Stepping forth into the Aether Doorway they felt time, space, and dimension pass by as they traversed from the Lands of Shadow into the Lands Between. Where they manifested forth, a darkened, shadowed, Graveyard. Isolated upon a peak where in the distance a looming castle stood, decrepit and seemingly being consumed in a thorn contagion.
The winds howled around them, a storm rising upon this oceanic location. They made their way towards the Mausoleums and the gate beyond. As they gazed around beyond their mask, the stench of decay and death was almost suffocating.
"How ironic, for the Lands of the Golden Order to fall into such disgrace..." They mused to themselves, a bauble of azure-indigo flame manifested forth a skull as it spoke in response.
"Deplorable...not even we have seen a realm this sundered in ages. Blood, rot, death fill every pore and orifice it seems..."
"Yet you waken us as if we ought to care, when it was by her hand she fell from Grace?" Scoffed the necromancer.
"Marika's sins are her own, but your soul spoke to us, you went beyond the bounds of Gold and carved your own fate. While it cost you your life, there were those you touched that changed them for the better."
"Perhaps we ought to be flattered, but we fought against a goddess and her tyranny, fought loyally by the son she threw to the void...and yet in all our effort, we become the pawn of another..."
"Nay, you are not a pawn, perhaps we should rephrase that, You are not a pawn without will nor choice, you have your own mettle, prowess, and skills at your disposal. All We ask is to work together. For we will protect you."
"Protection, and whatever have we done to earn the protection of an Outer God?"
"You were not blinded by them."
The necromancer grew silent at the notion, a curious statement and admission. For their life had been spent in The Lands of Shadow, born within the embrace of the Abyssal woods, growing amongst the people there, they helped to found the fires of Change. Yet their talents garnered many eyes, and eventually they were requisitioned into the Cochleam Nigrum Crucis, The Spiral Black Crusade.
For Shadow, Night, and Flame were useful in penetrating and gathering information, silencing those necessary, and scorching opposition. They gazed over their right arm, bearing an insignia of Lord Messmer's Crest hewn into the metal.
As they paused, they breathed a low exhale as they gazed in solemn, perhaps indignance towards the skull.
"We may not have been blinded by them, but we certainly were punished for it. After all, our end came about via betrayal, murder the Ember keeper, a white serpent within the Night...Decay. We fought to live, even then, but as we are, mortals can only do so much."
"But you as a mortal, moved many, you discredit your accomplishments, for if not for them, a very different path would have formed. Decay is inevitable, but for what you have become, you can end this cycle of undeath."
"It remains to be seen, we do not know these lands, there will be much to familiarize ourselves with. But we mustn't dally, or no work will be accomplished." They mused as they began to move forward once more, the skull gliding beside.
They came to the massive, stone-carved mausoleum doorway, and yet underneath that mask, their lips curled into a grimace, seeing that intact statue of Marika beyond.
"The desire to string some hefty frenzy fire pots along that and berid this land of that idol...." They grumbled as they drew forth their sword. An elegant, light greatsword, that seemed to act as a seamless extension to their arm. They imbued it royal magic grease, giving it an eerie, sapphire glow that brimmed with Glinstone power.
As they gazed around, seeing the ledges beyond the statue, and around it...the doorway and wall that once bypassed, this felt like an arena! Stalking forward they moved down the stone laid path, eyes shifting and looking for any sign of malignant intent, or traps. They felt their skin tingling under their armor. Th tension heavy, and as they came to that central formation they heard it!
Behind them a golden-black hued impassable fog covered the doors leading in and out before a shriek filled the air. Backing up, they gave room for the hideosity that crashed into the stone ground before them.
It was abhorrent…an aberration! A being grafted from the pieces of many humanoids into an amorphous mass resembling a spider, wielding two swords and a great shield.
"What in Messmer's name…?!" Morguhn hissed as it screeched at them, charging forward with those swords intending to cleave as they rotated in a way not dissimilar to wheel spinning in its motions. The Necromancer used their Tibia Summons to call forth three spectral skeletons that struck the being, causing it to briefly stop its assault. Tossing two rancor pots, spectral frozen vengeful spirits that pursued the Grafted Scion.
The Necromancer waited, that being finally showing its back before they sauntered forth, using the charged form of their Wing Stance ash of war, they leaped forth and drove that greased blade deep into the spine of the beast. It shrieked and its many arms tried to reach for their attacker, rolling viciously, the momentum throwing the Necromancer off as they rolled away.
The wretched thing crossed those two noble blades and a golden light illuminated along them.
"Ah…we are playing with Holy…." Morguhn growled as they reached in their pocket pulling forth three fire coils. Gifts from their Lord, before they threw the first, three fire snakes lancing forth and burning into the Scion giving them time to redo the grease, using Messmer's fire grease upon their sword.
The scion glared from its main body at them, burns, and frostbite upon their form. They turned, intending to kill this being that dared defile this sacred ground without the Grace of Gold!
Throwing the other two coils, a total of size fire snakes launched forth, and that great shield was used to protect themselves, blinding them to the actions of the Necromancer. They moved, coming from their blind side as that sword, raised and seared through the side of the Scion, causing it to shriek that horrible sound of many children's screams!
They could not yield! Climbing upon it Morguhn's sword struck true, burying it into the head and spine of that main body causing it to finally drop and its form going silent. They checked and made sure the being was dead before dislodging their weapon and backing away from it.
"She is no better than the Potentates….is this the kind of practice she sanctions?!" They hissed in disgust, cleaning their weapon before they backed away from the being as the fog gates released.
"If it is, then she is truly lost…." The skull answered.
"Nay, she was lost the moment she crossed that threshold…what she did to her own children earns her no sense of redemption….!" They growled.
"Perhaps, we were not present for her rebirth into divinity."
"Convenient…." The Necromancer scoffed as they made their way towards the bridge. Seeing there was no way forward, and yet as they reached that end to see if there was anything beyond it, it collapsed from under them, plunging them into the abyss below.
Special credits for JCQB for helping me workshop a name for the Shadow land wars. And genuinely being awesome to collaborate with.
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