-last edited on Aug 31, 2017 21:50:11 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Aug 31, 2017 21:49:36 GMT
Chapter 246
As they all waited, unsure what to do next, a green-eyed shadow peeked its head around the corner. “I’ll take care of it,” said Alkkuto, walking over with his sword raised. Hithrol watched, seeing something oddly familiar in the shadow, but by the time he recognized the cold, green eyes it was too late.
Alkkuto collapsed to the floor, smashed, as Morath strode into the room, carrying an Honorblade in each shadowy hand. “How wonderful it is to see all of you again. Skrag, how are you liking my sword? Ah, Hithrol, is that new leg serving you well? Irya, I assume you’ve heard about Barkot? A shame, isn’t it, that he was so easy to smash. And Alis, how have you been? When was the last time you saw that dragon egg? Are you sure it’s safe up there with the dwarf and that traitorous goblin?”
“Shut up!” Harrox charged forward, his sword lifted high above his head, “You smashed Alkkuto!”
Morath smiled, “So I did.” As Harrox reached him, the shadow stored one sword at his side and lifted a hand to the bandit’s chest, stopping him short. “Your turn.” Harrox flew into a wall and crumpled to the ground. “I suppose that means the pleasantries are over. Who’s next?”
Hithrol motioned to Skrag and Alis, “With me. The rest of you, stay back. We know him the best. We’ll handle this.” The three of them readied their swords, the two white and one green, and moved in.
As the two Honorblades and the magical sword clashed with Morath’s Honorblades, they made a strange ringing sound unlike anything Skrag had ever heard before. For a while, it seemed as if the three had an advantage. Morath was slowly pushed back towards the tunnels, oftentimes barely managing to block or dodge attacks in time, but then he smiled his terrible smile and soon it was Skrag, Hithrol, and Alis who were retreating. With a twist of his sword that Skrag’s eyes moved too slowly to follow, Morath sent the half-breed’s blade flying out of his hand. Skrag felt his legs being swept out from under him and his head hit the floor and the world went black.
-last edited on Sept 1, 2017 23:19:29 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 1, 2017 23:18:47 GMT
Chapter 247
Now it was just the two Jiwovzes fighting Morath, and though they fought to the best of their abilities the shadow soon overwhelmed them. In a series of lightning-swift cuts, Hithrol found his wooden leg splintered and his sword arm too injured for use. He limped away to tear himself a makeshift bandage, being sure to keep Scalblas away from Morath’s grasp.
Then it was only Alis. Even by herself, the young girl was able to hold on as long as the three had together, but, little by little, she was worn down. Finally, she found herself with her back against the wall and her Honorblade on the ground a few yards away. Morath leaned in close, “You still have time to join me. Avenge Marrzak and rule this world.”
Alis spat in his face, “I will not fall for your lies again.”
“So be it.” Morath knocked her unconscious with a casual blow. As he began to turn around, he was sent sprawling by a blast of yellow energy. Graylin, who had until this point been busy fending off the shadows that continued to pour out of the Well, had decided to enter the fight. For the first time, Morath was visibly weakened. It did not last long.
The shadow growled, striding over to the sorceress and deflecting each of her attacks. When he reached Graylin, he lifted her into the air with one hand, storing his second sword by his side. “It appears I shall have to make an example of you.” He drove his remaining Honorblade forward so hard that it stuck halfway into the wall and he left it there. Morath turned to the remaining members of the group. “Are you ready to surrender?”
Legolie felt eyes on her and realized that the others were trusting her to make a decision. “Not while I have breath within me,” she replied.
“That can be arranged.” Morath charged towards Legolie, and Link and Levridum leapt into the way. The former’s blade met the shadow’s first, with the same ringing sound the Honorblades had made before. They clashed for a few moments before the elf was thrown aside.
With her greater size and speed and comparable ferocity, Levridum held off the shadow even longer than Alis had, but eventually her spear was broken and she too was defeated.
As soon as the Arachnidian had been defeated, Morath dove at Legolie. The elven queen fought with all her strength, knowing that she was among the few things that yet stood between the shadow and the lives of her friends, or whatever his goal might be. But it was not enough, and Legolie soon fell alongside her companions.
-last edited on Sept 2, 2017 21:12:07 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 2, 2017 21:11:33 GMT
Chapter 248
Without any magic or magical weapons, Leinad, Gyr, and Irya were all but helpless to stop Morath, and he swept them aside one at a time with ease. Irya was the last, and to her he said, “You were even easier to smash than your friends on the Council.” She struggled to attack the shadow, but the magical restraints he had placed on her kept her from doing so.
At last, only two remained in the little room: Morath and Septimus Merlinsson. Until this point, the alchemist had chosen not to interfere with the conflict, other than putting a magical cage around the Well to prevent the shadows from getting out after Graylin was smashed and her defense ended. Now, the time for action had come.
Morath began to talk as he sauntered over to Septimus, “I hear you’re old.”
“Not quite as old as you.”
“And powerful.”
Septimus did not reply. Morath reached him, extending a finger towards the red jewel set in the forehead of the alchemist’s mask, coming almost close enough to touch it. “Interesting.”
“You smashed my friend.” Septimus’s eyes remained locked on Morath’s, ignoring the extended hand.
“The witch?” The way he said it oozed contempt. “I was unaware one such as you had friends.”
“Very few, admittedly, but if any could be considered among them she was one.”
“Then I suppose we shall do battle. Have you a sword?”
Without speaking, Septimus drew an elegant, silver-bladed sword out of the air.
The swords clashed a few times and the alchemist said, “I will not toy with you. I have more important things to do today and little time for a minor annoyance such as you.”
Morath laughed, “Rather presumptuous, don’t you-?” He stopped laughing when his sword spun away, his hand still holding onto it, and his legs fell to the ground shortly before he did.
Septimus placed one foot on the shadow’s chest. “Your powers are nothing. You, are nothing.”
Morath looked up at the alchemist, fear in his glowing green eyes, “Who are you?"
Septimus leaned in close and whispered, “I am Septimus Merlinsson. I am a god.” He drove his sword home and the thousand-year-old shadow at last was smashed.
-last edited on Sept 4, 2017 21:18:51 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 4, 2017 21:18:25 GMT
Chapter 249
Skrag awoke to see the Arachnidian- Levridum, he remembered- staring down at him. “What… what happened?”
Levridum replied in her clattery, sort of broken speech, “Septimus wizard beat shadow. Others lose, but survive, except Graylin. Smashed. Now must finish task.” Skrag nodded, the pounding in his head making it difficult to follow the concise but confusing explanation. He extended a hand and the Arachnidian pulled him to his feet. She gave him a curious look.
The half-breed furrowed his brow, “What is it?”
“You not afraid. Most times, people see me, fear in eyes, even if hidden well. Not you. Not even first time saw me. Why?”
This made Skrag pause for a minute, unsure what to say. Finally, he spoke, “I’ve never been afraid of spiders. They were my friends, in a way, long ago. So I guess you remind me of that time, a simpler one, if not necessarily a better, or a happier, one.”
Levridum laughed. “When all is over, you can come to Arachnidian home, meet others. Might like.”
“Maybe I will.” It was a nice thought.
Soon, everyone was back on their respective feet, shaken but not much worse for the wear, save the unfortunate Graylin and Alkkuto. Septimus cast a spell to preserve them so that proper funerals could be held later. At first, it seemed that no one wanted to talk about what to do next, as if the encounter with Morath had sapped all strength from them. But eventually Legolie gathered everyone’s attention and started making plans, “First of all, we need to send a few people back for Skirj so we can be rid of that Crown. It would be best if you teleported them, Septimus. The rest of us will stay here to wait for those, and once their job is complete we can close this Well and finish what we started.” The others agreed, and it didn’t take long for the few preparations to be made.
-last edited on Sept 5, 2017 23:08:03 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 5, 2017 23:07:48 GMT
Chapter 250
Skrag, Hithrol, Alis, and Irya, as the four with the greatest stakes in the fate of the Crown, were eventually chosen to destroy it. Septimus opened a portal and ushered them through, before following. Outside the castle, the sun had begun to set and a pinkish glow illuminated the surrounding hills, giving them an almost otherworldly feel.
Skirj was waiting for them, sitting calmly with Digls at his side to ward off danger. Zargan and Olifin were there too, and greeted the five happily. As Alis reassured herself that her dragon egg was safe- the words of Morath clearly still fresh in her mind- Skrag walked up to his brother, “Given any thought about what you’ll do next?”
Skirj smiled, “I have, and I’ve come to a decision. I’ll tell you later, after everything has been wrapped up. Now is not the time for such pleasantries.”
Irya agreed. “We have to destroy that thing as soon as possible. We may have defeated Morath, but it still provides him with a way back into this world.
“Actually,” said Septimus, “I was quite careful not to leave anything behind. Trust me, he shall never return again, whatever happens to the Crown.” He quickly added, “That doesn’t mean we can leave it, though. Its power is still quite dangerous.”
While they were talking, Skirj had produced the object in question and set it on a flat rock. “Then let us proceed. Whatever its allure, I want it destroyed as much as the rest of you.”
Skrag, Hithrol, Alis, and Irya produced their Honorblades, the latter having taken one of Morath’s before she left, and made a circle around the rock. Skrag took a look over at Skirj. For a fraction of a second, something passed through the goblin’s eyes: greed or something similar, the pull of the Crown, but it passed as soon as it came and he regained control of himself once more.
On Hithrol’s count, the four of them raised the Honorblades and brought them down in unison. There was a flash of void like the ones that had been created when the Honorblades were returned to the Well, and when it cleared the Crown lay shattered into a thousand pieces. As they watched, the pieces crumbled into dust and then blew away, scattered into the winds forevermore.
-last edited on Sept 6, 2017 21:56:55 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 6, 2017 21:56:37 GMT
Chapter 251
With the Morath gone and the Crown destroyed, there was only one thing left to do: it was time to close the Well. Legolie, Link, Harrox, Skrag, Hithrol, Alis, Irya, and Levridum each had one of the eight remaining Honorblades, and they formed a circle around the object in question. As they stared into its inky depths, a shadow began to crawl out. Legolie quickly dispatched it, and gave the signal to go ahead. One by one, they plunged their weapons downward, each time accompanied by the now-familiar flash of void. When it was done, they took a step back and watched the Well sink down into the stone floor of the castle, its gateway forever closed.
Skrag looked over at Hithrol, “Looks like you’ll need a new sword.”
He laughed, “I’ll figure something out. Maybe Korin has some ideas.”
With that, the tension was finally broken, and they all began to finally relax as Septimus opened a portal and ushered them towards the surface. They had all lost friends in the fight, but they had won and a far greater loss had been prevented. The time for mourning would come later. Now was the time for celebration, however small.
Back on the surface, the celebrations were indeed small. They laughed and joked as they had not done for some time, but soon they all began to go their separate ways, for though it was now the dead of night all of them were eager to get back to their homes and greet the friends and family they had not seen it what, though it had only been perhaps a week, truly seemed like years.
Skrag found his brother sitting off to one side, alone. “So, what are you planning on doing? You said you would tell me after, and here we are.”
“So I did.” Skirj motioned for the half-breed to take a seat. “Don’t be alarmed, but I have kept a minute fraction of the Crown’s power inside myself. I’m going to go to the Towers and learn magic.”
Skrag stood up, suddenly afraid, “You kept some of the power?”
“Only a tiny bit, I swear.”
“He speaks the truth. He has only as much power as the weakest of our novices.” Skrag and Skirj spun around to see Septimus Merlinsson standing behind them. “Are you ready to go?”
Skirj nodded, “I suppose so. Goodbye, brother.”
“Goodbye.” Skrag watched as the two of them faded away into the distance. “I hope you find happiness.” But by now, the sorcerer and the goblin were too far away to hear him.
-last edited on Sept 7, 2017 21:59:58 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 7, 2017 21:59:46 GMT
Chapter 252
As the moon slowly entered into its descent, Skrag and Zargan sat side-by-side on a low hill, the last of the group still at the castle. While the others had gone their separate ways, the two of them had decided to stay and enjoy the quiet night and discuss everything that had happened to the two of them since the day they had arrived at the old tavern what felt like so long ago. It seemed impossible that all of that- the battle at the Falcon Castle, the fight against Marrzak, the hunt for the Honorblades, and the closing of the Well- had happened in such a short time.
Zargan caught a glimpse of movement at the foot of the hill and tensed his muscles, preparing for a threat. Seeing his friend’s unease, Skrag reached back to draw an arrow from his quiver. But as the minutes passed and nothing happened they slowly relaxed, laughing at how on edge they were after all the fighting.
Then the first arrow came. It scraped along the side of Skrag’s face and he fell to his knees, clutching at his left eye. Zargan rose to his feet, roaring and spreading his wings. But then the second arrow struck him and he fell limply to the ground. Skrag screamed, drawing an arrow of his own and releasing it blindly in the general direction from which the attacks had come. It was all the effort he could muster, as he too fell dizzily to the ground.
The half-breed awoke at dawn, as the sunlight shone into his right eye. He sat up, achy and confused. Something felt off, and as he reached up to touch his left eye, his hand was met with something that was no longer an eye at all. Starting to panic, he stood up, a little unsteadily, and saw Zargan still lying on the ground. Something about the way the green dragon was sprawled sent a shiver down Skrag’s spine. He called his friend’s name, but there was no response.
The air was already filled with the sounds of birds chirping and the wind blowing through the tall grasses, but the one sound Skrag did not hear was the sound of a dragon breathing. The half-breed rushed over to his friend’s side and found him cold and very, very still.
All at once, the memory of the previous night’s events returned and Skrag fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands as he wept. When his emotions finally began to stabilize, he walked down the hill to see if the attacker had left any signs behind.
A dark shape lay in the grass, a longbow resting nearby. Skrag turned it over, and recoiled with a gasp of shock and anger. Before him was the bandit Harrox, smashed by chance by the arrow the half-breed had shot in his moment of desperation.
A cold, unfeeling wave washed over Skrag as he walked back up the hill, stony-faced and with a deep rage burning in his eyes. He looked over the lifeless form of Zargan and held in his tears. Clenching his fists, he walked back down the hill and grabbed Harrox’s sword before returning to his friend. He slammed the blade into the ground again and again until he thought it was soft enough. Then he began to dig, and as he dug he cried. A searing pain began to build up in what had once been his left eye, but he ignored it and just kept digging. He dug, tears still pouring down his face, until the sun began to set, and his hands and his back and his head and the rest of him hurt too badly to continue.
Skrag lay on the ground for a long time, just listening to himself breathe with his eye closed. When he sat up and looked at the hole he had dug, and then over at Zargan, he realized that the task was futile. Unless he planned on being there another week or maybe two, he would never finish, and he suddenly realized that he didn’t want to be found there when someone inevitably came looking for him. He didn’t want to be found at all. Taking one last sad look at his fallen friend, and then grabbing his bow and his quiver but leaving behind his sword, the half-breed walked down the hill and into the unknown.
All at once, the memory of the previous night’s events returned and Skrag fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands as he wept. When his emotions finally began to stabilize, he walked down the hill to see if the attacker had left any signs behind.
A dark shape lay in the grass, a longbow resting nearby. Skrag turned it over, and recoiled with a gasp of shock and anger. Before him was the bandit Harrox, smashed by chance by the arrow the half-breed had shot in his moment of desperation.
A cold, unfeeling wave washed over Skrag as he walked back up the hill, stony-faced and with a deep rage burning in his eyes. He looked over the lifeless form of Zargan and held in his tears. Clenching his fists, he walked back down the hill and grabbed Harrox’s sword before returning to his friend. He slammed the blade into the ground again and again until he thought it was soft enough. Then he began to dig, and as he dug he cried. A searing pain began to build up in what had once been his left eye, but he ignored it and just kept digging. He dug, tears still pouring down his face, until the sun began to set, and his hands and his back and his head and the rest of him hurt too badly to continue.
Skrag lay on the ground for a long time, just listening to himself breathe with his eye closed. When he sat up and looked at the hole he had dug, and then over at Zargan, he realized that the task was futile. Unless he planned on being there another week or maybe two, he would never finish, and he suddenly realized that he didn’t want to be found there when someone inevitably came looking for him. He didn’t want to be found at all. Taking one last sad look at his fallen friend, and then grabbing his bow and his quiver but leaving behind his sword, the half-breed walked down the hill and into the unknown.
So sad.
Proud Christian and Canadian TFOL! President of the EMBC So long message boards.
All at once, the memory of the previous night’s events returned and Skrag fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands as he wept. When his emotions finally began to stabilize, he walked down the hill to see if the attacker had left any signs behind.
A dark shape lay in the grass, a longbow resting nearby. Skrag turned it over, and recoiled with a gasp of shock and anger. Before him was the bandit Harrox, smashed by chance by the arrow the half-breed had shot in his moment of desperation.
A cold, unfeeling wave washed over Skrag as he walked back up the hill, stony-faced and with a deep rage burning in his eyes. He looked over the lifeless form of Zargan and held in his tears. Clenching his fists, he walked back down the hill and grabbed Harrox’s sword before returning to his friend. He slammed the blade into the ground again and again until he thought it was soft enough. Then he began to dig, and as he dug he cried. A searing pain began to build up in what had once been his left eye, but he ignored it and just kept digging. He dug, tears still pouring down his face, until the sun began to set, and his hands and his back and his head and the rest of him hurt too badly to continue.
Skrag lay on the ground for a long time, just listening to himself breathe with his eye closed. When he sat up and looked at the hole he had dug, and then over at Zargan, he realized that the task was futile. Unless he planned on being there another week or maybe two, he would never finish, and he suddenly realized that he didn’t want to be found there when someone inevitably came looking for him. He didn’t want to be found at all. Taking one last sad look at his fallen friend, and then grabbing his bow and his quiver but leaving behind his sword, the half-breed walked down the hill and into the unknown.
-last edited on Sept 10, 2017 18:37:22 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 10, 2017 18:37:04 GMT
Chapter 254
Deep below the castle of the once-mighty Dragon Kingdom, a silvery portal opened and a man stepped out. Dressed in a hooded gray robe, he had an elegant silver sword stuck in his belt and a twisted black staff in his hand. On his face was a golden mask in the shape of a skull with a red gemstone set in the forehead.
Septimus Merlinsson slowly walked over to the place where the Well had been just a day prior. With the bottom of his staff, he traced out the concentric circles where the wall of the well had been and then drew a rune in the center. As Septimus drew, his marks shone silver, but when he finished they turned the inky black of Void. He took a step back and waited. When nothing happened, he called out, “I know you can hear me. I have practiced this spell a thousand times to utter perfection. It has not yet been long enough for your connection to have faded. Come to me, Keeper of Souls.”
Very slowly, a figure materialized above the rune. Its form was wispy and inconstant, now a shape almost like that of a man, now coiled tendrils of smoke. The one thing that remained constant was its head. It was adorned with a hood, and inside the hood there was only Void. Why do you summon me, son of Merlin? It made no sound, but Septimus heard the words in his head, a voice as ever-changing as the body it came from.
“You know why I am here, oh great Keeper. I have been dreaming of this day for centuries. You are the last of your kind, or almost so. The other I have not found, but I will, in time. You know, don’t you, that even when your kind still roamed this plane you were not known to most, not even to most of them? Of course you do. But I, Septimus Merlinsson, know you, and I found you, and now we will join forces. For so long, I have done everything in my power to become like you. I have made myself immortal, and powerful beyond what most can imagine, and, like many of your kind once did, I have created life. She was imperfect, yes, but marvelous, and she was mine. I had to destroy her, or I would have brought her to meet you, but I will try again. Now that I know the processes, I cannot fail. It took so long, oh Keeper, and it was more challenging than you would believe, but I succeeded. My own body is a testament to that. Allow me to show you.”
-last edited on Sept 11, 2017 21:59:03 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 11, 2017 21:58:49 GMT
Chapter 255
Septimus shook off his robe and pulled free his mask. His skin was so pale as to nearly be white, and it was covered with deep red grooves. His eyes were glowing orbs buried deep in their sockets, and jagged teeth stuck out of a thin slit in his twisted face. “I had to conduct experiments on myself at first, and, as you can see, they changed me into something else than what I once was. Something no longer human, I suppose. But it does not matter because that is what I am meant to be. Not human, one of your kind. An Ancient. A new Ancient. And together we can return our people to our rightful place. Join me, oh Keeper, last and greatest of the Ancients.”
For all this time, as Septimus babbled, the Keeper of Souls had not spoken. Now, it did. Son of Merlin, you are not what you presume to be. Return to your Tower and your experiments. Create another of your monsters if you wish, but do not bother me again.
Septimus stared up at the Keeper, anger filling his eyes, “You know not of what you speak! Perhaps your age has impaired your faculties. Look upon me. I am Septimus Merlinsson. I am a god!”
Almost sadly, the Keeper looked down at him. You are nothing. Even in this plane that is not my own, I am far greater than you could possibly be. It reached out a thin strand of its being and touched Septimus. The alchemist screamed as he was reduced to nothing but a wispy shadow with silver eyes. His sword and staff crumbled into dust, leaving only a pile of cloth and the golden mask to show that Septimus Merlinsson had ever been there, as the Keeper of Souls returned to the Realm of Souls, taking the soul of Septimus Merlinsson with him.
-last edited on Sept 13, 2017 22:31:35 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 13, 2017 22:31:12 GMT
Chapter 256
For three years, the room where Septimus Merlinsson had been smashed remained untouched, free of human contact. The lowest section of the castle, that which contained the room, was sealed up as people began to return to the once-mighty structure. Some were those who had once lived there and now decided to return, others were survivors from Kelrin’s army’s occupation of the Falcon castle who still were looking for a new home, and yet others were temporary visitors from the Lion Kingdom, sent by King Leonus to help the Dragons rebuild and to usher in a new age of peace between the kingdoms.
Slowly, and with the help of many, the castle reclaimed much of what it had lost in the war against Kelrin Dragonsblood. Through all of it, the little room in the deepest bowels of the castle remained untouched, almost forgotten by the world above, but then something changed. A swirling red portal opened near one of the walls and out stepped two men. The first was dressed in white and bore armor made of a pale metal that, had there been any light in the room, would have gleamed strangely. His long black hair was worn loose and draped over his chest and back, and his face was beaming with the satisfaction of one who has sought something for a very long time and finally found it. The second wore white as well, with a black cape and no armor. He carried a tall black staff topped with two white horns. “I need a light,” said the first man, and the second obliged, snapping the fingers of his free hand and creating a tiny flame. By the glow of the fire, the first man was able to see the pile of cloth and the mask that lay on top of it. He walked over to them and lifted up the mask. “This is it.” He set it back down and touched the red gem in its forehead. Then, using the hook that occupied the place of his left hand, he pried it out of its setting. “After all these years, it is finally mine. It won’t be long before I have my revenge, and then the world will bow before us. Come, Orrolc, we must go. There are still many preparations to make before we can set the plan in motion.” The second man obliged, reopening the portal, and the two men stepped through, disappearing as though they had never been there at all. The only sign that they had was the red gem now missing from the golden mask.
-last edited on Sept 14, 2017 21:47:57 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 14, 2017 21:47:32 GMT
Septimus Merlinsson (Author's Note)
Septimus Merlinsson was the son of the wizard Merlin, who was one of the greatest practitioners of magic in history, and who later went on to found the Towers of Sorcery alongside Aldric Isenthorne and several other prominent sorcerers. As a child, Septimus had very little natural aptitude for magic, and thus was shunned by his father. Fortunately, Septimus was not particularly interested in magic to begin with. His true passion was adventure and discovery, and so he set out to explore as much of the world as possible. Little is known about his travels, but it is believed that he spent several years in both the far west and the eastern continent. Eventually, however, he was brought much closer to home by a rumor of an ancient temple deep within the desert. Though many had failed to find it, Septimus was determined to be the one to finally do so. He searched for many years, until all the members of his team either succumbed to the harsh desert or abandoned him, but at last he found his prize. The temple did indeed exist, and it hid greater treasures than Septimus had ever imagined. Not just gold and jewels and priceless artifacts, but knowledge, what Septimus craved above all else. It was in this temple that he first learned of the Ancients, and he learned much indeed. He spent years in the temple, absorbing all the information that he could, until he was driven nearly mad. At the brink of insanity, he resolved that he would become like the Ancients himself, as powerful as they had been and more. To begin this task, he began the search for the last of the Ancients, he who called himself the Faceless Warrior. But his search was in vain, until he stumbled across a different home of the Ancients, one whose location is unknown to this day. There, Septimus first learned of the Well, of the Keeper of Souls, and of the stone that he himself could create and which would grant him both immortality and incredible power. Septimus’s next task was to create this stone and wait for the next time the Well arose so he could find the Keeper of Souls. To do this, he went for the first time to the Towers his father had created and took up residence in one of them, where he began his experiments. At last, when he was quite old, he finally managed to create the stone and thus began the long wait. For several hundred years, Septimus waited in his tower, conducting more experiments and testing the limits of his power. Eventually, he decided that to become an Ancient, he needed only to do one more thing- he needed to create life. From his studies, he had learned that many of the Ancients had created entire species with their incredible power, a handful of which still lived in the world. Knowing that such a feat was yet beyond him, Septimus decided to simply create one being, one perfect being. To prepare for this, he conducted experiments on himself, experiments that changed his form and possibly warped his mind. Nonetheless, these experiments were successful, and he decided the time was right to begin his greatest experiment. He stole a dragon egg, and then began changing the creature inside, making something more powerful than any other dragon, something which would be his herald when the time came. When he was finished, he put the egg into hibernation until the time was right, and continued to wait. Then, just a few short years before when the Well was to open, the egg was stolen. Years before, Septimus had confided in a young, ambitious apprentice named Zachaery Thoran. When the apprentice disappeared, Septimus had thought nothing of it, but it turned out that Thoran had given his secrets to Kelrin Dragonsblood, who then sent one of his servants to take the egg while Septimus was away conducting other business. Septimus hastily tried to repeat the experiment to no success. About a year after the theft came the night of the dreams in the Towers of Sorcery, and that is where we first meet Septimus Merlinsson in the story.
-last edited on Sept 15, 2017 20:36:35 GMT by RuleJJ
Post by RuleJJ on Sept 15, 2017 20:36:20 GMT
Part Eight Summary
Graylin, Alkkuto, Leinad, and Link first go to the Falcon Castle, where they recover Kelrin’s Honorblade as well as the crown of the Dragon Kingdom. They then go to the Towers of Sorcery, where they get help from an Other called Wisdom and a shapeshifting Mermian named Errica. To get the second Honorblade, they go to the City by the Sea and dive underwater. Zargan and Olifin go to the mountains to find Kalkuzar. While they wait, Zargan reunites with old friends and family. After they get the Honorblade, Skirj arrives and sends them after their riders. While he, Septimus, and Digls travel to the desert, Skrag is visited by Skirj, who apologizes. The two of them form a new friendship. In the desert, they find the temple and the Honorblade it contains. The temple also seems to hold many other secrets. Zargan arrives and flies the three of them back to the castle. Hithrol, Irya, and Gyr go into the mountains to find a clan of giants. On their way, they meet Baj and Elisa. Later, they hire a group of mercenaries, who help them get the Honorblade. Once they have it, the mercenaries betray them, but are stopped by the arrival of Alis, who, intent on smashing Hithrol, smashes a mercenary called Dwalin. The mercenaries flee as Skirj teleports to them, healing Alis’s memory and taking Virida to safety. Olifin arrives and flies Hithrol, Irya, Gyr, and Alis to the castle. Legolie, Fingolfin, and Harrox journey deep into the forest. On their way, they find a patch of dragonsbane, some of which Harrox secretly takes. Eventually, they come to a very dark part of the forest and are taken by the Arachnidians. The Arachnidians are friendly, and Legolie discovers that their Queen holds the Honorblade that they are searching for. She gives it to them and they begin heading back, along with an Arachnidian warrior named Levridum. In the morning, Skirj arrives and takes them back to the castle. With everyone back at the castle, the fight to close the Well begins. Skirj stays back to get a break from wearing the Crown, and Digls stays with him. In the castle, they split up to fight their way through the shadows. Fingolfin and Hoid are smashed during this fight. The first groups to reach the Well return their Honorblades to it, but the others keep theirs so they can destroy the Crown. Once they all arrive, Morath attacks, smashing Alkkuto and Graylin. Eventually, only Septimus stands against him, but the alchemist is able to beat the shadow with ease, smashing him once and for all. The survivors take some of the Honorblades and destroy the Crown, and then, all together, they close the Well. Everyone goes their respective ways, Skirj choosing to study magic at the Towers, until only Skrag and Zargan are left. As they sit on a hill in the dark, they are attacked. Zargan is smashed and Skrag loses his left eye, but the latter manages to smash the attacker, who happens to be Harrox. Skrag, broken by the loss of his friend and his eye, flees. Later, Septimus returns to the Well and summons the Keeper of Souls, one of the Ancients. Septimus tries to convince the Keeper that they are alike and that they can rule the world together, but it smashes him. Three years later, two people find the remains of Septimus and take the red gem that was in his mask. They are two of the same who hired Harrox to hurt Skrag and they have a nefarious plan.
