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(DF) Lore: The Beginning of the End

 
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7/6/2012 12:06:56   
99th Dracopyre
Member

Lore: The Beginning of the End

Prologue: The Reign of Peace

20 years have passed since the end of the war for the Elemental Orbs. Lore was once again at peace. The war has left many scars; some have yet to heal, but it was peace nevertheless. Those who witnessed and suffered in the war, can now breath easily. The threat that once terrorized Lore has gone and passed. It was peace.

The great heroes, who have sacrificed so much, have returned to their former lives, before the war erupted. Artix returned to Doomwood, where he continued his never-ending battle with the undead, and eventually given the title of "Captain" of the Paladin Order. Zhoom remained in the Sandsea, where he founded "The Sand Riders," a group of enforcers who brings justice in the great dunes. Galanoth, the famed Dragon Slayer, disappeared without a trace, many say he traveled towards Battleon, establishing a council of Dragon Slayers. Warlic became a great sage, mastering the arcane-ways, and passing his position to his apprentice; Nythera. Rolith, along with a handful of Pactagonal Knights, were appointed as elite soldiers for King Alteon. Ash Dragonblade became a knight, and eventually took Rolith's place in Oaklore. Elysia, who was once Lady Celestia's apprentice, is now the Dragon Priestess of Dragongrasp.

But Lore will never know peace... for an old foe, shall rise once again... to claim Lore... as their own...

< Message edited by dracopyre99 -- 7/12/2012 10:23:25 >
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 1
7/6/2012 12:08:25   
99th Dracopyre
Member

Chapter I: Rebirth of Decay

Along the borders of Willowshire, two Guardians, in the command of Guardian Fortuna, scout the barren wasteland. The land has suffered much. It has yet to heal. The land still reeks of death and decay. There was no signs of green; only scorched earth and stains of blood.

"You know, Amia, scouting isn't all what it's cracked up to be," says one Guardian, his voice filled with regret.

"We're doing a service to Willowshire, isn't that fulfillment enough for you, Derek?" answered Amia.

"Well, sure, but..."

Suddenly, several twigs snapped at a distance. The guardians were alert, immediately drawing their blades. The fumes of the soil made their sight hazy. The fog also limited the distance they could see, but they were trained for this; they knew they could handle anything that would appear. A sigh of relief escapes them, when all that surprised them was a deer, at a distance. A young doe. They sheathed their blades, and Derek slowly approached the doe, with his partner close behind him. It was a rare sight. Most animals have fled Willowshire. The land did not give food, so they had to leave, or die with the earth. Once within arms-length, Derek caressed the doe's head. Even with his tough exterior, Derek always had a soft side for cute things.

"She's so cute," he said.

"She must be lost... maybe there are others, close behind." says Amia, while she turns and looks around.

While stroking the doe's head... the unthinkable happened. A piercing shriek filled the air. Blood spilled on the ground, feeding the soil with blood it once tasted during the war. Amia pulls out her sword and slashes the very thing that injured her partner. A monstrous howl escapes through the wind, and only Derek's agony could be heard, once everything else subsided.

"W-What is t-that thing!?!" exclaimed the horrified guardian.

"I don't know... but we must take it... to Captain Fortuna," said Derek, while gripping on his flesh-torn arm.




Meanwhile...

"Interessssssting... very... interessssting indeed..."

"Adapt... Weeeee musssst.... adapt..."

"Yesss... adapt..."




It was nearing nightfall, before the two Guardians returned to Willowshire's walls. With them, they brought the carcass of the monstrous figure. The doe they met earlier, but it was now misshapen and deformed. Mutated. Its mouth was now wider, extending through its neck. It was filled with countless, razor-sharp teeth, misaligned and filled with the stench of rotting corpses. The Guardians stood in awe as the wooden borrow, carrying the gruesome beast, passed them by. Some couldn't even help but vomit at the sight of such a horrid creature.

The doe was dropped in front of Guardian Fortuna, just at the door of her tower. The sight was sickening, but Fortuna had to set an example to her comrades. She must be strong.

"Send a message to Warlic, Cysero, and Maya of Oaklore," she sternly said. "They might know what this is..."

"Yes, captain," answered Amia

"And take Derek to the infirmary," she continues, while looking at Derek's arm. "That arm needs stitching..."

"What are we going to do with the body, captain?" says Derek.

"Bring it to the laboratory. Let nobody touch it, until Warlic, Cysero, or Maya have arrived."

Guardian Fortuna steps back from the creature, enters her tower, and shuts the door behind her. She lets out a deep sigh, rests her back on the door, as she sits on the ground. She has seen that kind of creature before, so have her comrades. Amia and Derek are too young to know what it was. Fortuna shakes her head, trying to convince herself that what she saw could be something else. She was lying to herself. Sending for Warlic, Cysero, and Maya, she just wanted to be proven wrong. But she doesn't doubt herself, the creature that she saw... She has seen it before... and it's something you can't forget...

"Have they returned..?"

< Message edited by dracopyre99 -- 7/12/2012 10:28:28 >
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 2
7/6/2012 12:19:20   
99th Dracopyre
Member

Chapter II: The Infection

Fortuna's message immediately reached Warlic, Cysero, and Maya. The three arrived at Willowshire, just when the sun was at its highest point in the sky. An awkward silence filled the air, only the murmurs of the Guardians could be heard. Warlic sensed great depression among the older Guardians, whereas the younger recruits were steady as usual. They arrived at the doors of Fortuna's tower. The door creaked open. It did not open the whole way, just enough for a single person to pass. Fortuna whispered, "Come in, we have much to discuss". The three entered the doorway, one at a time, and the door slammed shut.

The room was dim, two torches lit the room, one of which was held by Fortuna. Without a word, she climbed up the staircase. The other followed. They found themselves on the second floor; it was Fortuna's study. The place was cluttered. Fortuna did not glance at her study, she simply climbed up the staircase. The others had no choice than to follow. They found themselves on the third floor, then the fourth, and then the fifth, where Fortuna stopped. It was a library. There was nothing to see here but books, gathering dust on their shelves.

"Why did we stop?" asked Cysero. "I left my pie in the oven, so we better hurry this up."

"What is that foul smell, Fortuna?" said Warlic, interfering on Cysero's pointless gesture.

"Follow me," said Fortuna.

They once again climbed the staircase. This was the last floor of the tower. The stench that Warlic asked about grew stronger. It smelled like a thousand rotting corpses, all stockpiled in a corner. Once at the top floor; the three immediately noticed the carcass on a wooden table. Several torches lit the room. It was brighter than the other floors they'd been through.

"Hey, you brought back another one!" joyfully exclaimed Cysero. "I thought they all died out years ago!"

"What is this, Fortuna?" asked Warlic, surprised that Fortuna still held one of these creatures. "Why did you keep this?"

"I didn't," said Fortuna. "That thing, attacked one of my recruits..."

"That's impossible!" exclaimed Maya. "Those things have died out years ago."

Cysero and Warlic closely examined the misshapen doe. Maya and Fortuna stayed away. The creature was far too disgusting to be looked at up close. Warlic, like Fortuna, did not want to believe what he was seeing. He too knew of the horrors that this creature had brought. One of the reasons why the land of Willowshire was now corrupted and decayed.

"Fortuna," said Warlic. "I'm positive, there is no other explanation..."

Suddenly, a piercing shriek was released into the air. It came from outside. Warlic, Cysero, and Maya quickly rushed to the window, curious of what happened. The camp was in utter chaos; guardians were running about, horses were let lose from their stables, and blood was once again spilled on the ground. Cysero shouted; "Over there!" pointing at a nearby tent, but there was nothing out of the ordinary there. Cysero again exclaimed, "It's over there!" now pointing at the stables, but yet again, there was nothing there.

"Cysero, what are you doing!?!" exclaimed Warlic.

"You missed it! You just missed it!" said Cysero, pointing around, like a child. "Look, look, over there!"

Maya and Warlic turned their attention to where Cysero was pointing. It was something they could have never expected. A guardian, misshapen like the deer. Several tendrils grew from its back, piercing through his armor; his teeth were filed into sharp fangs; and his arm, it grew in size, almost double that of a man, and it had razor-sharp claws, covered in blood. The creature attacked his comrades without mercy; slashing and hacking away, like a wild beast. The Guardians tried to take the creature down, but their blades could not pierce through its thick-hide. Cysero exclaimed again, "There! There! Another one!", pointing at the nearby tent again. Another one of the creatures emerged, but this one was much slimmer, though it still had the signature tendrils and razor-sharp claws.

Guardian Fortuna was already out of the tower, she left once she heard the shriek. She drew her blade and confronted the creature by the tent. The creature hissed and snarled, but Fortuna stood her ground, unafraid of the creature.

"We must do something!" exclaimed Warlic. "We must he-"



< Message edited by 99th Dracopyre -- 8/15/2012 23:39:48 >
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 3
7/12/2012 11:31:11   
99th Dracopyre
Member

Chapter III: A Twist of Fate

Two weeks passed; Maya had yet to be heard from, and her absence had gotten the Pactagonal Knights worried. Ash sent several messengers to Willowshire, none of them had returned, sharing the same fate as the missing Lore Master. Ash decided to call the aid of The Dragon Lords; maybe they could investigate the whereabouts of Maya.

Luckily, Nortrom, the famed hero and savior of Lore, answered the call. When Nortrom was still a young adventurer, Maya aided him while he was in Oaklore. He had to repay her. Just at the peak of dawn, Nortrom along with four other Dragon Lords arrived at Oaklore. Ash personally greeted them at Oaklore’s doors. It has been a long time since Nortrom and Ash saw each other. Once the War of the Orbs ended, they went their separate ways and contact simply faded away.

“Nortrom, I take that you received my message,” said Ash.

“I, and my squad, will investigate Maya’s disappearance,” said Nortrom. “Maya was a very dear friend to me and it is more than just duty that leads me to find her whereabouts.”

“Thank you, Nortrom,” Ash said gratefully. “Please, make haste. I fear that Maya is in danger.”

Their conversation was quick, for the worrisome knight had no mood to ramble when one of his dearest friends was missing. Nortrom rode unto his dragon, Nexus, and flew into the skies. Ash returned to the safety of Oaklore's walls, looking back, and praying for Maya’s safety.

It was late in the afternoon when the Dragon Lords arrived at Willowshire’s capital, which was also the Guardian’s base camp. From the skies, the damage to the base could clearly be seen. The Dragon Lords immediately landed near Guardian Fortuna’s tower. Everywhere they looked, there were bloodstains. The tents were practically soaked in them and even the buildings were smeared with blood, as if they were abstract paintings on the wall. An eerie silence was all that greeted the fives Dragon Lords. Nortrom signaled his men to scout the surrounding area; he hoped to find remnants of what happened to Willowshire. Its desolation was not normal.

“Nortrom, the stench,” Nexus said distastefully.

“I know Nexus, I know,” replied Nortrom. “The smell of decay fills the air…”

Nortrom entered Fortuna’s tower. Darkness limited Nortrom’s sight, no torches were lit. Using Draconic-Magic; Nortrom created a small fireball in the palm of his hand, instantly lighting up the room. Nortrom climbed the winding staircase. Each floor he passed by were all destroyed, cluttered by an unknown force. Claw marks slashed across the walls, timber was scorched, and the putrid smell of decay still filled the air. Finally, Nortrom reached the 5th floor; it was the same as the other floors, but this was the only floor which had blood smeared on the walls and on a table that stood in the middle of the room.

There were no clues to be found, only the same scene wherever you looked. As Nortrom looks out of the one window on the floor; he could see the vast land of Willowshire, it was decrepit and defiled, but it was home to many. Suddenly, the silence was broken. Broken by a familiar voice…

“Hello, Nortrom…”

Nortrom looked back to see Maya, the very person he was sent to find. She looked completely fine; there were no bloodstains on her clothes nor were there rips or holes, and her hair was neatly tied up. Strange, that was not how Nortrom imagined someone to look like, while the surroundings were not very suggestive to her appearance.


“Maya, what happened here?” said Nortrom. “Just past the eastern wall, you will find your answer…”

At once, Nortrom turned his back to look out the window. He saw nothing special near the eastern wall, only more blood and scorches.

“There is nothing there, Maya,” said Nortrom, while desperately sharpening his eyes to see what Maya wanted him to see.

“Oh it’s there, Nortrom… It’sssss theeeeeeeere…”

The sound of a blade unsheathing echoed in Nortrom’s ear. Maya drew out a small dagger, hidden within her robes. Nortrom was able to dodge the first strike, as the dagger’s tip stabs the window’s wooden pane. Maya easily pulled the blade out and continued to slash her dagger towards Nortrom, maniacally laughing as she did it. Nortrom finally grabbed both of Maya’s wrists, restraining her before she could do any harm.

“What are you doing, Maya!?!” exclaims Nortrom.

“I’m heeeeeere to kill youuuu!!!” answers Maya.

Suddenly, Maya opens her mouth, wider than usual. Her teeth were filed into razor sharp fangs and her breath reeked of rotting animal flesh. Nortrom knew that Maya was no longer the owner of the body in front of him; he had no choice but to fight back. Once Nortrom’s eyes were beyond the creature that he restrained, he could clearly see the window. He then released his grip on the fiend and yelled; “Dragon’s Breath!”

Nortrom blasted the creature with a powerful breath of fire, shooting it out through the window. The creature’s flesh burned while it hurled to the ground, screaming in pain. Nortrom calmed himself and approached the window, looking down on his defeated foe, but all he saw were Guardians surrounding the burnt body of Maya. One of the Guardians pointed towards Nortrom; “Murderer!” he yelled.


< Message edited by 99th Dracopyre -- 8/15/2012 23:54:26 >
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 4
8/15/2012 12:52:13   
99th Dracopyre
Member


Chapter IV: Adapt (Coming Soon)
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 5
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