Curse

kdhoney44 · Feb 10, 2006, 03:58 PM // 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by King Symeon

Your commitment and the quality of your writing has me almost speechless...I'm amazed...if you don't have a job yet, become an author, I want to read your books - really!

I agree! Fantastic story and as usual looking forward to reading more

Lex Talionis · Feb 10, 2006, 11:49 PM // 23:49

OMG WOW your are a very good writer

I love these stories keep em coming you got me hooked

longboringname · Feb 10, 2006, 11:55 PM // 23:55

what he said

d3kst3r · Feb 12, 2006, 02:53 AM // 02:53

Thanks to everyone for their support. This short story has swelled to over 24 A4 pages of size 11 font on my word processor with still 6 more chapters left to go! I love the feedback and the number of views this story is getting has exceeded my wildest expectations. Without further ado here's Chapter Seven.

Seven

Morning had arrived in the quiet forests near Arah where the animals once slept and the trees once rumbled. But the peace and tranquillity was interrupted by something sinister and savage.
Hordes of Charr in their tens of thousands sprinted across the land on foot leaving a trail of destruction and chaos. Their footsteps so loud that the earth below them trembled in fear, their anger so savage that they cut their way through the trees crushing and tearing there way ever closer to Arah.
Dresden woke up feeling a terrible headache and to the rumbling of the cage he sat within as it dragged across the ground. His body was badly bruised from the torture the previous night. The Charr had tried to get him to spill the information regarding the defences of the city. Uggh himself and threatened to kill his men one by one each time Dresden refused him. Needless to say Dresden and Granice were now the only survivors from their battalion. That was a decision that made Dresden feel ill. However he saw it as a sacrifice. The life of a few dozen men to give Arah a fighting chance. He would have given his own life too for it. However the Charr had a cruel sense of humour and decided to leave him crest fallen and in pain.

“Sir, we’re close to Arah now,” Granice spoke quietly from the cage nearby. “It is over.”

“It is never over!” Dresden spat. “Even if the odds are one hundred to one, which they are, there is always hope. Don’t you ever forget that!”

Suddenly the horde came to a stop at the top of the hill. Everything came to a crashing silence as the two men waited nervously for what was to come. Dresden peered out of his cage and saw a mountain of Charr figures everywhere he looked. All of them were silent and motionless except for the sound of heavy breathing. Then he noticed someone moving through the ranks towards them. It was Uggh.

“Dresdennnn!” spat the leader of the Charr army.

Uggh unlocked the cages and dragged the two men out and threw them against the dirt floor. Dresden moaned in pain.

“Kill me. I will never tell you anything about the defences,” Dresden said defiantly.

Uggh took a long hard look at Dresden. Here was a man covered in bruises, a black eye and looked as though he had crawled through mud. And despite all this Dresden was still defiant to the very end. Uggh laughed.

“No kill,” Uggh spat as he spoke. “Trade!”

“What?”

And with that Uggh stood Dresden onto his feet and brushed some dirt off his armour. Then dragging him by the hair, Uggh pulled him to the very front of the horde and the marching began again in earnest.
Through trees, paths and woodland they marched for what seemed an eternity. The sound of footsteps echoed like the sounds of thunder. Dresden dared to look behind him and saw what seemed like a sea of Charr.

“What do you mean trade?” he asked Uggh.

The mighty Charr smiled an ugly sinister smile but did not respond. And then they were over the hill.
Before them on a giant clear plain criss-crossed with roads stood the walls of Arah. Built centuries ago from the finest marble they stood as a testament to the power of the gods. And within the walls could be seen giant towers reaching high into the sky. Banners and flags of all colours and multitudes flew from these towers further demonstrating the strength of the gods. A vast ocean lay beyond the city which glinted in the early morning sunlight. The white architecture of it all reflected light which hung down from gaps within the clouds like heavenly drapes. The sight of it all made Dresden’s heart miss a beat. Here was Arah in all its mighty glory.

“May Balthazar watch over us,” prayed Dresden as the march continued down into the plain. The Charr were to reveal themselves to the Orrians at long last.

As the horde moved closer to the city, Dresden could make out catapults and archers mounted all over the walls awaiting the coming onslaught.
In front of the walls themselves was a grand army of men and women fully armed to the teeth in formation with grim looks on their faces. Dresden could make out signs of despair and lost hope in the faces of the men, some of them as young as fourteen.
Behind him, the horde halted and stood in a long line formation like a giant wave about to crash upon a shore.

“We’re here,” Granice muttered besides him, his heart racing and his eyes wide.

There was a long silence as both sides of the conflict stood motionless to gaze upon their enemy and make evaluations. Slowly the front gates of the city began to open, the huge marble door lifting into the air. From within came a procession of cavalry. About a dozen riders dressed in the finest silks. The rider at the front of the procession carried the King’s banner.
Uggh, his three generals and his personal bodyguard of two-hundred strong broke formation with the horde and walked over to meet the procession with Dresden and Granice dragging along behind them.
The two parties met in the middle of the war zone.
King Dorian gazed nervously upon Uggh and the elite Charr bodyguard which could butcher him on the stop if need be. He swallowed his fear and began to speak.

“We wish to negotiate a cease-fire of at least two more days,” he announced. “This will give my army a better chance to prepare and your army to better scout the positions of our defences.” He was calling a bluff to try to buy more time.

Uggh gave out a roar of laughter which started a chain reaction resulting in the entire army heaving with laughter. This lowered the morale of the Orrians further.

“I wish to trade,” Uggh spoke finally after the laughter subsided. He pulled Dresden and Granice into full view of the King. “Your top generals… For your own life!”

Dresden suddenly realized why they had been kept alive. It was some sort of cruel joke that Uggh was going to play. The entire trade was nothing more than a mocking joke.

“You can’t be serious!” the King exclaimed.

The Charr bodyguards drew their swords all of a sudden startling the Orrians.

“You can’t do this! You’re breaking the laws of war!”

“Silly human! To come with such little party!” Uggh bellowed with laughter. “We are Charr! Respect human laws we do not!” And with that Uggh drew his own sword.

In that moment Dresden felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins like a flood bursting from a dam. Time seemed to slow down for him as he watched Uggh begin to swing his sword at King Dorian’s head. And in that quick moment he drew out the blade of one of Uggh’s general’s who stood nearby from its sheath. And within the next second there was a quick flash of light as Uggh’s arm flew into the air and blood spouted out from the stump that was once Uggh’s arm.
Uggh gave a loud moan of pain just as Dresden spun around furthering the momentum he had and sliced Uggh’s head cleanly off his shoulders.
King Dorian stood stunned and unable to move.
The Charr too stood unable to move and in astonishment at what had just happened.
Dresden raised his blood stained sword into the air and faced the Charr army in bold defiance.

“For Orr!” he yelled at the top of his voice.

“Charge!” came the loud battle cry of King Dorian’s voice as behind him echoed the voices of thousands of citizens of Arah.

The standing army of Orrian soldiers that had formed a line along the walls of Arah’s perimeter charged forward towards the Charr with high morale and hope in their voices.
The next thing Dresden knew, he was overcome by bloodlust boldly charging into the fray like an unstoppable demon of death.
The final war of Arah had begun.

longboringname · Feb 12, 2006, 02:54 AM // 02:54

Good writing man

storm of daeth · Feb 12, 2006, 05:54 AM // 05:54

if u dont write more i will KILL you this story is awesome u better become a frigin author.......

d3kst3r · Feb 12, 2006, 08:13 AM // 08:13

Since it's the weekend I've been able to write more than usual. In actual fact I've written all the way up to chapter 10 but I don't want to spoil it by releasing all of it at once :P
All I'll say is that the battle has well and truly begun by then.

Eight

Three weary travellers and a horse approached the large entrance of the black tower within which the Dark Elementalists practiced their power exiled from the rest of the world. The tower stood in the centre of dense forest of rotting trees. This forest was surrounded by high mountain peaks which barred off entrance to the forest from the rest of the world. There were only two ways to enter this forest, one was through the secret passage and the other was through a narrow path at the back between two mountain sides. This other path required the traveller to pass through the Fetid Desert which was a cursed and dry land in which nothing could survive for long. As for the secret passage, it was enchanted by a powerful spell which made the entrance invisible to everyone. Anybody who would stumble upon the entrance to this passage which was in the side of a mountain would not be able to see it for it was made to be invisible. However very rarely the Dark Elementalists would temporarily disable the spell which guarded the entrance to the passage to allow a chosen few to enter.

“We’ve been expecting you,” came a quiet and almost sinister voice.
The speaker wore a black cloak and a hood over his face hiding all his features in shadow.

“We were told to come here,” Aiden replied to the shadowy figure who stood upon the top of the steps leading into the tower. “We were sent from Arah to request help against an impending war against the Charr.”

“Speak no more for there is nothing you can say that we do not already know,” replied the shadowy figure. “Now I bid you to enter.”

Two large doors swung open to reveal an even deeper darkness within. The shadowy figure seemed to vanish once he entered.
Chestnut explained to Aiden that he felt a strange aura coming from within and would never enter the tower during his lifetime. Aiden allowed Chestnut to stand wait outside and then hesitantly took the first steps within.
As soon as he was inside, the darkness suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a golden light which beamed from the ceiling. A large granite stair case stood in front of him and he saw other shadowy figures walking around chanting and humming.

“Follow,” said their guide and he led them up the steps.

They were led up many countless storeys through the tower, everywhere they looked they saw cloaked figures meditating, chanting or reading scriptures. There were hallways and corridors all over the place and it seemed as though the tower could house at least ten thousand people at any one time.

“Where are you taking us?” Cynn asked after what seemed like the fiftieth storey they’d climbed.

“To see the masters,” replied the shadowy figure.

Everywhere they went Cynn could feel the threads of spells being weaved in thousands of intricate methods, some so intricate she could not believe they were possible. The dim humming of energy emanated through the walls without pause.
Finally after a very long climb they reached one of the highest levels in the tower, the Chamber of Lords as it was known. On this level was a large set of double doors that seemed to be made of gold. It was guarded by four dark elementalists, in front of them stood a bald boy who looked slightly older than Cynn. He had a bare chest full of strange tattoos that look more like inscriptions and wore silk pants.
The travellers were quite taken aback by the site of this boy.

“Greetings. My name is Mhenlo and the masters will see you now,” the boy said with a warm voice.

Aiden suspected he was no older than sixteen by the face however Mhenlo was very solidly built with quite a muscular and wide frame for his age.
Mhenlo gestured to the dark elementalist guards and they parted. A short while later the door began opening slowly.

“What’s a boy like you doing in this tower?” asked Little Thom.

“My parents sent me here just as the Wall burst open,” he said with a slight bit of regret in his voice. “They were high priests and knew about this secret place… however I have not heard from them again.”

Inside the Chamber of Lords was an amazing sight. It seemed the walls were made of solid gold and decorated with elaborate designs which shone in magnificent glory. Not in the most powerful kingdoms had they ever set eyes on such a place. And at the end of the chamber sat what appeared to be three golden statues of tall men. However they were not statues.

“These are the lords of the Dark Elementalists. All their power was taught to them by these three,” Mhenlo explained. “They were created by the gods to look after the world.”

“What exactly do they do?” Aiden asked in awe.

“They record the history of the world and can see into the future. They are neither good nor evil, they exist to bring balance. For they are the high elders of the Myrsaat”

“The Myrsaat? I’ve never heard of that race before,” replied Aiden.

The three Myrsaat elders had golden flesh and wore golden clothing which was enchanted with mystical properties. Their faces forever hidden behind masks with two small slits that weren’t big enough for anyone to see into their eyes.

“Come,” beckoned the loud booming voice of the leader of the three.
They all moved forward and bowed in front of these mysterious beings.

“These are the three watchers of the Tower. Ryzon the Keeper of Balance, Dekster the Keeper of Records and Ignakion the Keeper of Prophecy,” Mhenlo introduced.

“Rise,” said the three Myrsaat who sat in a commanding position on their golden thrones.

“We have foreseen your coming,” explained Ignakion.

“You come to us in dire times,” Ryzon followed on.

“Aiden, Cynn, Mhenlo and one other who has yet to be found. The four who will bring balance,” Dekster explained.

“Balance? We just want to save our lands!” Aiden burst out. “We need your help to defeat the Charr which are coming to destroy our race.”

“There is nothing for you in Arah,” Ignakion said abruptly. “I have foreseen it. We will not help.”

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Cynn cried. “We came all this way for your help and now you’re going to just say no?”

“There are far more sinister things in Tyria than the Charr,” explained Ryzon. “That is why you are here.”

“You must go back to Ascalon for now,” said Dekster. “There you will find one more to complete your group. Your group has been prophesized to bring balance to the lands.”

“I don’t care about your prophecy,” Aiden said sternly. “We need the assistance of the Dark Elementalists and they owe mankind a favour for the destruction they’ve caused.”

“The humans brought it upon themselves to be destroyed,” Ignakion said without emotion. “When the gods left Tyria they gave us orders to prevent the destruction of the tower at all costs. We did not seek battle, they came in their fear and their ignorance and we followed the instructions of the gods.”

“That is why we have chosen exile,” said Ryzon. “Now you must go back to Ascalon. There you will find the daughter of a King. With her the four of you will be able to change things.”

“A daughter of a King…” Aiden muttered. “You mean Devona!”
The Myrsaat became silent.

“Tell me,” Little Thom asked with a smirk on his face. “How can four people change the world?”

“The destiny of the world is like a stretched piece of silk suspended in the air,” Dekster explained. “Every soul that dwells in the world is like a tiny pebble that sits on the silk, their weights being able to shift the fabric slightly.”

“However,” began Ignakion. “There are few people whose will is so powerful they are like heavy rocks upon the fabric of destiny. They can distort it with their actions. Cynn, Aiden and Mhenlo, the three of you have major roles to play in the future of Tyria. But with one other you may be able to tip the balance.”

“So we bid you to go. Go back to Ascalon, forget the war in Orr for that destiny has already been forged and cannot be unforged.”

“Go. Seek out the fourth and together you shall become a whole.”

They stared up at the Myrsaat in confusion.

“But what of my training?” Mhenlo asked. “I can’t just leave now.”

“Your training will be complete whether you dwell here or in the wild. That is certain for you are destined for greatness,” said Ryzon. “Go with your new companions and change the world.”

“But remember, once you leave the Tower and the Dead Forest, you may never return. The dark passage will no longer be visible to your eyes. We will wipe your memories of coming here. Once you set foot back in the outside world you will forget all about us and what you have seen here.”

“So once we leave it will be as though we never set foot here?” asked Aiden.

“Not entirely. You will remember only our instructions: Go back to Ascalon and seek out the daughter of the King!”

Frustration filled Aiden’s heart.
In Ascalon, the young lady Devona fought off hordes of Charr in defence of the farmland of her childhood home; meanwhile many thousands of leagues away in Orr a great battle was being fought, a battle to end all battles. But deeper within the walls of Arah, the final hidden threat to mankind which had lingered like a dark cloud had finally decided to surface. And the results of this threat would yield the most dire consequences imaginable.

d3kst3r · Feb 12, 2006, 12:30 PM // 12:30

The Cataclysm of Orr - The Lost Volumes has officially been finished! I've finally written the last chapter and the Epilogue and I have to say I'm very happy with how it's turned out. I almost felt a tear in my eye writing some parts of it (I kid you not). Anyways here's chapter nine, the great battle commences!

d3kst3r · Feb 12, 2006, 12:31 PM // 12:31

Nine

Thunder and fire rained down from the heavens above the skies of Arah like fury from the gods themselves as the flames of war burned below. A vast sea of bodies clashed together like heavy rocks upon earth. On the highest point of the highest tower in Arah a dozen elementalists stood, their staffs raised to the air, fell voices lingering in the wind as they summoned the elements themselves to bring death and destruction to their foes below.
Meanwhile many storeys below on the battlements, catapults fired debris frantically into the sea of Charr spewing dust and bones into the air. A line of archers reinforced the flying chaos by raining down barrages of arrows into the fray maiming and killing all that they touched.
And on the ground itself, thousands upon thousands of feet kicked up dust into the air as blood was shed and lives were lost. Young and old fought alike, some of the young barely in their teens, some of the old too frail to even run.
It was a day that would forever make the lord Balthazar proud.

“Hold the line! Hold the line!” yelled the King as the brave men and women around him fought to keep the oncoming wave of Charr from breaching past them and towards the wall itself.

Arrows flew past his face, his eyes speckled with the blood of his foes, adrenaline pumping through every vein. And in the face of all this death and chaos he stood his ground just like those around him who had sworn their lives to the defence of their homeland. In the corner of his eye he had spotted an incoming arrow which he promptly parried using his great shield, forged by his forefathers while they ruled.

“There’s too many of them! Our healers can’t cope!” yelled the frantic voice of Granice between clangs of metal.

Above on the battlements behind the archers, a handful of monks channelled Dwayna’s energy into patching up deep wounds and stopping heavy bleeding with as much concentration as they could muster. Their brows wet with the sweat which they had worked up.
What had once been a clear blue sky had now become red and dark. The clouds above had changed from a light colour to a dark and almost sinister hue as they rained down meteor debris upon the land.
Dresden made his way through the chaos and confusion of battle knowing that any second may be his last. His line of vision was both blurred and apocalyptic with so many things happening at once he struggled to keep his wits sharp.
His mind guided his hand as two Charr rushed him with their axes, one on either side of him. Swiftly he sidestepped the one on the left and spun around plunging the sword into the back of his opponent and taking it out all in one swift motion. A flash of light occurred as he quickly went into parrying position, the side of his blade deflecting the sharp edge of the axe. For a brief moment he locked gazes with the Charr and the next moment that same face was lying on the ground sliced off from its body.

“Dresden! Fall back! Fall back!” Dorian cried as a heavy axe shattered his shield, splinters flying everywhere. Blood was seeping down from his forehead.

Dresden spat out a mouthful of blood including a tooth as he waded through the destruction to rejoin the line.

“Watchout!” cried a voice from nowhere.

Spinning around he saw a flood of arrows coming towards him and without thinking he raised his shield which took on five of the arrows like a pin cushion. Using his sword he sliced another arrow out of mid-air. He cried in pain as the final arrow struck into his shoulder blade. Taking a deep breath he pulled it out and continued to move.
The Charr had driven the Orrians so far back that by now their backs were touching the wall, their blood to be smeared onto it if the Charr could gain anymore distance.
Dresden strained his way beside Granice to help hold the line as Granice covered him by swinging his mighty hammer in circular motions knocking any approaching Charr to the ground. The loud thud of heavy metal splintering bone could be heard whenever Granice made a swing.
A pile of dead Charr could have almost served as a wall had it been any higher in front of the defenders. Among that pile lay the corpses of women and children who had died to save their land.

“I can’t hold it any longer!” Granice yelled and in that second a Charr axe sliced into his torso bringing him down.

“Granice!” Dresden yelled at the top of his voice as he watched the light fade from his best friend’s eyes. “I will avenge you!” he screamed charging forward moving both swiftly and quickly slicing through flesh and bone like a highly experienced butcher carving through meat.

“Close the line! Close the line!” yelled Dorian as the gap that had opened when Granice died was quickly closed by moving all the soldiers closer together.

Dresden parried and swung in a blind rage not knowing whether he had died or whether he was still alive. His vision was a haze of red and all the soldiers were in awe at his power.
The Charr seemed to back down at the sight of this seemingly indestructible force of nature that was slicing through their flanks. Decapitated heads and limbs flew into the air wherever Dresden went and for a while it seemed as though he were forcing the Charr back single handed.

“Charge!” ordered the King seeing an opportunity to go on the offensive.

And behind Dresden all the rest of the Orrian soldiers surged forwards and began to draw the Charr backwards away from the wall. Screams and shouts went into the air that was now thick with the smell of blood and corpses.
A fresh salvo of sharp arrows rained down upon the Charr cutting many of them up mercilessly. Dresden had revitalised hope within his own ranks once again and Dorian was capitalizing on the new found morale as fast as he could. And in that second a glimmer of belief shined in his eye amid the death. For that second he truly believed that they could actually win.
Today was a day that would be remembered in Tyria for all the ages to come. For it was the greatest battle ever fought and they were heroes.
The blade of Dresden flashed like thunder as it brought death to all who had come to destroy his homeland. And from his power he led all the soldiers of Orr in heart and spirit. But most important of all, he infused within them what they had once never had: Belief.
Meanwhile atop one of the high towers within Arah, Vizier and Malgus watched the battle intently. The intoxicating taste of death was in the air sharpening their control of the dark arts. They could feel death’s energy electrifying the air itself around them. This was a fantastic place to be for a necromancer.

“It is time to lift the shroud of darkness,” Vizier explained. “I’m going to leave this place and head towards the next region of conquest.”

“I know what to do master,” Malgus said with such a sinister look in his eyes that any man with any sanity would have seen his evil intent.
Vizier smiled for now his plan had come to fruition.

“Go. Take the necromancers and lead them to the Inner Sanctum. Once your mission is complete the power of the Charr will be a pittance in comparison to our own,” Vizier’s eyes flashed with greed and malice.

Visions swept through Vizier’s mind. Visions of more death and chaos than thought possible. Like a dark swarm spreading throughout the lands of Tyria, he saw all the world covered in darkness and shadow and awe at the power of the necromancers. And atop a huge pile of skulls he pictured himself sitting upon his thrown, the champion of Grenth; The one who had finally engulfed the work in agony and despair.

“Go now Malgus! Finish it once and for all!” he beckoned.

Lex Talionis · Feb 12, 2006, 02:27 PM // 14:27

Amazing stuff. Your a truley talented writer

Can't wait for more

storm of daeth · Feb 12, 2006, 05:05 PM // 17:05

plz post at least 1 more chapter today i cant stand reading just a lil bit and then having to stop plz!!!

d3kst3r · Feb 13, 2006, 01:08 AM // 01:08

Ten

A group of ten or so necromancers led by Malgus had infiltrated their way into the Inner Sanctum amid the war outside. It was strange how it was so tranquil so deep underneath the city that the outside war seemed to be just a distraction.
Vizier had explained to Malgus the chants needed to open the seals guarding the Inner Sanctum and Malgus smiled as each gate opened one by one to let him in. He was fast approaching the room with the most powerful artefacts in all of a Tyria. Artefacts so powerful that the gods had forbidden the mortals to ever use them.

“Such a pity,” Malgus snorted as he went in deeper and deeper through the dark corridor.

The Dark Aura guild were now in effect breaking the law of the gods. But Vizier believed that with such power they could counter even the gods retribution. Grenth would probably not react to this however all the other gods would seek great misfortune upon them, particularly Balthazar.
Outside, as the battle raged on, the tide had miraculously turned. The Charr were losing ground, the front lines of their army taking heavy casualties as a man named Dresden sliced and butchered his way to through the hordes followed closely by a long line of Orrian soldiers. The way this battle had turned was unheard of throughout the world.

“Charge on!” King Dorian’s voice screamed bidding his troops to take as much ground as possible and to fight with as much aggressive offence as they could spare.

The elementalists had grown tired by now, their energy depleted as the clouds gave way and the reddish hue that had engulfed the air began to fade. Beams of golden sunlight blasted through the sky shining open the battlefield in a magnificent vigour that seemed to blind the Charr and illuminate the defenders of Orr.
The light was so strong that it penetrated even the dust on the ground below.
With pure sunlight in their eyes and a foe that seemed to believe they were invincible, the Charr made hasty retreats and steadily they were being pushed back across the hill and away from the plain.
Dresden’s rage was so powerful that the pain and weariness in his body could no longer be felt. His eyes were bloodshot with rage, his veins pumping blood at such a rate it was inhuman. Dozens of scars covered his face like decorations on an ancient warrior, his hands heaving with mighty power with each blow he inflicted upon his foes.
King Dorian too could feel the bloodlust, his once polished white armour was now tinged with blood red, sweat gleamed all over his face and his magnificent golden crown stood atop his head like a symbol of power.
The Charr had lost their leader, lost their morale and were being killed at such a rate it seemed that there was nothing else for them to do except retreat.
Never once did Dresden think of the hundred thousand or so Charr he had to kill to win this war, he was living in the present and all that mattered was that he kill as many as he possibly could before he himself was killed. If he was going to die, it sure as hell was going to be a glorious end befitting of the greatest legend.
Time and sound seemed non-existent in the world to Dresden.
Up on the highest tower in Arah, the elementalists had collapsed from exhaustion. The sweat gleaming from their robes seeped onto the cold stone floor they stood upon. But they smiled at the sight of the thin line of defenders drawing back the huge wave of Charr below. It was truly an inspirational sight to view. They thought about the countless paintings that would be dedicated to this event.

“You did good,” Lucius said catching his breath. “You all did very good.”

He sat on the floor of the tower and sighed a long sigh. It seemed then that his dreams of foreboding doom were nothing more than dreams. He rested for he believed the trouble was over.
But it was far from over.
A loud explosion rocked the city gates all of a sudden. Pieces of rocky shrapnel blasted into the air and fell against the buildings of the inner city killing scores of people in a single heart beat. Before Lucius could muster his senses again he heard another explosion. The wall was coming apart.
They all stood up and peered down and to their shock they saw the necromancers standing inside throwing spells and hexes all over the place murdering the citizens of Orr.

“Traitors!” he screamed, his voice travelled across the entire kingdom like a death wail.

Looking even more closely he realized that they all held artefacts of power. And then it dawned on him what had really occurred. The Inner Sanctum had been robbed.
Wearily, the elementalists stood back up and began hurtling fire and lightning at the necromancers on the streets below.
Lucius wasted no time at all. Hurriedly, he began to run as fast as he could descending down the tower, his feet taking him down the many steps as fast as he could run.
Lower and lower he went past the observatory, past the great library, through the King’s dining hall and still he ran. He reached the city streets of Arah were the smell of death and decay was emanating everywhere. Civilians lay dead or dying in the streets as dozens of necromancers went around killing the very old and the very young. There was no resistance within as all who were capable of fighting were outside fighting the Charr.

“Malgus!” he screamed in pure rage.

Standing atop a burning bath house and amidst the flames stood the tall imposing figure of Malgus, clad in pitch black armor, his skin pale as the moonlight. In his hands he held a set of bones that he had stolen from the Inner Sanctum. Those bones were believed to have belonged to a powerful necromancer who had cursed an entire region of land in his last dying breath. The power of that necromancer was infused within those bones for all time.

“Lucius my dear friend!” he bellowed sarcastically. “What brings you here?”

“You’ve betrayed us!” Lucius accused him.

“I’ve longed for the day when the two of us would fight in open combat,” Malgus said as they locked gazes.

There was a moment’s pause until suddenly Malgus fired a dark sinister swarm of what seemed like pure chill towards Lucius. The cold chill projectile struck Lucius straight in the chest knocking the wind and energy out of him and leaving him panting.
Lucius summoned a prayer to Dwayna and was relieved to find this chill had left him momentarily as he got back up and said a powerful incantation.

“By the powers of Balthazar I smite thee with all my spirit!” he cried as a bright beam of light shot out of the sky striking Malgus into a contorted pose of agony.

“It burns!” the necromancer cried.

After the unholy light subsided Malgus moved himself back into standing position clearly in pain. He gazed Lucius directly in the eye and chanted some forbidden words. Immediately Lucius could feel his life force being sucked out of him and although he tried, he could not look away from those deathly white eyes.

“Die old man!” Malgus taunted with a anguished expression on his face as he sapped as much life force as he possibly could.

Finally Lucius felt close to death and collapsed, his breathing laboured and his body heavy.

“It is over Lucius,” said Malgus in a supreme tone of arrogancy and fierce intelligence. “It is over.”

Without another moment, Malgus left him by himself as the city of Arah was no longer what it once was.
With his last dying breath Lucius called forth his final prayer to Dwayna.

“May the light of Dwayna reward me in my moment of need,” he struggled to whisper as he looked up at the heavens. “Bless me with divine intervention!”

And suddenly he felt his breath steadily begin to return to his lungs.
Picking himself off the ground, he quickly made his way to the secret entrance to the Inner Sanctum for there was one last thing left for him to do.
Without pause, he broke through all the sacred seals which guarded the Inner Sanctum and finally he found his way in.
At the very back of the room, beyond the shelves and hidden behind what appeared to be a dead end wall was a secret room that only one person in the entire world knew about.
Lucius’ ancestors had passed the secret of this room from generation to generation as they served the kings of Orr. But never in his lifetime did Lucius believe he would ever need to use this knowledge.
Saying the final chants, the magical seal came undone and the wall turned into a door. Opening the door revealed a small room with inscriptions all over the walls. This was the first time Lucius had ever seen this room.
The inscriptions read in an ancient dialect:

Here lies the Scroll of Balthazar, the Guardian of the Artefacts. This Scroll may only be used in the direst times, when the Artefacts of Power have been stolen by those who seek to use their powers of destruction to enslave the world. Be warned that the scroll may only be used once and the consequences may never be reversed.

Whatever the consequences were, Lucius was prepared to pay them. All around him his city was being destroyed, the Charr were coming and the artefacts had been stolen. He had witnessed the death of innocent civilians and his heart wept with agony.
Tears fell out of his eyes as he took hold of the Scroll of Balthazar, the most powerful of the Artefacts of Power, and he began to chant the words written on that scroll.
The next moment there was a blinding light and he gazed upon the beautiful face of Dwayna as all the pain and suffering left his being.
Outside the battle raged on when suddenly the King’s palace and all its surrounding buildings collapsed. The earth began to shake violently kicking more dust into the air. The tremors became so violent that nobody on either side of the conflict could stand.
All fighting temporarily stopped as they all gazed towards the Orrian capitol of Arah.
From the collapsed rubble of the King’s palace a giant white sphere of pure energy rose out of the ground. It rose higher and higher until it stood suspended in mid air, the tremors stopping as it did.
The sphere looked like a perfectly circular orb of light and at the same time it was surreal, unlike anything that could ever exist.
Everyone gazed at the white floating sphere in mass confusion as it buzzed. The humming of its power could be heard far across the battle field. The sight was so bizarre many believed they had to be dreaming.
And it was then that Dresden knew what was to happen simply out of intuition.
He dropped to his knees on the battlefield, all hope vanished within an instant. And he wept. He wept like he had never wept before. He wept uncontrollably with such sorrow never seen before on a battlefield.
It was over. The Cataclysm had begun.

storm of daeth · Feb 13, 2006, 04:15 AM // 04:15

awesome i cant wait for the next chapter =D

d3kst3r · Feb 14, 2006, 03:45 AM // 03:45

Eleven

Excerpt from Book I: The Lore of Guildwars –
There are few who survived that day, now known as the Catacylsm. While the Charr were never allowed to set foot in Arah, few count what the King’s advisor did on that day as a victory. The resulting explosion felled the invading army where it stood, but so too did it sink the entire peninsula, leaving only a scattering of small islands in its place. The beautiful city of Arah was consumed. What’s left above water now lies in a pile of ruins blackened by the Cataclysm and years of neglect. All the remains of Orr are the wandering dead – those souls unable to rest in the shadows of this great disaster.
-

Two Dark Elementalists escorted Aiden’s party out of the mountain side where the entrance of the Point of No Return lay and bid them farewell. They looked back at the dark entrance as it vanished and was camouflaged by a powerful ward to look like part of the mountain.

“Well I guess it’s over. We’ve failed,” he sighed.

“Don’t say that,” Cynn said placing a hand on his shoulder. “We still have the friendship of our companions.”

She looked around at Aiden, Little Thom, Mhenlo and of course her horse Chestnut.

“And if what they say about destiny is true,” Mhenlo began, a renewed hope in his eyes. “Then perhaps we will someday defeat the Charr.”

“That would still be a long way away,” sighed Aiden.

“You know, with all that’s bad in the world, I still think there are more adventures to look forward to,” said Little Thom. “You know that feeling? Like there’s a long road up ahead and many things will happen for the better.”

Aiden sighed. He thought back to when he was a little boy back when he went out into the wild with his father to hunt wolves. One time the weather had gotten so bad that rain and thunder were pouring down and he didn’t think they’d make it back to the farm alive. But they did and after that there was a beautiful rainbow and his father told him how proud he was that day.
A tear almost fell across his cheek.
They all looked at each other with a feeling of companionship. Then without warning they all felt dazed. Aiden blinked twice and looked around again. This time he wondered where they were.

“How did we get here?” he asked.

The others looked at him with equal confusion.

“I have no idea. I feel like I just woke up from a long dream,” replied Mhenlo.

“Whatever happened I feel we should go back to Ascalon. There’s someone there that I think can help us,” Aiden said as they quickly got their gear prepared and began to march off into the distant sunset on the horizon.

Chestnut snorted a little laugh and decided it was a good thing he hadn’t decided to enter that large tower with the rest of them.
While far away, in the kingdom of Orr there was silence. The war had died down along with the lives of tens of thousands of people, all consumed by the blinding light that had been emitted from the orb once it had opened. They say that as far as Ascalon, the lights to the south could be seen signalling a terrible destruction. It is said that the tears of Dwayna dropped out of the sky on that day.
As for the Charr, the twenty thousand or so that fought on the plains before Arah that day all perished. A new leader was elected by the vast remainder of their army which had now been weakened and forced to slow down. But as all things pass, they set their sights towards the kingdom of Kryta and marched on.
For Malgus however, he and all the members of the Dark Aura guild perished that day, taking the Artefacts of Power with them to the grave. All perished save one, the Lich known as Vizier who had fled before the Cataclysm. In older times he had been known as Vizier the Deceiver and his role in the future of Tyria was still yet to be revealed.
Aiden and his companions travelled on towards Ascalon without any memory of having been to the tower or meeting the Myrsaat for their memories had been wiped. For them, the story had just begun.
The Charr had suffered a major defeat at gates of Arah however they still had most of their army.
A dark shadow loomed over Kryta as an uncertain future plagued its citizens.

d3kst3r · Feb 14, 2006, 03:50 AM // 03:50

Epilogue

At the very top of the Dark Elementalist Tower as it were known to the humans, the high elder Myrsaat Dekster sat in the Chamber of Mirrors. For he was the Keeper of Records and in the many chambers below were libraries he had written chronicling the beginning of the world right up until the end of it.
The Chamber of Mirrors was surrounded by mirrors which circled around the walls, each one served as a looking glass to lands afar. From these mirrors he could see wars being fought on distant continents, sinister beings at work planning the destruction of others, deeds of goodwill and every such thing he wished to see. These were his instruments with which he made his records.
Far across the sea in the lands of the Zaishen, the emperor’s bodyguard had been sentenced to death. Towards Kryta he could see defences being prepared for another oncoming war. And in the burning rubble far away he could see a little girl named Gwen hungry and starving and fleeing for her life without food or sleep. Her only friend was her flute which she had affectionately named.
Finally he reached over to a bookshelf and took out an unfinished tome. Using a feather and some ink he scrawled into the book the final words.

“And with the destruction of Orr and its outlying lands, so ends another chapter of the Lost Volumes,” he wrote feeling glad he had finally completed another book in the volume.

He placed this book back on the shelf among the other hundreds of books within the Lost Volumes series.
Dekster took off his golden Myrsaat mask and rubbed his tired old eyes. It seemed to him that mankind had lost hope. If only they knew what was to come, he smiled.
Meanwhile far, far away Saul D’Alessio rode on his horse through the wilderness blindfolded and with his hands tied back. He had ridden five days non-stop and was dying of starvation and thirst. How badly he had wished it would rain so he could get his next drink.
Saul D’Alessio had been a drunken gambler and thief and had been exiled from the Kingdom of Kryta just days before for theft.

“Bah! The whole world is a joke,” he spat.

After all this time alone he had grown accustomed to talking to himself.

“I hate Kryta. I hate Ascalon. I hate all the human kingdoms! They’re all a bunch of fools!”

But most of all he hated himself. He hated what he had become. He was a nowhere man. He had nothing to live for and stole the petty scraps of others to survive. All his money had been washed down the drain through his alcohol consumption and he felt he had almost lost his will to live.
But little did he know that one day he would become the saviour of mankind.
Up in the Dark Elementalist Tower, the Keeper of Records took out a blank tome and with an ink feather he wrote the title: The Trials of Saul D’Alessio, Saviour of the Human Kingdoms…

d3kst3r · Feb 14, 2006, 03:53 AM // 03:53

Well thats the end of the Catacylsm of Orr - The Lost Volumes. Hoped everyone enjoyed it. Please post any feedback you have or any constructive criticisms and thanks to everybody for the support.

kdhoney44 · Feb 14, 2006, 01:37 PM // 13:37

Great writing! You certainly have a lot of talent. Would like to read more of your stories.

Goats17 · Feb 14, 2006, 09:15 PM // 21:15

thats kind of mean. You leabe us with a cliffhanger like that, are you going to write the rest of the lost tomes?

Just kidding, they were great. If I haven't already I sign for a sticky.

d3kst3r · Feb 14, 2006, 11:36 PM // 23:36

I might write another Lost Volumes story about how Saul D'Alessio finally defeats the Charr and about Aiden and his friends defending Kryta. Depends on how many chapters it will be tho coz I got work and university to do.

Lex Talionis · Feb 14, 2006, 11:56 PM // 23:56

Very great stuff. I'd love to see you write more