Armaneth

Aleksander exuded a dark and powerful aura. Black flames shone behind the cloth where his eyes should've been, and his bow was also wreathed in black flames. At his side was a dark runeblade, and even Vandiel heard its dark whisperings. "Vandiel, take Rain, and get far away from here." Armaneth said slowly. "But..." Vandiel protested. "I said go Druid!" the Guardian roared. He immediately complied, lifting Rain gently and supporting her as best he could. The two hobbled as fast as they could back south to the questionable safety of the Wilderness borders. Armaneth stared calmly at Aleksander. "You will not interfere outsider..." the archer said, but it wasn't the archer. Someone else was talking through him. "I'm afraid I have no choice, Zaros." Armaneth said cooly. Zaros, inside Aleksander, chuckled. "You can't stop me, mortal." the dark lord sneered. "I am far beyond your strength. Soon, I shall reclaim this world, and all shall worship me. The imposter Zamorak will fall, and I will torture him for all eternity." He chuckled again. "I will enjoy watching you suffer." Now it was Armaneth who laughed. "Suffer? There is nothing you can do to harm me. I am not even a part of this world. I know what all 'Gods' truely are, and they are nothing more than extremely powerful mortals." Here Zaros started. "Well well aren't we a wise one." Zaros taunted, regaining his composure. "Yes there're no such things as Gods, but they don't know that here. We have also prevented those here with potential to contest us from living." the Dark one went on. "Neither of us are at our best right now." Armaneth said, ignoring Zaros' statements. "We only have enough power available to us to destroy eachother's physical form. But it's easier for me to return than it is for you, because the others are holding you back." Armaneth laughed again, because anger flashed on Aleksander/Zaros' face. "And then there's the other being who calls himself 'The Judge.' Now, I think we were about to fight." And with that Armaneth roared a challenge and charged. Zaros nimbly dodged Armaneth's first vertical slash, then rolled under his following cut. Rising with his runeblade drawn, the Dark one and the Guardian circled, then charged eachother. AS their blades met, there was a massive boom and shockwave that rippled away from them, and both were knocked back. Zaros recovered first, and charged at Armaneth, slashing rapidly. The Guardian either parried or dodged each attempt at his life, and then threw a frostbolt at the fallen god, who fell back surprised. Having obtained his desired effect, Armaneth pressed his attack, sword and eyes blazing the same cold blue energy. - Rain and Vandiel felt more than heard the titanic struggle occuring behind them. Neither looked back, but they both kept on going. Rain stumbled a lot, finding it hard to keep her mind clear. The pain in her legs was excruciating, and she bit back her gasps of pain. More than once they had to stop so she could catch her breath. Suddenly she collapsed, bringing Vandiel down with her, her legs refusing to work any longer. She lay back with a sigh of frustration, and then a shadow descended upon them. - Blood trickled down Armaneth's brow and arms. He breathed heavily, his eyes never leaving his adversary, who also had many cuts on his arms and across his chest. They were both extremely tired. Armaneth didn't know how much more he could take. He guessed that nearly an hour had pass from the look of the sun in the corner of his eye. Suddenly Zaros pulled himself upright and muttered arcane words under his breath, pointing at Armaneth. The Guardian barely had time to react before black tentacles wrapped around him, restricting movement. Armaneth tried to break free, but the bonds only held tighter. He roared his frustration, and Zaros smiled triumphantly. "Well well, now I think it's time to end your meddling." the Dark One said, laughing. "Any last words?" he asked as he raised his dark blade to strike. Armaneth looked at him and smiled. "Killing me means nothing." The Guardian stated. "This is simply a physical form used to interact with this world. I will return to challenge you again, and when I do, you won't survive." With that said, Zaros brought down his blade, and Armaneth's headless body fell to the ground. A shadow of the Guardian hovered over it briefly, then both the ghost and the body evaporated. Suddenly a massive blizzard was born over the area, and bolts of black lightning struck the ground as hail and icicles fell from the sky. Winds blew freezing rain into Zaros' face, but he didn't care. The Guardian's words troubled him. Shaking off his doubt, he turned south and started walking, away from the eye of the storm, where a single ray of light briefly lit up where Armaneth had fallen.

Armaneth and Vandiel stared at the newcomer, but before they could study him enough to remember any distinctive features, he faded back into the present. Kumlekar cursed as his spell failed to keep him in the past. - Before to two mages could think about what just happened, bandits rushed up to the gate to challenge them, screaming lustily for blood. Suddenly the front row was blown away by a powerful surge of wind, and those behind found the earth they ran on no longer solid. Icicles flew from Armaneth's outstretched hand, impaling their targets. Suddenly a green claw erupted from the ground off to the side and crushed more of the bandits. Then the mages charged, their swords glowing brightly with magical fury. - Aleksander slipped from the branch, landing heavily on the ground. The bear sniffed in his direction, and took a step forward. Suddenly, it roared in agony, and Aleksander slowly rose to his feet. Black flames consumed the bear, and then a golem of the same color fire rose from the ashes, a mimicry of the former archer. Aleksander turned decisevly north, and started walking, his guard following. He spared one look up at Rain, and then continued on. - Armaneth brung down the last bandit with any fighting spirit left in him. The others had fled, but they didn't get far. Vandiel made sure of that. Now Armaneth strained his senses for any trace of Rain. He found what he was looking for, and called Vandiel to him. "I can make out her Sympathy." The Aethian said. "Sympathy?" "Sympathy is the signature of any living being, particular those that can control magic. Sympathy is left behind on whatever that being touches, and it can be picked up by anyone that knows what to look for." Armaneth explained. Vandiel nodded. "That way." Armaneth pointed north, to a recently made gateway. Rain's signature sparkled on the ground to his eyes like diamond dust. - After a time of running, Vandiel and Armaneth found Rain unconscious in a tree. The druid laid his hands on the bark of the tree and whispered words to it. A slight groan came from the gnarled figure, and the branches lowered so that Armaneth could reach Rain. As he gently laid her on the ground, he thought she looked frail. Shaking such thoughts from his head, he touched her forehead, then muttered arcane words. Energy passed from his hand into the magess until she opened her eyes. Then Armaneth pulled his hand back and looked into her eyes. "How do you feel?" he inquired softly, aware that she probably had a headache from recent events. ~

Frostwind is a Runeblade, with the same size as a great sword. It's crafted from a mineral called Icrillis, which basically would be better for keeping your freezer cold than the gases currently in it. The blade draws power from the energy nexus of Aeth, Armaneth's homeworld. Distance from this nexus affects power.

Chaosbringer just informed me via IRC that he won't be posting, and ForsakenMage said she really didn't want to post either (:P) So I'll go ahead and post. Then either Smokie or Dragoncmd can go. ~ Vandiel and Armaneth broke camp at Pre-Dawn, still bearing north through the mists. Silently they proceeded, aware of lurking evils and nasty surprises. Eventually they came to an old castle with lights on in its towers. Lights that flickered on and off, showing that the building had been devoid of life for a long time. Armaneth stopped Vandiel as he started for the castle. "They're not in there." he whispered into the Druid's ear. "How do you know?" the druid responded, shooting Armaneth a doubting look. "Because, I can't feel her presence here. And there's a rising darkness beyond too." Armaneth remarked dryly. The Guardian slipped off into the shadows created by the trees to skirt the castle. Vandiel, muttering under his breath, followed. - Zonorhc gazed grimly at the pair of tracks left by Armaneth and Vandiel. "Curse the pair..." he muttered under his breath. Corwin came up beside him. "They're already too far ahead to follow. We might as well go ahead to the Elves." he infrmed the Lancer. Zonorhc simply nodded, and with a sigh, mounted his horse. Signalling the group to move out, they turned south and east. - Armaneth gazed intently at the guard posted infront of the Bandit's camp. A pair of lava floes made a bottle neck entrance. Good for protection against raids, bad when the defenders are against skilled mages. Suddenly roots burst from the ground and wrapped around one of the grounds. Screaming as much from terror as surprise, he was dragged back to the ground and crushed as the roots reentered the inhospitable earth. That was Armaneth's signal. Murmering a spell, he raised his hand, palm out, at the other guards. Small flecks of ice began to swirl around them, constantly enlarging, and also flying at the guards. Soon, 5 lacerated bodies lay in a heap at the gate, recently reinforced. Nodding to Vandiel who approached from the shadows, Armaneth walked up to the gate and kicked it open... ~

I can't point out where they are. But if you've done the Desert Treasure quest, It's pretty obvious from just the way Azzanadra LOOKS that Zaros was Evil. Zamroak was immensely fearful of him for sure. The teleports for Ancient Magicks also lead to dark places. The Digsite, Edgeville, Canafis, Ice mountain(Black Knight's fortress), and into the wilderness. Then stop writing. Now.

Oh God my eyes... Too many grammatical errors for me to keep reading past the first paragraph :? IF you actually read the God Letters and the history of RuneScape, Zaros did not come first. Why would a God of Destruction want to create balance? In fact, a God of Destruction cannot create.

Finally, someone who actually KNOWS how to make a decent profile and not some all powerful character... Anyways, on to my post... ~ Eventually as the group made thier hasty restreat, the bandits gave up. The horses could no further, so Zonorhc called the party to a halt. While Sabin worked to get a fire going, Vandiel, Aming, and Aryl tended to everyone's wounds. Armaneth stood a good distance from the camp, gazing back in the direction they just came from. After Sabin got the fire going and everyone ate, Zonorhc set the guard for the night. Sim and Sabin were to watch for the first 2 hours, then they were to wake Armaneth and Vandiel for the second. Armaneth passed a restorative drink to Vandiel, who thanked him and sipped gladly. After the first hour of silence, Armaneth spoke up. "I plan to go back for them. We're both not of this time, so I believe you'll need to come too. Something very dark and powerful is stirring, and I can't combat it yet without help." He said, gazing at the Druid with a look of determination. "Funny," Vandiel replied, "Because I planned to do the same thing." The druid indicated his pack, which was sitting nearby, full of provisions. Armaneth nodded, and together, they left the camp and faded into the night, leaving behind a shimmering magic boundary around the camp to ward off anyone that might attack. - The next morning when the camp finally woke up and found Vandiel and Armaneth missing, Zonorhc was in a rage. He walked around the camping spitting out curses, until he walked into the barrier Armaneth had set before he fled. Dumbfounded, Zonorhc stood there, placing his hands on the barrier, and following it in a circle around the camp. Finding no break in the barrier, Zonorhc went back to the remains of the fire and sat there. Lady Frost began to cook breakfast, and Aryl with Aming went to investigate the barrier. "I can't figure out how to dispell it." Aryl said with a sigh as she leaned against the wall. "Why would they leave like... Oh!" the barrier gave and dissappeared before Aryl could finish her sentence, and she fell backwards onto the ground. - Armaneth and Vandiel reached the site of the battle just at dawn. There they broke their fast, and began looking around the cart for tracks the bandits would have left behind. Vandiel found Aleksander's discarded bow and quiver, and Armaneth found Rain's amulet and staff. They soon discovered that both Aleksander and Rain had been tied and taken north. Stowing their finds, they followed the tracks at a good pace, and covered many miles before they stopped to camp at dusk. ~

"And I shall be making sure my equipment is in good order and that my skills haven't deteriorated in my inactivity." Jerod replied. "But first I want a warm meal, if it isn't too much trouble Tortric?"

Armaneth looked up after hearing Aryl's question. Rain grimaced, and didn't at all look comfortable explaining. "Yes, I am Aming's future self." Rain said slowly and in a whisper. "How did you come to be here then?" Aryl pressed. The young Arch Magess leaned forward slightly, and Rain again placed her head on her knees. "Perhaps I can answer." Armaneth answered for her. Rain didn't respond. "You came here with her?" Aryl asked, even more stirred by curiosity. "What I reveal to you, you must tell to no one else. Agreed?" Armaneth asked sternly. Aryl nodded, then he beckoned the Magess toward him. When she had come close enough he reached out and touched her temples with his forefingers. ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅYou may feel a slight joltÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâæÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ

"400 pieces eh?" Jerod says as he glances at the bag. "That's more than enough. Consider me in your services. Might I know my employer's name?" The mercenary glances towards the kitchen, wondering where his drink is.

Shifting his gaze to the bard, the mercenary responds with a slightly agitated tone, "Well if you want to hire me you'd best discuss a deal now, before my meal is ready. I'm very skilled with a bow, likely the best here, and my services are not cheap."

"I don't work well in teams." Jerod replied, slightly agitated. "I don't know where I'm going, I just know it's away from here." Sitting down at the bar, Jerod laid a few coins on the counter and pushed them towards Tortric, saying, "Before I leave, I want a glass of your strongest ale, and a bite to eat." [OOC]

Jerod calmly stepped out of the shadows from the other side of the bed. He had quickly stuff pillows under the covers and hidden there when he heard the rather powerful crossbow shot downstairs. "No need to make such a ruckus, Master Dwarf. I can hear well enough." The archer said with slight annoyance. Walking around the bed, he grabbed his gear and strolled out of the room while muttering curses to himself. Coming down the stairs, he kicked the body of the crossbowman out of the way uncaringly. Before leaving the Inn to take his chances in the wild, he studied the other assailant. Jerod reached into the deceased man's cloak and pulled out a purple pouch of gold, then tossed it towards Tortric. "Consider that payment for the trouble these mercenaries caused."

Jerod took another swig from the tankard sitting infront of him. He was working on his 3rd drink tonight, and he didn't get drunk easily. The archer was simply trying to forget his last assignment, which had ended in disaster. Finishing his drink, Jerod eyed the two dwarves. One was talking to the barkeep, and the other just sat there shaking. From what he could tell, the second dwarf had lost a friend recently. The first seemed to be unnaffected by anything thrown at him. Both looked like they were from a military. No longer interested, Jerod placed the gold for his drinks on the bar and went up to his room. Setting his gear on the floor, the archer lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep. His dreams took him back to his last mission, and his sleep was uneasy.

Since a character has been lost and the turns have had to be adjusted(And from a little bit of nagging), it has been decided that I am to post next. ~ The caravan moved in silence. As the group moved northward an unnatural darkness began to descend. This darkness was caused by the evil that dwelt within the wilderness. Aryl and Sim were sleeping while still sitting up, each leaning against the other. Aryl's ankle had been numbed with a salve and wrapped so it would heal correctly. The same was done for Aming. Armaneth couldn't tell whether Rain was asleep or not, for she had kept her eyes closed thus far. Deciding to take advantage of the silence, Armaneth sank into a meditation so that he could recover his strength. The confrontation with the Judge had taxed him. He had finally been able to summon some of his power into this world, but he knew it wasn't going to be enough for what was in store. A slight rain began to pour and the Guardian turned his face skyward so that he may better feel the waters cooling touch. He wasn't use to these temperatures, but rather his frozen homeland. If an opportunity to cool down presented itself, Armaneth took it. Despite the look, his cloak actually held cold air closer to him, and his armor would give any normal instant frostbite should he touch it. Thunder rolled loudly, but Armaneth took no notice. He was already deep in meditation, wandering familiar dreamscapes that resembled his homeland. A smile began to form on his face, but he was taken by surprise when a shadow came at him. Suddenly he was back in his body, and he wavered in his seat. Clutching the side of the wagon, he breathed deeply, and calmed himself again. Now he pulled his hood over his head and look over at Rain, who was now laying down and sleeping. Aryl and Sim hadn't moved at all, except for the occasional bump that shook the whole wagon. The Guardian wondered what would be able to assault his mind like that. It hadn't happened before, not even during the War of the Trinity Blades. Summoning up his willpower, he returned to a deep meditation and confronted the shadow. It came at him as before but this time he was ready. The Guardian cast a mental shield about his dream figure, and stared at the shadow. "You will trouble my mind no more." Armaneth said. The shadow simply laughed and drew itself up. Armaneth strengthened his barriers, and the shadow struck. Pure darkness collided ice and nether. It wasn't ready for the counter spells Armaneth had set, and it reeled in pain as a bolt of twisting blue and black energy snaked along its blade and into its body. "I'm not through with you, insect." the Shadow hissed. Armaneth felt its presence shrink away, and he returned to reality. Small pieces of ash from the encounter were on his cloak. Wiping the ashes off, the Guardian muttered under his breath, "I'll be waiting."

Ah, now it's my turn. ~ Armaneth sat upright and immediately bolted out of the tent towards the scream. As he ran a blue aura began to emenate and brighten around him. Frost trailed behind him, ice was left in his footsteps and his armour gleamed like the sun on ice, despite the dust that filled the air. Judge stood over the two incappacitated mages. They had both been struck in the head by pieces of the wall. The Judge laughed mockingly and raised his scythe. Just before the blade struck Rain, it was stopped by a shield of ice harder than dragon scales. A bright light came upon him and an impossible cold was unleashed. Armaneth came in fury, and he was both kingly and terrible to look upon. "How dare you come between me and my prey?!" The Judge cried in outrage. Armaneth stared at him with cold, glowing eyes and replied with an ominous yet mocking voice, "Why don't you try something new for a change?" The Judge charged Armaneth with a flurry of blades. Armaneth uttered a great Warcry and met Judge's scythe with Frostwind. Armaneth pressed his assault, feinting right and slashing left, managing to catch the Judge's robes. The Judge brought his scythe in a downward sweep, seeking to slice Armaneth in half. Parrying, he cast a spell of distraction. Lights erupted infront of the Judge's eyes. With his enemy distracted, Armaneth knocked away the scythe, and blasted the Judge with a bolt of Nether and Ice magic. The robed figure went flying through the air, screaming along the way. Armaneth turned to help Rain and Aryl. Aryl stirred when he gently shook her. When she tried to stand with Armaneth's help, she gasped in pain. Her right leg had been struck in several places by debris, and her ankle was bent at an odd angle. Helping her sit back down, Armaneth went to check on Rain. It took a bit more to wake her, and when she got up she could walk without aid. "Aryl will have to be carried back to the caravan." Armaneth informed her. "I took care of the Judge for now, though I'm sure he'll be back soon." "Then we'd best hurry." Rain said as she started running toward the caravan. Armaneth carried Aryl back to the caravan on his back, as it was easier for him to fight that way should he need to. Luckily they got back without confrontation, and Armaneth noted that Sim had returned while he was away fighting the Judge. The thief immediately came to Aryl's side, his face full of worry. Armaneth laid his hand on Sim's shoulder. "She'll be fine, I'm sure Vandiel has something. You might want to take care of her ankle yourself though." He said the last bit while looking into Aryl's eyes. She nodded, and Sim reached for the accused ankle. As gently as he could, he twisted it back into position, and Aryl cried out in pain. Sim sat down beside Aryl and wrapped his arm around her for comfort, and Armaneth turned to tend to Rain. She had a nasty bruise and cut on her head, the shape of a brick. Armaneth pressed a warm, damp cloth against the wound gently, causing Rain to cringe. She held the cloth up herself as Armaneth sat beside her, being the only place left to really sit. "Seems to me that the knights have decided to quit." Armaneth said observantly. Rain just nodded sleepily. It started to sprinkle again, which was a good thing. The moisture would remove the dust, and the blood would be washed away. Armaneth leaned back and fell into a light sleep. - Corwin looked over the group. It had been a long, tiring, and very bloody battle. Taking a mental headcount, he noticed that they were one short. "Where is Kiran?" he asked. Suddenly everyone looked at him in dawning horror. Kiran had never left the castle. "We must search for him." Zonorhc said. "Vandiel, Saben, and Aleksander shall stay here to watch over those that aren't able to look for him." And so the search began. Zonorhc, Frost, Corwin, and Sim went out and searched the rubble of the castle. "Over here!" cried Corwin, who had managed to find Kiran's rapier. Now everyone searched faster, and soon Corwin had located Kiran under a pile of rubble. The descendant of Zonorhc was dead. ~ Done :D

Great story, have you ever thought of getting it published? Although, you'd have to ask JaGeX first, and they'd want some of the profits...

But then we're all seperated, so it doesn't matter what order the posts are in for a while. ----------------------------------------------- Armaneth and Vandiel ran towards the source of the explosion. Bits of burning wood lay in the hallway, along with the still smoking corpses of the Black Knights. Waves of heat came from the storage room, and the crates inside were burning furiously. "We'll have to hurry if we want those herbs!" Armaneth said as he rushed in and began putting the fires out with frost spells. As he finished putting out the fires, Vandiel would come behind to check what was there. Finally they came to a small metal box, which had a rather large pad lock on it. Using a spell to freeze the metal, Armaneth snapped the lock and dropped the crumbling metal to the floor. Vandiel opened and pulled out a slightly withered leaf. "This is what we need." he said after studying the herb. "And there's a very powerful poison in here too." He says after pulling a vial of dark green liquid out of the container. "Let me see that, I may find a way to use it." Armaneth says, gingerly taking the poison from the Druid. Catiously he shook the vial to make the liquid swirl. It was too thin to be applied to a weapon. "A poisonous gas I presume?" he asks, glancing at the druid. "Aye, that it is. There's more in here, and this is all we need. Let's get back before someone comes." Vandiel says as he closes the box and heads down the hall. Just then foot steps were heard coming at them from behind. "Go, I'll hold them off." Armaneth says he runs off towards the knights. Vandiel bolts in the other direction, towards the exit and towards the camp. Armaneth stops as soon as he sees the first of the knights, then he throws the vial at the one in front. The vial breaks on the man's chest plateimmediately a green cloud forms and rushes over the knights. Armaneth began to run back after Vandiel, leaving the knights to their suffering. When he reached the door there was already another force of guards there, triple the last group. They shouted as soon as they saw him, and charged. The first reached Armaneth and slashed at a downward angle, which the swordsmage parried and countered. The first fell along with 3 others as Armaneth sent a flurry of icicles at them. Two more teamed Armaneth by attacking him from either side. After parrying for a good while Armaneth finally punched one knight's helmet in, kicked the sword out of his hands, and stepped behind so that the dazed man took a stab rather than Armaneth. Now the swordsmage summoned a copy of Frostwind and charged at the remaining four. He was like a whirlwind in how he fought, parrying and slahing at the same time. With a battle roar Armaneth brough both halves of Frostwind on one of the knights, creating a huge explosion of ice that took out the rest of the guard. With a slight show of twirling his blades, Armaneth put the halves back together and strolled out of the castle back to camp. - Vandiel stepped back as he finished administering the anti poison ointment. Now Armaneth knelt down beside Rain to seal her wounds. Drawing on ancient energies long sleeping, Armaneth focused and conjured a blue aura around his hands. As he did this he held his hands over each of the cuts, which began to seal when the healing energies were poured over them. When Armaneth finished he nearly fell over. The drain was great on him, and Vandiel had to help steady him. Taking a small drink of water from a nearby water skin to regain his senses, Armaneth watched Rain patiently. It was all he really could do at the moment, he felt like he was about to black out. After a few minutes Rain began to stir, and Armaneth was suddenly assailed by a sense of vertigo. He wobbled and fell over, and just before he blacked out he could hear the Judge chuckling in the back of his head. --------------------------------------- There's always gotta be something happening.

It's your turn Zonorhc, have fun.

Have the assassin severely tortured and questioned, and since this new clan has a strict code of honour, he tells nothing. Later, Brax gets sent to take care of something that's sprung up outside the city of Varrock further concerning the Cabal.

Armaneth charged the black knights and roared his challenge as he struck the first knight with Frostwind. Being an enchanted blade, Frostwind did more than simply slice through metal and flesh, but it also caused an explosion of ice, which in turn took out 3 other knights nearby. A torrent of rain soaked the battle field, and the swordsmage used it to his advantage. Targetting a section of the downpour, he commanded the water to freeze together into deadly spears, which fell on a pack of knights in the back. Zonorhc was like a raging whirlwind. any knight that got within his reach fell quickly. It was like watching dance to watch Zonorhc. He confronted a pack of 12 knights, and immediately took out 2 with a single slash across their necks. Armaneth took on his own challenge of 8, which were immediately taken out by a wave of water and lightning. Armaneth turned to see Aming staring at a fallen Rain, whose face he could plainly see. 'No...' He thought, fear suddenly flooding over him. 'She knows...' A new feeling rushed over him as he felt a sudeen burning pain across his side. With renewed rage, he turned and took out his attacker with a mighty blow that sent the hapless knight flailing into his fellow's sword. Armaneth raised his hand toward the sky, holding a black orb, and muttered, "Jekar iryn." A portal rippled into existence before him, and out of it flew 4 Nether elementals, which began to barrel mercilessly into the Black Knight forces. With his summons on the rampage Armaneth cast a few more frost novas to cause more chaos, then ran to the aid of Aming and Rain. A few arrows whizzed over his head into the black knight ranks, courtesy Aleksander and Frost. Siding to a halt he knelt down beside the Magess, and looked Rain over. He faced Aming with a grim setting on his face. "I am able to heal her, but we need to be away from battle and a place where I can concentrate without interruption." Armaneth said as lifted Rain from the mud and began making his way towards the wagon. "I'm sure Vandiel will be able to aid me in this." Vandiel took down another knight with an upward swing. He was keeping count, 17 had so far made it to him that he had taken out, and 5 more stood nearby. Gesturing to where 3 of the knights had gathered together, he muttered an incantation and sent a wave of earth, shaped like a reaching hand, to drive them into the ground. That it did, and right after the claw had sunk back down, taking the knights with it, he saw Armaneth carrying Rain back towards him. "Aleksander, Frost, give them cover!" Vandiel yelled to the archers as he charged more knights coming towards him. Suddenly one of Armaneth's elementals slammed 3 of the knights with it's large mace, which looked to be made of shadows, just as the elemental did. Bowing its head to Armaneth, who was about to race past Vandiel, the elemental vanished. Slowing his pace from a jog to a walk, the swordsmage looked at Vandiel. "Come, I require your skills in herblore." He managed to say as he moved behind the wagon and climbed inside. Aming followed closely, biting her lower lip nervously. The Druid had gotten a look at Rain's wounds as Armaneth carried her past, and wondered what he could do as he stepped up behind the swordsmage. --------------------------------------------- More to explain on Armaneth: His father, Laronath, gave him and his brothers an inherent ability to use Nether magicks. Armaneth does not use them as often as his overwhelming power over ice, but he does both elements together at times.

Armaneth wandered around in the darkness just outside the light of the fire, his hand always on the hilt of his sword, Frostwind. Aleksander's words troubled him. The others, being the younger Aming and her party, had told him it'd be best if he rested. He insisted he felt renewed, if not better than before. Suddenly a flash of light appeared just infront of Armaneth, startling him and causing the swordsmage to fall back. Instinctively rolling sideways, Armaneth came to a crouch position and looked about, expecting a projectile fired by a catapult to fall towards him. Instead, he saw standing where the light had struck a man clad in white, obviously a druid. The new comer wavered, and nearly fell, but before that could happen Armaneth steadied him. ------------------------------------------------------------ Armaneth sat on the ground next to the druid, who had been wrapped in blankets and left to lay near the fire. Everyone else had gone to sleep, but since he had had more than he needed, Armaneth stayed awake to watch this mysterious person. The druid stirred, and opened his eyes. "Welcome back to reality." Armaneth whispered to him. The druid groaned, and sat up with some assistance from Armaneth. "Where am I?" The man managed as he gazed around sleepily. "Among friends, Master Druid. What is your name good sir, so that I might be able to call for you properly?" the swordsmage asked, barely above a whisper so as not to disturb the others. "Vandiel." The Druid replied. "Glad to meet you, Vandiel. I am Armaneth, and these peculiar swords are yours." he said as he set a pair of blades, wrapped in fine cloth, on the druid's lap. "Come, have some food and drink, and rest a while. The effects of the spell will have worn by the time you awaken again. After the druid had consumed a small loaf of bread and taken a few swallows from the pue water Armaneth had conjured, the druid fell back to sleep, with his swords left nearby. The swordsmage rose and began to patrol the little camp, waiting for Corwin to relieve him of guard duty within the next hour. ------------------------------------------------------------ Corwin awoke around 3 hours til dawn. Armaneth was sitting by the fire, stirring the coals with a stick absently while studying the Druid. Yawning, he walked over to them, looking the Druid over himself. "Did he wake in the night?" Corwin queried while stretching his arms and back until the latter popped. He sat down as Armaneth replied. "Yes, he calls himself Vandiel. He's had a little to eat and drink, and he'll be up by morning." Armaneth answered. Throwing the stick into the coals, Armaneth stood and stretched himself. "His swords aren't normal, and neither is yours." Corwin commented. Armaneth looked down at the Bladesman with a slightly surprised look on his face. "No, they aren't. My sword was crafted by my father, who happened to be a Demi-God." Armaneth said. This statement made Corwin rock back, with a very surprised look on his face. Armaneth grinned, apparently amused, and continued, "It contains energies from the Nexus of my world. I am the guardian of my world, whose name I won't reveal for safety reasons. Well, it's time I got some rest." Armaneth looked around, then leaned toward Corwin and whispered harshly, "You will tell no one of this." Corwin could only nod, and Armaneth smiled kindly, then walked away from the dazed Corwin to get some sleep. It took some time for Corwin to recover, but when he did he kept a vigilant watch, often checking the Druid Vandiel and looking over his swords. He took out his own sword, which needed cleaning badly. With a slight grimace at the smell, Corwin poured some cleaning solution he had made on a cloth and began to clean his blade. As he finished, the sun rose on the horizon and the rest of the party stirred.

Armaneth, Aleksander, and Kay had made good distance. Armaneth had cast a spell that allowed his eyes to see just as well in darkness as in light. The tunnel was wider than it was tall, meaning that the 3 could walk without feeling cramped, but Aleksander and Armaneth had to crouch slightly. Suddenly Aleksander raised his hand, meaning for them to halt. Armaneth and Kay did just that, suddenly alert, training all their thought on hearing. "What is it that you hear?" Armaneth inquired as quietly as possible. Aleksander knocked an arrow and replied, "Footsteps, coming towards us. And they don't want to be heard." Kay flattened against the wall closest to him. Armaneth and Aleksander crouched as close to the ground as possible, to make themselves less visible. The foot steps came closer, then stopped. Armaneth heard a voice muttering something arcane, a voice that sounded like Aming's. Suddenly light filled his vision, and he was assailed by deafening sounds. Aleksander and Kay faired no better, all 3 screamed under the attack, then Armaneth blacked out. Armaneth awoke to find himself bound by soft cloth in a wagon. He felt stiff, obviously in the same position for a few days, and very thirsty. His head pounded. When he tried turning his head to see better he felt so much pain that he gasped, getting the attention of his guard. "Aming, the one Kay called Armaneth is awake." the voice of a young man called out. Armaneth felt the wagon stop, and could sense someone coming toward him. He felt the searching eyes, and so he opened his own, only to find himself staring back at Aming. Only it was a younger Aming. He tried to call out her name, but when he opened his mouth she put a finger on his lips. "Rest, you are not yet well enough to speak." Armaneth could see Aleksander laying bound in the same fashion behind the Magess. Looking around, he identified his guard as Corwin, the Blade dancer Aming had spoken of. Aming called out to someone he could not see, and Corwin got up to leave, soon replaced by a lancer, that wore the same cloak and brooch Kiran did. This was the great Zonorhc, Kiran's great-grandfather. Aming left, and Armaneth could feel the wagon start moving again. Weariness took over again, and Armaneth fell into a more peaceful sleep. ------------------- Uh-oh, seems like we've been discovered...

"He can explain later Aming." Armaneth said as he looked over the blow. "Atleast let the swelling go down, I'm sure it's hard for him to think at the moment." Armaneth waved his hand slowly over Marcus's eyes, and he immediately fell asleep. Armaneth walked to a secluded area n the room, then turned and faced Aming and Aleksander. "If the story you told is true, Aming, then I must summon that which I deem should only be used in dire situations. I'll need you to be quiet, and prepare to be assualted cold." With that, he held his hands out, palms upward, and began muttering in a language unknown to any of this world. A light appeared above Armaneth's hands, and his chanting sped up, became louder. The light grew, and began to form into the shape of a sword. A frozen mist enveloped the caster, and spread out into the room. Just as the room filled, the mist suddenly sank into the light, and the sword became reality. Quickly Armaneth wrapped a cloth around the sword's hilt, and grasped it. The sword itself looked to be made of ice and sapphire. Lights danced within it, runes glowed along the bottom of the blade. "Behold," Armaneth spoke in a near booming voice, "The Legacy of Aeth, Frostwind!" At the mention of the name a bright light shone from the sword, then dissipated. He quickly sheathed the sword, then leaned agains the wall, as if he was exausted. Aleksander nearly fell down from shock, Aming hardly fared better. Ice crystals formed where Armaneth stood, as well as along the walls.

Glad to see it, you missed a lot last time. This will be very interesting.