The Divine Forge - IC (Ongoing Campaign)

[Sir Grave]

Halberd is silent for a moment before steadily regarding the knight.

"A holy man calling on me to join a crusade? Sorry, Grave, but I've heard that speech before. The Church of Pelor was fond of it.

I can't forget the soldier. It's what I am. I have known nothing else. I didn't get the luxury of choosing it. I don't even have a soul to pledge." His tone becomes disapproving.

"These aren't some poor Brelish farmers forced into a war that they don't understand. These are forces of evil, destruction, and slavery. I'll give them exactly what they deserve." He hefts Endbringer meaningfully.

He starts making his way toward the keep. Over his shoulder, Halberd says threateningly, "And don't you dare tell me what she represents. You see her as a tool. I don't."

"...No soul, eh?"

The Vassal stood, despite the quiet protests of the cleric, and limped his way to Halberd.

"...well, damn, Halberd, you could have fooled me.
"But maybe you're right. Maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about.
"Maybe you should ask her what she thinks."
He shrugged. "Just an idea.
"Regardless of which, the sanctity of my Keep is open to you and your Watch.
"No matter your faith... or lack there of... you are all honorary knights in my eyes.
"And you Halberd," he finishes, "I call you 'brother.'"

He turned back, towards Sir Vendral.

"Vassal, if you don't mind sitting still..."

"Yes, yes... I'm done."

[Prehysterical]

Halberd would have bristled if he could at Grave's statement. Instead, he stomps loudly to the Keep.

Unable to leave his guilt behind.

[Oneris]

As gentle as the breeze once more, he releases her as he took her into his comfort. He eyes her with a stern expression.

Nivali, do not dwell on what has been done. Honour their memory and sacrifice. Even if it is traumatic, do not despair. You are not alone.

"Sacrifice? But Master Arawn's death was not...- oh." Her face falls and she glances down in comprehension and shame moments before another coughing fit overtakes her. "Sorry, must have caught something."

"You're right. I have been acting appallingly selfish these last few minutes. So caught up in my own misery, I did not stop to realize how flagrant a disrespect this is to those who suffered under his rule, those who died..."

Behind eyes dull with heartache glimmer a spark of determination. "My family, my clan, are all that's left now. I must go to them, if only to deliver the news."

She tries to stand, but is forced back down by even more hacking, harder and more violent this time. Each wheeze expels more of the malevolent black mist and each gasp inhales a bit back in, an endless cycle of convulsions. Between desperate gulps for air, she barely manages to choke out a few words."
"Ka...lim... Get..help..."

[Yas392]

Kalim half smiles as Nivali reignite her resolve to live for herself after his words. But he grows concern when she coughs when she words out her first sentence. He panics by Nivali wheezing worsen after her comeback. He tries to aid her by patting her back to lessen her coughing but to no avail.

Maybe I could use my wand to stop the coughing.

His hand feels his bag but he does not find what he is looking for.

Darn, I forgot that I relinquished my wands to Lukon.

Nivali's breathing becomes erratic and she sputter her words as she plead him to get help.

!!!

He calms himself down and takes off to get Lukon and the other healers with breakneck pace, sweeping fallen leaves in the process but not before leaving his parting words.

You better hang on until you receive healing. If you don't, I will never forgive you.

He runs as fast as he could to back to the castle, wishing that he could be more quicker. Then, a memory spur in his mind again.

Spoiler: Flashback - Under a blue moon

Show

He was in a jungle of sorts. It was nightfall. He moved around, ruining all the possible foliage that are possible to conceal one's whole form. Like a tiger, a shadow pounced on him just as he was cutting the tip of a bush. He was overwhelmed by a mass as he was still in the killing stance which relies on stealth and deceit, pretty much impossible since he was flat out caught for being too careless in his plan. The killing stance could not hope to match the ferocious stance of a tiger especially if it was created to counter other refined stances with unpredictable, wild strikes. He felt hot breath, brushing against his earlobe.

Little Shadow got caught again. You are too easy for a target, you know. You are weak. You will never be an effective Keeper with that flimsy swordplay. I guessed you never learned so I will end this now.

Insulted, he head-butted the one who was putting pressure on his respiration.

You little-

His swords were out, expertly parrying the twin blades that are coming for the kill with anger. The shadow revealed to be a pre-teen boy about fourteen in black apprentice garb, nose bleeding when the moonlight shone its brilliance on him with a murderous expression. Kalim initiated a leg sweep to trip the teen who dared surprise him. It was suppose to be his (Kalim) specialty. The teen somehow resisted him and grabbed him, flinging him into a nearby tree. Yet, Kalim flipped using the tree as a momentum to rebound and once again they resume their blade dance once more, neither admitting defeat.

Oh? It's not a sure loss then. I can come at you more seriously.

Last time, Kalim witnessed Vijra's full might. He (Vijra) can fight as well as an experienced Keeper without breaking a sweat. Under the bonfire on a feast that come about every 10th moon, the teen apprentice cheekily declared a challenge to one not of his age. After a poise of grace, puissant and skill, Vijra had his duellist under his mercy with a sword on the adult's neck. Kalim gulped. He was no push over either. Since he was humiliated with three losses in a row, he had been practicing secretly. Vijra's swings had more power now. If he (Kalim) was using no effort in his last exchange, his stamina was draining fast.

His young body could not handle a prolonged and real fight. He found himself on the losing end until Vijra grew too confident that his next strike will finish the fight. He (Vijra) put too much power into his swings, leaving openings to be exploited. Kalim cheered as he heard his training partner cursed as the boy ensnared one of his (Vijra) leg on a tree root after his (Kalim) riposte. The timing was perfection when the weapon touched his two blades enabling him (Kalim) to redirect the energy put into the strike causing the other boy to lose his balance and stumble. Chuckling inside, Kalim's form shifts, melting into his shadow before his shadow flashes away.

Visualising the shadow technique as he runs, the distance seems smaller as if he covered them already. He has no time to think of what he used. A life is in crisis. When he reaches where the company are, he is panting hard from exhaustion.

Help...Need healers...forest...Nivali in danger...!!

[Sir Grave]

"Sacrifice? But Master Arawn's death was not...- oh." Her face falls and she glances down in comprehension and shame moments before another coughing fit overtakes her. "Sorry, must have caught something."

"You're right. I have been acting appallingly selfish these last few minutes. So caught up in my own misery, I did not stop to realize how flagrant a disrespect this is to those who suffered under his rule, those who died..."

Behind eyes dull with heartache glimmer a spark of determination. "My family, my clan, are all that's left now. I must go to them, if only to deliver the news."

She tries to stand, but is forced back down by even more hacking, harder and more violent this time. Each wheeze expels more of the malevolent black mist and each gasp inhales a bit back in, an endless cycle of convulsions. Between desperate gulps for air, she barely manages to choke out a few words."
"Ka...lim... Get..help..."

Spoiler: Nivali - Past the Veil

Show

Nivali's eyes open... darkness greets her... along with a small trickle of illumination from the werelights. She is in pain... burns and cuts along her body... yet by some miracle, she was alive.
She didn't want to remember the cruelty of the fiends... the chains of the kytons holding her in place... the Doomguard having their sadistic fun as the Overseers watched on... the burning...

But where was she now?

There was a presence... from behind the pall of shadow... she could not see it, but she knew it was there... A figure stepped into the light... humanoid. A drow... but darker than any drow she had known. An imposing sight, his skin was void of color. His hair was as dark as ebony... the details of his face remained hidden, save a pair of white eyes that stared from the blackness. His robes were like shadow, whisps of darkness trailed behind him as he moved. He looked mortal. But Nivali was taught to look past sight... past the veil.

Master Arawn.

He stood over her, examining her mangled body up and down. Coldly, he stared into her eyes, seeing her anguish.

Nivali...

Their minds were one. The pain Nivali felt was replaced by a shroud of cold, and black... which comforted her, slightly.

How many times must we go through this?

He placed his hands on her... began healing.

I continuously warn you not to provoke them. To avoid them at all cost. i have shown you all of my hidden passage ways. And yet somehow we are here again.

I can only do so much to protect you.

"Hhn..."

A tear rolled down her burned cheek.

"I-I'm sorry... master..."

Arawn saw the tear... used his finger to remove it.

"Shh...

They will be punished. I promise."
"Master, they-nnng... They dared to-augh!"
The pain of shattered ribs knitting whole was a welcome one, if a bit disruptive to coherent speech. As her chest cavity cleaned itself of stray bone fragments, Nivali closed her eyes and dove further from the physical world.

In that cold and empty space, the conduit spanned two shining islands of thought like a bridge of glittering dark stone. As in the corporeal, her master's ethereal form stood adjacent in her domain, his presence dominating the expanse as easily as he does his own. Here, she could speak free from the pain.

Master, I'd no choice but to intervene. The fiends, they dared malign you, casting aspersions on your judgement for continuing interest in my people's survival, even intimating the drow's extermination entirely against your will. When I spoke in protest, they held me down and sought to 'put me in my place. '

She tried to hold back a thought, an appeal entirely too forward, but it was not so easy.

Must we work with these creatures any longer? Even with your protections, I fear for my life daily, to speak nothing of my fellow elves' suffering.

He didn't look at Nivali, continuing to focus on his healing, which gradually intensified into a more potent cure spell.

...The fiends are here to establish order in your clan. They must remain.

Burns fade, wounds close, broken bones mended... but his rejective words still weigh heavily on the drow's heart.

He gestures to a pile of clothes laying upon a magical disc. I have taken the liberty of having a new outfit prepared for you. Surely no one can see you with your attire in such a state.
He turns away, healing completed, and makes his way for one of the large openings at the end of the room.

"I take flight, Nivali. You know your way home."

He enters the shadows... Nivali can see his form shift into something larger... a beast... a dragon... and then he is gone.

[Sir Grave]

Epilogue


Within the courtyard of the Gray Keep, the light of the sun trickles down past the dissipating remains of the storm clouds. The area is quite vacant of activity...

The perfect place for Halberd to be alone.

He leaned against the eastern wall, looking upon the smithy's work station. Tools laying about. Fires extinguished. But cannot bring himself to work. An unseen weight held him down like he was something lifeless. He felt he could not move.

Endbringer's voice, despite her gentleness, disrupted the silence.

"...Hal..."

She hesitated, but continued on.

"...what's gotten into you?"

[Prehysterical]

It takes a moment before Halberd can reply.

Grave is a good man, but he's a typical fleshling in many ways.

He takes a lot of things for granted: natural healing, the ability to have children, being able to taste or smell... Most of all, though, he takes the blessings of the gods for granted.

He'll never admit it, of course. Grave may praise his god Bahamut every day, but he doesn't understand what it feels like when no god has your back. He doesn't understand that when I am terminated, and my lights go out at last, that's it. There's nothing waiting for me on the other side. I'm soulless.

I'm just a grunt. That's all I ever can be. No higher power will ever show real interest in me. It's just me... and you. You're all I've got, Endbringer. Us two pawns in a giant game of Conqueror played by the gods themselves.

[Sir Grave]

It takes a moment before Halberd can reply.

Grave is a good man, but he's a typical fleshling in many ways.

He takes a lot of things for granted: natural healing, the ability to have children, being able to taste or smell... Most of all, though, he takes the blessings of the gods for granted.

He'll never admit it, of course. Grave may praise his god Bahamut every day, but he doesn't understand what it feels like when no god has your back. He doesn't understand that when I am terminated, and my lights go out at last, that's it. There's nothing waiting for me on the other side. I'm soulless.

I'm just a grunt. That's all I ever can be. No higher power will ever show real interest in me. It's just me... and you. You're all I've got, Endbringer. Us two pawns in a giant game of Conqueror played by the gods themselves.

Endbringer went quiet for a god few moments. Thinking.

"...Is that why you jumped off of the bridge?

"Because you think your some... expendable pawn?"

[Prehysterical]

I don't have a death wish, if that's what you're asking. Far from it.

I jumped because it was the only way we had to kill that drake. The only way to save the others.

"One life for many." That is the creed of a soldier. When your whole squad is on the line, when noncombatants stand a chance of getting hurt, you don't have time to be selfish. You do whatever it takes.

[Sir Grave]

I don't have a death wish, if that's what you're asking. Far from it.

I jumped because it was the only way we had to kill that drake. The only way to save the others.

"One life for many." That is the creed of a soldier. When your whole squad is on the line, when noncombatants stand a chance of getting hurt, you don't have time to be selfish. You do whatever it takes.

"...Oh, you mean like when Briar stepped between you and the Forgotten One?"

[Prehysterical]

Halberd is silent for a moment, empty even of thoughts.

Yes... and no.

He was one of us. Some would say that he did the right thing.

But he never actually fought... He said that he didn't like fighting. That made him a noncombatant. I thought he was being weak, or a coward. But a noncombatant dying for me... It rusts at me. I made a tactical mistake which almost got everyone killed. It definitely killed Briar. The fact that he somehow came back doesn't change that.

And... and I almost broke you. Tones of regret and mourning fill his mind.

For all I know, that could have killed you...

[Sir Grave]

Halberd is silent for a moment, empty even of thoughts.

Yes... and no.

He was one of us. Some would say that he did the right thing.

But he never actually fought... He said that he didn't like fighting. That made him a noncombatant. I thought he was being weak, or a coward. But a noncombatant dying for me... It rusts at me. I made a tactical mistake which almost got everyone killed. It definitely killed Briar. The fact that he somehow came back doesn't change that.

And... and I almost broke you. Tones of regret and mourning fill his mind.

For all I know, that could have killed you...

"...You know what this all tells me, Hal?

"All of this guilt, this anger... you know what it tells me?

"It tells me you give a ****, you dumbass!

"You care, Halberd. You care about me. You care about Briar. You care about Grave. You care about all of us.

"For some inexplicable reason, after reality has dealt you a ***** ass hand, you care about what happens to this world.

"You jumped off of that bridge because of some... soldier's creed? Bull. Loads of soldiers that have held me are complete bastards. You did it because you care. You know how I know?"

Endbringer paused.

"For as long I can remember, I thought I was a weapon. I mean... Look at me: blade, hilt, guard... can't move unless some meat head picks me up... yup. I was completely convinced that I was nothing more than an object. I have seen more death than you or anyone who has fought in the Last War have ever seen. I was numb to it. Because that was my life.

"Then you showed up."

Warmth filled the air.

"Y-you actually talked to me.

"Asked me... what I thought.

"What I wanted.

"For the first time, I felt like I was... more."

She reminisced for only a few moments before continuing.

"...and it's not just me you've touched.

"You've reached out to a lot of people, Hal. You have people who care about you, too. Briar. Nivali. Oren. Kalim. Lukon. Laucian. Spiker. Even Malvin... 'till he was lost...
"Grave... Sorra... Namhias...
"That entire clan that's free because of the example you set.
"These are your family, Hal.
"They love you.
"I... love you."

Endbringer allows it all to sink in before she finishes.

"Now, tell me again you don't have a soul."

[Prehysterical]

Halberd bows his head, unused to the severe emotional response that he is suffering.

I wish that I could agree with you, Endbringer. But living and having a soul may not mean the same thing.

I mean, look at you. You're not what most would call alive, but you have a soul. And all of these clerics, who talk directly to the gods themselves... They never spoke of warforged souls. Surely, if we had souls, one of us would have turned up in the afterlife by now? Not even the Flame of Pelor, who could talk all day about their god, make any mention of warforged joining him. That seems pretty damn suspicious to me.

[Sir Grave]

Halberd bows his head, unused to the severe emotional response that he is suffering.

I wish that I could agree with you, Endbringer. But living and having a soul may not mean the same thing.

I mean, look at you. You're not what most would call alive, but you have a soul. And all of these clerics, who talk directly to the gods themselves... They never spoke of warforged souls. Surely, if we had souls, one of us would have turned up in the afterlife by now? Not even the Flame of Pelor, who could talk all day about their god, make any mention of warforged joining him. That seems pretty damn suspicious to me.

The northern entrance opens Grave enters the courtyard, wearing his smithy's outfit.

"The go-you know what Hal? Screw the gods! That's right! Just screw 'em! The one god we ever met tried to kill us! I know I'm making a broad generalization, but really! Who cares about the gods? Just- Whatever! Just screw 'em! Screw Pelor, screw the Forgotten One, screw Bahamut, screw--"

Endbringer stops.

"Hey, Hal, I'm sensing an outsider nearby or- oh. Um... hi Grave..."

Grave nods, smiling."...Good day."

The Vassal begins to assemble his tools.

Spoiler: Endbringer - Halberd

Show

"Cough cough - apologize - cough..."

[Prehysterical]

Surprised at Grave's appearance, Halberd nonetheless replies, For you? Oh, now you don't want to speak?

[Sir Grave]

Surprised at Grave's appearance, Halberd nonetheless replies, For you? Oh, now you don't want to speak?

Spoiler: endbringer - Halberd

Show

No, you big doof! You were kind of rude to him! Apologize! And please be nice!

[Prehysterical]

For lack of any better approach, Halberd steps forward and watches Grave to work. He is as still as only a warforged can, showing no signs of life other than his glowing blue eyes.

Eventually, as Grave takes a break between hammer blows, Halberd speaks.

"I'm honored by the compliment that you gave me. It was the first time that someone told me that I could be someone great.

...You need any help?"

[Sir Grave]

For lack of any better approach, Halberd steps forward and watches Grave to work. He is as still as only a warforged can, showing no signs of life other than his glowing blue eyes.

Eventually, as Grave takes a break between hammer blows, Halberd speaks.

"I'm honored by the compliment that you gave me. It was the first time that someone told me that I could be someone great.

...You need any help?"

"If only for the pleasure of your company, friend."

The two work at forging weapons... not in much of a hurry like the last time they worked together, this time to improve their crafting skills.

"...I feel I should apologize to you, Halberd.
"I could have chosen my words... a bit more carefully. There's a fine line between faith and religion that tends to be overlooked, and I failed to make the distinction when driving my point home. That... and it didn't occur to me at the time that you and your ilk have no patron god to call your own... or even a proven afterlife.
"...I can only imagine how that must make you feel."

[Prehysterical]

Halberd is silent for a moment as he articulates a response. For a time, only hammer blows break the silence. Eventually, he speaks.

"It's a curse... and a blessing.

There are two things warforged fear: death and being buried alive. Some of the greatest cowardice I've ever seen was committed by warforged. The lack of an afterlife, the possibility of oblivion, is something that comes to mind every time that we fight. Because someday, you might come across someone smart enough to actually make sure that you're dead...

But... on the other hand..." Halberd stops for a moment and looks at the hammer clenched in his fist.
"Everything do, everything we are, is in the now. We do what we want, so long as we choose to make our own choices. We are beholden to no one or no thing, and that idea of having no second chance makes us fight harder than anyone else." He says it as if it was fact instead of opinion.

Stopping, he asks, "Why does Bahamut care about you? I don't know much, but I do know that he is some kind of dragon god. Why bother with a human?"

[Sir Grave]

Halberd is silent for a moment as he articulates a response. For a time, only hammer blows break the silence. Eventually, he speaks.

"It's a curse... and a blessing.

There are two things warforged fear: death and being buried alive. Some of the greatest cowardice I've ever seen was committed by warforged. The lack of an afterlife, the possibility of oblivion, is something that comes to mind every time that we fight. Because someday, you might come across someone smart enough to actually make sure that you're dead...

But... on the other hand..." Halberd stops for a moment and looks at the hammer clenched in his fist.
"Everything do, everything we are, is in the now. We do what we want, so long as we choose to make our own choices. We are beholden to no one or no thing, and that idea of having no second chance makes us fight harder than anyone else." He says it as if it was fact instead of opinion.

Stopping, he asks, "Why does Bahamut care about you? I don't know much, but I do know that he is some kind of dragon god. Why bother with a human?"

"...Bahamut didn't choose me."

Grave turned to look at Halberd. "I chose him.

"If there's one thing you'll learn in the coming days, it's that the gods have very little control over who follows them... nor do they have much control over the destinies of their followers.

"Having faith... that's a choice that we make. Yes, in that battle where I almost died, I did see that dragon flying overhead... and I did feel a strength surge through me. But that was only because I chose to give it meaning.

"Bahamut gives me his blessing because I embody his ideals... and he knows it's not necessarily in his name. It's in my wife's. My friends'. My family's. My Order's. Those I hold close to my heart.

"That's what I was really saying before. It's not about worship. It's about embracing the ideals of what you love and what you feel is right.

"For you I think," he finishes, "It's her."

[Prehysterical]

For a time, Halberd says nothing.

"I, uh... I think I need to be alone. Well, not alone, but... y'know."

Setting the hammer down gently, Halberd nods respectfully and heads into the keep. Before he reaches the door, he turns and says,

"Thanks, Sarge."

Halberd makes his way to the staircase, hoping to find solitude at the top of the keep.

[Sir Grave]

For a time, Halberd says nothing.

"I, uh... I think I need to be alone. Well, not alone, but... y'know."

Setting the hammer down gently, Halberd nods respectfully and heads into the keep. Before he reaches the door, he turns and says,

"Thanks, Sarge."

Halberd makes his way to the staircase, hoping to find solitude at the top of the keep.

The Vassal smiles. "And thank you... brother."

He picks up the blade Halberd was working on."Hmm... Not bad..."

For the Mournland Watch, it has only begun...

Spoiler: Oren

Show

Cleaning out Quick-Shot, he looks towards the direction of Sharn, hoping to
receive answers from his friend once he arrives...

Spoiler: Nivali

Show

Nivali awakens in the night... unable to see herself even as she looks at her
hands... she makes her way towards the mirror at the end of the room... and sees a shadow of herself staring back...

Spoiler: Lukon

Show

Sir Lukon sits at his desk, writing a letter to his father concerning the drow lost in the Mournlands...

Spoiler: Spiker

Show

Spiker follows Wotan into the mists of the Mournlands, soon to behold the
presence of the Lord of Blades...

Spoiler: Laucian

Show

The Cannith artificer scribbles upon torn pages... the strange language...

Spoiler: Halberd

Show

Halberd stares westward from the Keep's lone tower...

Find me...

Startled, Halberd hold his head... remembering the being that healed him in the darkness...

Spoiler: Briar

Show

From upon the trees, Briar watches a raven ascend skyward, remembering what he must do...

Spoiler: Kalim

Show

Seeing Briar, Kalim takes out the Herald's journal and shows it to the druid. Briar jumps down, and looks over Kalim's shoulder as the thief opens it...

...only to find the forgotten language scribbled frantically inside...

They have yet to understand what they have started... But soon enough, they will...

I have seen it.

The Divine Forge: Tome of the Forgotten



Credits

Halberd - Prehysterical
Spiker - Keledrath
Nivali - Oneris
Oren - czieg
Lukon - EnderBorn
Laucian - tyriuth
Kalim - Yas392
Briar - Somensjev
Malvin - Guard

Notable NPC's played by Sir Grave (in order of appearance...)

Longbow
Grez
Endbringer
Yin & Yang
Brent Gallows
Cynric
Lady Sorra
Namhias
Grave
Wotan
Rurik Hammerstrike
Ruz
The Chain Devil
The Herald
Boreas
Arawn
The Being of Light
Briza
Balok
Dinin
Faeryl
Brom
Elua the Owl
The Forgotten One
Lily Rose
Marcus Grit
Myra
Arlana
Sir Vendral
The Lord of Blades



It was dark, save for the candle light lit the room. Kalim flips through the pages of the journal, carefully, to be sure there was anything he could be missing. Every page was the same: the ancient language scrawled frantically all over... No one he knew would be able to translate it.

He yawned. He had been at this for hours. Having not slept comfortably since before the Watch embarked on their expedition towards the Shrine, the notion was tempting. Though he fought to stay awake regardless.

He continued flipping through. He noticed a small spat of blood on the corner of one of the rear pages. As he continued flipping through, it seemed to grow larger. He turned the page one more time... And the blood was gone. Going back, he noticed that the blood he saw was gone too. Was it ever there? He must have been day dreaming... so to speak.

Eventually, he relented, slumping over the journal and falling asleep.

And he began to dream...

Winds howled.

Lighting crashed in the distance.

"huff...huff...huff...huff... huff..."

He heard himself breathing, heavily.

He began to see things. Vision was blurry. endless mist swirled around him. He limped aimlessly forward... or so it seemed. Where was he going? He struggled against the violent wind. He was cold. Hungry. Tired.

"...come..."

Who was that whispering?

More thunder in the distance. He continued forward. He stumbled a little.

"...Come..."

Further he went...

KRACKADOOM!!!!!

Lightning struck behind him, he fell forward onto his hands and knees...

...

They were not Kalim's hands.

They were pale. Clawed.

Bloodied.

"Come."

He struggled to stand. The winds grew stronger... it was amazing that her wasn't

swept away...

But then, the winds stopped...

"Come."

He looked forward... He saw a large shape...

A large, monolithic shadow of a pyramid...

"Come."

He hesitated before proceeding. He headed towards it.

"Come."

Closer...

Closer...

Closer...

A voice spoke to him from behind. "Hello, Kalim."

He turned... A clawed hand grabbed him by the throat...

A malevolent purple gaze bore into Kalim's. the Herald smiled.

AAAAAGGGGHH!!!!

Kalim fell backwards from his chair. Heart pounding. Head spinning. Breathing heavily. It was a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. It was...

The shadows moved.

Standing over him was a figure he couldn't see clearly.

Until he noticed the purple of it's eyes.

The Herald knelt beside the prone Kalim, so that it was face to face with him. No expression. Unknown intent. It's claw lightly grazed over Kalim's face.

"Shh... it's alright," it said, grinning. "I just came to say thank you."

It waved his hand in an incantation over Kalim's face. The thief felt a weariness come over him. He was beginning to fall asleep again.

"...and don't bother getting up. I can let myself out."

The Herald stood, disappearing into the void as Kalim faded.

"See you soon!"

Black.

♬Mhm...Mhm..♬
♬I didn't feel so alive before...♬
♬Mhm...♬
♬But then I met you, led you places you didn't wanna go to...♬
♬Mhm... Mhm...♬
♬Fooled you once, shame on me...♬
♬...But then I fooled you twice, so shame on you...♬
♬...Mhm...Mhm...♬
♬Threw you in the dark... Locked the door...♬
♬Then you didn't like me, anymore...♬
♬Mhm...♬
♬Suppose I had it coming...♬
♬But it was just so painful to be alive before...♬
♬Mhm... Mhm...♬
♬I led you on a merry chase...♬
♬You came running when you saw my face...♬
♬Mhm...♬
♬Poised to slay me with a passion...♬
♬I could have escaped death's cold embrace...♬
♬Mhm...♬
♬Mhm...♬
♬In the end, it didn't matter, of course...♬
♬You killed me without mercy or remorse...♬
♬Stripped me away and burned my corpse...♬
♬...And you didn't look back...♬
(...But you should have...)
♬...'Cause I've never felt so alive before...♬
♬...Mhm...♬
♬...Oh...♬

Spoiler: Should have looked back...

Show