The discovery of the lost... (Solo)

[Elite Optic]

Along the coast of the Berevar, the icy cold had blanketed large portions of the coastline with a thick layer of frozen sea. The wind continued to blast the inland with its unrelenting freeze, unforgiving and tiring anyone and all that lived upon its land.

The small village of Brin sits quietly by a frozen over inlet, the large bay lays low against the sea line while rising quickly onto a series of cliffs and tall hilly slopes, yet stopping short of an mountainous region. The short homes were built to be tough against the weather, thick pine wood covered in a series of blankets and furs to help block out the cold.

A few men dressed in huge overcoats of thick fur return from a long days travel, every inch of them hidden from view beneath the thick fur for warmth, their face only visible by a distorted mask with small eye holes to see through the torturous weather. As much as the weather hindered them, there was still a spring in their step as they entered the village, a final spirited push as they arrived back home to an expected praise.

The doorway sprang open as the men rushed in and with great haste shut it behind them, leaving the rushing wind for the still warm air of the shelter they called home. The two men huddled around t he burning fire stood up and turned to greet them, a nervous look upon their face, but a hint of hope and intrigue as they men de-robed. Chucking their heavy clothes down in the corner of the room, the leading member stepped forward with a large parchment.

"By the gods we've found it...we really found it!" He exclaimed with great excitement.

His bulging cheeks shining with the greatest smile he had found in a long time, he prepared to explain his new found knowledge with his three colleagues lined up behind him; each eager to show off their finding. Quickly they stripped down to their lighter cloth clothes as the men hurried to sit around the table. Laying out the large paper flat on the table and propping the corners with small rocks to hold it still they marveled at the sight of the ancient writing.

"We pressed it upon the rock, and used the chalk to rub out the etchings in the stone. It was much faster than trying to write it." Himlen explained.

"Besides without you Fhader, we don't even have the slightest idea what it means." Irwen said expectedly to Fhader for some answers.

Fhader rubbed his beard as he inspected the ancient writing, it was definitely the era he was looking for, but it looked strange. Something wasn't right, it was all jargon and rambling that made no sense at all.

The group looked concerned as he failed to hide the confusion from his face, the tired but eager eyes were desperate to find something of value, they needed it, they needed a prize after all their effort. Fhader slumped back disappointed, after all his research and preparation he could read none of it. The group sighed together and slumped back on their own chairs, they had wasted another long exhausting trip to find nothing but what appeared to be a wall blocking their path.

"We shouldn't just give up lad's, this is a promising up lifting moment, at least we've made a step forward!" Himlen spoke as if to raise their spirits.

"Maybe, but we have fallen behind the Grockel's once again, this was supposed to be our chance to beat them once and for all!" Derll said rather disappointed.

Fhader, still slumped in his chair browsed his eyes down at the paper, adjusting his glasses and wondering just what exactly they had found, but then as if to have a moment of miracle Fhader's eyes lit up in realization at what exactly they were looking at.

"WAIT!" He blurted out in shock. "Were looking at this the wrong way around!"

Dashing around to the other side of the table it all became clear. How could he have been so stupid as not have noticed, not only was it looking at it upside down, the paper was the wrong way. The group quickly with a brighter excitement removed the rocks and flipped the long page, and before they knew it, everything was becoming clear.

"Would you look at that!" Fhader's voice lisped as his old blue eyes began reading the page.

This tomb is sealed with magic, and whoever opens this door to the living world will only bring death upon all those who are witness to its rising.

Here lay's Marcus Heroptic, sealed and trapped for eternity, to be lost in the past to ensure of its future. Here lay's Elite Optic, the soldier of death, the knight of hell and the destroyer of worlds. Pray from a distance, wish you had not discovered this door and return to your life.

Do not open this tomb, you will die. Do not open this tomb you family will die. Do not open this tomb for everyone will die...

Do not open this tomb...

The group had all fallen silent, Fhader's words were frightening, and their hearts raced with a mix of nerves and excitement. They had found what they were looking for, they had discovered the tomb of Marcus Heroptic, the great soldier of the Althanas army over 10,000 years ago. Very few authentic ruins and knowledge remained of those times, stories and history passed down through the ages, but so much forgotten, so much lost.

"So what does that mean?" Derll asked. "Are we going show people this scroll and then end it here?"

"You have got to be kidding me? This is the greatest discovery in the history of Berevar, nay Althanas. We need to collect artifacts, we need to collect proof of our discover to take back to Corone." Fhader's face lit up with wonderment as he removed his glasses to look at all of them around him.

"We did it..." Himlen muttered.

"WE DID IT!" Irwen shouted in reply.

The group jumped around like a group of monkey's, the excitement too much to contain as they celebrated together, the cold outside a forgotten memory, the hardship of what they went through worth every small meal, every bruise and broken bone, every last step of travel. They had discovered what no one else could and they had beaten the other groups to it. The five of them: Himlen, Fhader, Irwen, Darll and Watt, they were legends in the making.

[Elite Optic]

The night passed with much celebration, alcohol and talk of the future. They would be heroes upon their return to Corone and nothing and no one could take that away from them. The weather outside, while still freezing cold had calmed, the wind only light, the sky clear of cloud and the hot summer sun shining brightly in the sky, the snow would melt slightly, but never enough to clear the view to the soil beneath.

The snow still thick on the ground, the sea still solid with meter thick ice, and the docked boats still lodged in the harbour until the summer sun was strong enough to melt it for their release. Berevar would never be cleared of its frozen landscape, but arrival and exit from the shore could only really be made in the summer. The group had toughed it out all winter, and nearing a year of expedition today was their day that it was all worth the hard slug.

Irwen's recovering eye's opened, he had passed out on top of all the coats, a fortunate place considering how cold the floor could be at their feet. He rubbed his bald head, the few remaining hairs now sticking up in the air as he tried to flatten them out. Himlen chuckled to himself as he ate his breakfast, his rough face smirking as he watched Irwen worry himself over a few stray hairs.

"Your bald Irwen, why should you care for a few strays?"

"I must take care of what I have left..." Irwen replied and yawned with a mighty wide gaping mouth. "Why are you eating at the table of the parchment?"

"I am not!" Himlen laughed back as he took another bit bite of his sandwich. "Fhader has the parchment."

Irwen got to his feet and stretched, his bulky presence a lot less fat since his arrival last year, the trip had been favourable to his weight here. Fhader sat by the warm fire, still burning, though much smaller now its fuel became low. The short wooden stool's left surrounding the fire in a semi circle, while a few beer glasses lay toppled on the floor by the stool footing.

Irwen took a seat beside Fhader and raised his eyebrows in greeting, to which Fhader nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are you ready to see the site?" Irwen asked excitedly.

"I am! I will enjoy matching the writing up, and seeing if there is anymore to discover!" Fhader couldn't help but describe with his old hands as they reached around before him as if touching the tomb walls. "I am very excited to see this!"

"Ha, did you stay up all night re-reading it?" Himlen called across the hut.

"No I was too drunk, but now you mention it, pass it over!"

"I don't have it, you're supposed to have it?!" Himlen shouted back.

"Now is not the time to joke!" Fhader responded as they all raised to their feet.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Himlen raised his voice once more, his ginger hair and blue eyes looked even more infuriated at the accusation. "I distinctly remember I gave you the parchment, as well as the directions to the tomb."

They fell silent, each confused and unsure of where exactly their most valuable, important and prized possession had just disappeared to. Fhader removed his glasses and stared at Irwen as Himlen followed suit, each man turned red with a rising anger, and being the only other one awake, their accusation was going his way.

"Well don't fucking look at me?" Irwen shouted back. "Ask Derll or Watt!"

In a great panic the group awoke the others, "Where is it?!?!" They panicked and pranced about the hut, all searching for the elusive piece of paper. Throwing coats, bags, boxes and chests about the large room until it became obviously clear that there was nothing, it wasn't here. They had lost it as they boozed last night, and they were too drunk to remember doing anything with it.

"Wait wait.." Watt shouted as he waved his hands about to get everyone's attention. "Were forgetting the most important thing here...What about the Grockel's...We were so loud last night, we didn't think about anyone overhearing us."

"Oh shit..." Himlen immediately began to put on his coat. This was unacceptable, and he would have to go confront them about this, it had to be them, it had to be a thief.

The group had never moved so fast, throwing on their fur coats, arming up with their swords and charging out of their hut. The village of Brin was quiet, too quiet for this time of day, neither the wind or the people of the village seemed active. Himlen looked up to the sky, the sun was still rising towards midday, so it wasn't that late, and apart from a few people on the village edge by the harbour, their neighbouring hut's of explorers were just way to quiet.

Himlen charged downhill, his feet sweeping through the shin high snow, clearing white after white as he marched towards the Grockel brothers hut. They would be punished for this, he would slay them down if he had to, they would be punished for cheating. The group closely followed, trying to keep up with his malevolent speed towards the Grockel's.

Arriving at the door, Himlen didn't bother to knock as he shoved his gloves into the doorway and prised it open. The poor weather weakened locks giving way to his sheer brute strength as he forced his way in. Ready to shout and point the blame he dived in without care, potentially foolish in his approach, and yet the door flew open to find an empty hut, their supplies taken, evidently gathered and taken out before a journey.

"This doesn't look good." Irwen said scratching his forehead nervously.

"I hate it when I'm right." Watt muttered depressingly.

Himlen in a rage booted a chair across the hut, the crashing wood smashing into the wall as his fit of rage physically peaked. "I will not accept this, I will not allow a bunch of thieving bastards such as the Grockel's take our findings, our treasure, our glory."

"I can find my way back." Derll spoke up suddenly as he leaned against the now ajar door. "I don't need any map or instructions, I plotted this route in the first place, my map is clear in my mind."

"Are you sure?" Fhader asked surprised but hopeful. "It's a big ask."

"Absolutely." Derll replied brimming confidence with his proud smile.

Himlen marched forward towards him, staring like a mad man before his expression calmed and he wrapped his arms around him with a proud pat on the back. "Then let us waste no more time here...The village of Brin only cares for those strong enough to brave it's wintery world. We now give chase to them bastards!"

The group had never gathered their bags so quickly, protected from the weather to come, they would travel light while the weather was at ease. So focused on their goal they marched off without locking the door, without taking all the food they could and without double checking they had everything they needed. A foolish attitude as they travelled back off into the wilderness of snow, rocks and trees, but pushed on by a desire so strong that they would fight through any conflict that dared stand before them.

[Elite Optic]

The group pushed on through the snow, pacey and easily through the light, and slowly with great difficulty through the deeper, but they would push on nonetheless. Himlen led from the front, the cold unable to deter him as his fur coat trapped in enough warmth to continue. They had travelled far while the wind was timid, the snow did not fall and no sudden storms delayed their approach across the hilly landscape. Yet inevitably it wouldn't be much further before they would hit a wall; a fifty foot high wall with no rope.

"Ah crap..." Himlen shouted out. Their travel through the snow filled pine forest had taken them as far as they could go, and now the huge cliff they had traversed the other day stood before them once more, in a much more daunting manner.

"Where is the rope?" Darll shouted as he looked along the cliff top ledge, confused to if they had come out at the wrong spot.

"Wasn't there a large rope here? It was hammered into the wall to avoid us having to travel around. I'm sure it was here!" Himlen shouted out frustrated.

Everyone paused; a quick breather was worth the wait and well needed. Darll walking along the cliff base kicked at the snow, shifting portions of it to see what lay beneath besides the rock they stood on. Then sure enough, something moved as he kicked across the floor, the weathered and torn rope.

Clearing more snow it became apparent the rope had been pulled away from the rock face, the large iron nails and wood constructed here to help make a climbing point had been destroyed by force. Nothing of human strength had done that, no one would make this land even more difficult to traverse, it just wasn't logical.

"I fear what may have done this, this is inhuman, and makes are journey longer than it needs to be."

Darll looked up and dropped the broken nail he had retrieved. His frightened eye's searching the tree line for something, but there was nothing to see. Simply layers upon layers of snow and trees that continued for many miles behind them on their journey. If something else was out here, it wasn't waiting by the cliff face anymore, it was somewhere out there, it was something hidden amongst the snow.

The cloud cover overhead slowly began to over the sky once more, and the wind finally began to pick up, a potential snow storm was coming, and at the very least, a howling wind that would make walking around the cliff a great deal more difficult that it needed to be; the group had a decision to make. They could pause here, make a shelter till it calmed, but in doing so would waste a day's travel, or they could continue and make haste towards the tomb that they so surely needed to reach.

"We have been travelling for many hours, but we are still an hour maybe two short of the point we wanted to make base. I say we continue or potentially lose a whole day’s travel to a storm." Darll explained. “I believe the further we get, the better.”

"I agree." Himlen nodded. "We've walked through many storms before, it's worth the risk."

"And what if this turns into a mighty storm, the land above is flat, their no shelter until we reach our destination. This place is rather sheltered." Fhader protested as he gestured to the trees and cliff face.

"I must agree with Fhader." Watt stood by his mentor.

The group all looked towards Irwen, the short bald man not used to being the decision maker, but it had come down to a vote after all, his view was as important as everyone's.

"I say we go on, there are not enough cloud's to deter me from continuing, I think this is nothing but a breeze."

Fhader nodded reluctantly, they would continue in hope that the storm would the hold off and they could take the slightly longer journey to their planned rest stop, a small but well placed cave a short distance in from the cliff. First they needed to find the steep and rocky path up the cliff side, a dangerous necessity that took them up the sheer drop, with icy ledges and thin walkways, it was usually a last resort but in this land nothing was easy.

The walk to the climb wasn't actually too far, but it was a dent in their plans for a quick journey. The cold wind occasionally threatened to peak with the odd gust between the still air, and clumps of snow eagerly fell from the branches of the over weighted pine trees. Their experience would be important here, with the blankets of white covering almost everything, a novice would easily get lost, yet the use of the cliff face on their left helped a great deal.

It would only be a matter of time before something would break the peace, but while the clouds threatened to amass over them, it was not the weather that finally shattered the peaceful trip so far. Himlen brushed past the low hanging branches of the pine and stared ahead. The deep blue iced path stood prominent as it climbed up the fifty foot cliff before them, the ice frozen into a clear dark blue hue that lined the ridge that would be their walkway to the top.

Himlen wanted to push on, but suddenly reached his arm out behind him to halt the others, any chatter quickly stopped as their eyes fell forward to their potential path. A large white beast lay before them, almost invisible against the snow, but for its long slow sleepy breathing. A large ball of fur that looked rather innocent, and yet the untrusting personality of Himlen knew otherwise tan to believe such a creature here would be anything but a predator.

“What is it?” Irwen asked curiously as he peered beside the tree trunk.

“I don’t know.”

“What’s going on?” Fhader inquired from the rear as he poked his nose over to the front. “What…what is that?”

“There are many things hidden within the snow of these mountains, some that no one knows…”

"This could well be what destroyed our climbing apparatus."

The group gathered beneath the large pine, the calm stillness of the setting suddenly felt frightening, and the mystery of what they had laid their eyes upon hosted all their nerves. The white fur rose up then lowered in a constant gradual repetition, how much of it was thick fur and how much was sheer size was not clear, but it looked big, and the slight hint of grey skin beneath seemed to only help let the mind wander to what really lay beneath.

“Let’s kill it while it sleeps!” Derll suggested with a whisper.

“No…” Himlen disagreed. “Let us go around. We need not waste our energy and health on such dangerous matters. If we can just get up the pass without waking it, then we save ourselves more than we can gain from killing it.”

This time there was no need for a vote, the facts were simple, they knew nothing of what it was, or what it could do. They would be taking a serious risk to attempt to kill it, and their lives could well be at stake. Himlen led from the front as always, walking in a much more delicate manner than before, his thick fur boots sliding over and into the snow to create clear steps for them to follow. He shuffled ever so slightly to ensure they were firm; they couldn't afford anyone to slip and fall over, not now, not this close.

Walking sideways with their hands clear of one another and their footsteps mirrored, their teamwork looked faultless. Each carefully keeping a spare eye on the sleeping beast which remained curled up between the rocks, lying awkwardly between the men and the climb.

[Elite Optic]

Irwen was more nervous than he expected, his brave exterior hid away the frightened beat of his heart as it raced quicker each time he laid eyes upon the sleeping beast. He had agreed to go up last in line, Himlen leading as usual, with Derll, Fhader and Watt between them. Knowing not only that he was passing the beast last, but if any of them was the slip up in any form of the word, he was in the worse position to escape. Despite this, he wouldn’t shy way or moan, he just cautiously kept his hand firmly on the leather wrapped hilt of his sword; prepared for if the worse should happen.

Watt looked down nervously as they began climbing, heights were never his favourite thing, and now he stood upon a slim ledge as he went higher and higher, his mind let loose the very concerns he feared most. His boots, like everyone else’s, were no normal boots though, and the toes of his thick boot were armed with short but sharp metal spikes that stabbed into the ice for excellent grip.

It made for steady progress, and yet the heavy fur coats continued to get in their way, their bulk brushing against the rock, and the few hanging strands getting in the way of their feet as they crouched low to ledge floor.

"Stand up!" Derll said frustratingly to Watt as he moved on too slowly.

Watt looked up, Himlen's red hair looking more distant by the minute. Taking a peak behind himself, the group piled up, each head looking up at him wondering why he was taking such a long time. Derll's irritant eyes met his worried gaze before he faced forward once more.

"Stop looking down, stand up and walk. It's not a race, but if you keep crouching and stopping I'm going to kick you off!"

In an attempt to take on board his advice, Watt steadied himself as he rose to a vertical stance, taking a deep breath he stepped forward, his legs shaking with nerves with each hesitant footstep. Yet, he was doing it, and his nervous stutter turned into a laugh as he stared up at Himlen as he waited a short distance ahead.

Yet as a little confidence relieved him, the ice cracked beneath his feet, swinging out his arms he latched onto the best grip the wall offered.

"What was that?" He panicked.

"For the love of..." Derll, in all his impatience suddenly slipped the ice cracking once more as he fell forward landing face first on the ledge. Derll let out a huge of relief, thankful he didn’t fall any further but for a small chunk of ice that split off and began to roll down the fifteen foot they had climbed. Bouncing sporadically off each rock as it tumbled out of control and then to the worst luck they could imagine; taking one final large bounce and landing with a pain inducing thud on the cloud of fur.

"Oh shit..."

The unveiling of what the creature really was, and if it was indeed able to attack them from where they were; could it scale the cliff? Irwen didn’t even draw his sword, confident he was high enough to be safe, and to his relief as it stood up with its back facing them it was clear it wasn’t tall enough to reach. Yet the giant white fluffy creature became rather frightening as it exposed itself. Its long grey legs, bulky and tough skinned. Its arms were lankier without the same muscle, but bore distinct predatory claws. Bearing past wounds and old scars, the creature was not a fledging of its kind, and with its waking stretch its claws appeared to extend slightly as it loosened itself up.

Its nose twitched as it rose its head clear of its fur; the long protruding face turning to find the source of its disturbance. Something they had never seen before, its skin seemingly dry and rough, while its long jaw was reminiscent of a reptile with its teeth protruding from both above and below. Then, as they watched in an almost admiring gaze, its yellow reptilian eyes focused up the cliff and latched onto the nearest traveller.

Irwen jumped as it made eye contact with him, what could this thing do? Would it him if it had the chance? Ushering the group on Irwen’s nerves began to show and the group’s careful movement became sloppy and unorganised. The creature, as tall as any of them, if not a little taller, began to lick around its teeth with its extended tongue, the saliva preparing its taste buds for a potential meal, it wouldn’t be passing up this opportunity.

To their shock, the creature cleared the snow and began following them up the precarious ledge, but showing considerably better balance and dexterity the gap closed dramatically. In all the panic Irwen was the one who finally slipped, it appeared inevitable as they crowed up impatiently behind Watt, and the thin ledge gave way to Irwen’s footing. Crashing down the rock face Irwen practically slid down on his back, hitting and taking with him a few loose rocks before crashing into the snow below.

He hit the floor with a loud thump, the pain was intense, he might of broke something but he was unsure; he had not time stop and think, he had to drag himself to his feet and draw his sword. He rose to his knees, the wind knocked out of him, every inch of his body aching, and his head lightly throbbing. He had bashed his forehead upon landing only to be saved by the soft pillow of snow, but with rocks clearly visible to his right, he was lucky.

The outcry of the beast finally echoed over to him, its belly aching for a feast, and Irwen was it. It’s mouth gaped wide open as it dropped down to the floor with its arms and impressive claws ready to strike a deadly blow. Irwen pushed down on his knee to rise to his feet and then aggressively drew his sword. Glaring back at the beast as it charged him, he swung out in front of himself yet rather awkwardly, hit nothing but thin air. The creature crouched low before rising forward in a powerful shoulder barge, its arms flailing outwards as they connected with a heavy impact and sent Irwen a good few feet through the air before landing again in the snow.

Himlen had watched from further away, and yet was the first to react to any real degree as the others failed to manoeuvre away from their vantage point. Being sure of foot he rushed down the narrow path as best he could, holding the rock face when possible but using his momentum to continue towards the others, Irwen had just crashed face down in the snow, but this time the snow beast was lurking to move on top of him.

"Move!" Himlen shouted as he reached the group.

Fhader glared back up to him."Crikey! We'll all fall if we're not careful!"

Himlen gritted his teeth, there was no time to meddle about up here, Irwen did not have long left. He looking down the slope before him, it was a daunting prospect to slide down and how Irwen was still able to stand was beyond words.

"Hang on Irwen!" Watt shouted as he kicked the ice and rock at his feet enough to release a small hand sized piece.

Wrapping it tightly in his grip he tossed the small rock down and onto the creature and shouted aloud as he made contact with the rear of its head. It yelled out in a deep but disturbing wail as it glared back up at them, thankfully the rock was enough to deter it's attention as it faced them once more.

Himlen saw his moment and pulled out his doubled etched blade, his family name engraved within the steel, he made a small silent prayer to it before turning the blade upside down and holding it within both hands.

"What are you doing?" Fhader questioned blindly.

Himlen jumped. The leap was nothing spectacular, no world record of which to boast, but the height was a serious factor, and the outcome of his attack of great importance. He leaned forward, pushing outwards with all his might as he focused on this target below. The creature, unfazed by any of them didn't back off, a foolish move had it been a more intelligent being. It simply looked up, its jaw gaping, it claws forward, and it leapt up to meet as Himlen crashed down upon it.

They collided with a mighty wallop, the beast catching Himlen in mid air before they crashed backwards into the snow. Himlen, unable to stop himself flew overhead, his grip on his sword unable to hold as he dropped into a roll through the deep snow. His left leg, had it a mouth, would be screaming, the pain was intense and he roared himself as he tried to take in the throbbing pain. Yet holding his leg off the ground he dragged himself to his feet, the beast and the snow taking the majority of the force during his fall, and he limped over to the corpse.

A stream of red blood poured from its chest, still mostly obscured by the fur it looked rather odd, but its limp arms and unfocused eyes remained deathly still. His blade, protruding from the bloody wound, marked the body like a grave, and the wintery sunlight glinted off the base of the blade like a signal to the end of battle. Himlen stared down at his engraved name and smiled; he was alive, better still, they were alive.

[Elite Optic]

Himlen turned to Irwen and hobbled over, the pain already reducing as he kept the weight off his left leg. Irwen sat up clutching his stomach as he winced, then noticed as Himlen’s arm reached out to him. They linked hands as Himlen pulled him to his feet, the two injured partners of battle stood together while they took a moment to recover. Himlen laughed a deep chuckle as he found their predicament amusing while Irwen looked bemused as he brushed the snow from his beard.

“What on earth are you laughing at?” He questioned as he continued to adjust his coat and pants.

“You realise you nearly got killed by what I can only describe as a giant sheep.”

“What?” Irwen grumped as he glanced over at the corpse before wandering across for a better look. It’s grey skin and limbs, its lengthy face and long jaw, all before a big white fluffy fur coat that looked like wool. Himlen was right, it did look like a sheep.

“Well, that was one big fecking sheep…It was a mighty beast it was!” Irwen tried to describe.

“Let us call it a Weresheep!” Himlen mocked. “It’s like a Werewolf but considerably softer.”

Irwen’s jaw tightened and his lips pouted as he felt the urge to shout, only to finally see some amusement in the situation. “Ok…It does kinda look like a sheep.”

Himlen placed his arm over Irwen’s shoulder as they shared a good laugh, it was time to continue on their journey, albeit a bit bruised.

This time there was no creature to disturb their journey, and upon finally climbing the cliff it didn't seem such a big drop once up high. Certainly death worthy, but for the amount of time taken to clear such an obstacle it didn't feel worthy. Finally they entered the long flat plain and the wind picked up as expected, with no trees or large rocks to break it up, the open iced plain made for a windy, cold and lengthy trek.

The tall mountain peak in the distance was their goal, the thickest mountain on the skyline before them and with nothing but a giant glacier to traverse, the land could not have been more barren if it were a dry desert. They moved in a line, huddled close together with a small rope tied between them; as long as they had this, not even the falling snow could separate them. Thankfully the snow would remain gradual and after some time spent walking they eventually reached the more rocky lift that would form into the mountains.

Himlen had remained at the forefront of the group, leading as always, he pushed the group out of the bland flat land and onto the rocky surface. There was something surprisingly reassuring about the more difficult terrain, while it was harder to navigate, it was evidence they were getting somewhere, unlike the vast nothing they had just passed. A small but welcome cave appeared before them, it was hard to say it looked similar to them, but Himlen recognised something about it, they had stopped here before.

"Come on!" He waved them towards him.

The wind howled into the small entrance, so low down they had to crawl and while it wouldn't be comfortable to go in on their hands and knees it did open up inside. Himlen crawled in first, his scabbard dragging along the floor beside him, the dim tunnel unclear to what really lay inside of it, and yet Himlen did not hesitate to enter such a place.

The other's trusting in his decision followed, if not a little more cautiously. Yet, as they arrived inside, the dim tunnel was a much larger cave; one which lit up considerably as the sunlight reflected off the ice to create a fair ambience. Himlen smiled as he removed his face mask, the cold no longer blasting against his face, he followed the wall until finding a large engraved line, scratched into a H for Himlen. He smiled as he felt pleased with himself, somehow he had navigated right back to the same cave.

"Why is it so light in here?" Fhader asked as he admired the ice walls that shaped to form one fairly well sized round room.

Irwen made himself comfortable on a portion of rock he could use as a seat. "When we were here last time, we found that the ceiling and walls are all ice. So the rock itself is somewhat deeper, who knows how deep you could go if the ice were not here?"

"There's a hole through the rock above where the ice has filled in." Himlen explained. "It stops the wind but allows the sun to illuminate the cave."

It looked impressive as the faded blue of the ice shaped through each crevice and hole, forming a room that allowed them such sanctuary. Yet Fhader was not as convinced as the others as they relaxed for a well earned break.

"The walls looked chipped, like this was carved to form such a room. I do not believe this is natural, someone much have cut it out themselves."

"Whoever did, they are long gone Fhader." Himlen responded confidently as he leant back and closed his eyes.

Fhader didn't openly disagree, but in truth they was no evidence to suggest when this cave would have been carved out. Was it human? Orc? Elf? Or worse, he wouldn't be able to find out right now, there were no corridors or additional rooms to search, just one empty room, big enough for them to rest as the day drew to a close.

He stared back at the entrance they had crawled through, the howling wind occasionally calling to them, but the question that ran through his mind as he stroked his rough old beard nervously, was to if something else was also using this cave to rest at night. Were they truly safe? The others seemed to think so, Himlen, Irwen and Derll had been here before and they all trusted in Himlen's word. Fhader would move furthest away from the entrance, if he wasn't going to complain about it, then he would at least ensure he was furthest away from danger.

In all their eagerness to get here, were they forgetting the dangers of this tough land? They had been so excited to find an ancient tomb, but the tomb itself was not their goal, it was what lay beside it that they required. Ancient knowledge worth thousands, nay millions, and it could all be theirs. Did the value of their treasure outweigh the potential dangers? Fhader hadn't grown his grey hairs without gaining some experience; he knew he had to slow them down before something happened.

[Elite Optic]

The night passed without any problems, no murderers in the dark, no creatures coming out from the snow, and while the wind was still howling it had lessened considerably. Watt awoke to a big stretch, the hard rock floor was far from bed of the year, but with his fur coat to keep warm and his bag as pillow it was better than nothing. He was last up, the group already eating some of their small rations as breakfast. He sat up and pulled his back to his lap, the tough hard wearing bag a series of knots and buckles to keep everything inside safe within its strong exterior.

He shuffled through his items; the large canteen of water, a small pick, brush and his few personal belongings. One a small statue given to him by his wife to ensure his safe return from the cold wintery weather that was Berevar. He pushed the enlarged head of the figure to one side as he reached in a little deeper, he had to lift his own book and pen to reach his food that had been kept safe within the confines of the base of his bag. Essentially a small top locked box sown into the bottom of his bag to create a rigid storage compartment for his food.

He tucked in; his bread sandwich with a double slice of meat was all he needed to silence the rumblings of his stomach. It wasn’t the tastiest of sandwiches and a bit dry, but when he was this hungry, it was delicious. The group weren’t waiting around, gathering their belongings and letting out the final morning stretches it was very quickly time to move. Having gobbled down his sandwich, he tired up his bag and exited last out of the tunnel.

Crawling across the cold icy floor, he pulled on his gloves to save his fingers, the surface rough enough as it was cold. The wind howled around his head as he moved down the tunnel, the light of day now clear before him and a friendly hand reached down to help pull him up to his feet.

“Come on you slow git…” Derll smirked while helping him up.

Watt had never gotten used to this land and felt useless, he had taken too long to find his feet with the others, often afraid of its many features and not as strong physically he was certainly the silent once of the group. Derll had mocked him in the past, but it was Watt’s planning and prediction to where they discovered the tomb, and when they got there he could finally be of a more vital worth.

Still, they would have to get there first, and led by Himlen under Derll’s direction, they marched up quickly, rising with the land as they climbed the mountain slopes. There were no path’s to follow, no well-trodden routes or safe walkways of which to follow to their destination, and the further they travelled, the more hours that passed, it seemed bizarre that Derll could remember where he was going through the vast blankets of mountainous snow.

“Come on…we must be lost…” Irwen shouted as he paused for breath. The rocky mountainside they navigated was nothing more than rock, snow and more snow. No visually recognising features and no landmarks of which to orientate themselves. It was depressing that all they could see was a blanket that never melted and would slowly increase in size and depth as the sky seemed to fell even more upon the land.

“No…” Derll replied confidently. “We’re exactly where we want to be.”

For the first time since their journey Derll took the reigns as he dashed across the rocky hill, kicking snow into the air with each step forward before he finally came to a stop. The snow covering right up to the edge as the mountain floor suddenly disappeared before him; a sheer drop of many a thousand foot. To his right the mountain continued to rise, while before him, the long expanse of rock face that formed the western ridge of the mountain, leaving below a deep snow filled crevasse between that of the two mountain sides.

No man could traverse this, and any sane man would turn away from such a frightening sight to find another route. Yet Derll's eyes leaned along the ridge to a small path, almost unnoticeable accept Derll's eyes were as keen as any, sharp and eager to find something beyond that of the bland grey rock and white pearly snow.

His eyes gazed along the cliff edge and then to its hidden walkway that snuck around the sheer drop, it was hard to say it looked familiar, but he recognised its apparent dead end, the fact it appeared to go nowhere was exactly what he wanted to see. They waited for his instruction as he wandered close to the end, the overhanging ledge requiring a brave sole to walk so close to it. Then there it was, the awkward and difficult to reach ledge; hardly an actual path, old and rickety as the majority of it had long since crumbled and fallen away. Yet, regardless of its state and danger, it would be the most important walk they would make.

He had made it before with Himlen and Irwell, but now it was time to show Fhader and Watt, and the result of doing so was well worth the wait. Shoulder to shoulder they moved along the path, too thin to face forward as they shuffled along sideways, the occasional rock being kicked down into the oblivion below. Watt felt his knees go weak as he tried to steady his breathing, holding his bag tightly to his stomach and trying awfully hard not to look down.

They all had to take it slowly, even the brave Himlen took his time, he would use the excuse he was watching Watt, but in truth he would take the path no quicker. The white abyss below didn’t look as terrifying as it should, but no amount of snow cushion could save them if they fell, and it was a mighty relief as Derll the first of the group arrived at the cave entrance.

He stepped in quickly to distance himself from the ledge, his heart still racing with nerves as he cleared the most dangerous part of their journey. Irwen quickly followed before Fhader finally slipped himself inside the cave.

“Such a big entrance for being so inaccessible…How on earth did you spot this?” Fhader asked walking around in the dark as Himlen and Watt arrived behind.

“Well, if it was out in the open it would have been found by now, so I was thinking outside the box.”

The large cavern entrance was more than just an old cave, it had been carved to form a large room, the rock chipped away to form stone pillars and arches as if to hold up the ceiling. Yet, it was all for show, an ancient décor littered with symbols and small writing, most unreachable above them, and yet they needed no ladder. Fhader, providing he had his glasses, was a walking dictionary for the ancient culture of Althanas, and now the muscle had discovered their treasure, he could go to work on the translations.

[Elite Optic]

Fhader's mind raced with excitement, ancient wording lay upon many walls and rocks about the cave, and he could translate it all, he could bring it all back to humanity. Only Watt besides himself understood anything written before them, and as himself and Watt relaxed into their ideal, he lay his eye's upon the very rock Himlen had etched into the paper for him.

Propped up like a tombstone the writing ran down it like a page of paper, the carvings still like new, untouched and undamaged. This place they stood in, it had been unseen for years upon years, and everything besides the bit of cold, lay unmarked and in remarkable condition.

This tomb is sealed with magic, and whoever opens this door to the living world will only bring death upon all those who are witness to its rising.

Here lay's Marcus Heroptic, sealed and trapped for eternity, to be lost in the past to ensure of its future. Here lay's Elite Optic, the soldier of death, the knight of hell and the destroyer of worlds. Pray from a distance, wish you had not discovered this door and return to your life.

Do not open this tomb, you will die. Do not open this tomb you family will die. Do not open this tomb for everyone will die...

Do not open this tomb...

The words rolled off Fhader's tongue as if he had read it a thousand times, it was beautiful to him and there stood before them were the large stone doors of a sealed tomb. Nothing could ruin this moment, clear as day, two large stone boulders pushed together to form a closed door. With nothing but a single hole marking them, a lock that could only be opened by a certain special type of key.

Watt clutched his hip pocket as he noticed the lock, his fingers pressed against its contents, a tomb key of the undead. Only himself and Fhader possessed one, they had come at an expensive price and only now did they feel worth the money they had spent on them. The Key of the Undead, made from what appeared to be a mix of bone and steel, could only be used once, disintegrating into dust upon use.

Himlen wandered across the passageway and past Fhader, the ground fairly even for such a cave, but only so at the entrance as he began to look down the long dark passage they expected to travel. The roof as well as the floor appeared to flow more in sync with the mountain, nothing was flat, and little looked carved into its surroundings. In traversing this cave they would have to be a little more careful with their footing as the path degenerated into a wonky stalactite infected corridor. No more flat pathways, no stairs of which to walk, but a greater treasure hidden in a deeper tomb.

"We need to light the torches if we wish to continue." Himlen explained. "Our tomb lies beyond here, deeper but safer than opening this monstrosity."

"You call it a monstrosity, I call it beauty. A time when the undead literally destroyed humanity. If people and Elves alike think that Raiaera is in a bad place, they have seen nothing yet." Fhader in all his excitement acted like he feared nothing, the cold no longer subdued his enthusiasm for the adventure they had enrolled upon. "When we have retrieved the treasure, when we have our names written in history, we can come back here, to this place, and find out what other secrets Marcus holds. The thought astounds me to what could be in there."

"Yeah, well we'll talk about that later. For now, it would appear our mapped instructions to get here, were too good. There's are flickers of light down there, and I bet I know who it is."

Derll stepped forward to look at the faint flickers of light. "Then let us sneak in the dark, we've been loud enough as it is, let us not enlighten them to our presence here."

Therefore in an attempt to remain rather subtle, they moved single file into the darkness of the long cave passage. Using the stalagmites to steady themselves upon the wonky surface they carefully took their time, moving in silence as they approached the flickering light of the burning torches.

Some sort of chatter became clear as the murmuring voices echoed into a more clear conversation. The angry voices of the Grockel's arguing soon became their only focus, not quite shouting at each other but stuck in a deep conversation filled with disappointment and failure. Himlen watched from around a particularly large Stalagmite, keeping himself shrouded in the shadows as he inspected their situation.

There was six of them with their tools and bags laying astray on the floor while their arms waved in the air as they seemed frustrated at their lack of planning. The large cavern they resided in again had a flattened floor, but it looked damp with an array of puddles littered about the place. Three large tomb doors stood before them, each with a small statement etched into the frame of the rock above the entrance. Himlen looked back to Watt who stood closest to him and urged him across silently.

Slipping across the awkward, slick flooring, Watt held onto Himlen's hand for position before leaning over to view the writing. They could see everything from their position, and yet were hidden from view perfectly, Watt scanned the room and noticed the first tomb door ajar before leaning back beside Himlen.

"Well? What does it say?" Himlen questioned impatiently.

"What does what say?" He whispered back.

"The writing over the doors, you great pillock!"

Himlen almost shouted at his stupidity, what other reason would he be pulling him forward to view the room for? Watt took another look, it was rather simple, short ascending words; he knew exactly what it was.

"One, two, three."

It didn't really mean much to Himlen, and he frowned in disappointment having expected more. Were they to greet the Grockel's and go from there, or should they go in all blazing and aggressive? They had to decide quickly for they crouched within the only entrance to the cavern and it would only be matter of time before they were discovered.

[Elite Optic]

They were outnumbered, and it had become clear by watching them in their frustrated state that they had not only swords, but crossbows. Already armed with iron bolts and prepared for trigger release at the first sight of danger. They all looked better prepared than themselves, the thick warm coats laying on the ground, while they now armed themselves with a range of light leather armour.

They had to think hard before making this decision, Fhader and Watt themselves weren't even fighters. They could defend themselves to a degree, but they were not a skilled swordsman or muscle raging thug. Thus it was six versus three if they were to get confrontational. Yet the choice was the be taken from them, the raging Grockel's soon noticed the movement behind the rock, and the game of hide and seek was quickly over.

"Who goes there?" The largest of the group shouted holding up his old long sword, its shiny hilt still glistening under the burning light. "Is that you Himlen? Fhader...?"

With crossbows raised the armed men waited patiently, as far as they were concerned they held all the cards, they stood before the tombs they desired and they had the most men, they didn't need to move.

"Alright, alright." Himlen replied. "Were coming out."

Slowly and hesitantly the group stood up from behind the large stalagmite. Disappointed that they had failed miserably in beating the Grockel family in any sense of the word. Fhader's hands raised high above his head, and Watt followed suit as the other three simply walked with no sudden movements until they all stood on even ground.

It quickly became clear that not all was well within the camp here, the smell of death was in the air, and the group appeared to be actually sweating after an incident. Their crossbows lowered and the group gradually, given their tense moment felt more at ease.

"What happened here Narlen?" HImlen questioned as he tried to peer towards the open door, the eldest of the Grockel family standing firmly in the way. Scratching his bald head and rubbing his chin in distress as he wiped some sweat from his face.

"I lost my son...To this place, and we were lucky it was only one. This door...This tomb is rigged to which one of my sons is pinned against the wall by a rock like spear."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Fhader replied sympathetically as he finally lowered his arms.

"We cannot remove him without chopping him up, he's pinned right through chest, and worst of anything...That was out only key."

"Well maybe if you hadn't have stolen our stuff..." Himlen accused them outright rather foolishly.

"How dare you..." He stared back angrily as everyone's weapons raised once more to one another.

This time Himlen, Irwen and Derll drew their own swords as the group, seemingly surrounding were ready to fight to the death.

"It is one thing to steal a parchment of paper, and another to lose a son....Give me your key...Give me your key and I'll let you live."

It was a threat meant in the most serious manner he could give, with his eyes straining almost bloodshot at Fhader.

"We could just kill you all and take it...But I'd rather we no longer lose any more life."

Himlen felt raged inside, the only nerves holding him back was for fear of his colleagues lives. He knew he could strike him down before he could raise his own sword, but those crossbows were primed and ready, and someone was bound to get hurt, seriously hurt.

"Wait!" Watt shouted. "Let us not fight...I'll give you our key, and we can share the treasure!"

The man smirked arrogantly, that was exactly what he wanted to hear, they had a key, and the small weakling of a man was carrying it. Watt naive to the man's true objective reached into his fur coat pocket and pulled out the key. Holding it between his fingers it appeared constructed by finger bones before shaping down into a metallic protruding key.

"Do you know how dangerous this landscape is?"

"Of course..." Watt replied.

"It means I can kill you and no one will ever find your body out here...Meaning I could kill you in here and then throw you off the cliff entrance and no one would ever know. Thank you."

The twang of the crossbows went off, one after the other to a devastating effect. Instantly piercing the fur coats of the group, and Watt suffered horribly. The iron bolts struck right through his chest, he shook violently and spat out blood as it ran down his front, his life ending before his prize, and the key he held so ambitiously within his fingers fell to the cold floor with a light echoing clang.

Himlen roared in anger as he stepped forward with a bolt lodging itself into his shoulder, however it would not be enough to slow him down. Through the pain he erupted outwards with a mighty swing of his blade, and Narlen raised his to meet.

It wouldn't matter how skilled Narlen could have been, the powerful swing from Himlen smashed into his sword as it knocked it his blade clean free of his grasp. He grabbed his wrist in pain as the shock of the impact jarred his hand. He was defenceless and Himlen raged forward another step as he slashed down upon him from above.

Narlen rolled backwards, taking a shallow cut along his shoulder before rolling clear of the attack. Another bolt struck Himlen in the gut, hindering his next attack as he peered down at his wound. Dropping to his knee he ripped the bolt out of him, the pain too immense to remain standing as he almost fell flat on the floor.

Irwen and Derll went to work, outnumber but not outclassed as they struck blows on the Grockels. Irwen made short work of the first reloading man, his crossbow not jamming but taking just too long to reload as Irwen stepped into range and thrust his sword into the man's throat.

Fhader dropped to his backside, the sight of war was something he hoped not to see, and their adventure had turned into a fight for their lives. Not from a creature as he had first suspected, but by more men, eager to steal the achievement that they had all worked so hard to find.

Bolt's continued to fly, and blades continued to clash as Fhader crawled back up the rock to the passageway. Turning to see what was behind him, He watched the men began to gather towards the open tomb, their defensive position simply too strong for them to get around, Himlen bleeding profusely backed off, his hobbled walk a difficult struggle to retreat as Irwen and Derll defended his position.

Inevitably though, another bolt was to hit, not Himlen but Derll, stabbing through his skull and hitting dead centre in his brain. He collapsed with a sudden thump as Irwen injured his chasing counterpart in the leg. He gripped Derll tightly in his left hand as if to lift him, but the dead weight of Derll did not flinch, and it was only then that Irwen looked down to his friend.

If the bloody hole in his head didn't say it enough, his glazed over eyes did, open and staring up at Irwen, not by focus, but by direction. His eye's felt the urge to water, and it was then he knew he had to let him go.

Another bolt clattered on the rocks over Irwen's head, he was lucky and he had to move immediately. Scrambling the rocks with his sword in hand he managed to get behind the Stalagmite's as the remaining three retreated.

Narlen stepped out from behind the tomb door as the Grockel's reloaded. Stepping over to Watt's body, he reached down and picked up the key. With a large greedy smile of content, he turned back to the closed tombs, he had what he wanted and he cared not for who had died around him, it had all been a ploy to get another key; and it had worked.

"Well, I am interested in guessing at which door to open next...In the meantime, go after them, they have nowhere to go and may be carrying something else of interest."

[Elite Optic]

Maybe it was fate that Fhader now stood before the tomb of Elite Optic, the very words he had read earlier engraved in the rock beside him. He knew they could just flee to safety, but some had already fallen, adventurers that weren't really fighters; they were historians.

What madness had overcome the Grockel family, what crazy thoughts had possessed Narlen to do what he was doing. Maybe they were about to overtake Fhader as he stood there before the locked tomb door, holding the final magical key.

Irwen with Himlen's arm over his shoulder marched up the steep passage, using each carved rock step and stalactite to help push himself up towards the exit. Looking ahead of him he came into view of Fhader staring at the door, before quickly pushing the ancient metallic key into its grove to unlock it.

A loud echoing crunch erupted from the doorway and the door jolted a good six inches but then stopped. Fhader jumped back nervously to the sudden shift in the large doors bulk. He had chosen to go in, he had chosen to open the tomb regardless of the cost; he had already lost some of his friends, why stop now?

Pushing himself into the gap Fhader tried to push the door open a little more, his individual strength lacking and failing to open the door any wider.

Irwen paused with the injured Himlen, staring across at Fhader as he tried to open the door.

"Come on!" Fhader shouted desperately. "We cannot escape in our condition, and to where? It'll go black of night before we are able to find any resting place again. Were dead if we go out there...Now help me open the door.

Irwen wanted to refuse, he wanted to ignore him and escape outside. But, inside he knew Fhader had a point, could they really escape to safety out there in the cold wind and snow? Probably not.

Helping Himlen lean against the wall, his blood still pouring from his body, Irwen knew time was short. Placing his back against the rock he pushed out as Fhader pulled as aggressively as he could muster. The door slide open a little further, then a little more allowing them enough room to enter. Fhader charged in, not looking behind to see Irwen and Himlen enter, for now he was exactly where he wanted to be.

Irwen literally dragging Himlen into the room now placed Himlen in a crouched position against the wall. It wasn't comfortable, but he didn't have a choice. Then, a loud shuffling of stone as the tomb door shut and the light breeze that followed them in came to a halt. Irwen looked up at the solid door, he wasn't going to be able to move it now, they were trapped inside and only the echoing sounds of their own footsteps could be heard within the chamber.

Fhader stood in excitable bliss, a little nervous but rather enchanted by the fact he now stood within the Tomb of the long forgotten relic that was Marcus Heropic. The room was perfectly symmetrical, a bust of a handsome man sitting on opposite sides of the room, both facing inwards. The small pillar carved pedestals stood in each corner, each containing a stone bowl that once held wood and flame. Now only ancient black charcoal remained, and yet each bowl tilted slightly towards the center.

Then an arch, carved not with words or symbols, but neat and smooth reach the enter of the ceiling before pointing down into the rooms epicentre. Here sat the long grey tomb, covered in dust and old webbing, longer than any normal man and sealed with some sort of mortar that filled the groves of its; design. This was no fancy tomb of beautiful decoration, this was not a man they celebrated, but a monster that had been locked away for good.

Fhader approached the tomb, seemingly unconcerned with the fact they were trapped, he brushed the thick dust of its surface the reveal the small engraved writing.

Sealed and encased, as protector of the kings wealth and legacy. This is his punishment, for he shall never see the light of day, nor the fires that brought him back to this word; again.

"Help me push this open..."

Irwen hesitated, now kneeling beside Himlen who coughed up blood as he tried to breath.

"I need not know what you think you're doing!" Irwen shouted.

"Come on Irwen, we can raise him, all we need do is break the seal of his tomb...Let us avenge them!"

Irwen leaving Himlen's side grabbed his axe as he stormed over to Fhader, gripping him around the throat and glaring at him as if to strike him down. How could he act so casual to his friends deaths? How could he assume opening this tomb would do any good, it was ancient myth and legend, gold there was but giant skeletons and magic he wouldn't believe.

"Why are you angry at me? I just want to avenge them..."

"Himlen's not dead yet...We could still save him!"

"HOW?!" Himlen shouted across. "I'm a dead man..."

Irwen dropped Fhader and raced back to his friends side.

"You are loyal my friend...but these wounds are mortal...and there is no healer or doctor here. We are already...already trapped here."

"I do not wish for you to perish my friend."

"Neither do I want to. But only the idea of opening that tomb is left...What else can you do? Open that door? Take them all on...Fhader can't even wield a weapon properly...Open the damn Tomb Irwen, give the old crazy bastard a chance."

Irwen stood up as Himlen coughed a hard painful cough once more. Irwen didn't like seeing his friend like this, but he did not truly believe anyone would raise from that coffin. There would be a skeleton inside, but that of a dead man, not a living soldier of death.

"Come on Irwen, strike here...under the lid, if we break the mortar, we could push this lid off together! Just think, if were gonna suffocate in here, if were gonna starve to death, let's do it knowing we at least tried to see what was inside of this coffin.

Stepping back towards the coffin, he held out the large axe in both hands, staring at the mortar, imaging how pointless this all was. Then holding it out in a sideward's position he swung in the axe with a hefty blow, crashing into the underside of the coffin's stone lid and watched the mortar chippings fly.

[Elite Optic]

It had taken many swift attacks to chop off the mortar and the chipping of stone and crumbled mortar lay strewn all around the old tomb floor. Fhader stood excitedly, each strike was a touch closer to him being able to open the casket.

"It's done..." Irwen huffed finally dropping the axe on its end as he took a break. It had taken many strikes to reach this moment and the axe now felt rather blunt. Yet well made it was far from broken, enough to make Irwen feel it was worth keeping by his side.

Fhader stepped in, again his old frame was unable to budge the lid of the coffin. Irwen watched for a moment, the desperate look on Fhaders face, had he gone mad? Irwen shook his head disapprovingly, but knowing Himlen agreed with this moment, he stepped in the push it open. It took a mighty push, as both men together heaved from the same corner to utilize their strength; it wouldn't have moved otherwise.

The grinding of the stone felt deafening as it rang down their ears and shook the still air. The lid slowly twisted , rotating as its end gradually moved over the edge. Then, after a few moments exhaustingly pushing, the weight shifted and the lid slid off onto the floor on its own accord. The crash it sounded was almighty and Irwen covered his ears as dust flew into the air as it broke into multiple pieces.

They all coughed as they waved their way through the cloud of bellowing smoke, their lungs tasting the age old dust that hadn't been disturbed in centuries. Fhaders face, now black in smoke was not discouraged as he wiped his eyes clear of the dust particles and then marched over to the stone casket.

Irwen peered over, still wafting the air clear as he watched Fhader peering down into the open box. The few moments of silence passed as he awaited some form of excitement. Some comment to suggest their effort was not in vain, but instead he just stood there, watching.

Irwen couldn't wait anymore, and walked across to look into the coffin. A pile of bones, large, massive in fact, but no living corpse of a man who would defend the jewels from thieves.

"Great...What a waste..."

Fhader collapsed in a heap on the floor, his back to the tomb and his head in his hands. Had it been too much to ask? Or had they simply believed to much of the myth of Marcus Heropic and his resurrection as a living skeleton.

"Himlens dead..." Irwen uttered depressingly form across the room.

He punched the floor in frustration, his friends had died and yet he remains here, likely the either starve or suffocate within the room. Though strangely the air did continue to feed them, maybe there was another air hole or another entrance?

Fhader wanted to cry, the tiring effort this had all taken, the years they had searched and now everything before him was crashing apart into nothing. His life had been a waste if this was it, what a dire situation this was. Yet as he felt the urge to sob growing, the tomb behind him trembled, the ground shook and the dust just starting to settle began to shake once more.

"What...what is happening?" Fhader exclaimed as he stood up and backed away from the shaking coffin.

A cold bone hand reached out, gripping the side of the coffin and squeezing tightly knocking a few crumbling pieces of stone down the floor. No muscles or ligaments to hold it together, just bone that seemed to magically stay together. Ever more dust seemed to erupt from the coffin as the large skeleton sat up from its slumber.

Elite Optic stood up tall, towering over the two men below, his eyes nothing more than burning flames, his body nothing more than bone that lacked any form of vessel or armour. This was no man, this was a real monster that the stories of old told of, Marcus was no longer the man he once was.

Elite Optic clenched his right fist, then his left, failing to acknowledge the two men trembling before him. He reached down and collected the long blade that had been buried with him. This was not his sword, this was not one of his belongings; this rusty old sword was a relic, but not what he had battled with before. His armour, his weapons, his crown from his head. It was all gone, and somehow while missing any facial expression at all, as his eyes burning with a light soul of white in the centre, he displayed a rage that Fhader could understand.

"Where the hell is my bone sword...WHERE ARE MY BELONGINGS!"

Fhader fell backwards, having to adjust his glasses in the process he raised himself back to his feet as Elite Optic stepped out of the tomb for the first time.

"I will find you new belongings, new weapons of which to fight with...But I have raised you, I have pulled you out of this prison and brought you back to the real world, I am your lord and saviour!"

Irwen did not move from Himlen's side, he didn't want to leave his dead corpse with no place of which to rest. Now the ancient being now stood before them, something Himlen didn't get to witness, he was so close.

"Who are you?" Elite Optic's voice questioned with a deep rough tone that shook the very walls of the room. "Do you work for General Arelius?..No wait...I killed him...Yes...Then who the hell are you?"

"I am Fhader, and I alone have resurrected you, I broke the seal that had locked you within the tomb. We are thousands of years from when you existed, everything you knew is gone or has been saved as a relic, but they are only statues and busts of long forgotten men. I researched you, I looked for you, I found you!"

Elite Optic looked over at the two men in the corner, one alive, staring across at him. Then looking back at Fhader as he stood rather confidently before the giant frame that was Elite Optic.

"Then if what you say is true, you had my gratitude Fhader."

Beginning to walk away he stepped over Fhader and pushed the giant stone door open with much less of an effort to what it had taken the two men to open it.

"Wait...You owe me, you owe me a debt for saving you."

Elite Optic turned to face Fhader once more, having opted to leave, maybe it was worth listening to what he wished for. After all, he would still be trapped without him.


"I desire to leave this place...What gift can I possibly give you besides allowing you to live."

"There are men deeper within the tomb, they have killed my colleagues, they have begun to steal your treasure."

"Tis not my treasure, what good can gold do me now?"

"Gold runs everything in this world...But they spit on your tomb, they desecrate your history by destroying this place. They must die."

Elite paused for a moment, if he could smile right now, he would have. The most he could muster would be a drop in the jaw, but he would look like a gaping idiot. Maybe this Fhader has a point though, if this place was as old as he said, if he had been shut away for all this time, these fools were ruining part of his past.

"Alright, I'll grant your wish. You point them out, and I'll end their miserable lives."

Gripping his large sword, he held it up close for inspection. The handle rattled slightly, but the blade was massive; appropriate for his size. The rust covered the majority of the blade, but its end was sharp and still deadly. It felt a shame it was single sided, but with his strength it would cleave a man in two with ease.

"I shall dub this sword, the cleaver."

[Elite Optic]

Sitting rather relaxed against the cold rock wall Narlen rubbed his nose, the little sniffle getting on his nerves, but with no tissues his forearm would have to do. The eldest of his family wandered rather concerned into the room, and Narlen raised his eyebrow sceptically.

“I’ll be very disappointed if you advise me of a problem…Son.”

“Not a problem as such father, but the group sealed themselves within the other tomb…So we can’t get to them and they don’t seem to be able to get out.”

Narlen dropped the old cup he had been holding onto, having so much within reach made one such item with little importance. It would all be his soon.

“Sounds dubious to me, but if they are no problem then I won’t complain. It’s too late in the day for them to travel now.”

They both smiled at one another before embracing in a long proud hug. They had tirelessly worked to get to this place, cleverly stolen with some expertise the map and keys and all that was left was for them to return home in the morning.

Then two soft footsteps followed the larger echoing of a much larger figure began echoing down the passage to them. Narlen smirked to himself, what games were those fools trying to play? Whatever it was they were wasting their time, for the battle was already over.

“Hand yourself over to die peacefully Fhader!” He called out. “There’s no need to drag this out any longer.”

Fhader did indeed step out of the shadowed corridor first, adjusting his glasses with his now more confident hand. The shaking he had felt earlier was gone, so were his nerves, and all that was left behind was the smug expression that now covered his face and a confidence that they would all pay for their crimes.

No one really moved, with Narlen barely acknowledging his confident induced stance as he looked down at them. His leg’s spread fairly wide a part, and then pointing his hand towards them with a sinister smile that the shadows could not hide.

“Them, kill all of them!” He shouted.

Then stepping out from behind Fhader; the enormous stature that was Elite Optic walked into view. The silence remained as the dirty white bone of the Skeleton stepped into the room, baring his lengthy sword; the Cleaver, his burning eyes focused on the men before him. He was already enjoying this, the look on their faces, terrified into muteness and frozen as if paralyzed by fear. If only they could have seen his real face, the splendid smile that would be covering his face would have been the scariest of all.

Elite held out the two meter long Cleaver blade, the rusty sword ready to be stained in blood like a thirsty vampire. Without uttering a word he slashed the blade across the first man of the group, a young man dressed in a dark blue overcoat and cloak. He didn’t move, the blade slashing through his arm and upper chest, turning his blue attire into a merging red mix of blood and cloth.

Narlen yelped like a stray dog, the first of his sons had been cut down by what he could only describe as a monster from the deepest depths of hell. The young man’s arm dropped to the floor, separated and gory to behold, then he himself followed the momentum of the blade as he twisted to one side and collapsed on the floor.

The large crevasse now within the ribs of the young man struck further terror into their hearts, the group split indecisively. Some panicked looking for an escape while others attempted to pick up their weapons and fight.

Narlen's brothers raised his crossbow, launching a triad of bolts at the giant as he reloaded as fast as possible. Elite laughed, a deep bellowing laugh to the amusement of such a pointless attack, and yet the inset panic did not allow him to think so normally as he continued to attempt another reload.

Elite pounced forward, the heavy jump shook the cave upon impact, slicing downwards his blade cut straight down and through the rib cage of the reloading brother. Joining his fellow kinsman on the floor, the body count of rising.

Narlen had no words, for what could he really do? How had Fhader produced such a creature, and worse how could he control it? One by one they quickly fell under the power and fear that was Elite Optic, blood covered the walls and bodies covered the floor until only Narlen stood before him.

"Fhader...call it off!" Narlen shouted to Fhader, the hope clear in his eye's hat Fhader was a better man than him.

Yet, to his dismay Fhader just stood there, staring down at him as Elite Optic approached within striking distance.

"You believe he has any say in what I chose to do?"

"Then please..." Narlen dropped to his knees. "Have mercy upon me, I won't take any treasure, I won't mention you existence. I will leave here a failure, my men died in the snow!"

Elite crouched low to him, staring with his burning red eyes as if to show him a glimpse of hell. He would not spare him, this was his only promise to Fhader that he would comply with and besides which, he could do with the practice swings.

"I don't care for this...treasure. I don't care for your plea. I won't be hidden within here for long. You simply...amuse me."

Narlen's jaw dropped as Elite raised back to a full up right position, before raising his sword and then slicing downwards with his most brutal attack. The blade crashed into Narlen's skull and sliced viciously right down the center of his body until it struck the floor. His body, split in two, even Narlen had to turn away from the gore that was displayed before him.

Resisting the urge to throw up he faced away, satisfied with the vengeance he had dished out, even if it did took terrible; Narlen deserved it. Elite's long strides took him back up the passage fairly quickly, the cold wind's drawing him towards the exit from where they had all entered at one time or another. Fhader followed up, scrambling up the steps of the passage and skipping around the damn pillars and stalactites that littered the passage. All in an attempt to catch the exiting Elite Optic.

"Wait!" He shouted.

Elite Optic paused, peering over his shoulder to see exactly what the man wanted.

"You cannot leave without me. I told you before, I am your saviour! You must follow my words!"

Where had Fhaders confidence to command such authority come from? Elite Optic wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to listen, he was bored of such a pitiful man.

[Elite Optic]

Irwen could heard the cries and screams of the dying men outside the tomb door. It sounded like a massacre, and he knew he dared move. Were they all to die here in this place? Why had their goal turned into such a frightening place, a waste of their lives that would simply result in their deaths.

He looked at Himlen, his cold stale stare continuing to look at the cave floor. His dear friend, the only sensible one as far as he was concerned. Sliding his arms under his legs and back, he picked up his friend and carried him into the tomb of which Elite Optic had rose. A temporary resting place until he knew he could leave this place, at the way things were going it felt clear he would soon be dead. At least he believe that to be the case.

Then, the heavy footsteps of the giant Skeleton passed the tomb door, Irwen watched as his shadowy figure passed but did not enter the door. His heart raced nervously and he gripped his blunt axe as if to protect himself should he come this way, and yet he was the remain alone. Then Fhader dragging himself past the door in a hurried manner seemed to give chase.

What is he doing...

Irwen took his time, not wishing to make himself noticed again, and paused by the door as he peered around it to see Fhader shouting.

"You cannot leave without me. I told you before, I am your saviour! You must follow my words!"

Fhader shouted like a mad man, and Irwen wished to tell him to shut his mouth. Yet fear of making himself known kept him away, refusing to step out and help him.

Then as expected Elite Optic turned around, lazily swinging his large sword as it swiped across the old man Fhader. Irwen's eye's nearly popped out of their sockets as he watched Fhaders decapitated head clear several feet before rolling across the floor and into the fall for a dead stop.

This had been nothing more than a horror story, and they hadn't known it until it was too late. Irwen waited until Elite Optic left, he hadn't come back to look for Irwen, nor had he hesitated to acknowledge Fhader beyond that of his attack.

Irwen was the sole survivor, and yet he still had to make it home, and that was hard enough as it was. If he could make it back, he would have the most terrifying story of his life to tell, but more than that, would anyone believe him?

He had lost his friends, gained no treasure and remained alone far from home. He had come to discover the lost, but now he had joined them.

[Philomel]

Judgement Name: The Discovery of the Lost (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?29590-The-discovery-of-the-lost-(Solo))
Judgement Type: Condensed Rubric
Name of Participant: Elite Optic

Commentary:

Story: 19
The story itself is enthralling and intriguing. At first glance you have an exciting adventure, but as time goes on in the thread you reveal more of a thriller and in some ways a tragedy. There is also a touch of the comedy about it with the banter between the excavators. This sometimes can be confusing in some tales, as it seems that the piece cannot decide on a genre, but you manage to carry it strong and proud. In a way one wanted a slight more touch of the adventure towards the end, as it ends in such a grave way, yet ties itself neatly together. The pace is steady, though could have benefited from perhaps subtle rises and falls in tension when combat come too. Small details such as shorter words and shorter sentences here can really help. Overall the tale was written well, in terms of story, though easily you could have put in more setting as you concentrated in the majority on the characters. You open well, and end well, with a good setting of scene but there is plenty of scope for improvement here.

Character: 18
For an introduction of your main character connected to your account, this piece does not fail. In terms of general character there are so many characters here as excavators (the archeologists etc) that perhaps your piece could have been longer for the reader to properly get to know them better, to a more satisfactory degree. One was unsure by the end if Irwen really was their favourite and if they mourned the loss of his friends and colleagues. Elite Optic on the other hand came in like a breath of fresh air, in a terrifyingly strong and purposeful way. In terms of action he defines himself as dangerous and epic, in terms of persona there are hints. In terms of communication there is little to go here but points are going to be raised here for the potential for what you have. In basics you create a good genteel-type undead killer with a touch of the curious about him, and one wants to know more. I look forwards to more!

Writing: 19
First to note there are a few spelling mistakes and minor capitalisation mistakes, which could be solved with a simple word editor. Aside from this sentence structure and paragraphing seems to be correct, and spaced well to allow ease of read. The large posts themselves could even be broken up to smaller ones, but realistically it flows very well. Clarity only becomes an issue when considering the large amount of characters, and when exactly Elite Optic himself is going to make a face, but mostly your writing itself helps you here. One thing you could work on, though you do have a good basis of description, is use of linguistic techniques, to really explore metaphor etc, and see how it expands your writing. YOu have a good use of adjectives but there is definitely room to continue and grow, as any writer really can do!

Wildcard: 6
Going for one of the best character introductions ever seen!

Final score: 58

Rewards:

Elite Optic (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?18328-Elite-Optic)receives:
2785 EXP
140 GP

Rewards given on Althanas Day as thread was completed and submitted then

[Logan]

EXP and GP Added.

Elite Optic gains level 2!!! Congrats!