Book 7. The Darkness Saga.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Closed)
(All bunnies approved)
(Moderator note: I am completing this quest with my ~Level 4~ (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=11560) profile. Thank you very much.)

Present Day. Thursday. June 1st. C.P. 1810
Time. 9:00 P.M.
Place. Radasanth.

The sun was down. And with it, the world of darkness ventured forth across this part of the planet. It was a particularly old house on a particularly old part of town. Number 110 Cynthia Avenue. It was one of the older structures that pre-dated the Demon War. As a house, it was upscale as far as the neighborhood went. Matching the rest of the red brick structures in the neighborhood, the architectural design matched the period pre-dating the Demon War. The neighborhood had a particularly human feel. Radasanthia was a melting pot that contained art and architecture of all the major races of Althanas. Primarily the heavily populated human breed. The architectural design was bold and effective. Buildings were elevated on columns that were mighty and rotund. Arches fortified doorways that were elegant and reflected the artistic renaissance of the time period. It was a large four story house that had a basement and an attic installed. The red brick stoned building appeared as though it belonged in the neighborhood reflecting all of the corrupt nature of the populace within that area of Radasanthia.

Wealthy, upper classed noble folk lived in this neighborhood. 110 Cynthia Avenue had a garden wrapping around the main structure of the edifice. At the front of the property was a simple water fountain that depicted a local fertility goddess. A goddess that was not a member of the Thaynehood. The nobility within this bloc of Radasanthia dabbled in the worship of the old gods. This was nothing new. They dabbled much to the dismay of the Knights of Dawn which was the military wing of the current Corone Empire. The greedy Viceroys infringed upon the rights of the average free man of Radasanthia and forced an Empire down everyone's throats. An Empire without an Emperor. Currently, Radasanthia was in a state of martial law and the Empire's enemies were hunted down like dogs. 110 Cynthia Avenue was a house that belonged to a particularly lively fellow. He was a local knight named Sir Darwen Fairfax. Rumors abounded that Darwen retired from the military and began to dabble in the secret arts. But the Knights of Dawn could never confirm those rumors.

Spreading like wild-fire through this age of Radasanth's history was the Cult of N'Jal. Becoming an acceptable form of religious study by the general populace, members of the civilization of Radasanthia sought any solace from the current dark state of affairs in their once proud city. In this state of events, riots and clashes with the Knights of Dawn occurred often. Stores were pillaged, propaganda was spread everywhere, and markings from the central church of the Cult of N'Jal were appearing on every street corners. The group was labeled as a group of dissenters from the Empire and marked as enemies of the people. Many young folk were arrested and times of civil unrest were settling on the hearts of the millions that lived within it. The Empire declared a strict curfew on the local Radasanthians that many disobeyed despite the fact that they would end up in local prisons if they ended up caught. Mainly the infamous Terrinore Isle. With the influence of N'Jal spreading quickly local authorities were attempting to silence the Cult before matters got out of hand.

And so it was that on a simple Thursday night in June of 1810, a man named Lorenor found himself under the watchful eye of Sir Darawen Fairfax. This man was an influential member of the Cult of N'Jal. Most importantly, he was a Salvarn Lord and a member of the Church of Ethereal State. The other most important fact about the man was that he was currently declared an enemy of the state. Rumors abounded that the man was part of a Power Group called the Gol'Bron and was an influential senior member within that group. Gol'Bron roughly translated to Cult of the Thaynes. And its members allegedly followed the Thaynehood at the cost of their own lives. It was rumored that Lorenor was particularly dangerous because he followed the dark goddess known as N'Jal. He was a member of the Cult of N'Jal and posed a serious threat to the stability of the Corone Empire. Rumors abounded that Lorenor was a Spider Magi, one of the spawn lings of N'Jal. A dangerous breed of creatures that were gifted with terrifying powers and were responsible for the death of the legendary former leader of the old Red Hand, Ithermoss.

Sitting in the basement of that house on 110 Cynthia Avenue, Lorenor worked on deciphering various pages of a document he'd acquired (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=6504)
in a recent trip to Salvar. The basement contained a simple furnace made out of brass that provided heat for the whole house. A staircase lead upwards into the first floor section of the house. A single light bulb dangled on a chain in the middle of the room and cast its light upon the chamber. There were various crates and other containers in the basement's structure. Several pillars held up the ceiling to a surprising height of roughly twenty feet all together. The underground room was very spacious. The sound of machinery was heard in the room as it endlessly underwent the mysterious process to provide heat. The room was extremely hot and damp. Cobwebs were visible in the distance, and an intricately ordered wine rack was visible towards the other end of the chamber. Lorenor had several black candles lit nearby his position that were providing adequate lighting for the mutant to work on his ledger.

His hand scribbled various notes as he was busy deciphering the text he'd located in Argus LightFeather's lab. Argus was a Necromancer that Lorenor met in Salvar many months back. The Necromancer had provided a treasure trove of goodies for the mutant and his companion. But that was nearly a lifetime ago. He'd barely had a chance to break the codes, secrets, and translate the notes and books he'd found in the man's possession. Argus spoke of a land called Antioch, and he spoke of a Necromancer named Morian. For a time, the mutant regretted having to kill the Necromancer for the Church of Ethereal Sway, but he needed to gain his political standing in Salvar. Radasanthia was no longer a safe hideaway for the mutant. As he scribbled, the mutant heard the creaking of a door atop the staircase and smelled the scent of a familiar individual. It was the owner of the house, Sir Darwen Fairfax. The man was a trustworthy individual and a high ranking devout within the caste society of the Cult of N'Jal. Lorenor heard the man's boots making the steps creak as he walked down slowly and carefully.

"Were you able to translate Sir Morian's works?"

Lorenor scribbled down a few more notes, and took a sip of a nearby goblet. Some of the vintage wine was placed within the goblet. He took a long pull and then meticulously placed the goblet back on the floor. There were several books spread before him. Two out of the three volumes of the Necronomicon and the works he'd taken from Argus' laboratory. Also, there were several books that Darwen was able to provide out of his own vast library to assist the mutant in the translation process. On his own, Lorenor had managed to decipher half of the first volume in Argus' works. There was a lot of coded slang and some of the words used were quite tricky, by the mutant was clever and capable of figuring things out. Plus, he had the help of the endless. Lorenor stretched and rose from his position turning around to face the old knight. "I got half of the works translated. Some of it is just gibberish but there are actual clues and notes within the tomes we can use as part of the ritual work of the Church." Lorenor stretched again, he hadn't realized how long he'd been working.

"Antioch is real. The Endless say so."

"Well that is indeed a blessing from N'Jal my old friend. Were you able to decode the maps yet?"

"We only need to find a ship and a captain brave enough to sail over to Antioch."

There was another presence that entered the basement. It was one of Sir Fairfax's servants.

"Sir Fairfax. We have a problem."

[Krista]

Thanks for your Patience.

Krista was scared out of her wits, she didn't mean to anger anyone with her actions earlier, but apparently she had half the soldiers in the city after her, and why? Because the whole city was prejudice against necromancers. As the guards gained on her, she thought back to how this all started.
-----
(Earlier that day)
-----

Krista entered the town of Radasanth with only one intention, she needed a place to eat and sleep, as she had been wandering for a whole day before finally stumbling upon this city. It was a spectacular city to be sure, but she didn't take in too many of the details before heading to the nearest Pub. As she entered, she looked straight at the a worker in the pub and gave her best attempt at a smile. It still looked like a frown, but she was at least trying.

"I'd like something to eat and a room please" Krista said with a weak smile

"Anything specific you'd like to eat young miss?" the worker asked in response.

After a bit of thought, Krista suddenly noticed someone in the corner eyeing her.

"No, anything will do." Krista said trying to ignore the man who was eyeing her. As the worker went off to cook some food, the man who was looking at her drew closer. She could now tell two things about him that she couldn't before. He was drunk, and he was a soldier.

"You're pretty" The drunk said, attempting to feel her up.

"Get off me" Krista replied pushing away from him.

"You wanna come to my place?" the soldier said, obviously ignoring her as he again began to feel her up, this time a lot more forcefully.

"I said GET OFF!" Krista yelled out in disgust and pushed her hand against his forehead in an attempt to get him off her. When she was still unable to remove him, Krista cast Sap on him and ran out of the bar. Pretty soon, Krista had at least ten guards on her and she was running out of places to run.

-----
Present Time
-----

Krista had been running for around 20 minutes when someone suddenly pulled her aside. They were wearing a garb similar to hers with one major difference: Some of it was made from what looked like spiders silk.

"Don't ask any questions, just seek shelter at 110 Cynthia Avenue here in town. It's the safest place for you right now. I'll hold these guys off.

Without even questioning the logic, Krista ran towards the house mentioned, realizing that it was actually a huge mansion. As she knocked on the door, Krista collapsed from exhaustion on the doorstep.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"What is it Layla?"

Asked Lord Fairfax. His eyes immediately went over to the general direction of the servant girl. She was a short woman standing at approximately, five feet three inches, and owning a slight build. She had red hair and honey colored eyes, she wore a servant's uniform. Her eyes darted nervously to Lorenor's general position but were quickly averted by Lord Fairfax's question. She returned her gaze to his face and nodded calmly. The girl responded to the question.

"The Knights of Dawn. They are chasing a girl. Some of the other servants reported that the girl is now on the property. The Knights of Dawn are heading this way."

"Blasted Knights of Dawn. Recover the girl immediately. If the Knights of Dawn are pursuing her then there is probably some reason they want her. We have to take her into our custody before she falls into the hands of the Knights of Dawn."

"There's something else. One of our agents went to intercept the Knights of Dawn. He is a Spider Magi but we weren't able to tell which one."

Lorenor's interest was piqued at the mention of a Spider Magi drafting himself to this situation. Hearing what was going on the entire time, the mutant turned his attention away from the deciphering process, stood up and looked at Lord Fairfax and his servant girl. A key piece of information was revealed, the girl had no way of saying which Spider Magi it was that was intercepting the Knights of Dawn. This concerned the mutant greatly because the Spider Magi were eternal allies to his cause. His cause was the direct antithesis of the Knights' of Dawn current agendas.

The Empire used them as their Inquisition to hunt down enemies of the state. Dissenters of against the Empire, protesters, religious savants, all who had something to say against the Empire were declared enemies of the state. They were hunted down vigorously by the Inquisition. Because of the Gol'Bron's involvement with the worship of the old gods, they were decreed as a rogue Power Group by the Leaders of the Empire. Those who followed the old gods were declared enemies of the state as religious freedoms that were once taken for granted by the local citizenry was abruptly taken away. It was worship the Empire's gods or worship none at all. All dissenters were weeded out and whisked away to hidden locations where they were silenced forever.

Lorenor kept his actions covert and joined the Cult of N'Jal. A super secret underground organization that started an anarchist movement against the current government. The will of N'Jal had now become the will of the people en mass. N'Jal had initially rebelled against the All-Thayne and represented an entire generation of the youth left disenfranchised by the Civil War. Whole groups of protesters joined the Cult and N'Jal's influence grew in strength. More of the Spider Queen's statues appeared everywhere and were too many for the Inquisition to handle alone. Something was about to give.

Lorenor turned to look at the documents he was researching. They continued pertinent information about a land called Antioch. A place where he could further his education as a Necromancer. Hearing the conversation that was taking place between Lord Fairfax and the girl, the mutant found himself thinking about current events. He looked down at the page before him, his mind deciphering the symbols and runes that were lurking on the page. Lord Fairfax turned towards Lorenors' position.

"Prepare your things Lorenor. The mansion has been compromised and is no longer a safe place for members of the Order of N'Jal." The mutant nodded when he heard this and began to put out the candles. A single lamp lit the room that hang on a chain amplified by the black candles that the mutant kept all around him as he worked. Several volumes of books were present around his former position. Also at his position was some food that he was eating, and drink that he sipped at from time to time. The contents of the plate of food and drink were terrifying to think about. Consisting of bits and pieces of local monsters from Concordia Forest, the plate contained meats that were rich in protein and high in calories. The protein rich diet kept Lorenor in fantastic shape. The goblet was filled with dark blood from the same monster species. He sipped at this despite its already cold texture. He didn't mind the taste. Lorenor didn't like to feed from humans, it was a matter of personal taste and a question of karma. People brought bad karma to the mutant whenever he tried to kill them.

"What about the girl?"

"Take her with you to Jadet."

"Why Jadet? Why not Serenti?"

"Serenti is too hostile right now Lord Lorenor. Even for a man of your considerable talents. Our forces had to pull out of Serenti several weeks back. We have to use Jadet. I have contacts there."

"What about you Lord Fairfax? What about the girl?"

"You will take the girl with you. Don't worry about me. I have a score to settle with the Knights of Dawn."

"Lord Fairfax, you intend to fight them on your own?"

"I will use what Spider Magi I have available to combat the Knights and push them back. Maybe even score a victory for our goddess."

"I wish you the best of luck Lord Fairfax."

Lorenor hugged his long time companion and went to prepare himself. He packed up his belongings and readied his weapons for imminent combat. He knew that the Knights of Dawn would be a persistent enemy. Gathering his belongings, Lorenor took his scribed notes and books and prepared his packs. He gathered his weapons with him, an impressive small arsenal, and put them in packs as well. He had several long swords, and a crossbow, he also had several artifacts that were always on his person. He kept those hidden from view. Adjusting his Vlince cloak, the mutant turned to talk to Lord Fairfax, but the old warhorse was already gone from the basement room. Lorenor sighed at that and prepared to take his leave as well.

***************

Lorenor met up with several house servants whilst the fighting was taking place outside. Several Spider Magi intercepted the Knights of Dawn directly and engaged them in direct combat on the streets of Radasanth. Lorenor rushed through the house with his gathered belongings and could hear the sounds of fighting in several of the rooms already. Damn they already got this far in! Nobody had attended to the girl (Krista) because of the fighting that erupted. The streets became hot. Lorenor saw the girl in front of the house and ran towards her direction. He had his son with him, Number 5,325 locked in humanoid form. The youth was in the form of a handsome Dark Elf. With the Golem at his side, the mutant's confidence was boosted significantly indeed. He reached his hand towards Krista in an attempt to wake her up.

"Hey you! We can't stay here. Come with me if you want to live."

[Krista]

Krista looked up at the man standing in the front of her. He was claiming to be able to help her if she came with him, or at least she hoped he was, for all she knew, his statement could have been a threat. She wasn't about to turn down help if someone was willing to aid her, but she wasn't too sure she could trust this man. He certainly looked like the shifty type, and with no eyeballs, he was certainly creepy, but in the long wrong, trust didn't matter. She had to face the facts, even if she knew someone was planning on turning on her, anything was better than getting killed or imprisoned by the soldiers of this place.

Grabbing the man's hand, she attempted to stand up, only to collapse to the ground again from a deep pain in her chest and legs. Running at top speed for around 10 to 15 minutes to get away from the people chasing her had not only brought her to the brink of exhaustion, but had done caused a lot of stress on her body.

After a few more attempts, Krista successfully got to her feet. She stood there, for a few seconds until she was confident enough to take a step toward the mysterious man in the doorway. Even then, she almost ended up collapsing. She had tired herself out a bit too quickly, and it showed. Finally realizing she'd be unsable to run like this, she looked up at the creature in front of her with despair and uttered but a single word.

"Help"

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Bunny of Krista approved)

Meanwhile-

Gathering several of his available work force, Lord Fairfax prepared for imminent battle. His men gathered behind him on the lawn of the great estate whilst eyes leered from shut windows, peeking behind curtains. Lord Fairfax was a gallant individual knowing full well the odds that were stacked against him. The old knight was tall in stature, standing at some seven heads in height. He stood at roughly eight heads in height. His width was thick and imposing, denoting the build of an athletic individual. Despite age, the knight was a physically powerful specimen.

A broad pectoral muscle defined his chest, emphasizing his broad shoulders. His arms were large and well-defined, strapped triceps and biceps bulged through his clothing. Darwen Fairfax wore the clothing of a nobleman; vlince and spider silk were his visible attire. A long flowing, green cloak was adorned with the sigilliums of Lord Fairfax's estate. An amulet rested afore the man's chest, emblazoned with the markings of N'Jal. Appearing as gibberish to the untrained eye, the markings seemed mysterious.

Enticing to the eye, the swirls seemed to have a mesmerizing effect. The old knight had long, flowing, silver hair that bordered on platinum. His forehead and eye socket region were well-defined creating visible ridges where the eyebrows rested. A seasoned masseter muscle wrapped itself around the cheeks of the knight, putting emphasis on the many wrinkles upon his face. Age was visible upon the old knight's face. He was clean shaved and kept his eyebrows meticulously plucked. They were quite thin. The lines on his face were deep as ravines. He had a scar along the right side of his face from this or that battle. It was dangerously close to his eye, but by chance, the eye was spared the lick of the sword.

A squad of roughly six other warriors guard walked behind Lord Fairfax, preparing for battle. Shields were kept meticulously clean; swords were sharpened to a razor's edge. Fairfax eyed Lorenor as the man walked passed the mutant for a longing moment and then turned to face the incoming threat the Knights of Dawn posed. "Battle formations men!" Fairfax called out and the warriors of Lord Fairfax formed a tight battle line behind the old knight as he prepared for one final show. Two of the warriors happened to be archers and prepared their long-ranged weapons for the battle ahead. The tips of the arrows were damascus of color and coated with potent toxins. The two archers prepared their arrows, knocking the bowstrings back. Lord Fairfax's crimson eyes narrowed as he stared in the general direction of the Knights of Dawn.

The bastards are taking their sweet time! Lord Fairfax unsheathed a sword made out of prevalida. Its finely manufactured structure reflected light brilliantly. Symbols were etched along the inside binders of the weapon, going all the way up the thick battle sword. It was a double-edged weapon with several spikes jutting out of either side of the thing. The blade was tempered to a purple color. The hilt was intricate and made out of the ivory of some great Salvarn beast. A skull was the central connection piece for the hilt, which was also made out of the same ivory material. The pommel however, was an attached piece of gold embedded with a quartz crystal at the bottom. The entire weapon glowed with magnificent elemental energies.

The gallant knight's eyes surveyed the battlefield as he prepared for the siege. A knight never abandoned his men. Never abandoned his station. This was the code of the ancient Corone Rangers. Once, Lord Fairfax served amongst the ranks of the Corone Rangers.

As he surveyed the battlefield, Darwen noticed the approaching form of the enemy host. Armor reflected sunlight creating the effect of a blazing halo. Shields were already drawn as the enemy warriors moved into their own battle formation. Magi prepared their spells as they walked, showing years of experience hunting ruffians down. Heavy armor solicited loud noises. The tip of Darwen’s sword pointed downwards towards the ground. Standing at the very front of the enemy brigade was the commanding officer.

Carrying the escutcheon of his order, the enemy commander had a lop-sided grin on his face. He walked with a deliberate arrogance. Wind flowed from the southeast creating a cool and otherwise unremarkable afternoon. Peasants and common folk hurried to their destinations in order to avoid being part of the bloodshed. Staffs were raised high that showed the banner of the Knights of Dawn. These complex markings depicted the sacred celestial images of Althanas' solar calendar. Quite the common symbol, this marking reflected the education level of the Knights of Dawn. The crest was a complex symbol that had several interlocking sections in one intricate piece of art. It was emblazoned with gold and all of the Knights of Dawn bared this mark. Cloaks were emblazoned with the symbols of the Knights of Dawn. A golden sword impaled the writhing body of a large golden-scaled wyrm. Magi wore the uniforms of the wizard. Warriors wore the well-maintained armor that their units were famous for.

The Knights of Dawn were about thirty strong. Messengers carrying parchments from the commanding officers crossed the streets to deliver their parcel. Darwen received an enclosed packet that was written up moments prior, as the Knights were walking in progression towards Fairfax’s estate. As he walked, the leader of the knights dictated a message to a nearby scribe. Handing over the parcel, the messenger looked at Darwen with a haughty expression on his face.

Darwen took the scroll in hand, reading the charges brought against him and his estate. Words were etched upon the parchment in the common tongue of Althanas. Darwen read the meticulously written text quite carefully. Experienced eyes scanned the text on the page slowly. Understanding the gravity of the charges wrought against him, Darwen confronted the situation before him. His eyes met the eyes of his opponent. He took the parchment in his hand and crumbled it with his fist, effectively spitting in the faces of the Knights of Dawn. The messenger saw this single action and his eyes went wide- eyed with shock. Then, his expression became
saddened.

“There will be no mercy for you Lord Fairfax. You are harboring a state fugitive. A wanted felon sought by the crown. You have this one chance to give up both of these wanted criminals and save your lordship.”

“I will not fight for a title for a land that no longer reveres its democracy! The Empire will not last long whilst the Cult of N’Jal stands to fight against its ill doings.” Darwen looked the Messenger right in the eye. “Tell your sire that there will not be any surrenders on this day.”

“You shame your elders on this day.”

The Messenger bowed briskly then took his leave. Darwen stole a glance towards Lorenor’s general direction and saw that the mutant was preparing to leave the manor’s grounds. He had the girl in tow with him. Staring back in the direction of the enemy commander, the old Knight understood what he had to do. N’Jal was the way of freedom, it was the way of accountability. He looked upon the situation at hand with great concern for the well being of his servants. Without them, Fairfax’s title meant nothing.

One of Fairfax’s soldiers clasped the old knight’s shoulder warmly.

“We are standing with you Mi’lord. Just say the word and we shall fight alongside you.”


“I thank you my old friend. Just hold your position when the charge comes and ready your shields.” Fairfax responded. He was expecting a variety of tactics and strategy from the Knights of Dawn, but he didn’t know what to expect from the Magi. The Magi were kept at the rear of the incoming group, but Darwen saw something that worried him greatly. A splinter group broke off from the main brigade and began to pursue the fleeing mutant and his companions. Darwen stole a glance towards the general direction of his allies. Then he returned his gaze to the Knights of Dawn. Several snapping sounds, bowstrings, went off in their direction. The sounds made Darwen grit his teeth tightly as he stared at the projectiles that were launched in his general direction.

“Shields up!” Darwen yelled and prepared his own shield for the first wave of attack.

Raising his own shield quickly, the old knight barely deflected an incoming arrow. He could feel the banging of the steel arrowhead bouncing off his protective shield. Taking it upon himself, he attempted to move towards the direction of the splinter group. Feeling a woosh in front of his position, the old knight met the eyes of the enemy commander. Cold, blue eyes stared back into the worn, tired eyes of Darwen’s face. [ I]If only I was younger. If only I was a few steps quicker, like in the old days. Curse my old bones! He’s too damned fast. No! Get it together old man! Your friend needs you right now. [ /I] Staring at the direction of his charge, Darwen wished Lorenor godspeed. Then, as he turned his attention back to the battle at hand, it was already too late. He heard the sounds of dying men all around him, his own men. Tears welled up in his eyes and he felt something cold in his stomach, something cold, deadly, and sharp.

Get it together old man! His knees buckled. The old knight fell to the floor as he stared at the face of his enemies. “Is that all [ I]Lord[ /I] Fairfax?” Darwen looked up at his enemy, only he didn’t see a warrior wearing the escutcheon of a corrupt deity. “Then by the Will of Lord Draconus I hereby condemn thee to the Antifirmanent and an eternity at the Pyre!” Light. All that Fairfax saw was a blinding light cascading from the heavens and touching his body with its warm glow. It was the last thing he remembered even as his head went rolling across the lawn of his burning property…

Dying dreams left to the sands of time.

-

A single word was uttered from the girl’s lips. Lorenor looked at the companions by his side. They were the golems that arrived in Number 5325’s ship. The golem looked at his surrogate Father, understanding the body language and emotions behind the mutant’s eyes. Number 5325 looked at the girl and made an attempt to reach out for her person. Lorenor’s senses were attuned now, several feet around his body. He could hear things within his supernatural sphere of influence that most individuals missed. His eyes were in a narrowed state. His dreadlocks rested against the top portion of his back. They were on the run now, and Lorenor knew it.

“Take her. We have no time. The Knights of Dawn are come! ”

“What about Lord Fairfax?” The Son asked of the Father. The mutant stole a glance back to their former position, they had managed to cover several feet before he witnessed the death of a great man. Lorenor shook his head in disgust. The Knights were truly despicable.

They claimed to be followers of the All-Thayne but were really war-mongers following Lord Draconus. A hated enemy. “It’s too late. We have no choice but to move on without him! We have to keep moving! ” The golem shook his head in the negative, a cold breeze coming in from the North. Suddenly, Lorenor missed the cold regions of Salvar. In the wilds of the cold northlands, things made sense, life was much simpler.

Lorenor drew one of his prevalida swords and stared in the general direction of the enemy. A small pursuit force had already begun to give chase to the mutant and his companions. “There’s no time to talk, we have to get a move on! Forget about Lord Fairfax, my son, he’s already played his part in the grand scheme of things. Let’s not let his sacrifice be for naught.”

“Daggers on my heart! So be it. I shall carry the girl.” The golem worked quickly to make his attempt at scooping the girl up in his arms. A hefty Drow fellow, the Golem was well suited for such physical labors. He turned to look at his companions. “Suppressive fire in a wide arc! Let’s give them a one for!” With that, their arms shifted from humanoid forms, to their respective golem forms. Weapons colored a sleek obsidian began to rotate at the front portions releasing streams of hot steel on an unsuspecting enemy.

The gatling guns were four in number and spread evenly apart. The golem warriors fired as they moved, keeping a suppressive blast behind the group. Lorenor could see the action that was happening all around them even as they moved. Closing in, the enemy made good ground until the golems fired their rounds. Steel cut through the air glowing with the light of fire. Dirt, walls, and trees were shredded up with tremendous force as the golems fired off their advanced weaponry. As soon as the guns overheated, the warriors had made enough headway.

Covering some distance between themselves and the position of the enemy, Lorenor took the rear of the group. He nodded towards his companions. “I’ll catch up. Continue on to Jadet! ” The mutant relied on one of his most trusted and true weapons. A piece of golem technology, the item was known as a plasma discharge gun. Functioning with the same principles as a wand of elemental energies, the gun contained a charge of volatile powers. Having a large range at this point in its evolution, the weapon was able to auto-evolve as Lorenor got stronger. Staring at the general direction of his opponents, he waited until they were dreadfully close to his position. He could see them at the edge of his sensory array. They shouted things like: “My eyes spy his current position!” ,and, “He is there!” Noisy brutes.

The mutant grinned. Just a few more seconds. Give me just a few more seconds! I implore thee Lady N’Jal. Feeling the charge activating a vibration across his arm, the mutant felt power flowing through his fingertips. Thrusting his arm forward and preparing himself to release the kinetic burst of energy, Lorenor discharged a single, large wave directly in front of him. The blast traveled quickly releasing kinetic hell upon its target. Lorenor was already on the move as soon as he heard the screams in the wind of shock and fury.

Catching up to the golems would be a task. In their haste, they had managed to cover their tracks by using simple methods of backtracking against their own tracks. There wasn’t enough time to be completely careful. Lorenor had to rely on the scents of the frightened girl. The scent of her sexuality. Hormones were thick in the air, and the mutant could taste it. Keeping his emotions under control, the small warrior kept the longsword in his hand.

He ran forward at full speed ahead, capable of maintaining a twenty mile per hour sprint. He saw the golems ahead of him, they hadn’t covered that much ground in their effort to be careful. Running through Concordia Forest was a sure a way to get into all sorts of trouble, but it was better than having to escape through civilization.

Jadet. He thought to himself as he ran. Jadet was a neutral city outside of the jurisdiction of the Corone Empire. There was a slim chance that they could be safe within its confines. Being a port city meant an existing melting pot in place. Races of all sorts ventured oft to Jade being one of the few safe cities left. It was also a way to connect to the rest of the world and Lorenor knew that. He had to be grateful to Lord Fairfax now for his sacrifice.

The mutant tightened his grip upon the handle of his weapon. He ran until the wind burned his face. He ran until his body pumped acidic substances. The mutante was prepared to face anything that came his way. His recent experiences in Salvar earned him his edge, gave him the coldness he needed to survive.

Lorenor was not a Ranger, so he didn’t care to attempt to cover his tracks as he ran through the wild. There wasn’t enough time and he knew it. This was do or die, it was time to leave Corone behind. It was no longer a safe place for the Cult of N’Jal with the Knights of Dawn in full operation. Feeling tears flowing down his face, the mutant let them slide downward, falling off his chin. He had no time to stop. His companions were dead ahead.

And just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse…

“You are surrounded! Give up now and there won’t be anymore trouble for thee!” Several individuals bearing the symbols of the Knights of Dawn surrounded the mutant, and he saw that he was separated from his companions. This made him furious.

“I’ll take snake pits before gallows you cretins! Have at thee! ”

And with that, the Knights of Dawn drew various weapons of death and prepared to engage our heroes.

[Krista]

As much as Krista new that she couldn't do much against the army, to see someone who was going out of thier way to risk thier life in order to protect her gave her the courage to join in the fight. Quickly slipping out of the grasp of the golem who was holding her, Krista tossed a black orb at one of the soldiers. Krista hadn't fired that shot with the intent of actually attempt to fight the soldiers. In fact, she had only fired it off to distract the soldiers so the man they were after had a way to get to where she was. It worked, sort of. Two of the soldiers turned to her, and attempted to slash her, figuring that that would be enough to take her out, and under normal circumstances they would have been correct. What they forgot to take into account, though was that there were golems assigned to protect her.

As the guards drew close to Krista, one of the golems wordlessly picked her up and continued running. Right now, it was the Golems' task to protect her, even though she didn't realize it. Perhaps if Krista had realized that they were under orders to protect her, she would have been a bit more cooperative, but as it was, Krista wanted to help this man out a bit more. Due to the strength of the Golem holding her, though, the best she could do was fire off a few more Black Orbs at soldiers surrounding the man. Despite the fact that the most she could hope for was to tick the soldiers off with this tactic, she hoped that it would serve it's purpose of distracting more soldiers, so that the man could survive, and actually catch up later on. As it turned out, the attack on the guards pulled a bit too much attention, and the golems had no choice but to run to thier destination.

Thier destination in this case was a huge black luxury liner. It's sails were made of some strong intricately woven silk of some sort. It looked quite creepy, somehow. Both of the sails hung from huge black masts that towered over the ship. The ship also had black marble handrails and the wooden deck floor was painted to look like it was made out of the same. There was one thing that stood out about the ship, though, It's figurehead was made of white marble and appeared to be that of a priestess or high priestess of some sort or another. Krista made a mental note of it and decided to ask about it next chance she got.

After finally making it onto the ship, the golems that were with her motioned to her to get into one of the cabins and stood as a wall, barring anyone else from getting on the ship. As Krista headed to the Cabin, she looked back one more time in hopes of seeing the man that had saved her.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Surrounded now, the mutant could see that the Golems knew just what to do. They moved on without him. Lorenor nodded and prepared to engage the Knights in a fight to the finish. Surrounded by the knights, the commander in charged prepared a twisted duel for the mutant. "Let's see what you're made of. Snake pits it is then, fool." The commander was another typical coronian male with blond hair and brown eyes. He was built like a brick house which was no surprise to Lorenor. The mutant pointed with his sword. "Thou art a fool if thou thinkest that thou canst take me on thy own!" Lorenor called preparing to duel the leader.

"Very well then, monster." Lorenor knew, it was a challenge. A challenge on his life. "A duel on your life!" The mutant nodded and understood the terms of the challenge. "Let it be known. If he beats me, he is allowed whatever he wants." Lorenor laughed at that. "Thy confidence shalt prove thy undoing." Lorenor walked towards the commander as he drew a long blade made of titanium. The mutant stared at the weapon for a moment and then at the owner, the weapon was masterwork in quality. It was clearly not a standard issue. Standing back several paces, the guards formed a circle around the two duelists.

"And your arrogance is yours." A handsome lad, the commander was prepared to put it all on the line. Lorenor thought of his friends, he was buying time for their escape. The mutant engaged the commander with a lunging strike to his chest. Stepping to the side, the man quickly parried the attack and prepared several strikes of his own. And so, the dance began. The two exchanged blow after blow showing elegant swordplay skill. Evenly match, the two waited for one another to make the first mistake to exploit. But the mutant was prepared.

A back-up plan, just in case things went sour. He had many options at his disposal, he just had to be ready to exploit. Lorenor continued to quickly parry, after he assumed a loose combat position. His fighting style was rather unorthodox and he held his sword in a diagonal direction, the tip of the weapon pointing down to the ground. It was meant to cover his vitals from incoming attacks, but nobody said that the mutant had to fight fair. He grinned at that thought as he continued to meet the warrior blow for blow.

"You are quite skilled for a freak. I can see that the Monks have educated their bastard well."

"Thy compliments doth not move me! Keep thy words to thyself." The mutant responded, ill interested in the man's prose. He continued to strike and counterstrike, his sword moving as a blur. Many thoughts entered the ghoul's mind. As he observed the warrior, he could see the blood-energy flowing through his vessel like a brilliant lantern in the night. The mutant was letting time pass. Did his friends make it all right? He wondered about that. How would he make it back to the ship? He wondered about that too, there were possibilities.

The man countered one of his attacks and prepared to finish Lorenor off. At least that was the initial plan. Lorenor instinctively called upon the will of the endless. As servants of N'Jal, the creature would respond to the mutant's commands. Lorenor felt the second skin quickly wrapping itself around his vessel even as the sword struck at his chest. The titanium attempted to pierce Lorenor's second hide but the mutant would have none of it. He struck downward on the man's sword and looked him dead in his eye for a moment. "What devilry is this!?" Lorenor grinned "I have thee! Fall bastard!" The mutant held the man's sword down against the ground and prepared an attack of his own. It was a counter that the warrior could not have predicted. Lorenor felt the power flowing in his ring, the obsidian ring, and released the darkness from within. It flowed in a beam of energy as the blast traveled quickly through the air. It singed the air, hungry for humans to feast upon.

Claiming another sacrifice, the dark feasted upon the vessel of the commander quickly. As if millions of tiny claws scratched at the man's head, the blast made a killing blow connecting effectively. "Thou art a bastard! Die!" And so, the handsome man fell. The flesh of his skull eaten away and burned off. Steam flowed from the injury as the dark killed again. The mutant pondered working his necromancy on the commander just in case it came down to it. The gathered warriors gasped in unison. "The commander!" Lorenor's ring glowed with power. He turned towards the gathered warriors, and took the man's titanium sword into his own possession, after taking the scabbard and sheathing. "His sword now belongs to me. These art the terms. Understandeth? I seeketh save passageway to Jadet's harbor district! I haveth a ship waiting for me." A moment of silence. One of the ranking officers spoke up. "We don't have to answer to the likes of you! Get him!" There was a moment of confusion as the guards began to gather their wits.

That was all Lorenor needed. He released the necromantic spell in his possession upon the commander's corpse. He would have to be exact if he was to make it out alive, the will of N'Jal would be done. And, as he acted, a single creature that constantly followed Lorenor around made its move.

[Krista]

As Krista Peered off the boat, she saw more than she bargained for. not only could she see the man who saved her before, but a ton of soldiers on his tail as well. Quite uncomfortable with this situation, Krista decided it best to try to intervene, or to be more accurate, get someone else to intervene.

"Excuse me, but there appears to be somebody who could use your help more than me." Krista said, approaching the nearest golem. The golem seemed to not hear her request, though, as it just stood there. Krista attempted to get it's attention three more times, each time repeating that very same sentence progressively louder, but every time she was ignored. Getting fed up with that golem, she decided to move on to the golems guarding the ship.

"Hey, you idiots! Get out there and help that man!" Krista insisted, pointing at Lorenor. These golems also ignored her request.

"You fools! I said move it!" Krista screamed out in frustration, as she attempted in vain to push the golems, but nothing could budge them. They didn't even react as Krista attempted to push them, because they knew she couldn't move them.

"I've had enough of your Stupidity! If you won't help him I will!" Krista yelled out, getting quite desperate. Since it was the only way off the ship, she attempted to squeeze through the golems to help the man, but to no avail. This act did however get a small reaction from the golems, as they pushed her lightly back onto the ship.

Getting more and more desperate by the second, Krista attempted to cast drain life on the golems to get through, but unfortunately, due to the golems being created creatures, the golems didn't exactly give offLife energy, but instead gave off radiation. Krista held her arm in pain as the radiation started to enter her body. At this point, the golems could tell she was a threat to herself, and one went so far as to pin her to the ground with it's massive strength so she wouldn't do anything else stupid in her desperation.

Two minutes passed before the ship suddenly began to move. Krista couldn't see what was going on, or even if the man made it aboard because there was a golem on top of her. one thing was certain, though, if the man didn't make it, she would be quite upset.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

One of the Empire's soldiers suddenly dropped to his knees as a force of terrible darkness leaped at him from the side. Caught completely off guard, Lorenor's familiar, Figment, acted as a weapon in its own right. The creature worked quickly to take on the new host even as the youth coughed and wheezed, struggling against the force of nature within. But there was no victory that the youth could have. There was no fell spell that the youth could summon and no prayer to an ancient deity that could save him. The Endless were servants of N'Jal and rules were in play that governed the activity of the parasites. And so, the youth's muscles tightened and bulged, and he let out a mighty and savage cry. Strong hands tightened around the weapon at his feet as the warrior rose to defend Lorenor. Letting out a savage cry, the man began to hack away at nearby soldiers that were once fellows. Such was the savagery of the Endless. "Something's wrong with Ricard!" A nearby warrior called as he made his way towards Lorenor. Several soldiers attempted to hold their former comrade at bay.

Swords clanged against themselves as the savage began to quickly make short work of the soldiers' training. The soldiers were trained in military barracks in the arts of war, but were unprepared to face one of their own in battle. They were warriors, but they were not savage killers. It was difficult to turn on one's own companions and that was the level of fell powers that Lorenor commanded at his disposal. Confused faces stared at the one responsible, but one matter lay before them. "Turn your attentions on Ricard, let the mutant go!" And as it so happened, the magic that Lorenor released worked in the commander's body. The necromantically powered engine reactivated itself as a fell corpse warrior. With memories of pain burning through his brain, the corpse wanted only to take care of one particular matter: the need to feed. Lorenor grinned to himself as he saw the dark aura that the creature possessed, it was a beautiful working of the fell powers that N'Jal would grant one of the Spider Magi.

Lorenor hissed in triumph as he turned to leave, only to face the tip of another sword. One of the swordsmen left the group in order to confront the mutant directly. "You did this! Make them stop! Or I'll kill you!" The man hissed. Lorenor simply started to laugh at the warrior. "I am afraid that the gears are already turning. Thou hast no choice but to simply survive if thou can!" Lorenor quickly smacked the blade out of his face and sent a swift kick to the man's stomach. It connected. The warrior hunched over in pain and the mutant prepared his sprint to catch up to the others. With a flowing cloak, the mutant ran at top speed. A nearby sniper prepared his crossbow and sent an arrow flying through the air at the mutant's back. Lorenor heard the whizzing sound, feeling it upon his very skin like a lover's kiss. The mutant felt a second epidermis wrap itself around his vessel and tightened as a form of armored protection. The second gift of the endless at work. Lorenor felt a direct impact at his back, the cloak he wore was Vlince and offered some protection against full damage.

It also served to slightly slow down the arrow as it approached the mutant's back. Lorenor felt the endless writhe in agony when the sharp arrow bolt struck against it. Breaking against its own momentum and force, the arrow shattered into a million fragmented pieces. The bolt fell uselessly to the ground with a small sound. Lorenor ran as fast as his legs could carry him, not looking back whatsoever. All he heard were the screams of his victims as he put chaos into motion. Several zombie warriors were fighting against their comrades as they infected the living. Already, their forces numbered in the teens. Many fought desperately to survive, but a single warrior slipped out of the battle to follow its master to the ship. Lorenor saw the ship ahead, and saw that a long line of passengers was boarding the ship. He couldnt see the forms of the Golems anywhere in the line, they must've already boarded. Lorenor ran towards the people and prepared to make the line, soon after, his companion was standing alongside him. The mutant knew that the endless was -wearing- the body of the soldier before him, but having a soldier of the Empire so close to him was still a discomfort to the mutant.

Soon, he was on the ship and alongside his comrades...

[Krista]

"Get off me!" Krista yelled at the golem on top of her. He was getting quite heavy, and she was having a hard time figuring out why it got on her in the first place. Surprisingly, it listened to her. After looking around, Krista figured out why. The man who had saved her was on the boat, safe and sound. Therefore they knew there was no real reason to stay on her. Still, something was bugging her, and that something was her arm. It was still hurting from when she tried to drain the golem's life. In retrospect it was probably not the smartest thing she had ever done.

"Damn arm." Krista swore to herself. It felt like her arm was pulsing, and the pain was only getting worse. Even with this pain, though, she was quite picky about who helped her. One of the golems seemed to be approaching her, it looked like it wanted to help her, but she wasn't about to risk this. In her mind, it was the golem's fault that her arm was now irradiated. She didn't trust a single one of them. She hated them with all her heart, and if they turned to dust at any time, she could care less. They didn't try to help the man who rescued her, and now she had a serious wound due to them.

"Get the hell away from me!" Krista screamed out in disgust. The Golem hesitated, It wanted to help her, but it remembered that Krista got that injury because one of the other golems had angered her. It didn't dare get near her when she was like this.

Krista used this moment of hesitation to run and hide behind Lorenor. "Look what those... those... THINGS, did to me." She complained to to him. He was the only one she trusted right now.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Exhausted from his battle with the Knights of Dawn, the mutant turned around to see that his kindred were already rising. They had started the process of passing on infections to the living and creating more members of the Forsaken in the process. Lorenor sighed at that thought, he had narrowly escaped his enemies once again. But he knew they would always keep trying to capture him in one way or the other. The mutant turned his attention to the girl now, noticing that she was all right...for the most part. Her body seemed to glow with a mysterious energy that he could not identify. Lorenor turned towards Number 5,325. "What happened here?!" As always, his son turned to look towards the small man and replied with a vivid, detailed answer. "We were attempting to keep the girl calm when she released some sort of an energy drain capacity against us. In the process she absorbed some of our energy into her. This energy is harmful to unprotected humanoids. She needs medical assistance only we can provide her." The Golem said in a matter-of-fact sort of way.

Lorenor sighed. It was always one problem after another. Obviously stricken by the moment, the girl took a position behind Lorenor. Lorenor noticed that she seemed very upset at the Golems. Yelling ensued and the mutant attempted to gather his thoughts. All the yelling and commotion attracted greedy eyes. Lorenor turned to look at several individuals that were approaching their position. One of them seemed to be a big, burly guard of some sort. He was relieved to see that the man didn't seem to be a member of the Knights of Dawn. He'd just about had enough of those pompous bastards for one afternoon. Staring at the girl for a moment he was just about to ask some questions when the man and several cronies caught up to their position. "What seems to be the trouble here?" One of the big men asked. Lorenor sighed visibly. Great here comes more trouble, just when I think I've escaped... The mutant turned towards the ship-guard for a moment and looked at him with a once over. "There's no trouble here." Lorenor said in response and remembered the girl that was standing behind him.

Lorenor saw the mix of expressions on her pretty face. "That girl seems awfully upset sir. If there's some kind of trouble you're bringing onto our ship, we'll make you walk the plank right now." The big man drew a sword made out of dehlar and the mutant sighed again. They all play the fucking hero. Lorenor stood in between the girl and the burly men. They all wore the outfits of civilian sea goers. Stealing a glance at his son, Number 5,325, he saw that the Golems had already taken potential flanking positions. If a fight of some sort broke out, they would all be ready. However, the mutant's concern was the girl at the moment. She couldn't handle herself in a fight, at least not yet. "Get away from that girl." The guard said calmly, ordering Lorenor around. "I told you man, there's nothing wrong. Back off!" Lorenor yelled without meaning to. He stared at the man with a look of aggression on his face. Lorenor's chest was moving up and down with every breath in an excited fashion. His eyes narrowed now as he stared at the group of men. Lorenor would have no problem killing them. However, he wasn't certain that he could protect the girl in the process.

Everywhere that the mutant went, trouble followed close behind. It seemed likely that a fight was unavoidable. One of the Golems, the medic, walked up towards one of the men and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Cease your current course of actions. It is useless to fight against us in such quarters." The man reacted with hostility, and drew his weapon as he felt the weight of the huge hand on his shoulder. The sea traveler swung his weapon in a full circle upward towards the Golem's hand. There was the resounding sound of metal against metal and the Golem reacted with a distinct yell of surprise. After that action, hostilities ensued. Lorenor backed up and stood next to the girl. He kept his eyes on the burly men that were greedily approaching them. Civilians that were on the boat minded their own business and rightfully opted out of the situation that was unfolding. A few curious types stared from a distance. Lorenor held the titanium weapon's hilt in his hand. It formerly belonged to that commander bastard from the Knights of Dawn.

"Prepare yourself!" Lorenor had stopped speaking in the classic common-tongue and adapted a more modern version of the dialect. It was commonly used by sailors and ale pushers. He lifted the heavy weapon so that it was pointed right at the man's chest but made no effort to swing it for the time being. His main concern became protecting the girl. This is going to be a long damned ride. The mutant said as the thoughts of potentially taking this vessel over crossed his mind. With a ship of their own, they were free to travel the high seas where ever they wanted. As the fight seemed inevitable, Lorenor looked at the girl for a moment having no need to stare directly at the position of the burly men. A few more burly men gathered in the crowd and their numbers were slightly over ten heads all together. Lorenor clenched the hilt of his newly acquired weapon tightly and prepared for battle. He spoke to the girl in a whisper whilst the burly men walked towards him and several others walked towards the Golems. "Stay close by to me. I will protect you at all costs. Even my own life." And as the mutant said that, the man with the dehlar sword attacked, sending a skilled strike right at Lorenor's face...

[Krista]

Krista didn't need to be asked twice. She hid behind Lorenor as if her life depended on it, which by all rights, it likely did. There wasn't too much she could do, even if her arm wasn't as bad off as it was. As she saw the fight ensue, and saw Lorenor get cut in his cheek by the man's sword, she knew she had to do something. Picking up all the courage she had, she turned to the captain and spoke to him quite angrily.

"Perhaps you should check to see if there is something wrong before you try to correct it, sir. While I may not be looking too good, it is be no means is his fault, and by fighting him, you are delaying him from helping me. In fact, it is likely that the more time that my injury goes by without treatment, the less likely it is to be treatable. Since you stopped this man from treating me, I must ask you to reconsider your actions and stand down,"

The captain looked unconvinced and asked her the one question she had been dreading.

"If it was not his fault, little lady, then whose was it?"

Krista hesitated. She didn't want to admit the truth to herself, but she had to save this man. Especially since if she didn't, they might come after her next, and in order to do that, she had to admit the truth to herself.

"It was self-inflicted. I did it to myself by accident."

"Is that so? It seems I was wrong about your friend here, but how can you be so ssure he can help you? How can you be so sure those were his plans."

Krista was getting tired of this. All throughout the conversation, the captain kept on fighting Lorenor. This needed to stop, and she knew that without a profound statement, it wouldn't.

"Because, Sir, if anyone is making me upset, sir, it is you. If anyone is causing me pain and hurting me, it is you. So, decide your priorities. You seemed to hint that this attack on my friend was because I seemed upset. If you are to keep fighting, it means you have an ulterior motive, so please, just stop! Cease and desist! Call your men off! I doubt you know anyone who could help me that is nearby enough to be effective. I'd trust him with my life. If you are to continue fighting, you'll be the cause of any more pain that comes my way. Win or lose, You'll be the cause of my pain. If you win, you killed someone I cared for, which will cause me a great amount of grief, and if you lose, you are still the one who forced me to live with my arm pain for so long."

The captain hesitated and finally put away his sword, whether it was because of her or because he knew he was beaten was hard to tell. All his men lay crippled due to the golems, and he was the only one left standing. Apparently, while she had been busy trying to diffuse the fight, the golems were busy protecting her and Lorenor from the rest of the crew.

'Maybe those things can be trusted after all' Krista thought to herself upon realizing this.

With that battle ended, she turned to Lorenor, who she had yet to learn the name of, and spoke in a pained voice.

"Can you please help fix my arm up now?"

[Mutant_Lorenor]

After fighting blow for blow with the captain, the girl spoke up and ended the sudden scrap. Pointing his sword in the general direction of the man's chest, Lorenor waited to see what he would do next. Realizing his defeat, the Captain stared at Lorenor with a visible hate in his eyes. However, the man did not want to die. Looking around quickly, the man realized that his men were all detained by the strange tall creatures that boarded the ship with the mutant. He took a glance back to Krista and Lorenor. More trouble than their worth. "All right, all right." He backed up a few paces keeping his sword handy, then sheathing it in its scabbard after a moment. "You win this time fellow. You're lucky to have such interesting companions with you cause now you're an enemy of my crew. Next time you get out of hand we're gonna toss you overboard." One of the Golems looked at the captain. "That is not a wise course of action." He said calmly. There were four Golems all together and they had easily dispatched a group of about twenty. Seeing that arguing the point further would only bring trouble, the Captain of the ship returned to his duties grumbling under his breath.

Lorenor did not lower his sword until the crew went back to their business leaving the adventurers alone. Sighing, the mutant sheathed his own weapon when he was certain the threat level was contained. Then walked over to Krista and the Golems. "Is everyone well?" He said in perfect common tongue, speaking in a well-educated matter. He looked calmly at the girl having not had a moment to properly speak with her. Thinking about the recent sacrifice of his friend, Lord Fairfax, the mutant's heart was heavy. He was in the mood to draw blood. But the girl had stood in the way of that...she would prove useful. Where as Lorenor moved to make the impossible possible, the girl could serve as a way to bring his logical side back and keep it in check. He saw that quickly. She had a skill with defusing dangerous situations. Lorenor was a reactive individual so having someone who paused before acting around would prove very useful indeed. He looked at the girl for a moment. "We haven't been properly introduced yet. My name is Lord Lorenor V'halkulus. These are my friends, the Golems. And that is my son, Number 5,325." Lorenor pointed at the sleeker looking Golem with black metal as his epidermis. The Golem waved in greeting.

The others nodded and simply took a greeting position of their own. By now, if the ship's passengers had stopped shooting the oddball group stares preferring to keep to their own business. Hearing the girl's questions, the mutant wondered what she was talking about. After all, he hadn't been there during that part of the adventure. He looked over to the Golems' general direction for a moment. His eyes narrowed cautiously. "What has happened?" The medical Golem stepped forward. "We were attempting to assist her when she reacted with a hostile attack to our person. She unleashed some sort of strange power which sapped radiation from our power cores. She is currently suffering from radiation sickness." The Golem said in a matter of fact way. "I can cure the condition but she needs to allow me to treat her. We cannot risk further compromise to our security systems. Such matters may call the Ark to our position." Lorenor barely understood what he was talking about. Having had some exposure to the Golem's advanced technology, he knew what to expect. There were side effects and by-products for such power. He knew. He kept several pieces of Golem technology with him at all times. Turning to the girl, he wore a serious expression on his face. "My friends will not hurt you. They can help you but you must allow them to help you. If you resist it could put us all at risk from their built in security systems." Lorenor tried to explain as simply as he could. "In other words, relax and let them help you." It was not a request.

[Krista]

Krista sighed. She still didn't fully trust the golems, but she trusted the man named Lorenor that was telling her to trust the golems. Besides, the radiation was spreading further up her arm rather quickly, and even she had to admit that if it went untreated for too much longer, she might die. Nodding to show that she understood she walked over to the golem that the man named Lorenor was speaking to and gave a weak smile to it. “I guess I have no choice but to trust you” Krista said as she let the golem take her to the ship's cabin.

Upon reaching the cabin, the golem squeezed her arm to help slow the spreading infection and layed her down on a bed. There was a lot on Krista's mind at the time, so when the golem made an incision into her skin, it took her by surprise. The real odd part about it though was it only stung a bit. After making the incision it was clear what the big deal was about, the veins in the infected areas were oozing with green puss. Her blood in her arm was black as well. The golem looked carefully at it and squeezed her bad veins, dry of all the blood and puss, then took a blood sample from her other arm and, after determining her blood type, pulled out a needle of blood of the same type as hers and set it aside.

The Golem then proceeded to stitch her arm closed with a needle and thread from it's first aid kit and then used the needle of blood it set aside to replace the bad black blood it took out of her. Afterward, the golem wrapped Krista's arm in gauze and made a sling for her, then lightly tapped Krista to let her know she could go now. Krista walked out of the cabin, and up to Lorenor as she tried to get used to her arm being in a sling.

“I think I'll be fine now.”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Once that whole ordeal was over with, the mutant was looking at the ocean. Krista returned to his person and the mutant nodded towards her. She was patched up now and that was the first order of business. Relieved to see her well, the mutant smiled in her general direction. Placing a hand to his chin in deep thought, Lorenor was relieved that his comrades were capable of dealing with the situation.

"Your good health relieves me." Lorenor said. "I am glad that you will recover just fine. You're a tough one."

Lorenor turned to look in the general direction of the captain's cabin. "Come with me, I have a matter to discuss with the Captain."

Assuming Krista followed him, the mutant walked over to the captain's cabin. He looked in the general direction of the door for a moment and knocked thrice before entering. Lorenor heard some muffled grumbles from inside the chamber and someone answered a few moments later.

"What the hell do you want? Crew's busy right now."

"I wish to speak to the captain." Lorenor called.

"Who are you?" A gruff voice responded in return. "Not just anybody gets to speak to the captain. Captain's a busy man!"

"My name is Lorenor. Lorenor V'halkulus." Lorenor said in response. "I have a message for the captain." Then, there were whispers from within the chamber. They knew it was the man that the crew attempted to accost earlier. Lorenor could hear an exchange occurring from within. It was taking too long. The mutant didn't have time for their code of conduct, so he knocked thrice once more. "This is important! I wish for the captain to set a new course!"

Gasps from within, more time was wasted. Lorenor was not going to sit for this, so, he kicked the door in. Being oak, and considering Lorenor's strength, the mutant was able to do so with some degree of effort. Knocked off its hinges, the door fell flat on the floor and revealed several men belonging to the ship's crew looking at the mutant wide-eyed. Also, the ship's captain had a sour expression on his face. Gruffy men, most of the fellows had beards and were build for the hardships of life at sea. Lorenor counted seven men including the captain. However, due to his experience, the mutant also counted the captain as five men, maybe more. The captain probably had a few worthy tricks up his sleeve to keep this seafaring group of scoundrels in check. Standing up, the Captain folded his arms across his chest. In a nearby chamber, the first mate was handling the ship's wheel. The mutant had no idea how sea-fearing technology worked. He guessed this ship had its origins in Alerar. Lorenor walked over to the captain and wore a grim expression on his face.

"I am the one that Lord Fairfax was going to send your way. Our purpose is simple, we seek passage to Antioch!" Lorenor explained. "Something of grave importance to me is there."

The crew laughed at Lorenor's words. "Antioch's just a myth. You're wasting out time lad, go home. This ship is my home, I will not be bringing the Civil War from any land upon it, understood? Now, if you don't have anything else to say, you'll have to--"

Lorenor reacted suddenly by punching the nearest crew member across the face. It was such an unexpected movement that the man was knocked out right away from the clean strike. The rest of the men began to draw weapons, but the captain signaled for them to stop. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Lord Fairfax has fallen! I will be heard!" Lorenor was clearly frustrated by now at what he was witnessing. This was Lord Fairfax's personal ship. Lord Fairfax was an ally! "I have this!" In his possession was Lord Fairfax's favorite heirloom item. And when he was able to produce it, the captain's eyes went wide with fear. Lorenor watched as the man sat down on a nearby chair for a moment, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"So its true, Sir Darawen has fallen! Then that means that Fairfax Manor is now confiscated by the Knights of Dawn?" The captain asked.

Lorenor could only nod. His face was cringed up with emotions at the thought of being unable to prevent Fairfax's death. "They came suddenly. We suspected it was a betrayal from within our own ranks. There was no way that the Knights of Dawn should have known our location there!" The mutant said, attempting to explain the situation.

The captain listened. "What more news do you have?"

"I have this." Lorenor procured the maps and the documents necessary to finding Antioch. "In my travels in Salvar I stumbled upon a location where I stole these documents from. They state that Antioch is real, and there are exact coordinates. I found documents written by Lord Morian himself! We must make the trip to Antioch!" Lorenor declared, closing his fist tight enough that it shook.

The captain listened with wide eyes as he looked at the maps before him. "Is this real?" The man asked. "Are you sure these are not forgery?"

"N'Jal herself has told me that this is her will." Lorenor said calmly. "And I swear upon the validity of these documents on my life! The coordinates are there I just need a ship and a captain brave enough to take me there!"

"We will make history by rediscovering the location of Antioch!" Lorenor said passionately and extended his hand forward. "Join us!"

"What will I get in return?"

"Are we negotiating?" Lorenor asked.

"Of course, I am a businessman! This is too grand a pursuit to pass up, this could be just what I needed to obtain The Glory!"

"I can pay you five hundred gold pieces now, plus another one thousand gold pieces once we have reached Antioch safely." Lorenor said. And there was a twinkle in the man's eye.

"One thousand five hundred gold pieces? You got yourself a ship. Though you being who you are, I would have done this free!" The captain got up and shook Lorenor's hand. "By my honor I shall see that you are taken safely to Antioch!"

----

A time later, the shores of Antioch stood before the ship. A great deal of time had passed since Antioch last stood on any known maps, but the coordinates were correct just as Lorenor had said. The ship's crew gave out a mighty cry of victory as they prepared themselves to depart for Antioch. Antioch was an ancient land with many mysteries, it was a land of powerful Necromancers and powerful dark magics. Lorenor had journeyed so far to reach Antioch for one specific reason: to train under Morian himself. It was rumored that Morian and Xem'Zund had some sort of connected ties to one another. Antioch was a large island of many climate zones, forests, and swamps. Largely, Antioch remained unexplored. Lorenor and his Golems, and Krista patiently waited for the boat that would embark to Antioch's beach area. The mutant had sensed a great deal of danger. Soon they were on the boat and on the way to Antioch. Lorenor turned to look at Krista with a smile of triumph on his face.

"We are both outcasts from Corone. Mayhaps this land will welcome us with open arms. If not, we can always become Kings of Haidia." Lorenor said with a soft laugh to nobody in particular. The Golems were busy with scanning detail. "But I digress. Have you ever been to Antioch? I have once or twice in my life. It's a very interesting place. It's similar in some respects to Dheathain, and in others it's quite the temperate zone. It's a harsh land filled with a wide variety of regions." Lorenor paused. "Her people are extremely religious and Necromancy, Umbramancy, and other shadowy practices are common place there. It is a place where Undead flourish...so we must be cautious." Lorenor said. "When we land on shore, stay close to me. This is a dangerous place. And our target goal might not take too kindly to us arriving..." He was of course, referring to Morian. "...Regardless, we have to try." Lorenor said. He turned his attention to the approaching land mass of Antioch....

...At last, they had arrived.