I look at the stone in my hand. Still, it is glowing. Something must be here. Something, somewhere...
`I must know what is here! Help me find what it's guiding me to. Then I will give it back.' I tell her. She sighs.
`Give it to me now, and I will help you find it. Whatever it is.' she says.
Zack slowly stands up in the back.
`Don't do it, Danny Boy! She will turn into a fucking bat and fly away with it!'
`Why did you steal it from her?' I ask.
`She has no idea what that thing can do... But I do. It's our ticket into the Shadowland!'
I look at the stone again, surprised.
`The Shadowland?' I ask. Zack and I have long hoped that one day we could enter there, and explore it...
`Yes.' he tells me. `That's what I was trying to do in your Keep when Bitchy here interrupted me, and broke my fucking concentration. That's what blew your Keep up, Danny Boy!'
I slowly look up at her.
`Is that true?' I ask. `Is it your fault that my castle is gone?!'
`What do you think?' she asks. I look towards Zack. Is he lying? Normally, I'd be inclined to believe that. But this is about the Shadowland... I turn back to her.
`I am disappointed with you, Beautiful...' I tell her, shaking my head. She just frowns...
`I always wondered if you really were insane, or just stupid. You fall for his tricks too easily...' she says, and she jumps on me. She knocks me to the ground, and tries to wrest the stone from my hand.
`Get off of me!' I exclaim, but she won't listen. `I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't get off me...'
Suddenly, I feel a brutal pain in my crotch and I cry out loud. She... she planted her knee in my balls...
Gasping, I try to throw her off me, but she punches me in the nose. I won't let her take the stone! Not after this...
Suddenly she rolls off me, and I am able to stand up. I look at her, and see that she didn't roll off, but some kind of unseen force ripped her off me. Zack is looking at her, smiling.
`You could have thrown her off me earlier, dammit!' I tell him, rubbing my aching crotch.
`Just tell me you still have the stone!' he says. I open my left hand and show it to him. He nods in approval. Suddenly, I hear wings flapping, and a bat comes flying towards us. I quickly close my palm and grab the bat with my right hand. It seems she escaped Zack's telekinesis spell with the help of her shapeshifting ability.
As I grab her, she turns back into her normal shape and jumps on me. I drop the stone and grab her with both hands, and we roll on the ground, struggling. Zack picks the stone up without hesitation.
As I wrestle her on the ground, we slowly roll towards the obelisks and the Teleport Gate. Somehow I manage to force her down, but suddenly she turns into some kind of mist. I quickly stand up, and witness as the mist moves away from me, and she takes her normal shape again. She runs towards me and jumps up, trying to kick me. I duck, and she lands behind me.
I turn around, and just as she kicks towards me with her right leg, I grab her foot.
`Ha!' I exclaim. But she jumps up and turns her body in mid air, kicking towards my head with her left foot. The kick connects, and I fall on my knees, a bit dizzy.
`Little bitch...' I tell her, as I slowly stand up. I move towards her with anger in my eyes, but suddenly I notice a circle of small runes inscribed on the ground behind her. Runes that I have seen before. I smile at her, much in the style of Zack.
I draw my sword and strike towards her head with it. Just as I expected, she swiftly jumps back to evade my attack. She lands right in the middle of the circle of runes.
A moment later, the runes flash brightly, and she is encased inside a large transparent cylinder, seemingly made of glass. She looks surprised, then she punches the glass with overwhelming force. No effect.
`What is this?!' she asks, angrily. I sheathe my sword and smile at her.
`It's a trap, Beautiful! You stepped right in it.' I tell her. She violently kicks into the glass, but nothing happens. Zack comes towards us from behind me.
`Well, well... Looks like you got just what you deserved, Flora!' he says, smiling.
`Let me out!' she screams.
`I'll think about that...' Zack tells him, and then he turns to me. `Did you conjure that shit?'
`No.' I tell him, pointing at the ground. `Look at the runes!'
He crouches beside Flora's magical cage and examines the runes. After a while, he stands up.
`Interesting. Somebody, I guess Drabangar, went to a lot of trouble to set up these warding runes here. Anyone who walks into the circle is immediately sealed in such a magical prison. No physical attacks can shatter the walls, and magic doesn't function within the cage. Except for telekinesis. But what good would that do? Besides, she's no mage...' he says, smiling. Then he looks around.
`Seems like there are a few more of these things here, around that Teleport Gate. We'd better be careful where we step.' he says, and then he sighs. `I just don't get it. Why would Drabangar set these traps? Looks like he was expecting company...'
`Beats me.'
`I suppose you did not activate that Teleportation Gateway, did you?' he asks, pointing at the Teleport Gate on the dais.
`Of course not. I can't even tell where it leads.'
`Well, stepping through is the only way to find out. But really, we have more important things to do, and talk about.' he says, and he suddenly looks at me with a serious look on his face. Rarely have I seen him stare like that, but always he had something grim to tell me...
`I'm listening...' I tell him.
`Good. Because this is going to be hard to swallow...'
*
`So let me get this straight... ' I tell him, as he finishes talking. `The Afterlife wants to swallow this world? And there's no way to stop it?'
`Yes. Therefore, we have to leave. Now.'
`You say, you can open Portals to the Afterlife with ease, is that right?'
`Yes. It's how I got here. With this method, I can take us to Coldrock and we can escape through the Gateway.'
`You say that Latta, Welker, and Trenz are still alive? If so, we must find them first!'
`No problem. They should be somewhere around the crater. I just hope we still have enough time...'
`What about this stone?' I ask, pointing at the stone in his hand.
`It's the Shadestone.' he tells me.
After half a minute of silence, I slowly understand that he thinks I know what that is.
`And?' I ask, motioning him to continue. He sighs.
`Don't tell me you never heard of it...' he says, shaking his head.
`I can't seem to recall right now...'
`It was an artifact that had a portion of the very essence of the Shadowland sealed inside it.'
`Was?'
`The essence is gone from it now. Look at it. It has become totally transparent. It used to be jet black.'
`I found it like that...'
`So, it was the explosion that caused it. All the essence of the Shadowland was released from the stone...' he says, sighing.
`So, it's useless now?'
`Yes, but perhaps we can find a way to restore it. I can create a small Portal to the Shadowland, a Portal the size of my palm. Perhaps we can make the stone suck the very essence of that world into itself through such a Portal.'
`Then what?'
`Then I can open a Planar Rift to the Shadowland with the stone.'
`A Rift? That's too risky...' I tell him, surprised and shocked.
`Not that risky. And it will get us into the Shadowland...'
`Can't you just open an ordinary Portal instead?'
`No. Rift or nothing.'
I sigh. I have always longed to see and explore that world... Especially after all the things Zack had shown me in the many Spiritual Planes that we had visited together. But a Rift...
Slowly I nod.
`Alright. If that's the only way... Let's do it.'
`Wait. What about the glow?'
`What?'
`Look at the stone!'
He looks at the stone and examines it. His eyes narrow as he realizes that one side of the stone is glowing. It seems he ignored that so far...
`What the fuck is this?' he asks.
`That's what guided me here. There is something here in Ighttur-wor that this stone is connected to.'
He looks around.
`It's pointing towards the Teleport Gate.' he says.
`Yes, but why would it be guiding me to the Teleport Gate? Why didn't it guide me straight to whatever is on the far side? I think it's damaged. There must be something else here.'
`Well, if it's damaged, then there's no reason for the real destination to be here, now is there?'
`Well...'
`Right. I think it's the Teleportation Gateway that it's been guiding you to.'
`But why not to the far side? If the far side is let's say in the southern regions of Draconia, why didn't it just guide me there?'
`I have no idea. One possibility is that the Teleport Gate leads underground, into a place inaccessible by other means.'
`Oh. Right. I didn't think of that.'
`Yeah, well, normally I'd want to see what's on the other side, but I say let's save our skin first. After the Afterlife swallows Arghard, we can come back and find out what is here.'
`Good thinking, Zack!' I tell him, patting his shoulder.
`Alright, let's get out of here!'
`What about her?'
He turns towards Beautiful and addresses her.
`Hey, Flora! You heard me, right? Arghard is about become one with oblivion. Wanna escape before it comes to that?'
`What do you care?' she asks sharply.
`I like you. I'd hate to leave you here to die. If I let you out, do you promise that you won't try to take the stone back from us?'
She looks at him like she wants to kill him. Slowly, she replies.
`That stone... is mine...' she says.
`Yeah, yeah... You know what? We'll just go get the stone to a safe place, and then I'll come back for you. Just wait here until...'
He suddenly stops. A thinking expression occupies his face, and he stares at the stone in his hand.
`What?' I ask.
`I'm thinking...' he says. `I thought the stone was destroyed when the Keep blew up. it was a big fucking explosion. It's still in one piece. What if...'
I begin to stare at the stone, too. I, too, begin to think. Yes, I remember. I saw it happen. The stone, then jet black, was on the ground, outside of the area of either of the three protection spells I cast on us. There was nothing to stop it from melting, or even vaporizing. Yet here it is. Unharmed. It must be made of some very powerful material, or there are insanely powerful magics holding it together.
Insanely powerful magics...
`Zack, you said that this Twilight fell after the explosion, and that the Afterlife has been trying to swallow this world ever since.'
`Yes. It all leads back to the explosion.'
`How is a Spiritual Plane able to swallow a Material Plane?'
`I do not know, but something must connect them. There must be some kind of conduit through which the Afterlife can take a hold upon that world.'
`Like a Rift?'
`Not that I know. But something...'
`What if...'
`What if it's inside this fucking stone?'
`Yeah.'
`That's just what I'm thinking...' he says. `Stand back, will you?'
He places the stone on the ground, and begins casting some spells.
*
At least ten minutes pass until he finishes. In the end, he smiles. With that typical smile of his. That means we were right!
`Well?' I ask, urging him to tell me the details.
`I don't have any fucking idea what kind of fucked-up piece of fucking shit this fucking stone is, but I can tell you, it's got an opening inside it that leads straight to the Afterlife...'
`What kind of opening?'
`I don't know. It's no Portal, it's no Rift, but it is some form of conduit through which the Afterlife can reach into this world. It's like a hole on the bottom of a bucket full of water that allows all the water to pour out of the bucket. This conduit is allowing the Afterlife to suck Arghard into itself.'
`What can create such a thing?'
`I don't know, but it looks like it's been there all along. All along...'
`Even when it was filled with the essence of the Shadowland?'
He nods. Then he smiles wickedly.
`My guess, is that the essence of the Shadowland was acting like a plug. It blocked the conduit.'
`You mean... like... like... like if we put a cork in the hole on the bottom of that bucket you mentioned?'
`Yeah. Something like that.'
`So... If we fill it up...'
`Yeah... Exactly. But I have no idea how to do it.'
`But it should be possible, right?'
`Yes. The Shadestone had to have been made somehow. For now, there is only one thing to do.'
`What?'
He smiles, with that typical smile of his. Oh, I know what he's going to say...
`Don't worry... I've got a plan!' he says...
I knew it...
`What plan?' I ask, sighing.
`What's your problem? I told you, I've got a plan! I have it all figured out!'
`When did I ever have any reason to like your plans?'
`Oh, this time, you're gonna love it! And do you know why?'
`Why?'
`Because we're gonna stick this piece of shit into the Afterlife!'
`What good will that do?'
`Look, as long as the stone is here, the Afterlife can suck Arghard into itself through the conduit inside the stone. If we remove the conduit from this world, the problem is solved.'
`Whoa... That sure sounds insane.'
`Yeah, but I'm telling you, it's gonna work. Trust me, I know all about the Planes. This is gonna work just fine!'
`Cool! Then what?'
`We need some guards to watch over the shit on the far side while we try to find out how we can fill up the conduit with Shadowland essence. We need some very reliable guardians, and very powerful ones...'
`Like my golems?'
`Yes...'
`So, dump the stone in the Afterlife and let's find them.'
`No! We must find them first, and dump the shit after.'
`Why?'
`Think about it! As soon as we remove the stone from this world, the walls between Arghard and the Afterlife will begin to thicken again. By the time we find the alter golems, I will not be able to simply open a Portal to the Afterlife. It will take way too much time...'
`Right...' I tell him, nodding. `So let's go find...'
Suddenly we hear footsteps. Zack goes silent and looks around.
`Did you hear that?' he asks. I nod, and slowly draw my sword.
Once again, we hear the footsteps, and we begin to move in their direction. After walking less than thirty feet, we stop as we see the figures stepping out of the cover of the ruins. Seven humanoid figures. Six winged half-dragons, and a woman who appears to be human, with beautiful red hair, wearing a strikingly characteristic and beautifully crafted red plate armor. She reminds me of the first day I met her...
`Darling...' I address her, as I sheathe my sword. `What are you doing here?'
`Daniel?' she asks, seeming surprised. `I didn't expect to see you here. Just... that wretched black magician!'
She points at Zack, and he smiles at her.
`Hi, Mel'! Been a while. How's your ass? It's not too hard to shit, I trust?'
*
`Shut up, Zack!' she screams at him. `I have had enough of you!'
`Calm down, darling...' I tell her. `What brings you here? I haven't seen you in a long time.'
She looks at me curiously,
like she was trying to see into my soul. Has it been so long? Has she forgotten all about me?
`Daniel... I really wish we'd have met under better circumstances.'
`Me, too, darling... Me, too...'
Suddenly, Zack interrupts us.
`I hate to break you two lovebirds up but you should really get to the point, Mel'! We have to get out of here, fast!'
`The point?' she asks sharply, turning towards him. `The point is, I have come to kill you!'
`Again?' asks Zack with a surprised look on his face. `Aren't you grateful that I killed the Dreamer for you?'
`Silence! Voi'Shek doesn't matter now, only you do! You will not escape me now! I know that teleportation has become impossible for some reason...'
`Some reason? Of course you don't know why! But I do. Wanna hear it?'
`I'm tired of your lies, Zack!'
`Now why would I lie about that?' he asks, sounding insulted.
`Because that's all you can do. Now I'm going to put an end to it! Do you realize how many of my people died because of you? Do you?!'
`I don't recall having killed any of your dragons, Mel'...'
`Enough! I don't know how you survived that explosion, but I will make sure that you die today!'
`Ah, that? Well, yeah, I guess some of your dragons must have died there, but that wasn't my...'
`Some?! You cursed black magician! Barely a handful of my dragons survived that explosion. None of them were in any shape to fly. They are resting and recovering as we speak.'
`Ah, is that why you came with such few lackeys?'
Mel's face turns red with anger. Many of her followers must have fallen...
`I came with the surviving half-dragons. I only left a few of them behind to tend to the wounded dragons. I gathered everyone else, and then we came. We were ambushed thrice along the way by those cursed demons! After the last attack, I and these six were the only ones left alive. The demons were just too numerous, and my followers too weakened after the explosion. They died because of you, Zack! And now I'm going to make you pay!'
`Hmmm... How the Hell did you find me, anyway?'
`My half-dragon mages identified and located the source of the magical energies that destroyed Daniel's Keep! We've been following that trace all the way here, Zack! I knew it was you...'
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