UO Second Age

Perhaps if he had known the cold steel that was at this moment cutting through the forests he might have increased his endeavor and hastened his summoning ceremony. All his plans thus far had been executed with terrible precision. The only magi who had resisted him was now far off in the mountains of Minoc – there was nothing now that stood in his way; or least nothing that he could have fathomed.

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In a well-known mountain city, a new cadet of the White Harbor silently observed the comings and goings of all city dwellers. His hand lay restless on the hilt of his blade as his focus aimed primarily on the guards; How oft’ had he performed their duty which they so woefully neglected. But now he was free; ever ready to answer the call for the next adventure. A call which would come sooner than he’d expected and which he’d answer with a man he’d never met before.

His attention was drawn to a man clad head to foot in the brightest plate armor he’d ever seen. The man lifted his metal laden arms as though the gauntlets had no weight at all and ripped a page from the local bulletin. Despite the man’s evident protection, Turbo couldn’t allow the man to embark alone and he moved from his watchful position and stepped in front of the man.

“Hold, man,” Turbo announced. “You look like a man with a purpose.”

“And you’re standing in front of it. Make way or lend a hand, but times wasting!” Turning aside he brushed by and swung astride a big blue bird and raced down the road.

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The air gathered and swirled furiously within the small tower, culminating directly over the abattoir slab. The doors swung open and the concentration of air fixated on this new egress and raged with tidal force.

“Forgive me Dark Lord,” the fear shown clearly in the man’s eyes and cracking voice, “but you wished to know as soon as we had finished with Magi Jonah. And it is done; we’ve sold him to bandits who think he’s worth a large ransom. When they learn they’ve been duped he’ll be dispatched immediately.”

With an evil grin the man across the table twirled his finger like he was tracing an inverted cone and then pointed at the intruder in the door. With a shriek the air blasted the man off his feet and flew out the door; the messenger’s brief exclamation of shock was quickly stifled by the sound of flesh and bone meeting with stone and steps.

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Turbo stood back to back with the man he now knew as Eiks. With the sun crossing high noon, he was eager to test some of the tricks he had been practicing with his new tutor. Carefully tracing the light, he swung his blade with immaculate precision and redirected the sun’s light directly into each of the bandits’ eyes. Seeing their moment of opportunity, Eiks led with a battle cry and as quickly the light flashed the bandits fell.

As he loosed the chains from around the robed man Eiks offered further assistance, “Are you in need of as escort old man?”

“No, there’s not time for that! Trinsic must be warned but it may already be too late!” the urgency in the old man’s voice was clear. “Good sirs I see you’ve done a great deed today, but I’m afraid all I can give you in return is a task of even greater peril. The fate of Trinsic is at stake!”

“Name the task sir, our blades stand ever-ready, and our thirst for adventure is insatiable,’ Turbo accepted the man’s reward without question.

With a great look of relief, the old man explained that he was Magi Jonah from a small circle of druids that dwelt within the hidden valley. They had peacefully devoted their lives to the study of the arcane until just recently they discovered a method to enliven inanimate objects and give them a will of their own. Magi Jonah had warned his brethren that they should not pursue this dangerous study any further, but there was one named Philip who was consumed by this new power and he was at this very moment planning to unleash this power upon the town of Trinsic.

“This man sounds dangerous indeed, but I have already perceived a weak point we may exploit,’ Turbo plotted “this man is clearly blinded with the pursuit of power; a blindness which will allow two complete strangers to get close enough to strike him down.” Turning to Eiks Turbo continued his planning, “Master Eiks, you say you have a collection of scrolls? We will use these to pose as traveling merchants seeking a few coin for the scrolls.”

With a nod showing he had already understood the strategy completely they both turned their mounts and dashed towards their new target.

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There was a knock at the tower doors this time. “Dark Lord, please forgive the intrusion, but there are two men here with some scrolls that might,” the robed man paused slightly as he sought the right words, “assist us in our endeavors.”

“Very well, let them enter,” came the reply – the man was clearly still oblivious to the doom which he had just invited. Turbo and Eiks flashed their blades before the man had a chance to even suspect their true objective and as he fell lifeless to the floor a scroll fell from his grasp. To his good fortune, the runic letters ‘Kal Vas Xen Hur’ which were etched upon the parchment were beyond Turbo’s ability to comprehend. Perhaps if he did understand them he would fall captive to the same greed that consumed the Dark Lord who now lay dispatched on the floor.

Ascher patted Stepper's neck softly and whispered in the horse's ear. The battle-trained gleding tossed his head a few times, but made no sound. The Lord Captain looped the horse's reins over a low cedar branch, and moved off through the trees. He blended with the shadows, seeming to melt from tree to tree with no sound and with no motion. He moved with the deliberate, lethal grace of a stalking cougar.

After nearly two miles, Ascher began to slow. The tracks he was following were getting more and more difficult to make out. Ascher bent, putting his nose almost in the dirt, searching for some signs of disturbance left by the steps of the one he was following. The sign was sparse, and hard to see in the pitch black of the forest night.

After a few agonizingly slow steps, Ascher stood and stretch his back. He wasn't moving quick enough. His quary would be gone before he found the trail to track it.

Just then, Ascher caught a glimmer of baleful red light flickering through the trees. Something about the way the light moved, and the shadows it cast flickered erratically did not seem natural. Ascher felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he tested the draw on his Kryss, and the began heading towards the light.

He moved carefully, making sure to set each foot down exactly where it would minimize the noise he made. At the edge of a small clearing, Ascher slipped into the shadow cast by a low, gnarled white oak. He had a partial view of the clearing beyond, but it was the best he could manage without being detected.

Past the trees, Ascher could make out two figures in shadowy robes. They faced a third that he couldn't see for the trunk of a pine. Ascher laid on his belly, and wiggled slowly and carefully as close as he dared. And orb of glowing red light hovered over the center of the clearing, casting eery, frightening shadows.

Ascher strained his ears, and could barely make out voices...

"...villagers don't seem to have any fight left," A deep voice said, thick with satisfaction, "Most don't even walk the streets and alleys of Paws at all anymore. More than one house has collapsed from disrepair."

"I thhhink our work issss done in thissss place," A softer voice hissed, "We should desssstroy thissss village..... Raze it to the ground and burn all thosssse within."

Then you should be glad, Came a voice that seemed to come both from the glowing red orb, and from within the bowels of Ascher's own soul, That I did not enlist your services for your powers of deliberation. If one villager is killed, if one soul is devoured, if one building is brought down without my seal of approval, you will answer to me.

The two figures Ascher could see bowed low enough for their foreheads to touch the ground; one was visibly trembling.

We will keep this village as it is, The Dread Voice continued, Poised on the brink of destruction, waiting only for the killing blow to fall. It will cause more pain, more suffering, more despair to those few who still walk these lands. I savor their despair!

The air seemed to hum with power, and the red glow intensified for a moment.

There is a presence near The voice growled, Like the memory of a scent, tasted long ago. IT is familar, but strange too. Two words whisper to me...... White.......Harbor.....

Ascher had heard all he dared. Slowly, carefully, he crawled his way back from the clearing. As he made his way through the trees, there was a sudden flare of orange-red light followed by an ear-splitting crack.

The Lord Captain paid it little mind. He was focused on reaching White Harbor. There was news to report.... news the others would need to hear. The town was already attracting the attention of dark forces.

The time was drawing near when the light would meet them.