming through water, this thing flew through the skies. It was large, it could stand and be as tall as the royal tower!

Jedd looked at the creature with a cold realization. It was half as big as the eye socket! The head of the chaos dragon could fit in Lake Sangra, and this creature was big enough to take up half the eye socket! He saw the creature clearly now, it was a Titan dragon! A gargantuan dragon with no breath weapon or magic to call its own, but abilities that resisted magic and powerful limbs with sharp talons. He realized it was a very old Titan dragon, which would explain some, but never forget, an old dragon is just like a young dragon, the only difference is the older one is smarter.

The ancient dragon landed near the four people and looked at them. “What is it you wish to ask me?”

Rk’En approached him. “I want to know who are my parents and where to find them.”

The Oracle looked at Rk’En. “You are an animal-talker. Your parents were the same. Once there was a tribe of barbarians with this skill that lived in the southwest grasslands. They were a small tribe that enjoyed peace. The wizard king Maxdrinthrax had his army go kill them, for he feared them. Your parents died protecting you, they gave you to a family of bears that brought you near your present village to be brought up by other barbarians.”

Before Rk’En could thank him, Mystida spoke up. “Who killed my father and mother!”

The dragon sighed, such disrespect. “Your father was a great sorcerer, but, it didn’t stop the man called Fuze from killing him and his wife, the one that you see in your dreams at night, the ugly face, is Fuze, and Fuze serves Maxdrinthrax.”

The dragon looked to Chana, who shook her head; “I need no question answered.”

The great wyrm then looked to the little alchemist “Jeddahenradamaka, I know your question, and although I cannot answer it now, I promise I will tell you one day.”

Jedd nodded and turned to Rk’En. “So, what are we going to do?”

Rk’En looked at his friend with anger “What do you mean? I just found out my entire people were killed because some weak human got a little nervous! I am the LAST of my true clan!” Rk’En was overcome with sadness, and uncertainty. He was prepared for the Oracle to tell him his parents were afraid of his ability, that they didn’t want him, not that they were slaughtered, and that he was found abandoned like a clanless N’k’Chu. He didn’t expect the Oracle to say they were like him, and sacrificed their lives for him. “I’m going home, to the only one I have left” he said, barely able to keep his composure.

Mystida now knew who killed her parents. She had planned to leave the three, to go take revenge for the theft of her parent’s lives and her happiness. But, seeing the state of Rk’En, she thought otherwise. She knew what it was like to loose your parents, to understand that because of what they were, they are killed, killed by people that fear what you are. She watched as he goes around the corner to the cave entrance, and follows him.

Jedd couldn’t believe it. “Of course! A dragon is the perfect being for a legendary Oracle! Lives an incredibly long time AND is powerful enough to live in a harsh environment! It almost explains everything!” Yeah, he understood why Rk’En was sad, and would give him some time to recover. He talked to the Oracle, who said that they would be permitted to use the cave for a few days. His thoughts strayed from legends, logic, and the future to Chana, who was sharpening her dirks. She looks over to him, and Jedd blushes slightly. Chana smiles and motions him over.

Chana was sharpening her daggers, thinking of how she could convince Rk’En to go fight the wizard king, and what does he have to do with this Maxdrinthrax. I could have tried talking to him. But Mystida may have a better chance at helping him through the shock of the recent events. She then noticed Jedd looking at her. Well, I suppose if he won’t follow his human side and make the first move, I will follow my felinex side and do it for him. And waved him to come over.

The last thing Rk’En wanted was pity. Mystida surprised him though, she didn’t show any. She told him of her parents, and asked about his village and such. She talked about her last memories of her parents and how they were killed. “My father had been talking to some other mage through a crystal ball and the other person was angry. He said that my dad would regret refusing him the use of my father’s skill. A week later, I was asleep in bed and I heard a scream. The house servant was dead when my father found her, and an ugly little man was holding a knife to my mom’s throat. The man told my dad to break his arm with the cudgel he planned to use for a weapon or my mom would be dead. My father did so, and the ugly man slit my mother’s throat, laughing. He dashed to my father and ducked the cudgel and stabbed him in the stomach. He then took the cudgel and smashed my father’s face in and licked the weapon after. He then turned to me and smiled, his teeth were black and his breath smelt of rancid bacon fat. He said “May be innocent, may be sweet, but nowhere as sweet as rotting meat.”

“I ran from him, used a ring my father gave me, a one-use teleport spell. I trained in the Art, and then was looking for him. In my pursuit of magic, I found out about the Oracle of the Dragon Skull. I was going to Dargeeze the Traveler so I could get to the Oracle when I found you and Jedd. I saved you two and found out that you were going the same way I was. Then, I found your purpose was to get to the Oracle, I decided to travel with you.”

Mystida looked at him. “I will travel with you down the mountain, and back across Lake Sangra, then lets figure out what we will do. I hope you will still come with us.”

Rk’En looked at her, she is so strong, to survive that and keep going. “I will come with you past the lake, then I will have my answer.” His thoughts went to dead parents he would never know, and the savage who killed them, and would kill him if he were discovered, and how then, his people would be dead.

The dragon woke them in the morning, Rk’En was on one side of the cave, he got up quickly and packed his things, then looked for the others. He found Mystida on the other side of the cave, putting her stuff away. She looked at him “Good morning, I will go look for the others, go eat breakfast.”

Rk’En found roasting meat and sat down. He was soon in deep thought.

Mystida went about the cave area, looking for Jedd, and Chana for that matter. She found them outside the cave a little ways. They were wrapped up in the same sleeping furs. She smiled and back off a little, then broke a few branches and listened while they scrambled to get their things packed. Chana came out first and walked with Mystida to the fire. While they ate, Jedd arrived silently and joined them. Both Jedd and Chana exchanged glances throughout the meal.

After everyone had finished his or her meal, the dragon spoke up. “I understand you will be leaving, going back. It is a long journey, even with a full stock of supplies. Therefore, I give you one last gift; I will send you to the south shore of Lake Sangra. Are you ready?”

The party nodded and the dragon spoke some words of magic. A bright light flashed and the party found themselves standing on the south shore of the lake, fishermen stared at them in surprise.

The four of them nodded to the surprised fishermen and headed down the path toward civilized country.

Rk’En had them stop at a fork in the path. He turned to his three friends. “I have thought about the future. In the barbarian lands, there is a life for me, what will I gain wandering around the civilized country? I may get revenge, but then, I may die. I plan to go to my adopted homeland, to live out my life in peace, and make my people live again.”

The others weren’t shocked, but they were saddened. They each said goodbye in turn. Mystida gave him a talisman. “This is important to me, I will be back to get it. It is a promise I will come visit you once I am through with my task.”

Jedd shook Rk’En’s hand. “I think I will head off with them a bit. Maybe I will visit that village and see if I can help them rebuild the guardhouse.” he said with a grin. “If you ever need my help, just send word, I will find it and come.”

Chana knew she couldn’t convince him to reconsider, so didn’t try. “I think I will travel with Jedd for a little bit, then get back to Dargeeze. You know where to look for us.” She thought in her mind I will be back, you have a prophecy to fulfill, and people to save. Not only the repressed humans, but also races like the nomadic felinex, half my people, who he has put a price on their hides. I will first convince Jedd and Mystida to come back with me, Rk’En, you have to help us, all of us!

Rk’En said goodbye once again and started down the right path, while his friends started down the left.

The barbarian went through the forest, past the place where he met an odd little man, who simply mentioned accident, mob, and blunt objects. He started up the hill that led to the grasslands of his home. Odd, why is there so much black smoke, there are no wars and it is the wrong season for fires. He then arrived at the top of the hill, and his blood turned to ice, his heart shattered, and his soul screamed in horror. The grasslands, all the grasslands, were burning. He saw a minor village, like others, it should have moved out of the grasslands long before, as always, but he saw it burning. He then saw bodies burning too and Rk’En felt sick. He ran; faster than the war march his people pace at, across the plains to his home village at the base of the Dragon’s Claw.

He arrived at a scorch in the grasslands that used to be his home. There were signs of fighting, so the villages were attacked. The corpses of the villagers were burnt, most beyond recognition. He ran to his mother’s tent, and saw it a pile of ash.

With hope in his heart, he went to where those who couldn’t fight would go, the mountain hiding place. His heart sank, he saw bodies at the base of a cliff, but still with hope, he ran to the hiding place. He saw the bodies of the elders, weapons still in hand, dead on the ground. He looked into the hiding place, a hole in the ground that widened into a cave, and what he saw sickened him. The burnt bodies of children, the enemies had blocked them in, and then burnt it. The enemies were not barbarians, for, barbarians would NEVER kill those who can not fight. He saw his mother, and other women, they were in the hiding place, weapons still held in their blackened, charred hands.

He heard a sound behind him, a whine. He turned around, axe out of the sheath. He saw the old gray wolf, the one that he had introduced to Tu’kar. Rk’En looked at the old hunter. “Tell me, what happened here.” He commanded.

He saw an image, the village at peace. Then, cries of alarm. Troops came in. Rk’En recognized them, goblins and humans, the black army! They came into the town, he saw elders rushing children up the mountain, along with some of the women who could not fight, the fresh fighters stayed to battle the army. The fighters were defeated. To Rk’En’s surprise, Tu’kar was one of the defenders. He had fought until he was hacked apart. The army sent a force up the mountain. The wolf’s vision blurs as it traveled up the mountain on its own trail. It focuses and Rk’En sees the elders fight, they fight hard, but fail in the end. The army, rather than go in, stuffed burnable material into the cave, and then dropped oil, then fire. The soldiers laugh as they hear screams, then walk away. They say “This for the glory of the wizard king Maxdrinthrax!”

Rk’En breaks his link with the wolf, and yells in anger. He pulls out his axe and screams “By the blazing sword of the war god, I swear that I will find you, you murderer! And when I do, I swear on the blood of my people and my clan, I will kill you for the horrors you have done!”

Rk’En gave the bodies a proper ceremony, put them on a funeral pyre, and burnt them, letting their ashes scatter to the wind. He checked his weapons, said a prayer to the war god, then went, going east, towards the Land of Lords, and the king’s tower.

As he traveled in the grasslands, he saw the desolation. He couldn’t believe that all this destruction was because of a man that was trying to cheat fate. He walked in a red haze, the other one controlling his reactions. He saw three goblins, sacks bulging with trophies and plunder, he cut two in half and tore the third apart with his bare hands, roaring in anger and laughing in pleasure.

He traveled farther, gradually the berserk rage in him died down, and he gained control again.

He started to ascend the hill. He heard a sound ahead of him. He looked for no place to hide; he pulled out his axes and readied himself for battle.

Over the hill came three figures running. The sun’s light showed them to be a woman in a black robe, an odd little man, and a half-felinex. The half-felinex was urging the others to hurry. Rk’En sheathed his axes as the Other’s influence vanished.

Jedd looked at his friend. I can see the rage in his eyes, the desire to kill, I just hope it doesn’t make him make a mistake.

They made camp in the forest. Jedd had tried talking to Rk’En, but made no headway. Chana sat quietly. Later that night, Mystida sat down next to Rk’En. Chana and Jedd were asleep, trusting that Rk’En would stand watch.

Mystida stared at the fire. “I know how you feel, when that bastard killed my parents, I felt that way. I went and studied dangerous war magics, ones that, if I mispronounced or wrote wrong, would unravel my existence. I learned from it though, if you go into situations constantly on emotion and allow logic to leave, you are destined to fail.”

Rk’En looked at her “And what do you expect me to do, go off somewhere for many years and wait for revenge? This hukmuk of a human killed all the family I know, I am going to the Land of Lords, and killing him!” he said fiercely.

“You will fail, lets stop, make a plan, we need to be quiet going in and careful, the black army can find us, or perhaps some other force of the king.” Mystida said, shuddering.

Rk’En scowled “Sneak around, like some gur’dan huma…”

Mystida loses her composure “Like some human! I knew it! You barbarians, you fight amongst yourselves so much, you must stop or kill off your clans, and the reason the black army took the grasslands is because your people have nearly killed each other off! And that…thing you become in battle. It scares the life out of us three! We fear what will happen if it comes out in a town or if you get angry with us! If you don’t control your anger, you will get us killed. You are no better than a human that way, maybe even worse, since at least we don’t behave so much like animals when we are!” Mystida stood up and then walked away in anger.

Rk’En sat, staring into the fire. She knows nothing. We barbarians fight each other to hone our skills, nothing more. Is there? Is it in our blood to fight? Is that why we fight so much. Why battles of honor, like that against Tu’kar with poison and bladed weapons. Why shouldn’t I be angry, the king deserves to die for what he did to my family! I will kill him myself! She is wrong; anger is not going to get me killed. Only the Other will allow me to kill the king. She is wrong… Rk’En spent the rest of the night staring into the fire, which, like his soul, blazed and flickered in indecision and fury, the Other somewhere in the back of his mind, pacing like a caged animal waiting for its next feeding.

The next day, Mystida and Rk’En rode in silence. Jedd and Chana forgot their surroundings as they rode down the road, talking to each other. They traveled for most the day, as they camped for the night, Rk’En looked down into the valley below. It was green, and flat. There was a large town.

Jedd stood next to Rk’En. “It is named Balring. We need to restock our supplies, get rations and such. Then we will continue down the road towards the Land of Lords.” Seeing Rk’En nod and not try to make conversation, Jedd walked away, to join Chana by the fire.

That night, Rk’En took the first watch. Mystida sat on the other side of the fire. “You are still angry, and in Balring, they will make fun of you for being a barbarian. If you are angry, and loose yourself, the guard will kill us all. They hate barbarians because you are stronger, they hate sorceresses because we know magic, they hate Chana because her felinex lineage, the cat-race are known thieves and nomads, and they will hate Jedd just because he looks odd.”

Rk’En glared at her. He snarled, “Don’t worry about me, I won’t reveal my feelings to anyone about anything.”

Mystida was hurt, not knowing how he meant that, but seeing that Rk’En wouldn’t talk unless forced, gave up, and went to sleep.

They entered the city through one of the lesser gates, not by choice, but because the guards wouldn’t let them in the main gate. Rk’En was angry because of the slurs they had heard about them when they approached, he walked in rage, only able to control himself barely. If he had a clear head, he would have noticed a figure had been following them, and then ran down a side street.

The party was under attack. A group of children had found a stockpile of rotten fruit and now was hurling it at them. Rk’En was getting angry. The children yelled “Thieving cat-people! Savage barbarian! Finger-waggler! Freak!!!”

Rk’En was getting mad. These little beasts were like the things that destroyed his parents, his people, and the grasslands. The rage inside him started to explode. He would show these things what it meant to be a savage barbarian.

Resar took out his crossbow. Good children, keep him distracted. I just need to get myself set up, and then he is dead. My master will be satisfied. He braced himself in the abandoned building and loaded his weapon and set his sights on the barbarian’s heart.

The children started to call the four of them names again. One large child threw a rotten tomato at Rk’En. It hit him in the face and Rk’En started to see red. The child looked scared as the big warrior started to walk towards him, reaching for an axe larger than the boy’s torso.

Resar took final aim; the big guy was advancing on a kid, perfect shot now. He fires.

Rk’En advanced towards the child, but then, Mystida! She got in front of him, to stop him. Then, he heard the sound of a sharp object impaling into a person, and saw Mystida look in utter shock. The children run, and Rk’En catches Mystida as she falls.

He holds her, and she grips him, a feathered shaft sticking out her back. Unspoken words, words she wanted to say were in her eyes and on her lips, but were then lost. The fire of beauty, power, and life, flickers and leaves her eyes, and she went limp.

Resar looks in anger. That bitch! She got in the way! She deserves to die! He then calls out to the remaining three “Rot in hell with your friend!” and fires another crossbow bolt.

Rk’En heard the words, and saw the figure. He got up. He dodged the second quarrel easily. His rage started to rise like the tide of the ocean, the Other coming with it. But this time, both became a tidal wave, huge and destroying all in its path. His eyes went blood red and he roared. He ran at the building, throwing himself at the door, which was firmly bolted.

Resar smiled, easy kill now, he won’t dodge this one. Just have to wait for him to go through the door. He continued to smile as the door started to give way. Suddenly, from behind, he heard a noise. He turned around quickly “Oh chut!” and watched as the half-felinex stabbed him in the heart with a dagger.

The three brought her body out of the city, to a quiet place. Rk’En had calmed down and begins to dig a grave. Jedd and Chana help him lay the body of their friend to rest.

He stays silent; I am the reason she is dead. She said I would get us killed with my rage, and she was right. I am sorry, Mystida. The wind speaks to all. It carries words to all, but today the wind ignored its nature, and let three words stay where they were, the words from the warrior in front of the newly dug grave, the words “I love you.”

Felinex are known for their hearing. Chana is no exception, even though she only has half that lineage. She heard her old friend before she saw him, “Dargeeze.”

The Traveler bowed, and went up to Rk’En. “I am sorry for you loss, know this, there is a way to save her still, if your heart is true and you are willing to do the task.”

Rk’En turned to him quickly “What do I do!”

Dargeeze looks at the barbarian “In the city Daneg, there is said to be a priest. His order labeled him a heretic for saying that the gods do not live in the temples and in donations, but in everything and no amount of money can buy the true blessings that good, selfless deeds produce. Although his order banished him, he still is around. He has the power to heal people, and it is said he knows the way to bring someone back from the dead.”

With a nod of thanks, he turned to the south, where the road led to Daneg. Without another word, he started down the path, with purpose in his heart.

Jedd and Chana talked to Dargeeze quickly, thanking him. Then saw Rk’En had vanished into the distance. So they ran after him as fast as they could.

Rk’En went into a barbarian’s force march, which to one of us is a steady jog, almost a run. After six hours, he was almost to Caldan rock, which marked the halfway point for the trip to Daneg from this road. Traveling along in the civilized country, he noticed things were not as they are in the wilderness. Villages were like the poor section of the cities and everyone seemed starved. He got very angry at the way this king treated his people, and his determination to kill the wizard tyrant grew.

He arrived at Caldan rock, and heard screaming. Off to the side was a group of about seven soldiers, all human. On the ground, unconscious or dead, was a boy of about 16 summers. The soldiers were busy trying to get the dress off a struggling girl of about the same number of summers as the boy. Rk’En got very angry, these acts are evil, and if they had been barbarians, they would have something much more valued to a man than his head cut off! Rk’En felt the red rage begin to surge in him. He felt himself begin to leave, and the Other take control of his body.

The roar he gave out startled the soldiers; they turned around and looked in shock. “Hey guys, I thought we killed most the barbarians…” was all one could say before the berserker attacked them, swinging two double bladed axes like harbingers of death and destruction.

When Jedd and Chana finally came to Caladan rock, they saw what was a bloodbath. A girl, tending to a boy who had gotten the crap beaten out of him explained what happened. “We were walking to Daneg when the soldiers stopped us. They said we were to pay a toll to keep on going, and when we had no money, they beat Guder senseless and tried to rape me. I heard a roar, and the soldiers fought what looked to be a monster with blades for arms. He killed them, hacked them to pieces, and then ran off towards Daneg. We are going back to Balring, I don’t want to meet that beast again!”

Chana nodded, Jedd looked grim. They went into a faster pace towards Daneg, begging to their respective gods that Rk’En didn’t hurt anyone else.

They prayers were answered; they found him on the side of the road, suffering from many blade wounds. He was sleeping at the moment, and was so tired; he didn’t even notice the two walk up to him. “Rk’En! Wake up!” Jedd yelled at the large warrior. Like a giant returning from a long rest, the barbarian got up, staggering a bit. Chana tended the wounds, and saw they weren’t serious. She told him with a serious face, “You are lucky soldiers aren’t used to fighting your people, anyone who knows how you act could do greater harm to you, you loose all control, you will get yourself killed.”

Rk’En heard in horror what he did while he was berserk. He didn’t have to hear long though, all the blood he lost and effort he used for becoming berserk tired him quickly, and he lapsed into sleep quickly.

When he woke up, they traveled on to Daneg. He spent the rest of the way in silence, fighting with his inner self, the Other that thrived on blood, fueled by rage, and was the birthright of every barbarian.

When they arrived in Daneg, they made their first mistake by going to the temple to find this priest. The priests, fat and covered in gold, were going to stone them to death before they could run.

They went to a section of the city, a large one, which looked as if the dragons had come back from the other continents and attacked only this section of this city with great prejudice. No building had all its walls and many were completely collapsed. People squatted in these houses, and the little money one could make was used to pay taxes for the honor of living in these squalor conditions.

They found the holy man in a small lean-to. He places his hands over the leg of a small boy. The boy’s leg, which was twisted and broken, straightened out and reformed into a perfectly normal appendage. The man fell back in exhaustion and the boy’s father thanked the man and left a section of meat in the lean-to as he walked with his boy back to their own hovel.

Jedd went over to the old man and helped him sit up. “I am Jeddahenradamaka, these are my friends Chana and Rk’En. We came to ask of you something.”

The holy man looked up to them. He noticed the grief-wracked face of Rk’En and knew what the request was. “You seek to bring back someone you care for, how long has she been dead grasslander?”

Rk’En looked surprised, that his secret had been so easily seen. Jedd and Chana looked at him with more shock than Rk’En had shown. The barbarian answered, “Only a day and a half.”

The holy man smiled “There is still hope then, if her body is intact. I sense that she died a violent death, I will heal the wound and bind her soul to her body. But, there is something I ask of you.”

The barbarian looked eager, and quickly said, “Is it money? Jewels? Food? I will get you more than I can carry if it will return her!”

The holy man shook his head sadly, “No, if it was that simple, I would not even ask anything of you. What I need is her soul.” He took out a gem “I used to go to the other world and collect them myself, but I am now too old and frail, and cannot make the journey to the portal. I need you to bring her spirit back to this realm, using this jewel, you can pass through the portal and then collect her spirit, if you can avoid or appease the god of death.”

The barbarian took the jewel. “Where do I go?”

The great healer with eyes that revealed ancient wisdom, legs that never would travel far, stringy white hair that was so long it ran down his thin back, bones showing through the starved body, said in a quiet voice, “The Swamp of Souls.”

Rk’En gasped, that hellish place was rumored to be where the soulsuckers lived, hence the name. This would be a dangerous journey. “I will go then, I will return with Mystida’s soul!” He bowed in respect to the healer and then walked towards the closest city gate.

Jedd and Chana, eager to get their friend back, quickly ran after him.

Maxdrinthrax looked up from the pool of water. He had used a scry spell, it allowed him to watch all the events unfold with the holy man. “I regret not yet having the power to kill the old man whom the gods favor.”

He walked to a mirror and cast a spell; the face of his servant Hu appeared. Hu looked directly at the king, though to everyone else, it looked as if Hu stared at empty space. Though, the townsfolk didn’t question it at all, seeing how the king was a wizard. “My master, what is your wish?”

The king said, “The barbarian still lives, as do two of his friend, Resar slew the sorceress bitch but then was killed by the filthy half-felinex Chana. They talked to the holy man at Daneg, and seek to retrieve their friend from the grave. To do so, the barbarian must enter the afterlife. I want you to go to the Swamp of Souls. After killing his friends, seal the portal to the afterlife with Rk’En on the other side. That is my command.”

Hu bowed to the empty air, “Yes, my lord.” He then started to speak a spell of teleportation that would send him a few miles ahead of his king’s enemies and allow him time to prepare. Like a thought that had blazed brilliantly in the mind of an inventor for a brief instant, the mage disappeared.

The party travels for many days. They pass countless small villages that have been burned and pillaged by the black army. They see mass graves of felinexs, the gypsy-like cat people who travel the continent. Their bodies were shaven, burned, and their possessions stolen. Chana screams in grief and rage, but after taking a look at the bodies, reports that her clan isn’t among them and the Black Army didn’t even manage to get even half of a single clan.

After three days, they leave the road, both for fear of the black army is the cause of huge clouds of smoke ahead and because the roads don’t go near the swamp of souls, therefore, one must trek the wilderness to reach it.

They near the horrid swamp; it is black and smells as if all creatures, great and small, come to this one place to die and nothing clears the bodies. They see two soulsuckers, both small, round, and with evil eyes and wicked fangs, waddle around the border of the swamp, a parody of soldiers on a patrol.

The three sneak in the swamp like thieves between groups of soulsuckers. They start slowly making their way to the middle of the swamp. Chana looks to her lover “Jedd, how will we know what the portal looks like?”

Jedd whispers to her, “Believe me, if I know mages and gods, I don’t think we will have much difficulty identifying it once we see it.”

He wasn’t wrong either. Standing out of the spongy, stinking ground, made of what looks like dead flesh and bone, is a huge arch. It must have been 300 axe hafts high in the center! Jedd simply says, “Yep, I bet that’s the portal to the realm of the dead.”

Rk’En takes the red jewel out of his pouch and holds it in front of him. Nothing happens. He walks towards the portal cautiously. A light shines in the jewel and a wind picks up. Suddenly, from the air in the arch starts to shimmer, and instead of swamp, he sees a baked wasteland, strewn with skeletons and the bodies of the dead. He looks back at his friends, tries to give them a smile of assurance, and walks into this dead place.

Hu had watched in the opening of the portal and the scene he saw on the other side in fascination. After the big warrior went into the other side, the portal stopped shimmering and the scene of the blasted wasteland was replaced with swamp. He sensed though, the portal was still open, and knew what he must do. After I kill the freak and the felinex, I will shut the gate and let the barbarian suffer!

Jedd looked into the area the portal used to occupy, “Wow, that is where I go when I die? I hope my god will at least let me bring a houseplant!” Suddenly, he hears the sound of a strange voice speaking in the spidery language of magic and tackles Chana, sending them both into the mud just as a ball of ice sails over their heads.

The alchemist looked about in fear, and saw a figure. He recognized it as the man known as Hu. Jedd had heard of him, a servant to the wizard king. He knew they were in trouble, their own magic user being dead and all. Chana whispered into his ear, “Distract him for a second”.

Jedd got up, “So magic-flinger, you think you can stand up to Jeddahenradamaka!” and started to throw all his potions of attack spells at the magic user.

Hu couldn’t believe this. Not only had they both dodged his first attack, but also that ridiculous alchemist is now throwing stuff at him! He put down the shield that protected his body and let the potions hit him; they destroy some of his clothes, but have no other effect on him.

Jedd couldn’t believe his eyes; the potions don’t affect him! He hoped Chana ran when she saw that.

Hu laughed “You wonder how I can do that? I will tell you, I don’t mind. It is something my king and your bitch sorceress balked at doing! I sold my soul! I belong to the god of nightmares, and the magic he has is fused in me! His promise was worth it! No magic shall ever harm me!” Hu laughs again and casts another spell at the shocked alchemist.

Jedd is fast, but not fast enough, the stone fist wings him, and he was now lying on the ground stunned. He regained the power of speech as Hu stood over him, gleaming with triumph. Jedd looked up at him and said, “One problem with your new protection.”

Hu grinned, “Yeah, what is that?”

A voice behind the mage spoke up, “A very mundane dagger can kill you when you put your personal magic shield down” and when Hu looked down to see the tip of a dagger protruding from his chest.

Chana pushed the dead man off her blade and helped Jedd up.

Rk’En looked around. This plane of existence was like it looked through the portal. The dead are everywhere. They moan in pain and suffering, Rk’En cannot block the sounds from his mind. He traveled for what seems like days. He saw a break in the landscape ahead. He looked in wonder, on his side, there is desolate, broken ground with the dead crying in pain, but on this side, the land is green and rich. The spirits there talked idly and played games of skill and strategy. The barbarian crossed the line and the air is no longer stagnant and dry, but moist and smelling of wild grass and perfume. He walked with caution through this place. He called out, “Mystida!” with all his might, but not hearing any reply, or getting any reaction but looks of annoyance from the souls of the dead.

He walked to a small park and again called out her name. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the distance wearing a black robe. “Mystida!” Rk’En yelled and ran towards her. He was about to touch her when she disappeared and in her place, a hole in the ground. Rk’En fell into the hole. It seemed like he had been falling for days, falling in this pitch-black darkness.

In the Land of Lords sat king Maxdrinthrax. He raged at the loss of his apprentice. He turned to Fuze, his loyal lackey. “Go tell the Black Army to march to the Swamp of Souls. I want them there by tomorrow. They are to go into the swamp and kill that bastard barbarian and his friends!”

Fuze licked his fat lips and bowed, he then ran out of the room, barely able to contain his joy at being able to serve the master.

Finally, Rk’En saw light. A sickly, red light that seemed to pierce his soul like a dagger. He landed on cold hard rock, but he took no injury. Then, he heard a screeching sound. He turned around and saw a sight of horror. Thousands of demons, skeletons, zombies and other nightmarish things beyond imagine. “If I must get through these creatures to get to Mystida, I will!”

The battle begun. The barbarian, a battle-axe in each hand, tore into the monsters. He started to see the other one inside him, the berserker emerge. He remembered Mystida’s words, and vowed not to let the Other control him. He wouldn’t let his anger be the cause of his or his friend’s deaths anymore. He fought the Other and to his surprise, the Other relinquished some of its hold on him. So in this battle, Rk’En saw what was going on. He was able to influence the Other’s actions; the bloodlust was controlled, although slightly. Rk’En’s skill in battle was placed with the Other’s savage nature. The Other and the barbarian, chaos and control, they were unstoppable. The demons didn’t have control over their rage, and ran forward like lambs to the slaughter. The demons acted much like most barbarians do while berserk, fighting even after receiving a mortal wound. Rk’En placed his skill with his axes into the enhanced strength of the Other and both of them tore into the demons, two essences, one body.

The battle ended, thousands of dead demons lay at the barbarian’s feet. He was bloody, and he lost both of his huge axes in the battle. Now he stood and shouted, “I have fought your army, lord of the dead! I demand Mystida’s soul back!”

From the still darkness, sounding as cold as a winter wasteland Rk’En heard laughter. “You think that a simple barbarian such as yourself can presume to give orders to a god?”

The barbarian snarled, “I don’t care if I have to command my war god, but I want her back! I fought your army, and if I have to, I will fight you as well, god of the dead!”

The god, appearing before the barbarian, was a horrible sight. Half of his body was youthful, strong, with only the eyes to betray his long existence. It wore fine clothes and had sun bronzed skin. The other side of him was dead and rotting. Worms crawled through it, maggots fell out of cracks in the slug-belly white skin. It wore moth-ridden finery as was human tradition, and had death tattoos on the dead half of the face, as is barbarian tradition. It also smelled and looked like it had been buried in the ground, as is goblin and felinex tradition. In a sack hanging from his belt was clay jars. In his hands, he held a scythe, “Do you really think you, a mortal, could ever oppose a god in combat?”

Rk’En gave a savage grin, “I can try.”

The immortal looked at this figure. So small compared to the god’s own form that it would be an elephant stepping on a small cat. He looked into Rk’En’s eyes, and saw a determination he had never seen before in a person, and he saw what this warrior was meant for. “Do you swear by your soul that you will do all in your power to bring her back from the dead?”

Rk’En set his determination, “Yes!”

The god grinned, “And do you think your friends feel the same way?”

The barbarian blinked in surprise, “What?”

Death looked at him, “You would let yourself die in the attempt for her soul, I know that. But, do you have enough faith that you will allow your friends to try to do what I ask with the knowledge that if they fail, they will die and your soul will be my slave for eternity?”

Rk’En looked at the god. To put my friends at risk, even for her life… “I cannot answer for them, allow them to hear your terms.”

The god smiled, “Very well” and opened a small hole in thin air. “Talk to them.”

Jeddahenradamaka and Chana looked in amazement at the portal that had just appeared in front of them. Then, they saw the barbarian’s face. A distant voice called to them, “Hey guys, it is me, Rk’En. I talk to you from the afterlife. I have met the death-god. He will surrender Mystida’s soul, but you two must do a task for him. If you fail, you will die. If you don’t want to do this, I understand. I will hold no grudge or ill thoughts to you.”

Jedd looked at Chana and then said, “Of course we will help! We will find this scythe and bring it here. We want her back too!”

Rk’En smiled as he looked at the two through the portal, “Thank you, my friends.”

The god then looked into the portal, “Jeddahenradamaka, Chana, here is your task. You are to retrieve an item from the soulsuckers who gather in the swamp. It is a scythe, one of my servants, a soul reaver lost it when ambushed by them. Find it, and return it to the portal and Rk’En will be allowed to fetch Mystida’s soul.”

The portal shut and the alchemist looked at his lover, “Now that we have agreed, how ARE we going to get this scythe out of the hands of a group of the most deadly creatures in the known world?”

Rk’En looked to the god of death, “I have only one more thing to ask of you. I want to see my family, both my true parents, and my foster parents.”

The god looked at the barbarian, “Very well, I will send you to their location” and with that, he touched the scythe to Rk’En’s forehead. Rk’En looked around, and he noticed that he wasn’t in the same location as before. He didn’t remember traveling; it was as if the scenery just shifted all the sudden. He looked at the people here. Most were laughing, dancing, or sparring. He noticed someone in a corner, looking slightly sad. He recognized her, “S’Lan! Mother!” he cried out.

S’Lan looked in shock at seeing Rk’En in the afterlife. “My son! Death has found you too!”

Rk’En smiled, “No mother, I come down here on a mission.” he then started to look grim, “I saw what had happened. I swear I will go to the king’s tower and kill that murdering Guk’Foren!”

S’Lan looked at Rk’En, “I love you son. I want you to be happy. Walk the way of the warrior, use control when you must, lose it when you must.” With that, a small flash of the Other one that lived in her soul came out, one that had been feared by one and all in the past, as S’Lan was the greatest of the women warriors. “And always follow the barbarian way and fight the dark forces in the kingdom. When you leave here with your loved ones soul,” she smiled as Rk’En’s eyes widened, “What do you think the dead do with their time besides this?” she asked, gesturing to the fun, “We watch the living. Anyway, when you leave, you must hurry, Maxdrinthrax knows of Hu’s death at the hands of Jeddahenradamaka and Chana. He sends the Black Army after you! But before you run off, don’t worry, the army is still a ways off, go see your first tribe, the animal-talkers. They have a right to see the surviving member of their clan.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Son, one more thing, take one last look around, look at the people here.”

Rk’En looked at the scene again. Many people, those he knew were about, dancing, singing, and having fun. He then noticed something, glanced at his mother who was smiling. Rk’En gave her a grin that would warm a glacier, and the look in Rk’En’s eyes was that of pure joy and relief. “Goodbye mother! I must go to see my people!” he said as he ran off.

On his way there, a voice cried out, “Rk’En!” The barbarian stopped and looked about. In the fields where there would have been the beasts his people used for food was a figure. The person was scarred all over, tokens from either thousands of battles or thousands enemies in a single battle. Rk’En recognized the person, Tu’kar! Tu’kar got up from his rock and limped over to Rk’En. Rk’En looked at him and said, “So, how did you manage to get into the good part of the afterlife?”

Tu’kar grinned, “A few months after you left on that quest to find your past I started to look at how I was living my life. The vices I chose were damaging my body, and without a clear focus like on getting rid of you, my mother’s manipulations were more apparent and annoying. I started to quit the things that were dulling my edge. In the final battle against the Black Army, myself and others fought to the death.” he then looked sad, “I am only sorry it didn’t help.” remembering the carnage at the hiding place. Rk’En smiled, “Don’t worry, it looks as if you all are here and happy. Actually, where IS your mother?”

Tu’kar grinned, “When she went to the god of death to be judged, he said she was more Land of Lords woman than grasslander. She was sent to a place with her kind where she sits and plots all day long.”

Rk’En grinned, “I am glad to see you are here. I must go now to the clan I was born to. There isn’t much time.”

Tu’kar nodded, “Yes, there isn’t. Go on, I’ll see you many years from now, if you stay smart.”

On that, Rk’En walked down the road to the area that held a unique clan of barbarians, ones who could speak to animals. They all greeted him. They wore clothing with designs of all sorts of animals, predators and prey alike. One of the barbarians, a fellow with a bird on his should smiled at Rk’En and motioned towards a tent.

Rk’En entered the tent, and saw two people. One was a man, tall, brown hair and a face that, Rk’En noticed, showed where he got his eyes and nose. The other was a beautiful woman. She wore tattoos on her face and a look in her eyes that showed where Rk’En got most his ferocity. The woman looked at Rk’En in surprise and yelled in joy, “Son!” and ran to him.

The joy Rk’En felt, should it have been able to leave that tent, would have brought the dead back to life. After his mother attacked him with questions, he faced his father. The man had a look in his eyes that showed he knew how to use the mace and hammer hanging from his sides, but would rather thrust an ale at you than either of the other two. After talking to both for a while, they left the tent to find the entire village outside. They smiled, welcomed Rk’En and started a celebration for the reuniting of Rk’En with his parents.

The celebration went into the night. Rk’En knew he would have to leave soon. He left the firelight to relax in the peaceful dark a little. His people had been excited to speak with him. It seemed in the span of a few hours, Rk’En had been told the entire history of the animal-talkers up to that point. When they were finished with that, some girls that used death’s power to age themselves to teenage years. They told him that if he had grown up with them in the land of the living, they would ALL have made sure to get betrothed to him. Rk’En blushed and danced with a few in the firelight of the throng. After some of the general cheer moved away from him, he started to just watch from the edge of the celebration. A person came up to him, his father. “Son,” he said, “I am happy you are here. I have watched you from here. You know of the…Other one. The one who takes all our senses and replaces them with ignorance to injuries and a battle lust that has no equal.”

Rk’En looked at his father, “Yes, I know of the other. I have been taken by him in many battles.”

“But not in your last one, not completely,” his father said, “Normally, only those who have no sense, through vice or the like, do not lose themselves to the Other. Normally they cannot invoke the Other to emerge. You have no vice, and rather loose ability from not giving yourself, you instead kept the best of him and the best of yourself.”

“Father,” Rk’En said, “I don’t know how it happened. Remembering what Mystida said, I couldn’t let it take me. And if I had, I would have been dead, or too weak to stand up to Death. Was what I did wrong?”

His father smiled, “No, just the opposite. Only a few barbarians can do what you did. To have that ability, you must have a parent that can do it, and then the chances of you having it are still slim.”

Rk’En looked at him, “Mother has it, I saw the fierceness in her eyes.”

The father grinned, “Your mother has a strong other. People thought we were a bad match because of this. But then, they saw me in battle, and the fact my other was weak was balanced with the fact I controlled it’s bloodlust.” Rk’En looked in surprise at his father. He then remembered what he had left to do in the land of the living, “I can’t kill Maxdrinthrax while using it, for how can I kill evil while using something that may be evil itself as well as chaotic? But then, how can I defeat a wizard on my own?” To himself, Rk’En also thought, should I even kill him? Wouldn’t that be evil as well?

The older man looked at Rk’En, “I don’t know. Do what you think is right my son. And if the king lives, but you return here, we will know you did your best.”

Rk’En nodded to his father and they went to rejoin the celebration.

Jeddahenradamaka and Chana mucked through the swamp towards the area with the most soulsucker tracks. The half-felinex led the way, picking a rout that would have no soulsuckers on it. At times when being spotted was almost ensured, Jedd would open up a small bottle and have Chana and himself breath the fumes, becoming invisible for a short while. Eventually, Chana had to get Jedd and herself up into the trees to avoid the small, round, big eyed, fanged, creeps of evil. They made their way on branches carefully. They made it to a clearing, and looked down at a small stone platform. What they saw shocked them.

About a hundred soulsuckers stared at the platform, the corpse of Hu the sorcerer laid ontop of it. The soulsuckers then started to hum. The sound was horrible, yet Jedd and Chana couldn’t turn away from the scene. A tear appeared in the air, and opened. A creature walked through, cloaked in a cloud of black smoke. The being’s voice was so horrible; Jedd and Chana struggled to remain sane. “Hu, we made a bargain long ago. A bit of my magic in exchange for you soul. I take it now!”

Jedd and Chana watched in horror as a translucent image of Hu went inside the god of nightmares. Hu’s corpse then started to change. It grew small, round. They eyes got larger, and from the small slit of a mouth came two small fangs. The skin changed to pitch black, it was a soulsucker!

Jedd thought, That is how they are made! He lost his soul to the god of nightmares, so he must now look for someone else’s soul to replace his own. A horrible price for a horrible deed.

The god of nightmares, now having what he came for, passed back through the tear and closed it behind him. Jedd whispered to Chana, “We need to find the scythe. It will probably be here, since this is where we have found the most soulsuckers.”

Chana nodded and used her half-felinex eyes, which could see much better in the dark than Jedd’s to locate the weapon. She grinned as she spied it, leaning up against a stone pillar in the middle of the clearing. She signaled Jedd, pointed to it and said, “Ok, now that we see it, how do we cross the 70 feet to it while avoiding hundreds of soulsuckers?”

“I could throw flame-balls at them, destroy some, confuse the others while you run for it.”

“All it takes is one looking at my eyes to kill me.”

“Eyes? Hmmm...”

Rk’En walked the road back towards the god of death’s desolate field, to wait for word from Jedd and Chana. I can’t let the other one take over in battle, if I can control it, then the other is no longer a violent beast in the form of a man. With the other under my control, I could kill the wizard king! I can get revenge for all the evils he has done! But if I kill him, aren’t I as evil as he is?

The soulsuckers chirped in anger and frustration as Jedd and Chana walked amongst them towards the scythe. Blindfolds across their eyes kept them from seeing the little beasts and tough leather boots stopped the little fangs the soulsuckers had. Jedd lead the way, putting his hands in front of his body, feeling for the pillar. He grinned with satisfaction when his hands rested upon the wooden handle of the scythe. “Ok, let’s go,” he said to Chana and the two started to feel their way out of the clearing.

They managed to find their way out of the clearing and were stumbling around in the swamp, hundreds of soulsuckers at their heels. When all the soulsuckers were behind them, they removed the blindfolds and ran like crazy to the portal. When they arrived at the portal, they saw it open, Rk’En standing on the other side of the interdimensional window. Jeddahanradamaka quickly tossed the holy artifact through the portal and turned his back to the closing portal to meet the small bodies that were waddling their way to their position.

Rk’En showed the god the scythe, “Here is your servant’s weapon, now, where is Mystida?”

The god took the weapon and gave it to a cloaked figure that was hiding in the shadows. “Mystida is at her father’s tower. Take this,” handing Rk’En a gem, “And place her inside it, then you can take her to the land of the living.”

Rk’En thanked the god of death and started off towards the place Mystida had talked to him about. He looked at the countryside as he walked down the road. It looked just like the real world, except there were no thieves on the road, no beggars in the towns, and everyone was in good health. He knew that there were places where beings of evil were kept; those who would try everything in their power to stop the peace that existed here. He shuddered and quickened his pace, eager to see Mystida again.

He arrived at a large stone tower, overlooking a small village. He knocked on the door, but received no answer. He opened up the door cautiously and crept inside. The halls in the tower were brightly lit, people sat on large couches or chairs reading or discussing philosophy. Rk’En didn’t see Mystida among them, so he climbed a staircase to the next floor.

He arrived at the second floor and his heart leapt. Sitting in a chair, reading an old book, was Mystida. “Mystida!” Rk’En yelled, full of joy. The sorceress’s head shot straight up from the book; her eyes showed utter and complete shock.

“Rk’En!” she exclaimed. “Are you dead too?” she asked, fear in her voice.

Rk’En smiled, “No, I came here to get you.”

“You did? How?” she asked, curiosity in her voice.

“I came down, fought demons, and the god of death gave me a chance. I want you to come back, I have a gem that will take your soul back, and a holy man can heal your body and bind your soul to it.” he said, taking the gem out of his belt pouch.

Mystida looked at him, a hopeful look in her eyes, “Why did you do all of this?”

Rk’En started to choke on his words. He was saved when the door flew open. The two spun around and saw one of the death god’s servants, called a Soul Reaver, one that collects the spirits of the dead and brings them to this realm, come through the door. It was about 6 feet tall and wore a black robe, covered by a black hood. It approached Rk’En. “Barbarian, it was my scythe that was stolen. My master intended to simply have me serve in this realm only, a task reserved for those who have fallen out of his grace. Because you were willing to risk your own soul for hers,” at this, Mystida looked at Rk’En in complete shock; “I thank you with a gift” the reaver said. From the sleeves of the robe came out his skeletal arms and hands, he was holding an axe in each. The axes were so dark that they seemed to be a void instead of a weapon.

Rk’En looked at the axes, unsure. The reaver laughed, an icy, disturbing laugh, for death is rarely joyful, “They are not evil. They are like death, neutral and uncaring of the battle between good and evil, simply all-consuming. Their names in mortal tongue are Death’s Will and War’s Lust. I have kept them here ever since its last owner, the third chief of the barbarians died thousands of years ago.” The reaver handed Rk’En the axes, they were slightly larger than his old ones were, but to his shock, the weapons changed. They made themselves smaller, and balanced just like Rk’En’s old axes.

Rk’En looked to the reaver. “I am honored by your thanks and your gifts, but my god is War, and I cannot accept the token of another god.”

The servant of Death chuckled, another odd sound, “Death’s token is the scyth, like mine,” showing his scythe, which Rk’En could have sworn wasn’t in the thing’s hand a minute ago, “So who do you think forged the blades? War did. The skill of War in the blades, the will of Death in the blade’s use. The ultimate honor to the greatest of warriors. You earned it, both gods watched you fight the thousands of demons. Death was impressed at the sheer numbers of demons you had sent to the lower realms, War impressed by the control you put over the one your people call The Other. It is by both their wills that you are given this instrument. A word of caution, the lust of War and the will of Death are strong, and when you feel their pull the most, that may be the time when you shouldn’t embrace the ways of the blade.”

Rk’En put the blades in his back sheaths and bowed to the reaver, “Thank you, death’s servant. And I thank both your master and the one who is mine.”

Death’s servant started to leave, but paused, “One more thing, My master tells me that you are to leave now, a portal will be waiting for you at the base of the tower. Your friends in the world of the living are in need of assistance.” he then jumped into the air and like a flash of lightning, streaked through the wall and out of Rk’En’s sight.

The barbarian looked at Mystida; “Will you come back with me?”

Mystida smiled, “Yes.”

Rk’En touched the gem to her, and she disappeared. He saw a figure inside the gem, a glowing silhouette.

The barbarian then rushed to the bottom of the tower, and saw the portal. Jeddahenradamaka and Chana were defending the portal against…soulsuckers! Rk’En took Death’s Will and War’s Lust from their sheaths. Both seemed to give off energy, as if waking up after a long slumber. Rk’En leapt through the portal with a wild battlecry and charged past a very shocked alchemist and thief. The soulsuckers stared at him, right in his eyes as they came out of the brush. War’s Lust kept Rk’En from noticing the stares, and Death’s Will kept Rk’En’s life energy where it belonged. The barbarian attacked the very surprised soulsuckers, cutting many in half on a single swing. After slaughtering countless numbers of these things, they retreated. The soulsuckers waddled quickly away, back to their home chittering angrily.

Rk’En turned to his shocked friends, “Lets go, they will be back with more numbers. They were just surprised that time.”

Jedd looked at Rk’En, “Where is Mystida?”

Rk’En took out the gem, “Right here,” and seeing Chana notice the axes, he said, “I will tell you about these later.”

The three ran through the swamp towards the border, eager to leave this dark, evil place. They were almost to the edge of the swamps when they hear people talking. Chana told the other two to stay put and crept forward. She managed to get right up to the figures, which she recognized as humans and goblins, wearing black armor. Nishita! The Black Army! she thought and quickly got back to her friends.

“Well, I don’t see what we can do. If I try to fight our way through, it would be doom. They would hear me coming a mile off and the battle would end us. And, my guess is the entire army is looking for us, from what people in the afterlife told me, so we would have to get by this group or the army will eventually catch us. I am all out of ideas,” Rk’En said to his friends.

Jedd sat on the mucky ground and thought. Hmmm, my spells won’t help much; I don’t have any attack ones left. Chana can’t kill them all from sneaking and like Rk’En said, he makes too much noise while going through these swamps. We need a hole in the screen that they have made for us. Why can’t those people just disappea…hehehe.

“Hey guys, there is a way around them, now listen up.” Jedd said to his friends.

Chana walked right into view of the group of soldiers. She grinned at their shocked faces and gave them a gesture with her hands that wasn’t complimentary. They growled, got up, and chased after the half-felinex into the depths of the swamp.

Chana grinned as she looked behind her at the soldiers, chasing her blindly through the swamp, I can’t believe these people are that stupid. Though, it is a good thing they are.

The soldiers had murder in their eyes. Not from the gesture, but from the fact the king hated everyone with felinex blood and this half-felinex specifically. They grinned as they thought of the things that they would do to her before they killed her. They lost sight of her as she went around a stone pillar. The soldiers ran around to catch her and were shocked at the sight they saw. Hundreds of soulsuckers were biting at the half-felinex’s tough leather boots; the girl herself was blindfolded. One by one, the soulsuckers started to pay attention to the soldiers, and soon, there was no one there but the soulsuckers and Chana.

Jeddahenradamaka was relieved when Chana returned to them from her mission. She smiled weakly, saying, “I am ok, and they got what they deserved. Lets go!”

Rk’En lead the three at a breakneck pace through the rest of the swamp and into the open. They did not stop to rest until they were far from the army and the swamp.

Maxdrinthrax roared in anger. He lost a full quarter of his army to the swamp, and the idiots didn’t even find a single hair belonging to his enemies! He turned to his crystal ball and shouted, “Show me the barbarian I seek, I know the price!” The ball started to glow as it took a year off of the king’s life and find the barbarian. It showed Rk’En and friends sitting near a piece of the road to the city of Daneg. “So, he returned. My hounds at the valley near the Oracle failed, my assassin failed, my apprentice failed, and even my army failed. This next battle will be the last. It will be beast against beast.” He picked up the crystal ball and walked out of his room, down the stairs of his tower, down past the ground entrance and into the dungeons. He went to a large cell, bound in magic iron with a lock made of human bones. Maxdrinthrax took a key from a hidden pocket in his robes and unlocked the door. He strode inside, carrying the crystal ball. All the king saw was a large shadow in the corner, bound in chains that he had taken from the temple of light and desecrated. He held the crystal ball out in front of him, “Look at the one in the crystal ball, the large one, the barbarian! Kill him!” The large figure, hidden in shadows snarled and bared its teeth. The king unlocked the thing’s chains and opened a large door in the wall. Light from the setting sun burst into the room and the thing roared. Maxdrinthrax left, confident that the task would be carried out.

Rk’En and his friends woke up the next morning. The sun wasn’t up just yet, which was what Rk’En wanted. They needed to get to Daneg quickly. They started off towards the city eating on their feet. Rk’En kept them at a quick pace, eager to get the holy man and bring him to Balring, where Mystida’s body rest. As they were walking, Jeddahenradamaka asked Rk’En, “By the way, I have noticed a change in your fighting style. Before, in battle, you would…tear into your opponent when you got that look in your eyes. Now, you seem to be as fast and strong as you were, but you still have the brains not to just go at your enemies like a wild animal. You also don’t get very tired when you fight. Why is that?

Rk’En looked at his friend, “I learned some things about myself in the afterlife. I took Mystida’s words to heart, and refused to let myself loose control to the Other, the savage you see when I am in battle. I vow to never let my anger allow my friends or myself to get hurt. I learned to control it.”

At about midday, they were halfway to the city of Daneg. Jedd looked up in the sky at a beautiful bird that happened to fly by. He then saw something. Hmmm, what is that glinting off the sun? “Hey Rk’En, what is that?” pointing to a small object in the sky.

Rk’En looked up and saw the shape coming closer and closer to them. He squinted his eyes, and then his face showed alarm. “Dragon!” he cried and pulled out Death’s Will and War’s Lust.

Jedd saw the flying beast up close now. A small dragon called a Quicksilver Dragon. Small meaning about the length of ten horses standing nose to tail, and wide as an ox. The creature flew till it was a stone’s throw away, then turned straight upwards, disappearing into the clouds. Jedd yelled, “Look out! It’s gonna dive!” and pulled out the last two of his acid balls.

Chana pulled out her daggers, looking grim. These may not do much, but if I can protect the chosen for even half a second, it will be worth it!

The Quicksilver Dragon looked down through the clouds at its prey. It roared with anticipation, already tasting the hot red blood on its lips. It readied itself, roared again, and dived straight at the three.

The three saw the dragon coming at them from above at full speed. Its fanged mouth drenched with saliva, anticipating an easy kill. The talons spread forward eagerly, wanting to rend flesh. Its silver scales glittering in the sun like gems, its eyes full of murder and rage.

Chana tensed, aimed at its head, ready to throw her daggers, which looked pathetic when compared to the huge bulk of the beast. How can these possibly harm it? The scales on it are its armor, and even if these daggers pierce the skin, I won’t hit anything vital. The only thing I could possibly cut is its…wing! Chana grinned as she switcher her aim from the head to the wings, and the thin membrane that was spread across it. If it can’t kill it, I can certainly keep it on the ground! And she threw her daggers, one at each wing.

The dragon roared in pain and shock as the small blades cut through its wings. It lost control and started to spin out of control. Only its natural skill in flying kept it alive, it managed to slam into the ground without breaking a limb. It got to its feet and growled at the thing that smelled of felinex who had hurt it. It then charged.

Jedd looked in horror as the Quicksilver Dragon started to charge Chana. Then, anger filled Jeddahenradamaka and he threw his two acid balls. One straight at the monster’s face, the other at one of its forelegs. The balls shattered and the dragon roared as the vile substance started to eat away at its eye, snout, and one of its front legs. Jedd rummaged in his pack for another offensive weapon, a spell, a chemical, anything. He looked at the dragon; it was looking at him. Jedd started to feel terror in his blood and bones as he found no more offensive or defensive objects in his back.

The dragon looked through its good eye at the little creature. It couldn’t quite figure out what it was, except that it had hurt it. It turned towards the offending insect and started to advance on it, seeing the terror in his eyes.

Rk’En had enough. His friends did what they could, and now it was the barbarian’s turn. He felt his weapons ready themselves to fight the dragon, a creature that they had thought had been gone from this continent for centuries. Rk’En then shouted a barbarian battle cry and charged the surprised dragon.

The dragon looked in shock at seeing the prey it had come for attack it first. It turned to face this foe and noticed two somethings that brought terror into its eyes. The two axes the barbarian carried, he knew them! In the language of the lower races, they were known as Death’s Will and War’s Lust, but its kind knew them as Dragon’s Bane. The old barbarian king had driven its kind from the continent with those in the early days of barbarian rule. The only dragon left on this continent now was itself, and that was because it was raised in secrecy by the one called Maxdrinthrax. It roared at the Dragon’s Bane and the battle begun.

Rk’En attacked the creature head on, swinging the two god-forged weapons. War’s Lust bites through the armor-like scales on the dragon’s injured front leg and draws blood. The beast roars and slashes at Rk’En, managing to slash the barbarian across the chest. Rk’En saw the blood on his chest, felt the pain of the cut. In the back of his mind, The Other awoke. Rk’En didn’t fight it, but instead brought it out against its will, harnessed the power of The Other, while keeping his own head. He looked at the dragon with both the rage and savagery of The Other, but also with the intelligence and skill of the barbarian. He then gave a savage grin and said, “Today I shall slay a dragon.”

The Quicksilver Dragon looked at was once its easy prey, but now was a very dangerous threat. He knew of the thing the barbarians called The Other. Dragons didn’t fear it usually, for The Other has no mind for strategy, and can be torn apart easily. But this one, this barbarian controlled The Other! This made it’s opponent dangerous.

Rk’En noticed the fear in the dragon’s eyes. He reveled in it, but didn’t lose himself to the urge to cut into the beast. Instead, the barbarian stepped back a few paces.

The dragon thought it saw an opening when the barbarian stepped back, and lunged forward, realizing its error seconds too late.

Rk’En dashed to the side, putting it alongside the Dragon’s neck, and slashed downwards, cutting deep into the beast.

The dragon roared in pain and reared backwards. It slashed at Rk’En with its talons, but the barbarian stepped aside quickly. It was loosing much blood, its vision was blurred and noises seemed far away. It swayed for a few seconds, then crashed. It breathed heavily as the barbarian approached it.

Rk’En knew he won. The dragon would bleed to death, but it would be very painful. Leaving an enemy to suffer needlessly was not the barbarian way, only a quick, merciful kill would do. He went up to the dragon, which just lay there, breathing heavily and twitching, and brought Death’s Will down, beheading the beast.

Rk’En held up the severed head of the Dragon and cried out, “Maxdrinthrax, is this how you do battle with your enemies! Come here and fight me yourself!”

Maxdrinthrax looked in anger through the spell that he had cast. That worm! He will pay for this! If only I knew where he was, I could cast a spell to end him! But no, I won’t sacrifice any more of my years to know his exact location. But, there is something else I can do…

Rk’En and group had made it to Daneg. The cut on Rk’En’s chest was bandaged and healing fine. They made their way to the ruined section of the city and to the lean-to that the holy man called home. The old man looked at them and smiled, “You did it!”

Rk’En grinned and told the man, “Yes. And we need to get you to Balring.”

The old man grinned, “No, you don’t. Your friend Dargeeze has brought her here. I have already healed her wounds, all we need is the gem and some luck.”

Rk’En looked at him in surprise, then helped the old man up and followed him to the place where Mystida’s body was lying. Rk’En looked at it. The corpse looked peaceful. There was no sign of the crossbow bolt that ended her life. Rk’En looked at the holy man, “What do we do?”

The holy man had the three of them wait with Dargeeze, who was eager to hear of their adventures while the holy man worked. The man painted symbols over all of Mystida’s body while saying words in a language no one else understood. The man tied down Mystida’s arms and legs and put dashes of red paint on her palms. After an hour of praying, the old man looked at Rk’En, “Place the gem on her chest. Then stand back.”

Rk’En placed the small red gem on Mystida’s chest. While stepping back, he noticed that the gem was sinking into her flesh! Suddenly, Mystida’s body started to jerk and convulse. Her eyes shot open and she started to speak incoherently and gasp for air. The bonds on her arms and legs kept her on the table and out of danger.

After a minute of jerking around and babbling, Mystida relaxed. She looked at Rk’En and the rest of her friends and smiled, “I have never seen such a wonderful sight in my life,” then fell asleep.

The old man cleaned Mystida’s body of the mystic symbols, untied her, and left her some clothes one of his patients had donated. He looked to Rk’En, “I wish you good luck on your journey. May you never need my services for as long as you shall live.” He then left.

Dargeeze strode over to the three. “Now that Mystida is safe, what do you plan to do?”

Rk’En looked at The Traveler, “I plan to go to the tower and face Maxdrinthrax. He still has to pay for his crimes.”

Dargeeze nodded and looked to the others, “And what of you two?”

Jeddahenradamaka looked at Dargeeze, “I am with Rk’En, I will help him any way I can.” Chana nodded.

“I am going too, Fuze still has to pay for what he did to my family.” Everyone turned around and saw Mystida sitting up.

Rk’En, knowing he couldn’t change her mind, only nodded. Dargeeze then said, “To get to the tower, you must first go through The Crossing. It is a large gateway; it is well guarded, since it is the only way into the Land of Lords. Once past there, there is the town of Baron, then the Tower. I wish you good luck. I will travel with you as far as The Crossing, but them you four are on your own again. The king has agents that know my face in there, and I will only be a beacon for you. As it is, Mystida, you will have to provide spells of illusion to mask your entrance to the Land of Lords.” Rk’En thanked Dargeeze and all five had a good meal, then went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Rk’En’s watch, the wind howled with a fury. He watched the fire, and instead of seeing the chaos that he always thought of as his soul and the animalistic Other, he instead saw the order in it. He also saw the Other in this same chaotic order. He looked up as Mystida got up and joined him at the fire. She smiled, “I heard what you told Jedd when I was inside the gem. You took my words to heart.”

Rk’En looked at her, “Yes, I learned to control it. My ability in battle is greater, and I have been able to keep my wits while in the heat of anger.”

Mystida smiled at him and they both watched the fire, seeing their own powers reflected in the flames.

The next morning, they woke to a raging storm. Dargeeze looked outside and said in a grim voice, “The king is getting desperate. He is trying to impede our travel, give his army enough time to find you. From what you told me, Maxdrinthrax probably used a lot of resources to find you so he could send his dragon in the right direction. He probably is unwilling to pay the same price and prefers to just hope the Black Army finds us. We will do good to make our way to the Crossings as quickly as possible.”

The five of them donned hooded cloaks and entered the storm. They made their way out of the city, the winds biting at their skin and the cold adding venom to the bite. They slogged through mud while on the road. There were few other travelers on the road, few were crazy enough. Jedd walked next to Dargeeze, and over the storm, shouted, “Why has the king sent assassins, his army, and Hu after us? Wouldn’t it be easier to just put our name up in the cities and have everyone help him find us? Why all the trouble?”

Dargeeze looked at the alchemist, “Simple, he knows the prophecy. If he made it apparent he feared Rk’En, then others might try to help Rk’En. His lower agents might side with Rk’En against the king just so they get out from under the king’s thumb.”

Jeddahenradamaka, Rk’En, and Mystida turn to him, and in union, shout over the wind, “What prophecy?!?!?”

Dargeeze motioned all of them to a grove of trees. To their surprise, the grove kept out most the rain. Rk’En then walked up to Dargeeze and repeated what he asked earlier, “What prophecy?”

Dargeeze sat down. “After Maxdrinthrax took power, he became paranoid. He wanted to know what the future would bring. He wouldn’t go to the Oracle, mainly because the Oracle was a dragon, and since Maxdrinthrax had enslaved a dragon of his own, the Oracle might be angry, or vengeful. So instead, Maxdrinthrax used a powerful spell to contact a higher being. The one that it is said created the dimensions,” seeing the confused looks upon their faces at the word, he said, “never mind that. Anyway, the being told him that he saw an animal talker come from the plains and topple a tower made of a wand in the Land of Lords. Thus, the prophecy had begun.”

Jeddahenradamaka looked at Dargeeze, “Wait a sec, if he did this when he was in power, you weren’t around. So how did you find out?”

Dargeeze looked at Jedd and grinned, “You think I traveled all the way to the Dragon’s Skull and only asked the Oracle one question? You CAN ask more than one you know. This isn’t some bard’s tale.”

Jedd looked at Dargeeze with a look that said “If I had only known that at the time…”

Mystida cleared her throat and got their attention, “So how did you know that Rk’En was the one meant to carry out this prophecy?”

Dargeeze grinned at her, “I am the Traveler. I traveled to the grasslands and found the name of the only barbarian that the tribes knew could talk to animals. Then all I had to do was wait for him to get the incentive to kill the king so he could carry out the prophecy.”

Jedd then sat next to Chana, “Is that why came with us? To make sure this prophecy was carried out?”

Chana looked at him, “I first went with you three because Dargeeze needed to make sure Rk’En wanted the road that would lead him to the king. I stayed because I love you, alchemist.” she said with a smile and an arm around the little man. Jedd blushed.

Rk’En enjoyed the fact they all were accepting this so well, because he was not. So my life has simply lead up to this point. To kill Maxdrinthrax and rescue the kingdom. Sounds like something the clan storyteller would be saying around the campfire. What is my purpose after I defeat Maxdrinthrax? Does fate even plan to have me survive the battle at all? What is my life, now that I know it all is simply leading up to this point. He then remembered the cities of Balring and Daneg, with their blasted areas where people scrounged for a life. The villages that scrambled to play taxes and avoid the Black Army. The Felinex people, who are all but gone from the king’s hunting parties. He especially thinks of his own people, who were almost exterminated just because of the king’s fears. Whether or not I am meant to have a future beyond the Tower or to die there, Maxdrinthrax must be stopped! In a few more minutes, everyone is asleep, preparing for the day tomorrow.

In the morning, they are back out on the road. The rain is still going down as hard as ever, if not harder. Dargeeze looks up at the sky, a frown on his face. “This is bad, the king should have let the storm dissipate by now. This takes a lot of energy to keep up. The only thing this does is slow us and his army down. There is no way they could catch us now anyway, we move faster and farther than they could unless…oh no!” the traveler cried as he looked to the others. “Run! The army marched through the night, odds are they are RIGHT BEHIND US!” To confirm Dargeeze’s fears, they all hear the sound of armored feet running over the hill, the cries of a thousand goblins and humans lusting for blood.

The five of them see running isn’t a possibility now. Mystida readies a spell, Jeddahenradamaka pulls out some flame balls he had made while they were in Daneg, Chana pulls out her daggers, Dargeeze readies his quarterstaff, and Rk’En pulls out Death’s Will and War’s Lust. If I am to die, I shall soak these fields in their blood! He thought as the army came closer to them. He could see their individual eyes, the anger and violence in them, the anticipation of a slaughter.

Suddenly, a volley of arrows hits the army on its flank! The Black Army turns and looks in terror. Almost a thousand felinex armed and armored run down the hill as their archers fire another volley ahead of them into their enemy’s ranks. The Black Army tries to organize itself as the felinex warriors charge into them. The cat-people sing an odd war song, the rhythm matching sword slashes and spear thrusts. Rk’En grins to his friends and jumps into the fray, quickly followed by Dargeeze and Chana. Jedd throws his flame-balls where they will cause the most confusion in the Black Army’s ranks, Mystida casting spells to hurt her enemies and aid her friends.

Rk’En appreciates the warrior style of the felinex while he fights. The sleek cat people, who stand like men but are covered in fur don’t battle as much as dance with their weapons, the blades singing as they sting their foes. One felinex, a female with calico fur looks to be the commander. She had led the first wave in. She fought her way to Rk’En and Dargeeze and said in a singsong voice, “My people are honored to help the chosen one, and eager to do battle with those who slaughtered so many of our kind!” And gave them a feral grin as she skewered two goblins at once on her spear. Rk’En gave a quick grin and waded into the battle, Death’s Will and War’s Lust cutting through the enemies as if there was nothing but air in their way.

The battle ended quickly after that, as did the storm. The few of the Black Army that were alive had managed to get that way by dropping their weapons and running for the hills. The felinex army started to bury their dead, an odd trait by human standards.

The felinex arranged guards around the area and the leader invited Rk’En and his friends to a victory feast. The commander, whose name was Thursel, stood at the head of a table full of very jovial felinex. “Today, we have struck a huge blow to the wizard king! We, the felinex, have beaten back the Black Army!” she said, cheers coming from the felinex commanders at the main table and from all around the hillside from the soldiers.

Her speech had continued for a few minutes, then everyone got down to eating. At the end of the night, there was music and dancing, and Rk’En couldn’t believe that only a few hours ago these were the well-oiled felinex war-machine. Later that night, Rk’En stood at the edge of the firelight, watching everyone else dance. Thursel approached him. “We must thank you. If it wasn’t for the king putting all the army on your tail at such a pace, we couldn’t have gotten as close as we did, and we certainly wouldn’t have won the fight unless they were concentrating on you. The voices of our murdered people are silent now, their vengeance has been exacted. There is no way we can ever repay this debt.” and she kissed the barbarian on the cheek, and rejoined the throng.

Rk’En looked at the fire, a smirk on his face. “Enjoying yourself?” asked a voice in a playful tone behind him. Rk’En looked around and saw Mystida there smiling.

“She was just thankful for helping her beat the Black Army, nothing more.” Rk’En answered with a smile.

Mystida walked up to him, her face inches away from his, a look in her eyes Rk’En identified but couldn’t name. She said, “And I should be thankful for what you did. You went into the Land of Death to get me back. I must ask, why?”

Rk’En started to sweat slightly, “Well…well…” hearing the music, quickly asked, “Want to dance?” Mystida smiled, allowing herself to be led off subject and took his hand. He led them into the firelight. The second they faced each other to dance, the music changed from the fast paced music that beat at their bones to a slower rhythm. Rk’En smiled, reddening a little and took Mystida’s hand and started to slowly dance with her. Jeddahenradamaka and Chana stood over near the musicians grinning at the sorceress and barbarian. Chana gave the musicians a gold coin and took her partner into the firelight to join the festivities.

The next day Rk’En, Jedd, Chana, Mystida, and Dargeeze woke up to an empty hillside. The only clue that the Felinex army had been here was the soft plots of earth and a note saying “Good luck!” The women went over the side of the hill to bathe, and the men started to pack up the equipment and get ready for The Crossing.

Chana looked to Mystida, “So, did you and Rk’En, you know…”

Mystida looked at the half felinex, “No!” then in a calmer voice, “I am not sure if he even thinks of me in that way…besides, who wants to marry a sorceress?”

Chana grinned, “He does, you just have to make like a felinex and make the first move. I have found it odd you humans let your men lead, even though they are terrible in domestic matters.”

Mystida grinned at her, “Yeah, but we need them to take the blame when foreign matters go down the river.” Chana laughed.

Dargeeze had gone down the road a ways to scout the terrain, leaving Jeddahenradamaka and Rk’En to finish packing. Jedd looked at his friend, “Why don’t you and Mystida stop this whole deal and just admit you love each other?”

Rk’En looked at him, wishing the alchemist had a quieter voice, “I am not sure if she even like me. Besides, who would want to marry a barbarian?”

Jedd said, “Listen my friend, go for it before you die and get burned in your odd, archaic fashion.”

Rk’En looked at Jedd, “Really? How do your…people bury their dead?”

Jedd laughed, “Yes, I am a part of a race. I am not surprised your kind hasn’t heard of mine. We don’t get out much. And as for our dead, mummification.”

Rk’En looked confused, “What is that?”

Jedd started to explain.

From over the hill, Chana and Mystida were dressed and returning to the others when they heard Rk’En yell out for all to hear, “YOU DO WHAT WITH THEIR INSIDES?!?!?!?!”

Maxdrinthrax had lain down on his bed. He was exhausted from the effort he put into changing the weather for those few days. My army has been destroyed! This is terrible! I am almost defenseless! The barbarian must die! I know what I can do. “Fuze!” he yelled.

The ugly half goblin came into the room, “Master…”

The king looked at his lowly servant. “Send 100 of my personal guard to The Crossing. Rk’En must not get through!” Fuze bowed and left. Maxdrinthrax went over to his chair and thought, if he does get through, I must have a surprise waiting for him in Baron…

The five looked down from the hill they were on, covered by the brush. Two gargantuan mountains surrounded the Land of Lords and the only entrance was the large Gate that blocked the pass through the mountains. Hundreds of soldiers stood guard at the gate, armed for battle. Dargeeze looked to the four, “They will only admit other soldiers or those with symbols of office. We don’t have any symbols, but Mystida, you saw soldiers of the Black army. You need to make illusions that will mask you and your friend’s true appearance from them. After you get through The Crossing, just go to Baron. From there is a road that leads to the Tower. Goodluck!” The Traveler then left them on the hillside.

Mystida looked at her friends; they looked back at her. “Well, I suppose we should get going. After I cast this, try to keep in character. Don’t sing and dance or anything extraneous, my magic wouldn’t be able to mask it. Same with fights, if you start to move around, the illusion is gone. Ok, now stand still.”

Mystida chanted in the spidery language of magic, drawing symbols on the ground. She motioned her friends into symbols she had drawn in front of them. Jeddahenradamaka turned into a goblin with broken tusks and an eye patch, Rk’En shifted, becoming shorter and less broad, his clothing turned to metal armor, Chana became a human male, a little taller than her true self and carrying a longbow. Finally, Mystida changed herself into the guise of a goblin wearing the armor of a commander. In a voice that sounded like two boulders grinding, she spoke, “Lets go.”

Rk’En strode down the hillside. How can humans wear this armor stuff? It impedes movement and all one needs to do is swing hard enough to bend the armor. No matter, I must concentrate on this. If we don’t get past The Crossing, we will all be dead meat.

The four of them walked down the hill towards the huge iron gate. The double doors were flanked with two towers made of a black stone. A large guard turned towards them, “Halt! Who are you! What is your business here!”

Mystida spoke up, “Gurk of the Black Army. Going to Baron, report.”

The soldiers looked at them oddly, ‘I thought you fellas were all felinex pincushions. There were a few traders that said that all you were hunted up.”

Mystida started to sweat under her enchantment, “Uuuuhhh…”

Chana quickly spoke up, “Them furheads could never do a job right. We skirted them, no sweat.”

The guards laughed at Chana’s statement and called up to the towers, “Open it up!”

The four of them walked briskly through the gate, hearing it slam behind them, and knowing they were now in the belly of the beast.

Maxdrinthrax looked through his spell he had cast over the gate. He knew those four were not his soldiers, the guard had the correct information. He will have to be dealt with, the idiot! As for my four guests, go ahead go into my trap! There will be no cat people to help you, and magic is of little use against that many, my little sorceress. Nor will your parlor trick, alchemist. Blades are useless against that many soldiers, so enjoy your last few moments. Maxdrinthrax started to laugh.

Rk’En and company walked on the road. The mountains on either side nearly blocked out the sun. He enjoyed the quiet. What was that? He thought as he heard pebbles rolling down the mountain. The barbarian stopped and looked around carefully. His friends also stopped, Chana putting her ear to the wind. Jedd cried an alarm and barely managed to get the flame shield spell he had built to start working before the arrows fell on them. Rk’En pulled out his two god-forged axes, his friends getting themselves ready for battle. The illusions fell off them just as a hundred soldiers in red armor came rushing at them from the mountainside. Mystida cried out, “The king’s elite guard! We are cooked meat!”

Jeddahenradamaka grinned at her, “I think not.”

The three others looked at Jedd as he pulled out a whistle and blew it hard. The ground seemed to open up and the elite guard looked in shock as hundreds of short people in haphazard armor and carrying a variety of weapons jumped out of the holes and attacked them from all sides. Some of the little people had odd metal tubes that made sounds like thunder, and shot out metal and black smoke when what looked like a crossbow trigger was pulled.

Chana looked in shock as the little army completely wiped out the elite guard. Jedd just smiled and strode over to their leader, who was marked with a huge, ridiculous headdress. Chana then noticed that this little army was Jeddahenradamaka’s people!

Jedd conversed with the commander and then turned to his friends. “She says we can go through the tunnels to Baron to avoid further attacks, but we must be quick,” seeing his friends not moving, he shouted, “Lets go!”

They entered the tunnels from the holes made in the ground. They looked in amazement as the little beings covered up the holes they had made using round pieces of wood with stones attached to them. Rk’En was a little unsure of himself while traveling in what the people called a “mining cart” down the tunnel and into their city.

The sight was wonderful. Hundreds of levels, all stacked ontop of one another! There were little people everywhere! Jedd lead them to a large building carved with the words, as translated by Jedd, “Welcome All Patrons To The Ultra-Wonderful Government Of The People Who Live Under The Mountain Made By Some Crazy Human Sorcerer Long Ago For No Real Reason. Well, Either No Reason Or A Reason We Haven’t Been Able To Figure Out. Anyway, We Use This As Our Home. By The Way, How Are You? I Am Just Fine. Well, Actually By The Time You Read This, I Will Be Dead, So I Wonder If I Will Still Be Fine Then…”

Jedd looked at his companions; “It is said the stone mason who did that had a heart attack right after chiseling that.”

Chana just looked at him strangely. “So what is your people’s name?”

Jedd took a breath, “The People Who Live Under The Mountain Made By Some Crazy Human Sorcerer Long Ago For No Real Reason. Well, Either No Reason Or A Reason We Haven’t Been Able To Figure Out. Anyway, We Use This As Our Home. By The Way, How Are You? I Am Just Fine.”

Chana looked at him; “You say that every time you want to name your race?”

Jedd nods, “That is why we don’t talk much about ourselves.”

They entered The Ultra-Wonderful Government Of The People Who Live Under The Mountain Made By Some Crazy Human Sorcerer Long Ago For No Real Reason. Well, Either No Reason Or A Reason We Haven’t Been Able To Figure Out. Anyway, We Use This As Our Home. By The Way, How Are You? I Am Just Fine. Well, Actually By The Time You Read This, I Will Be Dead, So I Wonder If I Will Still Be Fine Then.

Inside were three people. The oldest stood up and took a large breath, “Welcome to the governing council of The People Who Live Under The Mountain Made By Some Crazy Human Sorcerer Long Ago For No Real Reason. Well, Either No Reason Or A Reason We Haven’t Been Able To Figure Out. Anyway, We Use This As Our Home. By The Way, How Are You? I Am Just Fine.” The elderly man sat down and fanned himself.

The second oldest said, “We know where you are headed, and we offer our fastest transportation to the city of Baron. In the meantime, observe our city, we enjoy guests on the account we don’t get out much.”

Rk’En, Chana, and Mystida gave weak smiles and bowed. Jedd walked up to the old woman and slapped her face.

Chana looked horrified at Jedd, “JEDD! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!?!”

Jedd looked at her strangely, “That is a formal farewell among my people. Come on, let’s get out of here and see the town!”

The four of them enter the town. Rk’En looks in amazement at an Alchemist’s shop. “Hey Jedd, what is this?” picking up a container.

Jedd looks at it, “Nitroglycerin.” and turned back to a jar of eyes. His eyes then widened and he spun around, “DON’T MOVE!”

Jedd carefully places it down carefully and says in a weak voice, “Lets go to the inventor’s square.”

They go down a few levels and see a huge gathering of odd contraptions. There were items that ranged from an automatic log splitter to a machine that that, the owner claims, will one day show pictures on a piece of glass in its front. Mystida asked him, “Why doesn’t it work?”

The man answered, “It does, but no one will make anything worth watching for a few centuries.”

They saw a device that had a sign claiming the machine could automatically skin and tan an animal. There was a sign under it that said, “Owner dead due to personal demonstration, please do not touch.”

A few more disturbing sights later and the three convinced Jedd to bring them to the “fast transportation”. They arrived at one end of a very long tunnel. They couldn’t see down the other side, it was too dark. One of the little people stood there in a heavy metal apron. “Welcome, welcome. I have been told to send you to Baron. Hop in.”

The four got in a mining cart with no wheels and a hinged cover. The man closed the cover after giving them cotton for their ears. They were banged a little as it settled into the tube of a large object. Chana asked her lover, “What is this transportation called?”

Jedd looked at her and smiled, “We call it a cannon.”

The three of them screamed as they were shot like a bat out of hell from the device and down the dark tunnel. After a minute the device seemed to hit water and skip to shore. Jedd unlatched the cart and they all shakily climbed out.

After Mystida cast another illusion on them, they went up a staircase and came out of a storeroom in a tavern. They left the building without anyone sober enough to wonder where they had come from and how they had managed to get into the storeroom, since it was locked from the outside.

The four traveled up the streets, seeing in horror what the king did to what was once the kingdom’s greatest city. The people walked around as if their souls were drained. Those that weren’t drunk walked with almost lifeless eyes. Beggars were no where to be seen, except hanging from gallows on every street corner along with other undesirables. It was all Rk’En could do to stop himself from taking out his axe and attacking some of the town guard as they walked past with equally lifeless eyes.

Mystida looked in sadness as she saw into a window. Inside were starving children, their eyes as dead as their parents, but they had the savagery of animals as they fought over the few scraps thrown to them.

Chana looked is horror as she saw felinex being skinned, their furs then thrown into the street to be trampled on. She buried her face in Jedd’s shoulder to cry a little before remembering that crying was odd behavior in this town, especially from a soldier.

They approached the gate that would lead them to the Tower. Standing in front of it was two horrible sights. On creature stood only slightly smaller than Rk’En, and it looked as if someone had stitched body parts together and gave the abomination life. The other looked to be an animate stone statue. The two constructs looked at the four and started to walk over, their impassive faces revealing nothing.

Rk’En pulled out his axes, ready for battle, but how do we fight these things?

Mystida looked to Jedd, “Know anything of them?”

Jedd looked at her, “No, but I can make a suggestion. Destroy them!”

The battle begun. Chana took out her daggers and threw them at both creatures. They bounced off the stone statue without making even a chip in the featureless face, and simply sunk into the head of the flesh statue.

Rk’En swung his axes at the flesh creature, but every limb he cut off simply crawled back up and reattached itself. When he swung at the stone creature, his axes simply left cracks. Mystida tried spells on the flesh creature, but the creature was unaffected by them. Jedd rummaged in his pack and found underneath a map a flame-ball he had forgotten. He looked at the little thing and at the flesh creature, great god of alchemy, if you make this work, the first ton of gold I make from the Philosopher’s Stone is being given to you! and threw the little glass ball.

It shattered against the monster, and the thing burst into flames. Flesh cooked, blackened and curled off the unholy bones of the creature. It roared and twisted about in a parody of agony. Soon, it was little more than a heap of cooked flesh on the ground, already attracting a vulture.

The stone creature proved more difficult. Chana could pierce it, Mystida and Jedd couldn’t harm it with magic and chemicals, and Rk’En’s axes wouldn’t do more than make small cracks in the being. Jedd thought and thought about something he knew about it. There was something about the stone creature that nagged on his mind. He was reminded of home, the nice tunnels…Of course! “Explosives!” he exclaimed. His friends looked at him strangely as he pulled out an odd stick. He lit the fuse on it with the flames from the burning flesh creature and gave the stick to Chana. “Stick this in his mouth, quick!”

Chana used her felinex reflexes to dodge close enough, and stick the odd device in the creature’s mouth. Jedd then had them all run across the square and hide behind an overturned table. They heard a huge, thunderous sound. After the dust cleared, there was no sign of the stone creature. The four of them then went through the gate and down the road, towards a black tower with five tops. Looks just like a claw, Rk’En mused as they approached it.

Maxdrinthrax looked in terror. Rk’En and his friends were right outside his door! “Fuze, Srik!” he screamed. The two entered the room. Fuze, kill the sorceress, that will distract the barbarian. Srik, I command you to end the lives of the other two. I will deal with the barbarian! Now go!”

Fuze licked his lips and mumbled to himself, “Soon my pretty one, soon I will see you again…”

Maxdrinthrax looked at the barbarian and grinned, “I know how I will end you! Just come!”

Rk’En looked in shock as the doors opened. He looked inside cautiously. He saw what was a bare floor. It may look innocent, no smell of death, no sights that sicken the mind, but the evil here sickens my soul! He looked to his friends, “Lets go!”

The four stepped inside, and instantly, Rk’En was alone. He looked around, “Mystida! Jedd! Chana! Where are you!!!”

“They can’t hear you, it is just you and me, barbarian.” and then, Rk’En heard laughing as a spell was cast. Rk’En felt something in him change, and The Other started to emerge.

Mystida looked around. I know this place…No! She saw the tower where her father had lived. And down the hall, where her father had been killed decades ago, stood an ugly fat half-goblin. In his hand he held a cudgel. The monster looked at her, “Remember this place? It is a good mock-up of our last little meeting so many years ago.” Fuze then held up the cudgel, “Remember this little thing? The last time I used it, I SMASHED YOUR FATHER’S HEAD IN LIKE AN OVERRIPE MELON!” he screeched and launched himself at her. For a moment, Mystida reverted to her childhood. She was a scared little girl. Her father and mother were dead, and that monster was licking the gore off that horrible weapon, telling her “May be innocent, may be sweet, but not as sweet as rotting meat!” Then the moment vanished, and she remembered who and what she was. With a gesture, pushing energy and concentration into it, she hurled the fiend to the side. Mystida stood up, glaring down at Fuze. “I remember it, and you. But you forget memories are a thing of the past. In the past, I was a scared girl who had just seen her family murdered, now I am a powerful sorceress who has spent her life training in the arts just for the day when she would meet you and end your life!” She then walked right up to Fuze, who had backed himself into a corner, blubbering and whimpering, “I am also a woman who has learned through another that if I let anger control my actions, I will doom myself and everyone I care about. Therefore, I order you to leave the tower. Go to the town, and beg the inhabitants for forgiveness. Then go to every city you were ever sent to and beg their forgiveness. Then, leave these lands. Go over the Dragon Mountains and into the unknown, and hope your god shows mercy upon you.”

Fuze nodded quickly, “Yes…Yes pretty, merciful lady.”

Mystida turned around and began to leave when she heard a scream from behind her. She turned around and saw Fuze charging at her with the cudgel. Mystida summoned up all her arcane energies and shot them out in a single bolt. The ugly fiend’s flesh cooked, his eyes evaporated and the warts on his face popped and sizzled. Soon, he was nothing more than a grotesque puddle of gore on the floor. Mystida fell to her knees in exhaustion, having had no time to speak or draw symbols to help take the energy cost of the spell.

Chana and Jedd looked around. They were in an alchemical lab! “Welcome” said a voice. They looked around and saw a thin, sickly looking human. The human held a glass ball with some yellow liquid inside. Jedd looked at the person; “You are Srik. I have heard of you. It is said you have gotten close to every alchemist’s goal, but gave it up to work for the twisted king.”

Srik laughed, “Yes, I have. I must say though, I never heard of you. Must be too untalented to mention. Anyway, you are dead, as is your half-breed bitch.” and he threw the yellow ball.

Jedd and Chana dodged to opposite sides of the room. The yellow ball shattered against the wall and from the gas that escaped popped a creature with four arms, three legs, two heads, and hundreds of sharp teeth. Chana pulled out her daggers and started to fight the creature, yelling to Jedd, “Kill the alchemist!”

Srik laughed, “Yes, kill the alchemist. Go ahead. There are plenty of items in front of you. Chose one, take your best shot!”

Jedd looked at his selection, many glass balls of different colors. I don’t dare choose one of those. I didn’t make them, so I have no idea what he has made them. For all I know, he makes healing potions and these are all simply different degrees of them. Hmmm…his gaze stopped on a rock.

Srik followed his gaze, and a look of terror entered his face. Jedd grinned and picked up the rock. Srik’s expression changed to joy and he started to laugh, “Congratulations Jeddahenradamaka! You chose the one thing there that will hurt you! Whatever you do with that rock, it is destined to cause YOU pain!”

Jedd looked at the rock, then at Chana. She wasn’t doing so well. She had gotten hurt in the fight already, bleeding from one of her arms. The monster was pressing her into a corner, she didn’t have long.

Jedd looked at Srik in anger, and then he glanced behind the alchemist. Jedd grinned and threw the rock at Srik’s head. The rock sailed towards the thin human’s head, and missed it, falling behind the alchemist. Jedd dove to the ground just as the rock hit a jar and knocked it off a table. The jar fell to the ground and exploded. The blast threw pieces of rock into Jedd and knocked Chana against the wall, an audible snap was heard. The monster she fought got impaled by an airborne chair and pinned against the ceiling. The creature twitched for a few moments and then died. Jedd grabbed a green ball off the table and rushed over to the half-felinex. I just hope all humans think green is growth and stuff… Jedd thought and broke the glass ball over Chana and himself. The green liquid touched her and Chana woke up, her wounds disappearing. Jedd’s own minor wounds closed up. She looked up at him and drew him into a huge hug. “What was in that jar?” she asked. Jedd looked at her, “Nitroglycerin.”

She glanced over at the smoking crater that was Srik, “And I thought he said that rock would hurt you.”

Jedd grinned, “It did, but it isn’t the rock’s fault that Srik was closer to the blast.”

Chana kissed him firmly and said, “Let’s find the others, they will need our help.”

Rk’En fought The Other that started to fight to emerge. Maxdrinthrax laughed, “I cast a spell on you. The thing your kind calls The Other will be coming out. Once he does, you will simply charge me, and you will be easy to deal with.” Maxdrinthrax then started to cast another spell. The wizard’s form changed. It shifted, he grew horns, his muscles bulged and his skin turned gray. His teeth became fangs and a tail full of barbs sprung out. It then said, “Come on barbarian, I know you. You have won many battles because of The Other. Now, fight someone with a little control over the beast within!”

Rk’En gave the wizard a savage grin, “No, you don’t know me, not at all you fool.”

Maxdrinthrax looked at Rk’En, “What did you call me!”

Rk’En started to let The Other emerge. His eyes filled with red, his muscles bulged and his senses sharpened. He held Death’s Will and War’s Lust in his hands, they seemed to hum with energy. “A fool, for you obviously don’t know me.”

“Why is that?” the king said, worry showing in his voice.

“Rk’En advanced on him, one with The Other, “Because, I control The Other!”

The king looked in terror at the barbarian, then in rage. He roared and the battle begun. Two monsters raged in the tower, one of good, one of evil. The king slashed at Rk’En, talons rending flesh on the barbarian’s chest. Rk’En in turn the king across his chest with War’s Lust. The two broke off for a second, then leapt at each other again, trying to gain an advantage. Whenever Rk’En hurt the king, his magic would start to seal the wound. Whenever the king hurt Rk’En, the barbarian ignored it entirely.

The king brought his talons down on Rk’En’s left leg, bringing the barbarian momentarily to his knees. Maxdrinthrax roared in triumph, but in it’s victory roar, it had given the barbarian enough time to take Death’s Will and thrust it at the king’s torso, sending the king across the room. Maxdrinthrax roared in pain as he never has before, and Rk’En knew that the evil one’s magic was flickering like a spent candle.

The king got up and leapt at the barbarian again. This time, Rk’En met the king in midair. The two collided, falling to the ground and clawing at each other. They pushed away from each other and got to their feet. The king was breathing heavily, Rk’En felt as if all his blood had spilt on the floor. The king roared and charged. This time, instead of meeting the king, Rk’En dashed to the side, and as the king tried to stop as he passed the barbarian, Rk’En buried War’s Lust into Maxdrinthrax’s back.

The king was lying on the ground, his human form returned. Even Rk’En could see that the king’s magical energy was blasted in his last form-changing spell. Although he showed no physical damage, he was weak, an easy kill. Rk’En stood over him. He remembered what the Oracle had told him, that the king killed his clan. He remembered the carnage on the grasslands, the king’s work. He had killed his adopted clan. He remembered the villages, the city of Daneg where a holy man lived in rubble with hundreds of people, scrabbling to survive. He remembered the felinex, who had been all but wiped out by this monster. He remembered Baron, the people of Baron whose souls seemed to be blasted, and their offspring almost soulless to begin with. Death’s Will screamed at him to finish it, to give Death this kill. Rk’En raised Death’s Will over his head, looking at the fallen king, who stood there waiting for the deathblow. Rk’En then remembered the reaver’s words, “No. Someone showed me in a way that I regret that if I allow myself to give into my anger, I will bring about my own death, as well as other’s. You are evil. I have sworn to kill you. But I realize, if I kill you, I am committing an evil act myself, allowing the blood lust of The Other to win. No, I leave you alive, your power burned out.” Rk’En turned his back on the king and began to walk towards the door.

The king got up; realizing the barbarian would kill him. He screamed, “I swear there will be more black armies and more burned lands! I will find another power and hunt your children’s, children’s, children!”

“No, you won’t.” The king looked in surprise and saw a figure in the doorway. “Dargeeze!”

The Traveler walked into the room. “For decades I have been banished from this place. I saw you kill my friend, pervert the power of the throne and destroy this kingdom. My own power could do nothing to you until your own magic was blasted. The barbarian is right in the fact he can’t kill you. And no, I won’t kill you either. Instead, I banish YOU!” A light appeared around Dargeeze that terrified the king. “I banish you from this kingdom, from this land, from this planet, and from this plane of existence. I banish you to a place where your own ill deeds will seem a flash of dark in a sea of evil. GO!”

The king looked in horror as a portal opened. It was a black hole; so black it can only be described as a void of dark in the darkness. From this void shot chains. They wrapped themselves around the screaming king and started to drag him towards the void. Dargeeze looked at the wizard, “You won’t die, you won’t be tortured, you won’t even be harassed by the creatures of that plane of existence. You will be left alone, all alone. Power just out of your reach, and the only thing you will see is your true self.”

Maxdrinthrax screamed as the chains pulled him into the void. The oval of horror closed, and in moments, if the barbarian hadn’t been there to witness it, he wouldn’t have believed the void had been there at all.

It has been a month since what the commoners call The Battle of the Powers, crediting the powers of alchemy, sorcery, that of The Other, the magic of the King, and the power of Dargeeze the Traveler. However, Jeddahenradamaka and other learned people called these adventures A Barbarian’s Quest. The remnants of the king’s soldiers surrendered and were tried for their crimes. The felinex were reported to have had a celebration in the great forest so loud people in Daneg heard it. The People Who Live Under The Mountain Made By Some Crazy Human Sorcerer Long Ago For No Real Reason. Well, Either No Reason Or A Reason We Haven’t Been Able To Figure Out. Anyway, We Use This As Our Home. By The Way, How Are You? I Am Just Fine showed themselves for the first time in their recorded history. Well, showed themselves in large numbers. Many wise men couldn’t imagine how they could have overlooked an entire race living right under what turned out to be the entire kingdom, all the way from the grasslands to the Land of Lords. The goblins, having lost most their power and support, stopped raiding villages and eating people. Most of them simply moved as far north as possible and are still hiding out to this day. As for barbarians, not all villages fared as badly as the Village of the Dragon’s Claw. Many were able to hide from the army and the fire. And as for the Village of the Dragon’s Claw, remember what S’Lan had Rk’En look at in the afterlife? Well, what he saw was not even half of the women and children were there. Some had managed to escape across the plains with some of the elders. After they heard Rk’En was alive and the king was banished, they sent word to Rk’En that they needed a leader. The other barbarian tribes realized the power of this warrior too, and were willing to unite for the third time in all of their history under one leader. Until they all grew strong enough to become a force to be reckoned with of course.

As for matters of the Tower, Mystida got the rest she deserved, and Jedd and Chana helped examine the tower. About a week after the final battle, they found a hidden door. It led underground, deeper than even the dungeons. In the room, as Jedd, Chana, Mystida, Rk’En, and Dargeeze saw what was a simple stone statue. Not a rough one like the stone creature that the four had fought in Baron, but one of the finest detail. Dargeeze looked at it and said, “That is the king’s son. Why did Maxdrinthrax have a carving done of him, and then simply bring it down here?”

Jeddahenradamaka heard this and gasped. He dashed upstairs babbling like a man possessed. When he came back down, he was practically screaming, “That is why Srik had this lying around!!”

He held a glass ball full of a gray liquid, “Stone to Skin spell! That is why the Oracle told you the prince was where he has been, he never left the tower!” Jedd threw the glass ball at the statue, and cheered when it shattered against the statue. Slowly, the gray stone turned to flesh. The finely crafted eyes became animated and blue. The prince stumbled a little, but Dargeeze was right there to catch him. The other four bowed as the new king stood up and said, “Uhhhh, where am I?”

The humans took the knowledge that the prince had returned with great cheer. He was crowned a day after he was found. In the throne room, with Dargeeze back at his place by the king’s side, he addressed Jedd, Chana, Mystida, and Rk’En.

“Alchemist Jeddahenradamaka. You have shown your skills to be great, and I happen to have an alchemical laboratory here that would be unpleasant to dismantle, if not altogether dangerous. If you want to be the royal alchemist and use it, it is yours.” Looking at Chana, “I can also use someone well-versed in the ways of the Felenix.”

Jedd and Chana looked at each other and grinned. They said in union, “We would be honored to stay here.”

He then looked to Mystida; “I can also use another person with magical talent. Interested?”

Mystida bowed, “I am honored, but I can’t accept. I have business to take care of.”

The king looked at Rk’En, “I know you are returning to your people to rule. I wish we can become friends, and bridge the gap between our two people.”

Rk’En, being of same office, only nodded to the king and said, “I wish this as well.”

That night there was a feast. Mystida looked through the crowd. Jedd was talking with a few other alchemists, Chana dancing with a group of felinex acrobats that had showed up. Many of the old king’s advisors had returned and vied for the new king’s time. He sat with his dinner companion and practiced throwing peas at his advisors and telling them to relax and enjoy themselves. But, wherever Mystida looked, she couldn’t find the barbarian. She finally went up to Jedd and pulled him aside. “Where is Rk’En?”

Jedd looked to her with a glint of sorrow; “He left, back to the grasslands. He said there was a lot to do there.”

Mystida felt choked up, “He left? I…I wanted to tell him something.” She left Jedd and looked out a window, thinking. She felt a hand fall on her shoulder and turned around. Chana looked at her with serious eyes. The half-felinex said, “We have some of the fastest horses in the kingdom, go for it.” Mystida grinned and made her way to the stables.

She rode fast, lending energy to the horse; she had a long way to go. She left Baron like a small blur. She went right through The Crossing, the gates were to remain open for now on, kings orders. She managed to ride another hour before her horse started to get tired. She stopped the horse and got off, deciding to walk from here. Then, she heard a noise coming from where she was going. Over the hill came a large figure, going at a barbarian force march pace.

She couldn’t believe it, “Rk’En!” she cried.

The barbarian came up to her, held her hand and looked into her eyes. He said, “I couldn’t leave without telling you the answer to your question.”

Mystida looked at him, a hundred feelings raging inside her, her breath short, “Why did you risk everything for a chance at getting my soul back?”

The words Rk’En would forever be remembered by the trees, rocks, and spirits there that day, the words, “Because I love you.” Rk’En held her close to him, and they kissed.

I stop my story, and look at the students. They still remain spellbound by my tail. Finally, they start to return from the tale I told to the present. One girl raises her hand, “What happened then between them?”

I answer, “She returned with him to the grasslands. Together, they helped bring together the clans. She had children, and they had children and so on. Jeddahenradamaka and Chana married and had children of their own. They all faced many great adventures and have many other tales told about them, but that is for another time.”

Another kid asks, “You tell it so well, was any of it ever real?”

I smile, “That is for you to decide.”

As I leave the classroom, I hear someone telling that student, “That was a stupid question. Of course it isn’t real. First, no proof, second, its magic and junk, and it doesn’t exist!”

I go home and pour myself a brandy. I light a fire in the fireplace and look above the mantle. Hanging there are two axes, they are sleeping, as they have been for countless centuries, countless generations of my family being their keepers. Next to it is a scroll with arcane writings painted on it. On the mantle sitting on a stand rests a glass ball with red liquid in it, two daggers lying next to that. I smile as I drink my brandy and turn on the radio.

The End