(Author's Note: Due to lack of caring, I did not organize the visual records in any sense of order. You will have to pick out for yourself which pictures inspired which parts of the tale to follow. Thanks to all who participated and helped inspire this tale!) Special thanks to: @bart simpson for providing an unexpected element of danger, but who also adapted to our story and focused on killing our pack horses instead of our forces (at least at first). And for his honorable defeat. @BlackEye for adding an element of unpredictability and helping keep me on my toes as far as progressing the story line. @everyone in the caravan for risking life and limb with me! **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** ***************************************************Curtains ****************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** **************************************************************************************************************************************************** “CORP POR!” Jupiter spoke the words with sufficient intent and crushed the regeants at precisely the right moment; yet the wake from the blast of force that should have been never came. He could feel his stamina weakening. He switched and spoke the words for a quick shock hoping to stun the advance corpse long enough for the group to regroup around him. “Por Ort Grav!” The lightning bolt erupted and hit it’s mark with the precision of all his trained years, but did nothing to halt or even slow the slow march… In such moments, it is well known and documented that men can see their entire lives flash before their eyes. As a wizard, such moments had happened to Jupiter more times than he cared to count, and he had long since learned how to take advantage of this physical phenomenon. Instead of allowing his entire life, he channeled the inner power of the mind to focus his flash of life to the specific moments leading up to this event. It had begun as a normal caravan consignment. Take this chest that some wealthy merchant needs delivered, assemble an escort guard, and march casually and unmolested from Spiritwood to Yew. As he searched those moments, he saw the thief (the very thief who now stood beside him in their last stand against the undead) as he ran off with his employment contract and the instructions for the rendezvous point. Clearly this master thief had plans to try and make off with more than an easily replaced signed document, but now was not that time. A thief he might be, but above all else he valued his life as all thieves do. What good are all the treasures of Sosaria if one cannot spend them? No, it wasn’t the thief he was looking for. As his mind flashed upon all events at once, he looked at them in no particular order. There was the infamous brigand lord of Trinsic, Bart, who had assailed them shortly after they passed the cross roads. To his misfortune, Bart had chosen the wrong caravan to try and plunder. On any other day, Bart would likely have succeeded in his pillaging attempts, but he had no idea what unnatural forces lay in wait ahead of the caravan and in his arrears. This was clear when the party came upon his fallen corpse as the undead devoured his fresh limbs. They had missed his living cries of agony only by moments, and he now lay unconscious as the undead consumed his life both soul and body. Back again, to the moment before the party was still arriving at Paws tower. It was there, he had missed it. The cold shiver he had dismissed as an early winter gust. How could he have missed such a glaring omen? The winter wind clearly carried the dark power and he surely would have chosen a different route, but how did he… then he saw it, clear as the summer morning now. There, in the shadows of the west wing of the tower stood the man he now recognized as Baerron Jael, somehow manipulating the air so Jupiter did not sense the danger that was clearly there. This was the same man who, warned the group a few leagues back that to proceed any further was certain death. With the last few quickly fleeting moments, Jupiter considered this question. Why would this same man who concealed the threat of danger have also taken a moment to issue a threat of warning only hours later? If he had not appeared on the road, the group would surely have fallen easy prey to the horde of undead that was now reduced by half, but still just as deadly. It was the grotesque contorting of his body that now appeared to explain things. The man seemed to be consumed by an internal war that manifested itself outwardly as a wretched twisting and contortion of his limbs as he fought to remain present enough to at least distract whatever presence how sought to control his will. “Jupiter!,” Lady Laurana called out again, “duck!” He managed to duck his head just enough to evade a thrash of claws that would have ended him. While he evaded decapitation, his well battered hat did not, and was dashed to pieces. He stared into the ominous situation, and his heart nearly began to falter. Suddenly, he felt the cold upon his head vanish as Montrose planted a flimsy straw hat firmly on his crown. “Your hat has seen its, but we have not. Come now wizard. Take heart, and lead us.” Jupiter nodded, and spun his cane and connected it squarely into the zombie’s rotted cranium. It hit with the force of a war hammer and upon decimating the foe before him Jupiter cried out commands. “Laurana, take your forces and keep the Baerron at bay! We cannot hope to prevail if we have two threats! Make sure you fall back to our position if you lose him!” Laurana and Chop flew into action and charged through the groping hordes of the undead towards their unnatural leader. The Baerron likewise darted into the danger and took only a few glancing blows from Luarana’s spear as he flew towards Jupiter’s ranks. But he did not charge with intent to land any blows himself. Instead, as he passed Jupiter, there was a brief moment when they locked eyes and Jupiter managed a glimpse which he would need to study with more clarity later. For now, at the Baerron’s charge the remaining horde erupted into frenzy and charged likewise. As Laurana and Chop again turned about to give chase, Jupiter and the remaining warriors held firm. He nodded to the man called Bloodlust to lead the charge – his ax was clearly thirsting. Epilogue1 The beleaguered group made their way to the Empath Abby and the rendezvous point. The man they had anticipated was nowhere in sight. It was clear that they had been delayed and missed the delivery, but there was a secondary provision left in the instructions should they miss this delivery point. Jupiter had thought it odd that the instructions would provide a secondary provision, it was clear now whomever consigned this delivery anticipated the battle. The only problem was that the man who had the instructions was no longer anywhere to be seen. The thief had vanished along with the dust as the battle cleared. In any other circumstance, Jupiter would not have authorized the contents of the package to be revealed. However, this was clearly not an ordinary contract, and Jupiter no longer cared if the instructions directed the contents to remain concealed until delivery. They opened the chest to reveal a wrenching sight. Disemboweled organs of no small account; and an order to Project Sanctuary to cease interference with the mining operations under threat of further such death. Epilogue2 The hooded figure emerged from behind the tree, and gave a nod. The fear of death hung in the air, but the thief was a threat Jupiter much preferred over the unhallowed hordes he had assisted in laying back to dust. “We have matters of business to conduct master Wizard,” the thief was calm and gave no indications that he was concerned. He had clearly already scouted the area, and if Jupiter had laid a trap it would have already been discovered. “As promised, I came alone. Return to me that which was taken, and on this account your brash theft shall be dismissed.” The thief’s smile almost beamed from underneath his hood. “Be that as it may, I have already been redeemed by my assistance on the road. Surely had I not stolen the vampiress’ heart and distracted her, your forces would have fallen along with the horses. I want no further part of whatever catastrophe you are party to; but I know that what I have has a price, and I will return it only by exchange. Those are my terms wizard. Trade with me or I’ll find some river to cast these into.” Jupiter grumbled, and then nodded. It was true the thief had chosen to lend instead of further robbing them when they faced the hordes. He had adhered by whatever delinquent concepts of honor that was held among thieves, and as such probably considered himself vindicated. He handed him a silver coin, and took back the parchments. The thief clearly had no idea what he had gotten himself into. The dead do not forget, and he had clearly shown his hand – the thief stood on the side of life, even if only when threatened by death. Epilogue3 (I KNOW! But it’s true!) As the thief vanished into the thick of the forest and off to whatever mark he had next, Jupiter turned to the tower with longing to retire for the evening. Then he felt the cold wind that should not have escaped his senses before. He turned around and faced Baerron Jael – his body twisted and contorted as before and almost seemed his bones were actively twisting and wrenching under his skin “You were lucky thisss time,” he hissed. “You shall not live a second time!” Jupiter began to try and question the pale form of a man before him, but was unable to reply before the man shouted. “GET OUT!!!” he furiously clawed at his eyes and then in an instant vanished again by means of incantation. Jupiter stared into the darkness a moment, and then ascended the tower stairs. He had many memories to study. Although the day was over, this battle clearly was just beginning…
The thrumming in Richard's head was mild; milder than it had been in quite some time. The compulsion, the redness, it faded into the back and for once he almost felt like his old self, or at least a shade of his old self. "What do you want from me?" Richard asked aloud. The peripheral of his vision blurred red and Baerron Jael answered. "Service is all I require. Obedience is what you will give." "But why me?!" Richard pleaded. The pain in his stomach surpassed the point of rational thought to where it was merely a sensation that he gotten used to. His torso became concave and grew more so with each passing day. His insides were rotting. No voice answered. Instead, a tempo began to resonate behind his eyes. "Stop! STOP!" Richard yelled. He clawed at his eyes with the broken, blackened nubs of his fingertips. Baerron Jael wanted something, but Richard couldn't even guess. He felt his mind fall further and further away into the red sleep. He startled awake, his mind pressing to the forefront of this mixed consciousness. There were a large group of people leading pack horses in front of Richard. He sensed Baerron Jael's intentions and struggled to warn them. What escaped his shrinking larynx was a mixture of a threat and warning, for he could not gain enough control. The crimson hell enveloped him. "Take what is yours!" Without conscious thought, Richard's body moved in ways he never knew it could, manipulated like a marionette. Lashing out at the group of people time and again, Richard struggled to understand Baerron Jael's motivation for attacking these people. This was not some random murder. This was not a crime of opportunity - far from it, with eight caravan guards. No, this was a mission for something... His body took more abuse than he could have ever imagined. Rocked by explosions, energy bolts, cleaved by magic weapons, nothing jarred him from his seat upon his horse. On several occasions, Laurana, the Knight General of the Great Council managed to keep him away from the caravan, but not before several caravan guards were claimed along with several of the horses. "Stop!" the thrumming voice resonated in his skull. He was standing over one of the dead caravan guards. The crimson hell compelled him to carve the body in spite of the ensuing battle. With quick, jagged thrusts and slashes, the arms, legs, and head were removed, leaving behind a desecrated torso. "Take what is yours!" Of the three people he killed, what could he want with this one? Of course, there was no answer and Richard found himself suppressed further. Veins of murky blood filled his vision and he screamed helplessly into the void of his mind. Richard blinked. He stood over the limbless, headless torso. He failed to retrieve what Baerron Jael wanted from the caravan... A box of body parts... But he did not leave empty-handed. "This will do... this will make up for the failure of your weak body." Richard pressed the edge of his dagger into the livid flesh of the torso. Dark blood seeped out of the hole he made. There was only one part that Baerron Jael was interested in. "Now, we find the box and take what is ours."
Epilogue 5 A Spirit came to me by the pond, In search of understanding. It begged of me, my reason for standing against the darkness, against the night "Humanity is lost, why do you bother?" They kill, they rob, they murder each other My reply was subtle and seemed the spirit to content "Dear spirit, you pass judgement against many for the actions of but a few; But if you listen to my reply, you would understand this is not just. Would then by this same measure extend good grace to all for the good deeds of but a few? It is clear one would not And so it is among men and women in this world They are neither all good, nor all evil but they all have the potential to become so. Until it is clear to me, that all men have chosen to be all evil I will continue to carry stand against the darkest of night and call out to the goodness within them all" A moment of silence the spirit gave, and then with agreement replied "And the darkness knows it, and it will stop at nothing to extinguish the hope you seek to kindle."
