[SOLO] Old Gods and New Streets 2.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(This is a progression story and the sequel to all of my recently completed projects. It will bring Elthas's storyline back up to speed. Thank you all very much. And away we go...it is also a direct sequel to the first quest I did with Elthas also called Old Gods and New Streets. That was the first that started it all.)

Men seek vengeance and devour their flesh and souls...-Some saying.

Prologue...

Several figures stood in a clearing in Concordia Forest.

There were five all together, and two figures standing in the central most point of the group.

A campfire sat nearby, illuminating the harsh night time world of Althanas.

The two men were positioned in the center of the group spoke to one another so their associates could hear.

"Do you think he suspects?" The taller of the two fellows asked, they were both men by the appearance of their physiques and builds.

"It is likely he doesn't even remember that incident." The second man was saying. "Still, he was able to take down our associate...Xu Bellaparte which shows that he has acquired a great deal of personal power." There was a pause. "The task will become difficult if he should reach his full power."

The taller fellow spoke again. "The target has been acquired and has gained necessary power during his time spent in Lornius." The taller man continued to speak. "The man in question was the prisoner named Yosef Terrentius. According to our logistical report on his escape from Lornius, he has gained the power needed to at least distract our target." The taller man was saying. "Yosef Terrentius, please step forward."

A slender man in full combat gear stepped forward from the gathered crowd. The man had a serious expression on his face. "I am here." He said calmly. "According to the information I have been tracking down, Theo Terrentius is still at large and unaccounted for." Yosef said in a deep voice, much different from the voice he spoke with when he first encountered the Elf named Elthas Belthasar.

The shorter of the two men looked at Yosef. "Do not worry about Theo. Focus on the mission at hand. We shall utilize resources to acquire Theo Terrrentius."

Yosef nodded. "It is interesting..."

The taller of the men looked at Yosef at that point. "What is?"

"He will be undone by an enemy he likely does not even remember..." Yosef said.

"How could he? It was hundreds of years ago by standard time." The taller man said.

"Perhaps...but it is still satisfying to know that I will be the one to slide the blade in his fucking heart." Yosef Terrentius said. "He ruined my life, and stole my girl from me." Yosef Terrentius said carefully. "From my own information gathering, he didn't even marry her in the end..."

The tall man shook his head. "Do not worry about that. We need for this to be pulled off now while he is at his weakest. While he is vulnerable."

The shorter man was also looking at Yosef Terrentius and interjected. "He will have a considerable amount of resources at his disposal now that he's taken the town over." The man said carefully.

"Xu Bellaparte was weak. He could not get the job done." Yosef Terrentius was saying. He continued to speak. "Where Xu has failed, I will succeed. I swear this by the All Thayne's will." Yosef Terrentius said angrily. "Elthas Belthasar will die before this is all through."

Secrets lurked in the shadows...and oft, those secrets would become the undoing of men.

The tall man and the shorter man kept their attention on Yosef. "Remember. You must strike hard and fast, he has grown considerably stronger since the last time you two met." The short man said.

The taller man spoke a couple of moments later. "Yosef. A lot of resources went into breaking you out of Lornius prison. Do not fail us. Failure will not be tolerated." The man spoke in a deadly serious tone of voice.

Yosef narrowed his eyes. "This isn't about failure for me any longer. It's about making him suffer. For the life he stole from me. I will pay him back tenfold. For Hylda, the loss of The Syndicate, Seth's death, all of it." Yosef firmly believed that Elthas Belthasar was responsible for the downfall of The Syndicate. It was said, time spent in Lornius often twisted the hearts and minds of inmates making them...darker. Yosef looked at his two contractors. "When can I start to pursue him?" Yosef asked.

"We are well outside their territory markers. This was done deliberately." The shorter man was saying. "We wanted to avoid their patrols. Though limited, the town does have military capacity."

"You can begin your hunt on the 'morrow." The taller man said. "We will provide you with necessary tools and equipment, and a map to the town that coincides with everything Xu gave us before." The man said calmly. Then he continued to speak. "You are to infiltrate the town and confront Elthas. You are then to kill him at any cost and bring back his fucking head." The tall man continued. "Once you have completed this task, you are free of your obligations towards us."

The shorter man spoke after that. "You are to place his head in this bag." The shorter man tossed Yosef an elegant purple bag.

Yosef caught it and placed it carefully in his packs. "What do you want to do about The Great Tree?" Yosef suddenly asked.

The two men paused for a long moment and the shorter man looked at Yosef. 'Worry not about that concern. Leave that to us...we shall take care of The Great Tree and finish the work our colleague, Xu Bellaparte started." The shorter man continued to speak. "Yosef, make sure you rest well tonight. You have a long ordeal ahead of you."

Yosef Terrentius looked at his two contractors. He shook his head. "It is Elthas who has the ordeal ahead of him." And Yosef Terrentius, one of the last known living members of The Terrentius Estate, walked back towards his tent. The meeting was concluded.

***

~Day 1~

He paced back and forth within the main chamber of The Great Tree. It was highly decorated with various Ruildian Elf effects and relics. There were several stained glass windows present, the afternoon sun shone brightly through the windows creating a natural light that currently did not need any lanterns or lamps. Elthas had taken over the town he was from several years prior, since he killed Xu Bellaparte and his followers. It was during that battle and it's following consequences that Elthas learned of a serious matter that would affect his people. The Great Tree has become corrupted... Elthas thought to himself. He was at that point, well past five hundred years of age. He had long and flowing platinum coloured hair. Elves aged different from Humes, and his face appeared as a man roughly in his late thirties. His eyes were coloured blue, and they had a mysterious glow about them. Elthas wore ceremonial garb, his robes elegant and flowing. Elthas always prided himself on how well he dressed. He had the companionship of several other well dressed forest Elves. They were all talking among themselves. Elthas had only one arm, one arm had been severed by the fallen Hero named Storm Veritas. Elthas had needed to learn how to live his life with only one arm, and it had been an uphill struggle.

But since he had returned home...Elthas had new allies.

The people embraced their new leader, and he worked diligently to restore the pride of his people.

Standing nearby was Elthas's brother, Drathis Belthasar. They represented the only remaining members of the once noble Clan Belthasar.

The township consisted of several large Elven clans. Each clan had it's roots traceable to the Heroic forest Elves that assisted the Humes during the original Demon War. It was under those circumstances, that those Forest Elves of Ruild settled there and made their own settlement away from Radasanth itself.

Elthas turned his attention towards Drathis Belthasar and spoke to him. "Judging from what I can see we have a serious problem." Elthas found himself saying. "I did not think Xu had the necessary skill level to do what he has done to us. But it is apparent that The Great Tree is sick." Elthas said.

Drathis shook his head. "My brother. It is not sick, it is dying. Xu was attempting to destroy everything our parents and those like our parents stood for."

Elthas tapped his chin thoughtfully. "We have to consider our path very carefully going forward. We must save The Great Tree." Elthas found himself saying. It would have bothered him not too long ago the fact that he was so involved in his people's way of life. He would have rebelled against such a notion. However, times were different. There were new problems that he and his people faced. "A weakened Great Tree cannot possibly continue to ward off another invasion from The Tular Plains." Elthas found himself saying.

Drathis spoke. "Brother, our ancestors established The Great Tree to ward off the fallen sons of Haidia. They protect Ruild and the people of Althanas from another tragedy to ever occur again."

Elthas had a thoughtful expression on his face. "I am aware now." He said casually. "We must research the old texts before it is too late." Elthas said.

"Elthas. It might already be too late. The Great Tree never reproduced a single offspring. We need a way to insure that should we loose this tree, we can plant another in it's place and improve the wards in Ruild." Drathis found himself saying.

Elthas nodded. "That's a place to start..."

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Elthas's eyes held a serious glint in them.

The information he'd acquired in the past few weeks regarding The Great Tree's current status was not in the least bit good.

Elthas ran his hand through his hair and looked at his brother, Drathis Belthasar, and the rest of the gathered.

They were looking to him for desperately needed leadership.

Do I even qualify for being a leader after everything I've screwed up?

Elthas knew the situation was dire. There were answers that were needed, and there were few of his people left who could understand the old ways. It was at that moment that Elthas fully realized the completeness of his personal failure. I walked away from everything. I was such a fool...I've fucked everything up. Now I have a chance of making everything right... Elthas thought to himself as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He looked at the gathered as about ten minutes passed of utter silence. They were looking to him for leadership...for something...

Elthas nodded once more.

"All right."

He stood up after a moment.

"It's been rough lately with the recent events. I know you're all tired, as am I. But we need to come up with a solution to our current problems. You two."

Elthas turned his attention to the gathered, there were two Elves present that were responsible for the library in their town. It was not quite a city, and not quite a village. There were roughly ten Elves gathered currently in the Belthasar house. They were all waiting for Elthas to take decisive action. Enough time has been wasted. It is time to lead...it is time to take responsibility for everything I've fucked up. Elthas was tired of running. The time for running was long since past.

"I'll need you to gather our finest students of the old arts. Our wizards and magi. We need to begin the process to either repair The Great Tree, or come up with a suitable replacement for it."

Elthas dared not think that his precious Ruild would possibly be in grave danger. Elthas looked at his companions. It would be a team effort. As he looked at his friends, the gathered began to immediately work upon Elthas's orders. The town had it's variety of skilled workers of the various crafts that existed on Althanas. There were a few in his tribe who were highly skilled Wizards and Witches. Elthas would call upon their aide on this, the hour of their need. Elthas watched as several, included the two he commanded, went to enlist the services of said caster folks. The rest of the Elves stayed by Elthas's side, including Drathis himself. Elthas looked in the general direction of his friends.

"There is no record of what he was attempting to do to us..." The words were quiet, and Elthas felt grim as he spoke.

Drathis responded in an equally serious tone of voice. "Do you mean Xu Bellaparte? He purposefully did not keep detailed records."

"He probably did that on so that he could confuse us. And there would be no evidence he was responsible for everything." Elthas said calmly. In truth though, Elthas largely blamed himself. Xu Bellaparte was just an excuse, the end-goal was the same and Elthas felt equally guilty for the tragedy that had occurred. Elthas walked over towards a small table that had several pictures placed atop it's oak finish surface. Elthas looked at the picture of his fallen family, and, the single solitary image of Hylda Terrentius that he'd salvaged in his journey. Elthas picked up the picture and looked at her image.

"She must have been very special." Drathis said calmly.

Elthas nodded calmly. "She gave me something I never knew existed. She gave me a reason to live." Elthas replaced the picture on the table.

***

Sometime later, was when it all began.

A voice called out to the son of clan Belthasar in the dark, an angry voice. An old voice, the voice of an enemy from the past that Elthas would never even dream of hearing again. Immediately, past memories...hundreds of years old, flooded his mind and Elthas slid out of his bed. The man was yelling for Elthas to answer his call. Standing right outside of his house.

"Elthas Belthasar, I have come to challenge you to a duel!" Yosef Terrentius yelled at the house that he knew was the Belthasar House. Yosef made his way towards the township and was getting stares from the local guards. Yosef had his mighty weapon drawn. It was a masterwork plynt long sword. Yosef Terrentius wore leather armour, and his cloak was unmarked, not a single piece of his outfit held any marks.

Immediately, several of the guards were upon Yosef.

"I would back off if I were you. My business is with Elthas." Yosef Terrentius said with a surprisingly calm voice.

"Who are you, and what business have you with our leader?" The closest of the armed guards asked.

"My business does not concern you are, it concerns Elthas. It concerns revenge." Yosef turned his attention away from the guards and yelled once more. "Elthas! You coward! Come face your enemy! Or I will start harming your friends and kin. Come out and face me!" Yosef yelled, he could feel his fury exploding to new heights.

Suddenly, the front door of the house opened up about ten minutes later. Elthas emerged, he'd gotten most of his gear and got dressed in basic attire. Elthas stared at the face of his enemy.

Is it really him...the first bounty and mark I had ever obtained?! Yosef Terrentius...? Elthas walked towards Yosef Terrentius with the memories of the past still swimming in his head. Elthas steeled himself for what was likely to be a tremendous ordeal. He lived, like Theo still lives...there must be some reasoning behind this. Some truth I did not know about the Terrentius Estate. Elthas walked until he stood just about a few paces directly in front of Yosef Terrentius. He noticed that Yosef carried a glowing green weapon, and a lit torch.

"It has been a long time." Elthas said calmly. "Don't know how you are still alive though after all these years."

"Not that it's really your business, Elthas, but they did something to us in Lornius." Yosef Terrentius said. "I've served my time, and now I am here to finish what was started long ago."

Elthas shook his head. "You were just a job. Back then, I was serving a purpose. I held no animosity towards you, I merely was upholding a contract."

Yosef Terrentius shook his head. "You really don't fucking get this, do you? You stole Hylda Terrentius from me, you son of a bitch! You have no idea how long Theo and Seth were attempting to unite my house with their Estate. You ruined years of work that we were all doing."

Elthas shook his head, he had a deadly serious expression on his face. "You have no idea do you? Who hired me, and who put the hit out on you?" Elthas asked.

Yosef paused for a moment. "Not that it really matters. But no, they never told me who sent you."

Elthas's expression became more grim. "It was Theo Terrentius who put the hit out on you in the first place, they specifically hied me to get you because they could not be tied to it."

Yosef shook his head. "You lie!"

Elthas continued. "Yosef. You got a raw deal, the Syndicate had concluded it's business with you. You just were never told about it. I didn't steal Hylda from you. You were never going to have her." By that point, Elthas was terribly angry at being forced to see this old enemy once more.

A wind came in from the east. "You know what's funny about this, Elthas? You got set up to. We probably could have been friends at some point. I found out from someone that you didn't even marry her in the end."

Elthas shook his head. "That doesn't really matter at this point, Yosef. Hylda's been dead for hundreds of years. Me and some friends buried her. She died at the hands of Xu Bellaparte and his followers."

Yosef continued to shake his head. "I hope that knowledge let's you sleep well at night. I have returned to finish the work that was started years ago."

Elthas sighed. "You sure you don't want to talk through this? I recall I kicked your ass the last time around. What makes you think you stand a chance now?" Elthas had to ask, he had to know.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Elthas watched Yosef Terrentius with great interest.

Then, after a couple of minutes passed, Yosef acted.

"Circumstances are different this time, Elthas. I have come not just to beat you, I have come to kill you." Yosef then did something that caught them all off guard. Yosef took the torch in his hand, and activated some sort of ability that the item held. He then took the torch and tossed it against the ground. A moment or two later, there was a burst of light and the town was suddenly set ablaze from a blue fire. Yosef walked forward towards Elthas. "This is not about revenge, Elthas. This is about me killing you. And make no mistake, I am not the same man you fought so many centuries ago." Yosef said.

Fire spread quickly throughout the town and there were many panicked Elves attempting to put it out.

Elthas had a serious expression on his face. "You've just made a grave mistake." Elthas drew his delyn dagger, and pointed it towards Yosef. "If you insist on seeing blood today, keep it between you and myself. Don't involve my people in this..."

"I am afraid you don't get to make demands tonight." Yosef responded. "I am here to end you, Elthas Belthasar." Yosef kept his plynt broadsword at the ready and covered the distance between himself and Elthas's position.

There were chaotic shouts everywhere from the Elves attempting to put out the flames.

Elthas stared directly at Yosef Terrentius, there was only hatred in his eyes at that point.

The blade that Elthas held by it's grip was enchanted and would be much easier to handle in the coming battle. Elthas rotated his weapon and began to move towards Yosef Terrentius as the flames erupted around the town. There were shouts everywhere, but Elthas's main concern was Yosef. His eyes were locked on Yosef, and that was the same stare he got back from Yosef as well. Elthas kept glancing at the man's plynt sword and suspected that it would have plenty of secrets buried within that blade. Once Elthas covered the distance between himself and Yosef, the battle would begin. Elthas kept his blade pointed towards Yosef. He could feel the heat from the mystical fires as it spread quickly around the town. The one place that was not yet touched was The Great Tree. The fire seemed to spread quickly as if it were alive and of it's own accord.

There was little that the towns folk could do to stop it.

Elthas and Yosef began their battle.

Elthas watched Yosef as the man reacted to Elthas's lunging attack. Clearly, this was not the same man that Elthas had fought many years prior in his Syndicate days. In terms of skill, Elthas noticed that Yosef was much more aggressive than before and had obtained considerable power. Elthas noticed the glow on Yosef's plynt blade as he brought it up to intercept Elthas's incoming lunging attack. Elthas rotated his dagger before the attack and aimed a quick strike towards Yosef's chest cavity. Somehow, the warrior was able to react in synchronicity with Elthas. The man became as a blur, and was more than capable of reacting with Elthas's own speed and grace. However, Yosef was less about finesse and more about sheer and aggressive power. The two blades connected and there was a burst of sparks.

Both men growled at one another as they pushed their weight into the intercepted attack.

Elthas gritted his teeth and felt every muscle in his body tighten under the strain. This is not the same man I fought so long ago.. They did something to him in Lornius...I have to find out what it was. Elthas kept himself focused on the task at hand. He was watching the sparks flying from both of the blades grinding against one another. Elthas noticed that Yosef's weapon was also masterwork.

Someone has gone through a great deal of trouble to send this hound against me... There were too many questions, and Elthas had to quiet his mind. They were both growling and skillfully matching power with one another as the two weapons slid up and down either blade's length. Elthas had to work that much harder to keep Yosef's weapon at bay. As the two weapons ground against one another, sword and dagger, Elthas knew that one mistake would cost him deeply. Elthas had a look of supreme concentration on his face, and then something happened.

Elthas noticed that Yosef's body began to glow with a mysterious energy.

Elthas had some knowledge of this energy and the old elders once referred to it as "chi".

Elthas mentally braced himself for what he knew was likely coming. His face was creased up in concentration as he saw the energy surrounding Yosef. It rapidly began to intensify and increase in brightness. No! This is not the same man I fought that time...something is terribly wrong here... Elthas prepared himself for what was likely coming and then...

There was a massive explosion from Yosef directly.

Yosef's body glowed with terribly chi energy and the man looked at Elthas, who was now on the ground.

Elthas had a completely stunned expression on his face.

Yosef rotated his weapon and began to stalk towards Elthas.

The momentary stunned effect of whatever Yosef had done soon wore off. Elthas gathered himself and instinctively blocked an overhead slash. Then, he rolled out of harm's way. Standing up, Elthas looked at Yosef for a long moment, his body still glowing with that same mysterious power. Elthas truly understood that Yosef meant to destroy everything that Elthas had worked so hard to create. Elthas and Yosef were both breathing very heavily. Then, Elthas reacted after Yosef launched a powerful stream of that same chi energy from his very sword. There were several large bursts of energy, in rapid succession, and each blast let off it's own thunder-like sound. Elthas was on the move, but not quickly enough. Two of the chi slashes caught Elthas dead on and knocked him backwards. Elthas was looking up at the sky, and saw that Yosef was now standing over him, body still glowing with light.

Elthas attempted to move...

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Time passed.

Elthas smelled the coffee as it woke him up from a long night sleep.

Yesterday's worries were long since gone. He stayed in bed for a longer moment and enjoyed the scent of coffee as it filled the air. Hylda Terrentius always made strong coffee or herbal teas, as Elthas and his people grew to love. Those days, they all shared a house with Seth Terrentius and Elthas's people. It was a rather small village far away from the troubles of the world. And it's past failures. The sound of robins chirping outside filled Elthas's ear, and the noise of the townsfolk going about their busy morning.

Life went on.

The memories of the immortals were oft twisted and out of place, as time marched eternally forward...the battles of the hour became memories of tomorrow. Elthas stretched and slid out of bed. Years had passed and he'd once again found himself along side Hylda Terrentius. The events of those days were a haze. As were the memories of the past.

Elthas got dressed and proceeded to walk towards the kitchen area of the tree-constructed house. Elthas's people built houses into the barks of the trees. They salvaged every portion of their beloved forests. As he walked towards Hylda Terrentius he saw her in the same nearly see-through night gown. His eyes lit up, and he felt at peace by his beloved's side. Without a care in the world. Elthas heard a call from the children outside that were playing. His son and daughter, both very young. Elthas looked up at Hylda Terrrentius for a long moment. Her face as angelic as ever. She seemed very peaceful those day, not like the horrendous incidents of the past caused her to become at one point. But with Elthas, only spending time with his beloved was what mattered...she was all that mattered. As well as his family. He had children now. They were both halfbreeds but Elthas would never judge them, and raise them with the same opportunities he'd gotten out of life. He'd worked hard to forge a place for his family so they could live in peace.

Elthas saw the familiar form of Seth Terrentius sitting on a rocking chair in the living room.

He wasn't wearing the suit that Elthas had come to know him form, instead he wore stay at home clothing and smoked a strong tobacco herb out of a fancy pipe. Elthas nodded with respect towards Seth Terrentius. The old man waved his hand in greeting back towards Elthas.

Elthas walked over towards his wife and greeted her with an embrace and deep kiss.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in a long time." Elthas said calmly. "But I can see you now."

"Did you sleep well my husband?" She asked of him. "Me and some of the other cooks prepared breakfast. It is waiting for you on the table." She said.

"Food can wait a bit longer." Elthas said with a smile on his face. "We will never get this moment back now." Elthas kissed her deeply once more. And held her closely to him.

Then several children came rushing into the house from outside, some were from the neighbor's families, and two very special children were Elthas and Hylda's gift to the world. Both had Elthas's glowing and sparkling eyes and thirst for knowledge. They had Hylda's flowing hair, and glowing caramel skin. They were energetic and full of life.

"Papa!" They yelled in unison and embraced their Father.

"Hahahah. Hello my little ones." Elthas said calmly. He ran his hand through both of their hair gently. "I am glad you two are well and have made many friends. Friends are important you know."

For it is in the darkest hours, that the truest friends will provide the light to see. The thought passed through Elthas's mind, but he wasn't sure why it did.

He'd been living peacefully with his family in the forest of Ruild for as long as he could remember. He wasn't certain if the other parts of his life were true or false. He wasn't certain of many matters those days. He was only certain that Hylda was there, and so was Seth. And nothing else mattered.

Elthas played with the little ones and spoke to Hylda for a long time hours after they both had breakfast. Seth joined them some time later and spoke to them as well. A curiously serious expression was on his face. Elthas knew that look well. It usually meant that something was troubling Seth but he couldn't word it in front of the present company. So Elthas would question Seth Terrentius about it later. The three spoke for many hours about the matters of the day. There were crops that needed tending, equipment that needed production, goods that had to get traded with local merchants. But there was another matter. The matter that seemed to haunt Seth's eyes.

Elthas kept catching that strange glint in his friend's eyes. The man he'd saved many years ago. Or did it really happen that way? Elthas was no longer sure of anything anymore. For the immortals, time flowed differently. The elders of his tribe often spoke of time as a gigantic tree. A tree with many branches that spread across the ocean of time and infinity. This many branched tree was gigantic, and it was said that no Elf could ever cross every single branch of the great tree. Though in his life Elthas had seen many branches of the tree at some point or another. Possibilities the elders called them. Possibilities from one's own point of view. Nothing more, nothing less.

Etlhas spoke to his companions and paid attention to everything they said.

He was searching for something in their words, he wasn't sure what that something was. But he was searching for it, like a detective might look for clues in a crime scene. Elthas knew one thing that was for certain...the peace that he felt was not natural. And he felt that something was going to take away that state of euphoria sooner or later. So Elthas clung to his life as desperately as he could...

That was all that mattered.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

~Day 2~

Elthas found himself standing outside of the house he lived in with his family.

His memory was still a major haze.

He wasn't sure about his past those days, and it gnawed at him consistently. The past had become a foggy haze and more and more, his memories about that were becoming inconsistent. He was no longer sure who he was. Memories faded in out of his mind quickly and it was as an ocean in his head...driving him to the brink of insanity. He lived in perpetual peace with his family, but at the same point, the memories of the past bothered him deeply. He wasn't sure what to believe. Elthas had a feeling Seth Terrentius knew something about the current state of things, but he was almost afraid to ask.

Elthas turned around from his position in the yard of the house and looked at the house for a long moment.

He considered what he knew about the situation.

If this is truth...then I've been here for a long time. Stuck in perpetual peace...but then...how can that be true? I keep remembering things that happened, or did they happen to somebody else? I'm not sure about that anymore. My mind is all fucked up lately... Elthas saw Seth Terrentius standing in the entrance to the large tree house.

Elthas knew that the hour for the long talk had arrived.

He wasn't going to like the news, either, he could see it in Seth's eyes from his current position in the back yard.

The simple yard was little more than a garden with many types of plans growing in it. These were hand picked by Elthas and Hylda Terrentius as a family, and maintained year round. Weren't they? Elthas thought to himself.

Elthas watched as Seth Terrentius approached him.

"My boy. What seems to be bothering you of late?" Seth asked.

Elthas frowned for a long moment. He wasn't entirely certain how to word what was wrong. He wasn't even certain something was wrong. Maybe I'm just going crazy... Elthas had heard that the battlefield oft took it's toll on the mind of the warrior. He wasn't any longer sure what was truth and what was not. Elthas looked at Seth and kept the frown on his face. He wasn't entirely certain how to word what was bothering him, so he decided to dive in the conversation face first.

"I don't exactly know." Elthas explained. "But I feel that there is something wrong with me. Felt it since I woke up here, that day...a long time ago. Time is off, everything is off. I can't feel certain things like I used to...it's just bothering me a lot and driving me insane." Elthas said.

In many ways, he was questioning reality itself.

Or what he was currently perceiving was real.

Elthas was hoping that the answers that Seth Terrentius held for him would be satisfactory. He was tired of late a lot, but not of the situation, more like he felt tired of himself. And living in his own skin. Elthas was suffering, and he was doing so quietly and silently. He had no idea he was dragging everybody down with him into a vortex of suffering. The insanity in his mind was very real, and it was going to destroy everything he loved. He was desperately trying to cling to any hope for himself.

"Elthas what do you think this place is?" Seth Terrentius suddenly asked. "I have been here for a long time, but I am here for entirely different reasons than you are." Seth said.

Elthas closed his eyes for a moment. A powerful memory flashed in his mind, and he could see the face of a man. A familiar man, but he didn't know how to place a name to the man. Everything had become so foggy that it was difficult to discern the matters of his mind. Elthas saw the flash of the man's face once more in his mind's eyes. The mysterious man was the key to Elthas's current state. But he lacked the power necessary to unlock the mystery.

"Elthas. The answer is right there in your head. Stop fighting it." Seth suddenly said. "You know for a fact my situation is not what you think it is, neither is Hylda's."

"So this whole place..." The man's face flashed again in his mind giving him a headache. This time he saw the man holding a plynt sword to Elthas, and.,.."Yosef Terrentius." The name came back from the sea of his memories, and all at once, it dawned on Elthas that he did not make it out of that encounter. He was likely dead somewhere. This place he was currently in...that was the fantasy. Elthas shook his head. "I'm dead...?" Elthas suddenly said calmly. Despite the severity of the situation he was actually quite calm. "Wait so this is The After?" Etlhas sighed heavily.

It was then he noticed that there were several significant people now standing in the yard with him. Seth Terrentius, Hylda Terrentius, and the children. And a few other Elves and Humes. Hylda walked over towards Elthas.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out." Hylda said.

"I been here a long time." Seth Terrentius said calmly. "You haven't been here that long. But your death was unnatural in circumstance. Someone went through a great deal of trouble to take you out."

"So what does that mean? I'm dead, so that's it? I can't go back to the way things were?" Elthas asked, desperation at his current state settling in his heart and soul.

"Elthas, this is a place between the mortal world and the lands of judgment but you are, in fact, in The After. The rules you were once bound by no longer apply to you. It's how me and Hylda were able to visit you so many times in the past and guide you along your chosen path. You were never alone my boy." Seth said.

Elthas kept thinking about Yosef Terrentius and his current situation. "So I'm dead. Now what?"

"Elthas. You can continue on to the lands beyond The After. Or..." Seth said carefully.

"Or I can go back...?" Elthas asked. His mind was full of doubt, but he was certain he could obtain his revenge.

"You can go back, but there are things in play against you if you choose that path." Seth said.

"What sort of things?" Elthas asked.

And so it began...

[Elthas_Belthasar]

~Day 3~

"I have a promise to keep." Elthas woke up the next day, and looked at Hylda and Seth Terrentius.

"You've made your choice then?" Hylda Terrentius asked.

"He's out there. I can stop him. Yosef Terrentius...I think I can stop him now." Elthas said.

"Remember Elthas, my boy. Yosef has grown powerful in the time that you've been here. Time does not sit still for our lot. Time has moved in the mortal realm." Seth Terrentius tapped his chin for a long moment. "However, that will be an advantage to you, I think."

Elthas nodded. "Seth, Hylda. I want to thank you all for everything you have given me. The short moments we spent together, I lived a life time." Elthas said to Hylda.

"I know Elthas, I will always love you no matter and I will always be with you." Hylda kissed Elthas possibly for the last time. "Go and avenge yourself Elthas. Reclaim the honour that he took from you, from us all." She said.

Elthas nodded.

After gathering his things, he turned around, and prepared to make the trip back to the mortal realm of Althanas proper.

***

Elthas was coughing and clutching his stomach in pain as he stepped through the gate of Phantaria. Phantaria was the land of doors, and there were many gates to many places. Including the after life. Elthas's metaphysical form manifested within a clearing deep in the realm of Ruild. It was not the physical realm, but rather, The Antifirmanent. The grey world of death and the dead. Elthas, a phantom, was not necessarily bound to The Antifirmanent itself.

Elthas felt a tremendous pain as spectral body became anchored in the metaphysical substance of The Antifirmanent.

Seth Terrentius had given Elthas extensive counseling on how the pain would affect him a great deal.

He knelt against the broken ground, clutching at himself in agony. The pain was almost like being born again. He growled as he felt the burning sensation pass through his body, up and down his spine. He felt every muscle in his body tighten into thick cord-like knots. A powerful memory helped him focus, the face of Yosef Terrentius. Elthas felt not the pain subsiding, but a rather newer sensation course through his body instead. It was pure and raw hatred. In it's truest and most untapped form, hatred for the man named Yosef Terrentius. And that very same hatred brought forth a desire to overcome his currently pathetic state he was in.

The Antifirmanent was a realm for the dead.

Ghosts and the like.

Elthas was different though, he was a phantom with a purpose.

As he clutched himself, the pain turned into hatred. The hatred, was more manageable than the pain of death was. Focusing on his hatred, Elthas stood up very slowly and to his full height. He looked up at the dead sky of The Antifirmanent, and yelled as loud as he could, with the hatred he felt in his heart. Over, under, and through everything that Elthas once was..something dark and ugly lurked there just beneath the surface. The insanity and corruption in Elthas's heart, deep in there, burst out and Elthas's phantom body took shape. He had a steam like cloud swirling around his person, and his body was in a constant state of movement and flux. His eyes were deep, red at that point in his phantom-form, and they stared out from beyond the darkness. They were filled with hatred and the tragedy had already occurred.

Yosef Terrentius had beaten Elthas in more than one way, but Elthas would exact his vengeance.

Elthas relaxed his position as the hatred appeared around hims as a twisting vortex transforming the once gentle and kind hero to something twisted and horrible. Elthas's clothing swirled around his body, the suit he wore was poor substitute for armour. But in his current state, he did not need armour. Elthas recalled the lessons that Seth Terrentius gave him the previous night. Focusing on the teachings of Seth Terrentius, Elthas proceeded forward.

Each step hurt, but the hatred he felt now consumed him.

The pain was consistent, it was like walking through fire or a pool of acid.

Such was the pain of death.

Elthas no longer wanted to reclaim the life he once had, he merely wanted revenge. As he stepped forward very slowly, he fell several times. He was learning to walk in his new state...no, move. Spectral movement was entirely different than physical movement because Elthas was no longer bound by the laws of flesh and blood. Elthas made his way forward, each time he fell, he picked himself up with fierce determination.

And suddenly, he realized he was no longer alone.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

There was clapping sound that Elthas heard, of someone clap, clap clapping.

Elthas looked ahead and saw a robed figure wearing a strangely decorated mask, a mask of a jester or clown. The figure radiated tremendous power despite his shorter and somewhat slender physique. Elthas could not tell if the figure was male or female, but in The Antifirmanent it likely did not matter anyway. Elthas watched the jester approach him, clapping the whole time through.

"New arrival aye?" The jester asked in a rather loud and annoying sort of way. "Things ain't what they were before mate. Should have stayed in limbo to await judgment, rather than come back here." The jester said, speaking in riddles and cryptic messages.

Elthas frowned and took a step backwards and away from the jester, not certain he wanted to be terribly close to the fellow.

"Stay back, I'm warning you." Elthas said coldly.

The jester blinked in and out of reality for a moment or two, and then manifested right behind Elthas. "Awww, don't get close mind you? Don't want to talk mind you? Why are all you new arrivals like that?! I just want to play!"

The Jester suddenly shoved Elthas forward, and he hit the ground hard.

"Hey!" Elthas managed as he was slammed against the broken ground. Elthas slowly got up and turned to face the jester like fellow. "I told you to keep your distance you psycho!" Elthas drew the two daggers in his possession. Both were sharp and enchanted to be even lighter than most normal daggers would be. They had a glow about them as they touched the air that was not air of The Antifirmanent.

The jester blinked again and appeared right next to Elthas. Uncomfortably close. "Come now, newcomer. Don't be so harsh, it's all just fun and games! But I know something about you and you know nothing about me." More riddle speak.

"I haven't told you anything." Elthas attempted to shove the jester away from him, but he touched nothing but air and empty space. He is fast...

"No need to speak here." The jester tapped the side of his own head. "Peered into your too readable brain I did. Learned a great deal!" The jester spoke from some distance away from Elthas.

"You dirty son of a bitch!" Elthas suddenly realized that the thing had peered into his mind while he was momentarily distracted. Elthas was aware of such abilities from the teachings of the Elders in his town.

"I know who you're after." The jester said. "Yosef Terrentius, the great destroyer!" The jester bowed extravagantly and kept his eyes locked on Elthas. "The fates have been cruel to you, son of clan Belthasar."

"Tch. The old man said time would not sit still and you're making me waste more of it. What the fuck do you want!?" Elthas yelled.

The jester was really pissing Elthas off.

"I told you, Elthas, I'm here to play with you. You see...I'm so very, very bored out of my mind. It has been ages since I have encountered someone as entertaining as you appear to be. So I'm feeling very very generous." The jester explained.

Elthas had a serious expression on his face as the jester spoke. "All right, I'm listening." He figured he may as well play along with the jester's games for the time being.

"That's more like it, Elthas!" The jester said carefully, blinked and reappeared closer to Elthas, but not against him again. "See here's the ticket." The jester began to lay out the foundation for Elthas and explain matters. "Whilst you were in limbo-land, Yosef Terrentius has gone and made a mockery out of shit. The world you knew, is not the world that exists as it is today, you follow? Time does not sit still and waits for no man, Elthas Belthasar."

"Seth explained that to me already." Elthas frowned, he didn't like the way things were heading.

"No, the old man you're talking about only knows half the story. There's waaaaaay more juicy tidbits he left out." The jester blinked and appeared a bit closer to Elthas once more but still kept a comfortable distance. "Yosef has become a conqueror you see and took over his own territory. He has backing from a super secret clan." The jester said.

"A clan? Is that the entity that broke him out of Terrinore Isle?" Elthas had to know.

"That would be telling you the whole thing, and life was never that simple. This state is also give and take! I give you something, you give me something, isn't that how trade and barter always works?" The jester asked.

Elthas frowned at that point, he didn't like the direction things were heading in. However, he knew he would likely not be able to get to Yosef without help. "What...do you want?" Elthas gritted his teeth as he asked that.

"Splendid, Elthas! You're going to go quite far in this place now that you have some inkling of an idea of how things work around here. It's give and take, contracts type of shit. Don't want you to go thinking too hard on it, Elthas. I owe you, you owe me, who cares! That's the fun of it. Now then...let us talk business." The jester suddenly became very very serious.

***

"Remember Elthas, I will be waiting." The jester said after several hours of talking.

"We have a bargain." Elthas explained. "I trust that you will uphold your end of it."

"Of course I will! I wouldn't be a fair and honest business man if I couldn't even keep a fucking promise! Don't get your panties in a bunch, Elthas. Meet me back here after you complete your task. And remember what you have learned today. Everything is give and take, Elthas!" The jester started laughing and blinked.

He never reappeared.

But the laughter seemed to remain in the air.

Elthas sighed and continued on his journey to search for the Phantaria gate he needed.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

With the matters of Phantaria, there was never anyway to know where one would end up.

Some gates had completely randomized destination, whilst others were set in stone. The rules of the Phantaria gates functioned just like the rules of any other arcane relic. Elthas merely had to learn the activation of that power so he could utilize it's full potential at will. The gate he was searching for had a randomized effect placed on it, and could be controlled from the outside with time and practice. As he was dead, Elthas knew he had plenty of time on his hand. He also knew that in the mortal world; time had not sat still for every-one involved in the sordid events that would follow.

Elthas was learning quickly about how to survive in the current sorry state he found himself in. He was dead; but being dead had advantages. Elthas's eyes narrowed carefully as he looked in the general direction of the landscape ahead. He was looking for a door that had a built-in tumbler mechanism. He didn't have to search the realm of the antifirmanent for all time looking for a specific gate, that would have taken entirely too long. Elthas simply decided to use what advantages he could find.

It was then, a few hours later...that Elthas found what he was looking for. He sighed with relief as he located the Phantaria gate up ahead. So far, he'd not encountered any of the pesky residents of the antifirmanent since the weird jester. Elthas thought back to his meeting with the strange resident and recalled the transaction that he'd agreed to. Maybe that wasn't such a smart idea... Elthas thought to himself as he activated the tumbler in the gate ahead of him. The tumbler device acted as a dial with many destinations and directions one like Elthas could go. Elthas had a specific goal in mind; to return back to the mortal coil. The Phantaria gates would function with just such a purpose in mind.

Once Elthas had what he needed, he focused on the destination at hand.

The town that he grew up in...the town he died at.

Spooks oft had strong emotional connections to the place they were killed at.

Elthas was no different. As the gate opened, he realized that he could have picked a place likely closer to Yosef Terrentius's current position. However, Elthas wanted to be certain that his people were safe. Most important, Elthas had to attend to the matters of The Great Tree. He had no idea what was it's current state and that was likely a matter he would not settle immediately. However, he had to settle it at some point. It was weighing heavily on his heart and soul.

***

Elthas stood in the ruins of his home-town.

Nobody was currently living in the small, abandoned settlement. That fact disturbed Elthas a lot. In the time that Elthas had been gone, his people vanished into the four corners of the wind...leaving nothing but an old ruins. The tree-houses had largely fallen into disarray and fel energies coursed through the very still air. Elthas felt cold and extremely uncomfortable there, in the place of his birth. Despite that, he had to see to the business of The Great Tree. It loomed ahead, and the state of The Great Tree reflected the state of disrepair the town had fallen into. Needless to say; the current conditions of The Great Tree broke Elthas's already darkened heart.

He walked over towards the structure that contained The Great Tree and noticed it was withered and lacked the usual glowing and pulse of life associated with such wonders.

The Great Tree no longer pulsed with life.

They were after The Great Tree...I should have known it wasn't just me. I've been such a fool...I couldn't protect what mattered the most...I'm an idiot. Elthas shook his head in disgust. At that point he wondered what his parents would have thought of him as he currently was. Though he was dead; he could still enact change in the physical world. Elthas looked at the core of The Great Tree as he entered the ancient halls that were once meant to protect it. The halls were also abandoned and in an awful state of decay. Time touched all things and nothing was immune to the effects of it. Elthas looked around and saw the altar up ahead where the old elders of his home-town oft communed with The Great Tree. His eyes narrowed and he moved carefully towards the base of the tree. Elthas knelt before it.

"This was all my fault." Elthas said quietly to the tree. "I didn't take my duties seriously enough, I didn't make the right decisions...it all didn't go as it was meant to. I really fucked up and now you've suffered as a result." Elthas was talking to The Great Tree as one might talk to an old friend. "Tell me, is there some way I can redeem myself and right the wrongs that were done to you?" Elthas asked and only silence answered back.

Elthas had little knowledge of the ways of the elders; he'd forsaken that path for the right to choose his own path.

As hours passed he pondered how to repair The Great Tree, when he felt a presence in the elder's chamber.

"The prodigal son returns to the place it all began." It was the voice of Xu Bellaparte calling out from the aether.

Elthas felt his body tense, but he didn't immediately attack. Times were different, and Xu Bellaparte was no longer an enemy, that life was over. Elthas carefully gathered himself and stood up from his kneeling position.

"What do you want? Haven't you already done enough?" Elthas asked.

Xu Bellaparte looked at Elthas with a strange expression of compassion in his eyes. "You know. Seeing you like this almost makes me forget we were enemies back then. But that's not why I am here this time." Xu Bellaparte said. "You're back because of Yosef Terrentius are you not?" Xu Bellaparte asked.

Elthas kept his back to Xu Bellaparte. He spoke in a hushed whisper, but knew that Xu Bellaparte would be able to hear. "Why I am here should not concern you. However, because we've settled our issues long ago...yes I am after him." Elthas said calmly. Though a part of him still held rancor towards Xu Bellaparte, he knew he would accept any help he could. It was then that Elthas turned to face his former enemy. "I ask you again, what do you want?" Elthas asked. He noticed that Xu Bellaparte had a strange and saddened expression on his face.

"I've been here for a long time, Elthas. Unable to move on. I am going to be honest; I want redemption for the things I have done. I am not proud of myself, but I want to repair some of the damage I have caused." Xu Bellaparte said. "Time has passed for us all, Elthas Belthasar and I am wondering if you have the power to help me seek redemption." He said.

"A long time ago...I would have laughed at you and struck you where you stand. Xu Bellaparte. However, times are different now. I want to repair the damage done to The Great Tree before facing Yosef Terrentius." Elthas explained. "I don't know how long The Great Tree has been quiet and without life, but I want to do what I can to fix this shit. If you want to be redeemed; you will help me. There is no room for discussion or debate. You will help me, or leave right now." Elthas said, he was deadly serious too.

Xu Bellaparte surprisingly agreed to the deal. "I'm tired Elthas. I just want to rest. I can't until I have my redemption that I so long for." Xu Bellaparte seemed very, very tired.

"If we can repair The Great Tree together, I will hold all your oaths fulfilled. That is a promise, Xu Bellaparte." Elthas said, and in that circumstance he found an unlikely ally.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

~Day 4~

The Great Tree, with it's roots completely corrupted sat in silence.

The tree was an ancient oak tree, maybe hundreds of years old by the sheer mass of it. The tree normally gave off brilliantly glowing energy that resonated in the air. Filling the vicinity with it's light and warmth. Now though, all that remained was cold and despair. Elthas and the former villain named Xu Bellaparte were working to repair the damaged tree. Surprisingly, many of the secret stores in the township of books and tomes remained virtually intact. Raider did ransack the small town many times over, but most of them did not understand the way of the Forest Elf. So Xu Bellaparte instructed Elthas in likely the most important set of instructions he would ever obtain.

The tomes were spread around on the ground around the forms of Xu Bellaparte and Elthas Belthasar.

"It can be done." Etlhas found himself saying.

They'd read non-stop for hours once they uncovered the secret storehouse where the old books were hidden. They were also written in the old tongues of Elthas's people. Only Xu Bellaparte could read it since Elthas had forsaken the old ways. For the first time since he'd left the mysterious purgatory realm he'd found himself in before; Elthas felt hope that he could do something right. The books that Xu Bellaparte read hinted at old rites and spells that would reawaken The Great Tree in the event of utmost disaster. Elthas felt optimistic that he would be able to save the old tree.

He stood with his arms folded across his broad chest, Elthas observed Xu Bellaparte as the other Elf read the tomes.

The words were inspiring; but Elthas did feel discomfort that the salvation of The Great Tree fell on his shoulder.

Elthas kept looking at the roots of The Great Tree, his eyes locked on the old sleeping bark. It was grayed out and almost blackened from the effects of rot and decay. Elthas knew that they'd been studying the old tomes together for hours on end. He knew if the books contained answers, Xu Bellaparte would find them and help him use them. I still can't believe it is him that I have to depend on after all this time. That jester explained the world is give and take for us...I wonder what Xu is really after. Elthas thought to himself as he looked at the man whilst he read the books. It was apparent that Xu Bellaparte was looking for something, an adequate solution to repairing the broken tree. Elthas just wanted to use the tijme he had whilst he was there wisely and for constructive matters.

Xu finally stumbled upon a scroll that contained the information they were looking for.

It was an older scroll; worn and yellowed. But the ink used to inscribe the arts therein would be readable for all time. Even by ghosts such as them.

Xu Bellaparte read the scroll and looked at Elthas very seriously. "The rite to repair a tree of this caliber is very...complex requires an item we don't have." Xu explained.

"What sort of an item?" Elthas asked in response.

"The tomes and scroll speaks of a relic called a Amber Heart." Xu Bellaparte said casually. "I only have heard of such a relic a few times in my life but never have seen it in action. The scroll stats the item is needed to breathe back life in The Great Tree." Xu Bellaparte said.

"I wonder..." Elthas responded. "Perhaps the forest of Ruild can provide us with the item. We just have to know where to look. Any idea how it can be obtained?" Elthas asked.

"The scroll does not speak of where one might obtain such a relic. However, I might have an idea." Xu Bellaparte stated.

Elthas nodded. "Go on."

"Deep in the depths of Ruild, where the darkest things lurk; I once heard talk of trees that could devour men." Xu Bellaparte said. "It is likely in that area that you should begin your search." Xu explained.

So I just have to kill the biggest, baddest Treant I can find and take it's fucking heart. Not a bad trade off. Elthas thought to himself. "Stay here Xu and keep reading. I will have use of the knowledge contained in these books." Elthas steadied himself and proceeded to exit the Elder's Chamber.

***

Within the ancient depths of Ruild there were many mysteries in play.

Elthas found himself in a dimly lit portion of the forest, where the deepest and darkest depths were located.

There were secrets there not meant for the eyes of men.

Elthas moved very carefully through that sector of the forest, of Ruild, knowing full well he was surrounded by many dangers.

Old trees surrounded Elthas and they blocked out and kept any form of light from travelling to the underbrush below.

The earth was well soiled and almost moist. He did not like how everything appeared blacked; touched by the darkness in that part of Ruild. He'd traveled for the better part of a few hours to get to that section of the forest. His eyes didn't need to adjust to the harsh darkness there. So that was a plus; he could see regardless of the extremity of light. Or lack thereof. Elthas moved very carefully and was making sure he didn't disturb the trees. The tree I'm after is particular old and powerful. I don't like the idea of disturbing these trees anymore than necessary; but I will do so if I must. And this is a time where I must. On this all depends. Elthas thought to himself as he moved swiftly through the forest. I have to find a tree that would contain a suitable Amber Heart. It has to be the right size... Elthas considered the various trees that were around him. None of them were big enough. Can it already be too late...? Elthas thought. He adjusted his fedora hat for a moment as he moved through the forest and then considered the situation at hand. Can I really trust Xu Bellaparte at this point? He's a liability and will have to be dealt with sooner or later. Elthas shook his head, he hated the fact that he had to depend on an enemy.

Time did not heal some wounds...and some emotional scars ran deep.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

For my kind...the world changes.

Time moves on whilst on the other side, and threats that weren't apparent before affected us.

So I found myself watching out for the threats that were new to my current state.

My eyes darted from every tree to every root I could see well enough.

In my current state my eyes were not physical but something else entirely, Seth had trained me to see in the ways of my kind.

I found myself walking through the depths of Ruild Forest, almost as if it were completely different than the Ruild of my youth.

With that...I ventured in search of the item I sought.-Elthas Memoires

His spectral eyes searched across the landscape as he moved deeper within the darkened section of Ruild.

There was an unnatural darkness in the air itself that permeated the trees, tainting them with a blackened bark.

Elthas listened to the wind, oft times the wind held clues when chasing a prey of many sorts. So Elthas listened to what he could of the unnatural world, versus the natural world. Though in his current state, he walked the normal planes of the Firmanent; the rules of the dead were always in play. Elthas knew from his limited studies of the old ways, that his people once placed wards in Ruild to keep the bad things out. There were secrets in the dark, horrors that were best kept hidden away, shut out from the normal and safe waking world.

He walked very carefully as he made his way to the destination pointed out in the scroll Xu Bellaparte had shown him.

The scroll was written in the pen work of the old elders. I wish I didn't need a second mind to interpret those writings. But, alas, I did not learn the old ways...

He would always hate himself for that failure.

Elthas thought about many matters as he moved through the depths of Ruild. And those matters were oft of his relationship with Hylda Terrentius. He could see her in his very mind, burned and etched within his thoughts. Elthas was thankful for the extra time he got to spend with her, but he knew he could never live in a paradise knowing of his failures. There were too many regrets etched on his heart that needed to be righted before he could move on to face final judgment. The first regret had a name; Yosef Terrentius. That was the name and the face of his enemy.

That was when Elthas noticed it up just ahead.

His sharp eyes was able to discern the camp in the wild lands up ahead, a campfire burning brightly and emitting a powerful light that attracted those like him. Elthas's eyes were immediately drawn towards the campfire and he longed for that warmth of the fire. In his current state, he could not feel the effects of fire in it's natural state. He could literally walk right through it and be devoid of warmth...he was in a perpetual state of unforgiving cold. Elthas felt an attraction towards the flame of the campfire, and his world seemed to focus in the campfire.

Then another desire took hold of Elthas's heart without him ever really understanding why.

Before he could understand the nature of it, he found himself drawn to the camp like a moth to the flame...

***

Extinguish the eternal light... The thought burned through Elthas's mind.

The first of the camp's occupants fell quickly.

Elthas grabbed the poor guy and slammed him face first into the very same campfire holding him there for a long moment, burning the man's face. There were four present, and Elthas was immediately placed in a rage. He broke the neck of the camper he'd attacked and watched as his head was burned quickly. Elthas wanted to put out the fire more than antyhing else, but he would also attack the campers that lit the dreadful thing in the first place.

"Wraith!" One of them yelled.

Two more reacted and grabbed their weapons, preparing to face Elthas.

Elthas felt a nearly psychotic rage coursing through his spectral body. He could not explain the why of it, only that something in the fire had triggered a supernatural desire to cause violence and eventually put the fire out. He also did not understand why he was yelling at the time of the attack, but the yell sounded like a supernatural howl. He was attempting to resist the rage he currently felt, but he somehow could not. The fire had triggered an emotion so complete in Elthas, that he acted with devastating purpose.

Elthas skillfully moved through the camp.

There were several wagons in the traditional Radasanth quality.

The camp was suddenly alive and Elthas could feel the mysterious shift in the air.

Elthas felt it before he saw it.

There's a spell caster in their group...I'll have to move quickly. He thought to himself.

Powerful and arcane energies manifested in the air as a robed figure bearing a mysterious mark on it's fabric stepped out of the largest wagon. Elthas noticed that the mage carried a gnarled oak staff that gave off a light. Elthas heard the mage's spell evocations and saw the energy surrounding the mage. Immediately, Elthas moved and grabbed the nearest of the spellbound campers. The man screamed in terror as he felt the cold flowing off of Elthas's spectral touch. Elthas placed his hand around the neck of the the fellow and held him close. He yelled towards the spell caster.

"Hold your spells if you want your friend to live!" Elthas found himself yelling like some command brigand.

Elthas saw the reaction of the spell caster. Elthas kept his hostage close without moving an inch. The physical weapons would not harm him, but the aetherial kind would. So Elthas had to buy himself some time. He saw that the spell caster was indeed calming his power down. Elthas stared right at the eyes of the spell caster and could see the fear within them.

"What do you want!?" The mage yelled towards Elthas. "By what rights do you attack Pilgrims of Draconus?!"

Elthas laughed as the spell caster revealed who they were. "You all are trespassing on hallowed ground." Elthas found himself saying. "Leave and you shall be spared a horrible fate." Elthas found himself able to think rationally for the first time since the encounter began.

It was better when he could think...there were still rules he was not used to.

"We are Followers of Draconus you have no power over us." The spell caster said confidently.

"He means to kill us all!" The hostage suddenly called out to his compatriot. "I've seen this sort of incident before, the dead envy the living...he's a wraith no less..." The man that Elthas held yelled out.

Elthas frowned. "You are either really brave or really foolish. I will give you one last chance...leave this place!" Elthas yelled to the gathered.

The spell caster looked at the unfolding situation. "I think it is you who will be the one who will be banished." The spell caster said boldly and prepared one of the many spells in his arsenal.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

The words seemed to cling to the air.

Elthas could not comprehend why he behaved in such a way...only that he did.

It was almost as if his body was no longer his to control, but rather, the victim of an impulsive drive. Elthas tried to think back to what triggered the sudden rampage, he needed to learn to control it. From everything that Seth Terrentius told him thus far, he knew that there were rules working against him now. Those rules were not present in his mortal life. He growled and felt himself going more and more feral as he felt the nearby heat of the fire. It was warm, and it seemed to repel Elthas. The fire had an unnaturally bright glow about it, pulses of light flowing from it's lapping form.

Elthas stole a glance at the fire and realized that it was likely the culprit for his current state.

I have to realize certain things will affect me in mysterious ways... He managed to think.

Then he was already on the move, the spell caster launched a streak of lightning towards Elthas that crackled through the air itself. There was a zap-hissing sound that seemed to follow the bolt of lightning as it flowed from the spell caster's hands. Elthas leaped away from the lightning based attack and rolled in quite a skilled sort of way. Once he was done with the roll, he rose up from the ground's position and looked at the spell caster. The entire time, Elthas's fedora hat remained atop his head without ever moving on it's own. Once Elthas was fully standing, he adjusted his fedora and looked at the remaining campers.

He still felt inexplicable rage towards his situation and could only guess at what it was that had actually sparked it.

Elthas's eyes darted around the camp as he spotted the remaining individuals. The spell caster continued to lob increasingly dangerous spells towards Elthas. I have to get control of myself...they are too close to my home...yes...home... Elthas found himself thinking in an extremely erratic sort of way. He wasn't sure if his current rage had anything to do with that as well. He tried to think straight, but, it was all blurring in his head.

***

Darkness.

It swelled in his mind for the umpteenth time in recent events.

Without an anchor or a place to cling to, it felt as if he were falling, fall, fall, falling, down a long tunnel.

Desperately, he attempted to pull himself to the surface of the abyss he'd found himself.

He clutched at the dark only to find that there was no substance to grab, only an empty space that caused panic in his heart.

The abyss consumed all.

Then, as he fell he noticed two figures that had a glow about them.

As he fell closer towards the platform with the two figures standing on it, he immediately noticed the familiar form of Seth Terrentius.

Elthas managed to calm down for a few moments as he floated down towards Seth and the other figure.

There were ripples on the ground the moment Elthas's boots softly touched it. However, there was nothing physically there, merely the endless dark. Elthas frowned as he looked at Seth and the stranger. There were questions that needed answering, and the Elf needed to know what in the hell was going on. He shook his head, adjusting his fedora once more. Old habits died really hard it seemed. Elthas looked at the familiar form of Seth Terrentius. He started to ask a question, but Seth raised a hand as if to tel him not to speak.

"Stop." Seth suddenly said. "You are here because you came across something in the firmanent that did not agree with your current state."

"...Do you speak of the rules working against our kind?" Elthas asked. He had to know.

Elthas kept glancing at the second figure.

He was clad entirely in black leather, and his face was hidden behind a large hood.

Elthas felt that there was something familiar about the leather wearing stranger.

He then turned towards Seth. 'I lost control...I barely remember any of it." Elthas said.

Seth laughed in a pleasant and understanding sort of way. "When you loose your faculties you will end up here. And then we can talk about what you should be doing next." Seth began. "I am afraid that there will be times like these. Because of the path you have chosen for yourself." Seth said carefully. "You never faced the ordeals of a final judgment. Thus, the rules of a specter, or, wraith are the same are your current state." Seth said.

"Wraith...? I don't think I understand." Elthas said.

"You were always an honest one." Seth said. Seth then turned his attention towards the other figure. "He is here now. The hour is upon us."

"Seth, what the fuck is going on?" Elthas asked.

"You will know soon enough." It was the second figure that spoke that time. The voice that spoke was unknown to Elthas, he'd never heard it before.

Elthas turned his attention towards the second figure.

"Elthas. You are a phantom. You exist in the cursed state of one. There will be times where you will question yourself, your very existence. There will be times when you feel as though you are losing yourself." The second figure said. "When that occurs, time stand stills for our kind." Then the figure lowered his hood.

***

Reality returned to normal.

Blood.

It was everywhere.

As Elthas's body returned to a state of normality, he felt the rage swelling back to a quiet state. His eyes were narrowed and he looked around the camp. In a short time, he'd decimated the camp. There were bodies torn to horrifying shreds streams of blood trickling slowly from his forearm. There were confused shouts and yells from survivors in the distance. Elthas looked at his hands and saw that they were covered in blood. He felt a strange sensation coursing through his heart and soul and the loudest of those feelings was the fact that he could not remember what happened. He screamed. There were several dead bodies all around Elthas, and the fire that once shone brightly, was entirely put out. Only twinkling embers remained. Elthas screamed for a long moment as his body was his to control once more. He stood in place simply screaming loudly, but did nothing else. Then, after a full fifteen minutes passed, Elthas noticed he was not alone.

"That's the one." A familiar voice called out towards Elthas.

The spell caster! Elthas slowly turned to face the spell caster and several other people he did not recognize. They wore marks that he did not know at the time. Elthas gasped as if he'd physically run a marathon...in many ways he had. His eyes remained narrowed and cold. He stared at the spell caster with his fancy robes. As he stared, Elthas breathed very hard, his body moving slowly up and down with each heavy breath. His jaw was clenched tightly as he looked at the spell caster.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Do not loose yourself to the madness...

Elthas shook his head and saw that the bodies at his feet were his own doing. I don't even remember what happened, I need to think here! I just need a fucking moment to breathe. But it was already happening. Elthas turned slowly towards his attacker, the campfire still shining brightly. The warmth seemed to pierce the air itself, flowing out from the campfire. Elthas hesitated for a moment. There's blood on my hands and I cannot remember it... The thought passed through his mind like a storm, blood dripping from his hands, his weapons. He looked at his attackers and straightened himself after a moment's passage of time. There were several more people gathered around the spell caster.

"You all...you shouldn't be here." Elthas began. "I am going to warn you one last time...leave." Elthas was deadly serious, a shadow fell across his spectral face.

The fedora hat he wore seemed to be at a steeper angle, covering his face.

Elthas did not attack yet, he merely stood there, staring forward.

Into the abyss.

What am I...becoming? Elthas thought to himself.

There was hesitation there, the gathered folks had not started to attack!

Enough harm has already happened today...and I still have to find the Treant I am looking for... He thought to himself.

There was death in the air, it was a strong scent. Elthas' trenchcoat seemed almost alive as it danced with the afternoon breeze. There was almost a peace about the wraith. Elthas took a mental note of how many dead there already were. I don't even remember killing them... He shook his head. Then he noticed that the spell caster had covered the distance between them. Elthas did not take a step back or show fear. Instead, he held his ground and studied the expression on the spell caster's face.

"Where is these sacred grounds that you are bound to, wraith?" The spell caster suddenly asked. "Our maps did not make notice of any such settlements nearby."

Fear.

They are...afraid of me. Elthas felt a strong sense of fear coming from the spell caster, from all of the gathered. He thought of how he would word his response. Elthas kept his eyes and gaze hidden 'neath the fedora. "The place is nearby. A remnant of an old civilization." Elthas explained.

"Remnant....?" The spell caster's eyes went wide. "It cannot be?!" The spell caster looked at his friends for a long moment.

"What have you discovered?" One of them asked.

The spell caster looked at Elthas. "I once, a long time ago, heard of a race of Forest Elves native to these parts. But, according to legend the village was destroyed by Yosef Terrentius some time ago...now all that's left..." The man's face went pale. "You...you have a strong link to this part of Ruild do you not?" The spell caster asked.

"It is...home...to me." Elthas said with a sad longing.

"What is your name?" The spell caster asked,

Elthas hesitated...he wasn't certain he wanted to reveal that information. However, something in him felt compelled to do just that. "I am Elthas of Clan Belthasar." Elthas said with no sense of pride or dignity, his people were long slain by Yosef Terrentius.

"It is you..." The spell caster suddenly lowered his weapon. "You are the one Lord Terrentius speaks of...the enemy that is coming." The spell caster continued. "I beg of you. Yosef has taken a considerably sized territory here in Corone, my people lack the means to dispatch him." The spell caster looked at his companions. "My friends...this is the enemy of Yosef Terrentius."

One of the spell caster's companions looked stunned. "I heard stories growing up as a kid." The man said. "Yosef burned down and slaughtered entire towns of Forest Elves. It was a disaster..."

Elthas spoke at that point. "The Great Tree is in ruin." He said. 'It is my duty to repair it in some way...perhaps you can assist me?" Elthas knew he would need help.

The spell caster was hesitating. "You've slain several of our kin. However, now that I understand the gravity of the situation better...did you just mention The Great Tree?" The spell caster seemed incredulous. "By The Thayne! The very thing we have been searching for. The legends are real." The spell caster said. "Before we go any further...I must apologize to you, Elthas. My group of associates and myself likely disturbed your slumber." He shook his head. "I don't want anymore blood spilled on this holy ground." The spell caster was serious. "But, I must request a favor of you, Elthas."

Elthas nodded. "Name it."

"May we bury our fallen on the grounds of The Great Tree?" The spell caster was serious.

Elthas thought about that. What about Xu Bellaparte? How would the bastard react to these folks? Can I, in good conscious, put them in anymore danger? Elthas looked at the spell caster very seriously. "You must know that there is another like me near The Great Tree. But he is not like I am...he might be hostile towards you." Elthas was telling the truth, there was no way knowing how Wraiths would react to the living. Elthas waited for the man's response.

The spell caster was clearly the acting leader of that group of folks. There were ten all together remaining. Then, after a few moments, the spell caster spoke. "I am aware of the risk. We have also come seeking The Great Tree. There have been many years since passed after the incident you spoke of Elthas. Many years...many dead. We have been fighting Yosef Terrentius for a long time. We just lacked the means to defeat him." The spell caster said. "On behalf of my company, we agree to your terms. Son of Clan Belthasar." The spell caster said.

Elthas nodded. "Gather your fallen. I shall take you to the grounds of The Great Tree." Elthas said. "Beyond that, I cannot guarantee your safety. I don't know what else lurks in the sacred grounds." Elthas said.

"That's fine, we can take care of ourselves if need be." The spell caster responded. "Further, I have some knowledge at my disposal in regards to The Great Tree." He said,.

Elthas nodded. "Wish we could have had someone like you around back then." Elthas said as the group went to work gathering bodies.

"Elthas. For what it's worth I'm sorry for what he has done." The spell caster spoke of Yosef Terrentius.

Elthas looked at the spell caster with a serious expression on his face, but said nothing.

Not as sorry as he is going to be...

[Elthas_Belthasar]

(Note: From here on out I am attempting a newer style.)

Watching over the strangers, Elthas no longer had a need for sleep.

They worked quickly and effectively, taking up the six bodies that were present at the site of the slaughter.

Once the bodies were wrapped in fine tarp, they were placed in one of the wagons present. The campfire was immediately put out and the gathered adventurers prepared to follow Elthas. Once again, I have to lead...all I want is to kill Yosef Terrentius for what he has done. Elthas observed the group as they worked, patiently waiting for them to pack their things and ready their carts and wagons. The group was a small group of adventurers who were originally attempting to train their skill level in the depths of Ruild. In the process, they awoke Elthas.

Elthas watched as the wagons and their respective beasts of burden were prepared for their trip.

The spell caster, who was now their defacto leader, approached Elthas.

Even at that point, Elthas kept himself at a safe distance from him.

Spell Caster: "Elthas." He said calmly. "We're ready for you to lead the way."

Elthas Belthasar: "Then let's get this going. I don't want to leave The Great Tree alone longer than is needed." Elthas said. "I shall keep a close distance to you as we make our ways to The Great Tree. But, I don't know how safe you all are from me, or those like me." Those like me... He recalled the lessons of Seth Terrentius.

***

Elthas was a spectral entity and floated as he moved off the ground. He didn't actually know that the folks travelling with him could not actually see his boots/feet. Elthas floated a few inches off the ground and his clothing seemed almost alive. It was wrapped around the wraith's body and the fabrics and folds constantly moved. Elthas kept his eyes forward, and strangely enough...he began to sing in the native tongue of his people. The song was an old song, a song of lament and meant to resembles the feelings he would always have for Hylda Terrentius...his lost love. The one person he never had the power to save. His greatest failure, and his greatest regret. I couldn't protect her.

Elthas noticed the spell caster was riding his horse and trotted quickly to catch up to him.

Spell Caster: "That language...it's High Elven is it not?"

Elthas Belthasar: He thought about his response carefully. "The tongue of my people. Spoken long ago, Once my people lived these lands...now...I represent what is left of them."

John Winshire: "My name is John." The spell caster continued. "John Winshire." The man paused a moment and addressed his fellows that were travelling behind him. "We're a small band representing my family's Estate. The Winshire Estate. We've been hunting around these parts of the past few years, training in silence." John said. He continued to explain. "My contractor hired me and the lad's out for a job to find The Great Tree. We even doubted it ever existed." The man shook his head. "You represent a great deal of information for me and my companions, Elthas. I would very much like to take you to the Winshire Estate when this is all over." John was excited to be talking to a walking piece of Althanas history and lore.

Elthas considered the situation for a moment.

Elthas Belthasar: "If we survive this...and The Great Tree is restored...I shall consider your offer." Elthas was being sincere, he had to make it up to them for the loss of their comrades. Their deaths wasn't even my fault. Why can't I fucking remember it? He thought to himself. At that point, when the conversation started, Elthas had finished singing.

John Winshire: "What song were you singing by the way? I'm not very knowledgeable of High Elven. But I know a lamenting song when I hear one. You lost someone didn't you?" He asked.

Elthas stopped moving for a brief moment, there was a flash of Hylda Terrentius' image in his head. The image was brief and faded quickly.

Elthas Belthasar: "Yes. I lost someone I couldn't protect." Elthas then kept moving, the conversation was over.

***

Elthas Belthasar: "We are here." Elthas said. And they had arrived at the town of his youth. Now a dilapidated old ruins, untouched for many years. Elthas motioned towards the trees. "My people were gifted in the arts of tree-weaving. And their architecture was built into the old trees."

There was a look of stunned disbelief as the village seemed to appear before the gathered's eyes. An old Elven ruin, it was almost heart-breaking to see. At the far end of the old village, there was the massive Great Tree, with its darkened husk of a bark. The entire place was barren and dead with the effects of time.

John Winshire: "By the Thayne. It's the fucking Great Tree." John said.

The group stopped moving forward and parked their wagons on the grounds of the ruins.

One of the Adventurers approached John and Elthas.

Adventurer: "Do you realize where we are? This is where Yosef Terrentius began his campaign." The man continued. "We're walking the same grounds he walked on."

John Winshire: He paused and looked at Elthas and his companions. "This is where it all began."

Elthas Belthasar: "Your history books are not accurate." Elthas suddenly said and began to move towards The Great Tree, his companions followed him. "I first encountered Yosef Terrentius in my youth. When I first started my career. The second time we met, he was under the influence of Lornius." Elthas explained. "I died in that event. So did my kin and family. My people were wiped out."

John Winshire: "Lornius is an island prison." He said. "Yosef Terrentius is one of the few prisoners in history to ever escape from there."

Elthas Belthasar: "A third party broke him out. He didn't escape of his own power." Etlhas was explaining facts as quickly as he could recall them. There were very few survivors remaining of the night that Yosef Terrentius rose to power.

John Winshire: "Of course, it makes sense now. The Sons of Nenkulor Shima, the self-styled Prophet of Armageddon, and his apprentices. They helped Yosef Terrentius obtain massive power and influence."

Adventurer: "Dominion over all of his enemies.": The other man said. The others were quietly tending to the wagons, and a few were walking with Elthas and John.

Elthas paused for a moment. Self styled Prophets of Armageddon? I have heard the name Nenkulor Shima in my life, several times. I wonder if it is the same person. And what it is his agenda in this play? I wonder.

Then they arrived at The Great Tree.

A glowing spectral form was already waiting for Elthas.

It was the form of Xu Bellaparte.

Elthas frowned upon seeing the only person that he could truly trust. A man that was also a hated enemy.

Xu Bellaparte: "You've returned, Elthas. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to, or if the Treants saw to your demise." Xu said. "Do you have the artifact?"

Elthas Belthasar: He raised his hand and motioned for his companions to halt their approach. Elthas moved closer forward towards Xu. John followed Elthas a few paces behind him. "I couldn't acquire the artifact, but I have something else that could be quite useful to us." Elthas explained.

The angry look on Xu's face momentarily stunned Elthas.

He'd seen Xu angry at several points in his life.

Xu Bellaparte: "I sent you on a fucking simple errand, and you can't even get that done. Then you bring these outsiders to our sacred grounds, and they now stand before The Great Tree. What do you hope to accomplish with this stunt!?" Xu demanded to know.

Elthas was prepared to answer but something else happened.

John Winshire: "Xu Bellaparte." The man suddenly said. "You once dealt with my ancestors, the patrons of The Winshire Estate. According to my knowledge of Thayne Codex, you are bound to these grounds. My understanding is, you helped create the state that The Great Tree currently is." John was proving the knowledge of his people. "You owe my estate a debt. You once caused one of my ancestors and his companions to meet a horrible fate. From my knowledge of The Thayne Codex, I know how your kind currently exists. You are bound to The Great Tree, and it's fate until your debts are paid off. You can't ever face judgment." John explained.

Xu never received the training that Elthas Belthasar got thanks to Seth Terrentius.

Xu suddenly looked right at Elthas.

Xu Bellaparte: "Elthas, is what he says true? I demand an answer!" Xu yelled.

Elthas Belthasar was now considerably interested in John Winshire, the man was quite a competent fellow.

Elthas was prepared to answer, but he hesitated.

John Winshire produced a small document from his personal effects and tossed it on the ground before Xu Bellaparte.

John Winshire: He held a currently serious expression on his face, an almost harsh one. "Xu Bellaparte. We were tracking your movements for several years. We awoke the wrong Wraith with our training. We meant to awaken you, looks like Elthas found you for us." John Winshire continued. "Our job here is to repair The Great Tree. With or without your help. I am currently within my skill level to harm your kind." John Winshire explained. "You can turn a tidy profit by helping us, or, you can face final destruction. The choice, I leave it up to you." John Winshire threatened.

Xu Bellaparte looked at the small parchment that John Winshire had produced He noticed that the parchment had old elven runes scribbled upon them. It was a writing style that was suddenly all too familiar to him. And the document, he recognized it as a very old write used to legally make an enemy vanish. Xu Bellaparte had risen to power by learning a secret art required to faking writs and using them indiscriminately. He looked at John.

Xu Bellaparte: "I forged that writ a long time ago." Xu explained. "Using the process taught to me by the Prophets of Ragnorok. Your estate was marked as an enemy by my compatriots. I will not apologize for something that happened a long time ago. For what it's worth...I will assist you in youre endeavor to repair The Great Tree." Xu said.

John Winshire: "The man you had killed. Was my grandfather." John explained. "Because Elthas is with us, you will be allowed to complete your last work." John Winshire explained the rules of the contract. "If you attempt to cross my companions and myself, or Elthas, you are through." John Winshire warned.

At that point Elthas spoke.

Elthas Belthasar: "Now that we are all settled in, there is a job we must do." Elthas said and maneuvered his way toward The Great Tree, pushing his way past Xu Bellaparte.

Xu merely stared at the old writ that somehow found it's way back to Xu's hands...

[Elthas_Belthasar]

The Great Tree lay dormant in it's position within the village.

The ceremonial chamber was built around the base of The Great Tree. A hint of arcane residue touched the very air in the chamber. Some of the hues were knocked over or broken. Elthas Belthasar looked upon the object for a long moment. He folded his arms across his chest, thinking about the mission at hand. I must stop Yosef Terrentius. His crimes will not go unpunished. But before that, I have to right the wrongs he started. Elthas was deep in thought for a long moment. He did not notice John Winshire staring at him expectantly. Memories were passing through Elthas's mind. Memories of a distant age and past.

John Winshire: "It must be a terrible burden you carry." John felt sympathy for Elthas's situation. He must have lost a great deal. I wish I could help him in some way. John noticed that Elthas was observing something. He knew very little of how the denizens of The Antifirmanent operated. But he knew loss, he knew suffering. He could see in Elthas's face the weight of suffering and loss. He has a great weight on his shoulders. Yet he still wants to help us. John considered leaving Elthas alone for a brief moment. John prepared to talk to his compatriots.

Elthas Belthasar: "Forgive me. I know that time is not on our side here. I was just thinking about something." Elthas said carefully. He studied his companions and turned to face Xu Bellaparte when the other Wraith appeared.

Xu Bellaparte: "What you seek to do here is impossible without a Treant's Heart." Xu began to say. "You don't seem to have one on your persons." Xu was growing very impatient. Xu turned to look the gathered. "I don't know what you all think you can get done here."

There was an awkward pause as everybody turned to look at Xu.

John Winshire: "You only speak half-truths." John said. "My research into this matter says otherwise."

Xu Bellaparte: "What do you think you can possibly know that I don't?" Xu was starting to get extremely upset. And the air started to change around on him.

Elthas noticed it right away, the others were not trained to deal with an insane Wraith.

Elthas Belthasar: "Xu. Calm yourself." Elthas found himself saying.

But it was already too late. The transformative process within Xu had already begun. Elthas drew his daggers carefully and began to circle around Xu as the Wraith's face began to shift and contort very, very rapidly.

Xu Bellaparte: "I've studied the old ways! I did not neglect the teachings of our Ancestors. And this...this...you do not know more than I do you filthy, disgusting HUME. I hate you and all your kind." Xu suddenly began to glow with terrible fell energy that was rapidly storing up within his spectral vessel. "I'm going to kill every last one of you." Xu said and the transformation was complete. His face was twisted by fell corruption, and his clothing had black energy flowing through it that came from the very air itself. The darkness began to manifest around the Wraith.

John Winshire: "E-Elthas, what's happening...!?" John spotted Elthas already on the move. "Men, stand away from the Wraith, this instant!"

Follower: "Sir, what the fuck is going on?" One of John's allies asked.

John Winshire: "Don't ask questions, just step away from..." John found himself saying and the attack already began.

There was a howl of suffering flowing from Xu's very core.

Elthas immediately acted when he saw the opening. Elthas noticed that Xu had gone into an inexplicable killing rage. It's the same as what happened to me...there has to be a way to reverse this. Elthas took his mighty daggers and prepared to stab them into Xu before he could hurt anybody else. Xu...I did not want it to come to this. Elthas right then, felt extremely sorry for Xu Bellaparte. He took everything from me, but I don't understand why I feel this way. Maybe because me and him are in the same boat now? We're both dead... Elthas's daggers cut into fabric of Xu's clothing. Pushing his body forward into the powerful lunge. Elthas felt the spectral body against his own. The daggers pierced the spectral presence, but the Wraith did not stop moving. The folds of Xu's clothing lashed about like angry serpents. Xu howled with consistent agony. Dark energy was swirling about his person. Elthas felt worry at coming in contact with such terrible fell energy. He was not sure how it would affect him. Elthas's daggers pierced the spectral form of his opponent, and then there was a massive burst of black ichor. Elthas ripped his daggers out of the spectral body of his opponent, and was knocked back by some unseen force.

Xu continued to call out with rage and anguish.

Did the same thing happen to me earlier?! Am I the same as Xu?!

Elthas wondered as he was knocked back several feet away from Xu Bellaparte.

Xu raged in place, twisting and writhing. The Human companions stayed away from Xu Bellaparte and were observing from a safe distance, deeper in the chamber. There were whispers in the dark as they spoke to one another in a hushed voice at what they were seeing. John kept his companions as safe as he possibly could. Staring at the spectacle of the Wraith. Elthas transformed in a similar sort of way. I wonder if it's connected to their emotions somehow... He could hear his friends talking with each other, they were rightfully afraid. Then something dawned on John Winshire's mind. Of course...maybe we don't exactly need a Treant's Heart. But maybe any sort of sacrifice of this power would work for our purposes... John noticed that Elthas gave them the opening that he needed. The injuries that Elthas had created were visible to John. John took his smaller wand weapon, fashioned like a scepter, and pointed it at Xu Bellaparte. Let's hope this works! John Winshire thought to himself. John carefully aimed his powerful magics at the injuries that Elthas caused. His eyes narrowed as he went into a trance, and he released significant power from the scepter at his command.

John attacked.

Elthas recovered from being tossed aside. The vast emotional energy coursing through the air was caused directly from Xu Bellaparte. Xu was becoming something incredibly wicked and full of rage. Elthas grabbed his daggers once more as he quickly recovered himself after being knocked several feet away. Preparing to lunge towards Xu Bellaparte once more, Elthas saw something that made him hesitate. There...that energy... Elthas's eyes darted towards John Winshires's position. The man was launching his spells directly at Xu Bellaparte. A powerful bolt of magical energies rippled through the air and struck Xu Bellaparte directly. Several more flashes of tremendous power struck Xu, and John was continued to press his attack. Xu turned his attention towards the gathered Humes. The howling never stopped. It was a sound of thunderous fury, a sound that came from someplace dark and evil. The spell bolts struck true. Then John did something else. John stepped out from behind the objects he was hiding behind and walked towards Xu Bellaparte.

John Winshire: "You were wrong about one thing. It wasn't just a Treant's Heart that refuels The Great Tree. No. Any object of tremendous arcane influence will do." John Winshire exacted his revenge for the crimes Xu Bellaparte inflicted on his clan. John then began to recite the words that were needed to reactivate The Great Tree.

At that point, all of his gathered companions began to chant the words needed for the rite.

Xu Bellaparte understood on some level what was being done to him.

He moved, flowing almost, towards John Winshire.

John continued to press the attack and the seal was complete.

Xu Bellaparte struck towards John Winshire, but the attack never connected. His hand instead hit a solid object that was not visible to his eyes. His arm ricocheted off the invisible barrier. Xu began to yell curses at John and his chanting companions. But the deed was already done, justice had finally won. The gathered spell casters completed the ancient ritual needed to lock Xu Bellaparte in place. Further, Xu had become the perfect sacrificial lamb to use in the place of a fabled Treant's Heart. John was standing in front of Xu Bellaparte, his face studious and calm. He was chanting very loudly at that point, with a commanding and skilled voice. Xu merely stared at John Winshire, defeated by the ancestor of an old enemy. Defeated by the past. Xu knew it was too late for him to do anything else. So he acted in one final act of desperation. He turned away from John Winshire for the briefest of moments, looking for Elthas Belthasar. His long hated enemy. Xu spotted Elthas recovering from his earlier actions.

The chanting continued, and Xu could still feel the scepter blasts swelling across his body.

Xu said nothing.

Instead, he acted...

Elthas Belthasar yelled in agony, as a rippling of darkness manifested around his person.

Xu Bellaparte: "I curse you son of House Belthasar. You will forever be at the mercy of your emotions." And with that, there was a rippling of air and light. Suddenly, a tremendous burst of energy swelled into the chamber and Xu Bellaparte was completely undone. The vast swelling of energy was enough to...

[Elthas_Belthasar]

,,,,Enough to change how things were meant to be.

Elthas came to first.

He stood up from his position on the ground, slowly, rising from the deep state of slumber. It feels like...it feels like I have been sleeping for a long time. When he woke up there were several figures surrounding him. The elders of his time period, back when he was a simpler Elf just beginning his adventures. He saw a younger Xu Bellaparte, not yet an elder. His eyes saw the familiar ghosts of the pasts, old friends, old family. And the elder of his youth. Further, he saw his Father. His Father had once been a great Elven Hero, attempting to unite the clans of Ruild and the houses of Men. His Father, Halm Belthasar, looked at the son's current state.

Halm Belthasar: Once a Hero, was now little more than a distant memory in Elthas's mind. "Son. You have repaired the Great Tree." Halm walked forward whilst the other elders spoke with themselves. "You have done what no other Elf in our history was able to do."

Elthas Belthasar: The son, looked at his Father with a mysterious expression on his face. "Xu Bellaparte...I wish I could change the past. Now I have to focus on tomorrow. There is another enemy." Elthas explained.

Halm Belthasar: "The man named Yosef Terrentius." Halm shook his head. "Some of our kind refused to honour the old ways because of men like Yosef Terrentius. You carry him with you into this place...he is a part of you. Your destinies forever interconnected." Halm Belthasar said calmly to his son.

Elthas Belthasar: "He is here as well?" Elthas looked up and saw the glowing life of The Great Tree. It radiated it's warmth once more. If only Seth Terrentius could see this now...

Halm Belthasar: "Seth and your companions are always with you...honoring the old ways. I am proud of you, my son. Because of the great thing you have done this day. You will be able to continue your work." Halm said. "But first you must pass another trial." Halm turned his attention to look behind Elthas. "You may come forth now."

Yosef Terrentius revealed himself and detached himself from the shadow.

Yosef Terrentius: He had a serious expression on his face as he walked towards Elthas Belthasar. "Your kind disgusts me. Always caring about the balance in things, the way things work. Heh. It's all bullshit if you ask me." Yosef drew the same weapon from before, from their last encounter. "Your old man is right about one thing, Elthas. We're a part of each other now like it not. Our fates are linked." Yosef pointed his weapon towards Elthas. "You wish to undo my work that I started the first time we met. So man years ago...then here is your chance."

Elthas hesitated.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the face of his enemy. The last time they fought...there was fear that made Elthas hesitate. This time however...he felt something different.

Elthas Belthasar: "Father. Tell me one thing." Elthas began. Yosef did not charge...not just yet. Things are indeed different. Elthas thought to himself. "The Great Tree is awaken once more?" Elthas had to know.

Halm Belthasar: "The Great Tree shines it's light even on the Antifirmanent of The Thayne Codex. You and your friends have succeeded in bringing it back it's warmth."

Friends...? He thought for a moment.

Then, the wraith named Elthas looked upon Yosef Terrentius form.

Elthas Belthasar: "I have already beaten you." Elthas began. "I am no longer afraid. Last time, I died. But this time...I will make certain you remember me." Elthas said carefully. He drew his majestic daggers. Then, something else happened. Elthas rotated his weapons and sheathed them back in their scabbard. "I will not fight you on hollowed grounds. I will come to you on your own turf. You do not frighten me any longer. You caught me off guard that time..."

And Yosef attacked.

There was a flash of light, and Elthas awoke back in the actual reality.

Some things forgotten...didn't mean that they stopped existing.

Elthas looked up and saw several familiar companions. Friends...?! He thought to himself as his eyes focused, and his body adjusted to the energy of the real world once more. John Winshire helped Elthas stand up, he did not resist.

John Winshire: "Been a couple of hours. The legends were all true...The Great Tree gives the gift of life. But on your kind...didn't know what the affect would be. But it seems that Xu's curse was lifted quickly from that light that came through this place. Was a hell of a birth cry." John said calmly.

Elthas situated himself, his clothing seemed almost alive at that point as they rippled to and fro on their own.

He wore a black robes that he hadn't worn before. A Wraith's cloak...? Elthas wondered. It was similar to what Xu wore when he went berserk.

Elthas looked at his allies. They are in danger too if they stay around me like that...

He shook his head, and his head hurt. His fedora lay on a hue next to him. He picked it up, and placed it rightfully back on his head. The fedora had also taken on it's own form. A shadow was cast across Elthas's face.

Elthas Belthasar; "We were able to complete a great deal working together." Elthas said. "There is something I must do...a task that needs doing." Elthas explained.

John Winshire: "You hunt Yosef Terrentius, do you not?" John asked. "He is also our enemy, let us join you!" The man pleaded with Elthas.

Elthas Belthasar: "No. This is something I must do on my own. I do have a task for you all if you would honour a man's last request?" Elthas was certain that he was going to Yosef only to be killed again.

John Winshire: "Anything. You have earned our respect, son of Clan Belthasar. You will be remembered as a Hero." John said calmly.

Elthas Belthasar: His face suddenly humbled. "Look after The Great Tree. Build upon it's grounds. Honour the memories of my ancestors. And most importantly...do not forget me." Elthas nodded with that, tipped his hat, and left to go hunt down an ancient enemy.

He never heard their response...and never saw The Great Tree again.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

Meanwhile...

John Winshire paced back and forth.

Something about the way Elthas left, did not sit well with him.

He knows he is going to die...he is sacrificing himself for us... John was rubbing his chin thoughtfully as his companions worked on The Great Tree. It was pulsing with life, flowing with graceful energy. The warm light had an almost immediate effect on the environment. John Winshire understood only a small bit of it, Elthas had the true knowledge. He went out of his way to repair The Great Tree...it's been several days since he left. John carefully gathered himself after pacing for a solid fifteen more minutes. There was land and housing there, he could settle his people there. The Winshire Estate. John planned his next move and decided he would call it a night. There was a grand work that needed doing. John swore an oath to Elthas, and such oaths would never be broken. As John proceeded to go back to his personal quarters in the growing township, something happened. John saw one of the forest folks approaching, with several companions at the ready. John Winshire stopped everything he was doing, and nodded elegantly to the forest folk.

Forest Elf Male: "By The Thayne, you've repaired The Great Tree! H-how did you manage such a thing?" The Elf spoke directly to John Winshire.

John Wisnhire: He looked at the Elves for a long moment. "It's a great story actually. If you'd come with me to my personal chambers, I'll discuss the details with you. It is the story of a Hero...a Hero who has long been forgotten."

The Elves walked with John Winshire, there were roughly fifteen of them.

Forest Elf Male: "Would you tell of this Hero?"

John Winshire: He nodded towards the man. "It was a fellow named Elthas Belthasar. But like I said, we can continue this talk inside."

The man's reaction was immediate, he raised an eyebrow and seemed shocked.

Forest Elf Male: "He went missing many years ago since Yosef Terrentius attacked this place...in the confusion we lost track of him."

John Winshire: "Like I said, there's time. I can freely discuss the events that have transpired here."

And with that...a new chapter was written.

***

The chamber loomed ahead.

Elthas had fought long and hard, and with every ounce of his power to get to where he presently was.

Sneaking into the fort was the easy part, now he slowly moved towards the throne chamber of the fort. Land that Yosef Terrentius had stolen from whoever. The powerful crushed their enemies underfoot...the weak fell and suffered. It was the natural way of things. Elthas moved into the throne room, there were many tables present, and many people present. Nobles, artisans, crafters of all sorts. Many soldiers were also present, Elthas noticed that only a couple of the guards even stared at him with the capacity to see. Elthas grinned, he would waltz right up to Yosef Terrentius...

Yosef Terrentius: His eyes narrowed he was sitting on his throne in a lazy sort of way as he suddenly spotted Elthas directly. Yosef immediately stood up and acknowledged Elthas. "So you have returned." Yosef said in a profoundly baritone and accented voice. "The beating I gave you before wasn't enough? Your life wasn't enough?"

Elthas Belthasar: He moved right up to the kiosk steps leading up to the throne itself. At that point, people were staring in a drunkard haze at him. Elthas stopped moving several paces directly in front of Yosef Terrentius. "Circumstances are different now, Yosef Terrentius."

Yosef Terrentius: He shook his head. "You're a fucking ghost or whatever, I can see you know." Yosef Terrentius was rapidly growing angry at the unwelcome presence. When another figure walked up to Yosef Terrentius. It was a figure that Elthas had some knowledge of...but he stayed quiet. Yosef turned to look towards the prophet. "What do you want?" Yosef asked the older man.

Nenkulor Shima: The man turned his attention towards Elthas and immediately became pale. "I advice a hasty retreat here." Nenkulor said, fear in his very voice.

Yosef Terrentius: He shot a glare towards Nenkulor. "Retreat!? After everything I've fought and bled for? You have completely lost your mind." Yosef Terentius said angrily. By then several guards were walking towards the commotion. Yosef raised his hand towards them to stop them. "That won't be necessary." Yosef said surprisingly calmly. "I killed him once, I can do it again."

Nenkulor took a long look at Elthas Belthasar, now a Wraith. He folded his arms across his chest and waited for Yosef Terrentius to do whatever he was going to do.

Yosef grabbed the hilt of his plynt masterwork weapon, the sword he'd slain Elthas with initially. The green blade of the illustrious weapon began to glow almost instantly.

Elthas however merely stared at Yosef Terrentius.

Yosef Terrentius: "You got nothing to say now, after having come all this way?" Yosef proceeded to walk towards Elthas very slowly.

Elthas Belthasar: "The Great Tree is reborn." Elthas suddenly said. "You are lost, Yosef Terrentius. The work of your associates, and those around you is already being undone." Elthas said coldly.

Yosef Terrentius: "You lie!" Yosef yelled. "I was assured your pathetic tree would stay dead!" Yosef stopped directly in front of Elthas at that point.

Nenkulor Shima: He immediately spoke, interrupting Elthas and Yosef. "He is telling the truth. The Great Tree pulses with life once more." Nenkulor Shima did not remove his eyes from Elthas.

Yosef Terrentius: "It matters not. I've completed everything I needed to. So whatever gestures you might tonight are completely a waste of your time." Yosef said to Elthas, attempting to taunt him.

Elthas still did nothing.

Suddenly, several figures stormed into the throne chamber.

The gathered people began to whisper and react at the figures.

Figure One: "Yosef Terrentius. Do not engage the thing before you." The voice was deep and commanding.

Yosef Terrentius: "You would turn on me too?!" Yosef asked of the folks that were just then arriving.

Figure One: "There is something else going on here. You will not engage...urgh...!" The man clutched his chest as Yosef Terrentius stabbed him through it.

Yosef was glowing with tremendous white-hot energy.

Figure One: "Y-you son of bitch...we should have left you...in...Lornius..." The unknown man died quickly.

Yosef Terrentius: "You lot. Will you question me too?"

Figure Two: "You've made a huge mistake tonight, Yosef Terrentius. But we will not further oppose you." The strangers took their leave of the castle.

Yosef Terrentius did not bother cleaning the blood from his weapon.

The others who were gathered, Yosef's followers, stayed to watch their leader fight.

Elthas still did not act, he merely observed Yosef Terrentius and Nenkulor Shima. The only two folks who truly mattered.

Elthas kept his arms folded across his chest as he observed Yosef.

Yosef Terrentius: "Still got nothing to say do you?" Yosef asked of Elthas.

Elthas Belthasar: "There is nothing to say. Only that you will not walk out of this alive."

Yosef Terrentius: "I'll destroy this entire fort to kill you again!" At that point, Yosef Terrentius went completely insane.

Nenkulor Shima saw the events unfolding, and immediately took his leave of the fort, taking one last look at Elthas.

Yosef Terrentius moved into combat stance, his plynt weapon glowing with power.

Yosef Terentius: "I'll destroy every last one of you!" Yosef yelled. His unnatural chi, forged in Lornius, building up to rapidly dangerous levels. "I'm going to kill you Elthas!"

Elthas remained calm, and already began to move. His speed had increased at that point. Yosef attacked, releasing a massive wave of energy. The blast killed many of Yosef's own followers, who had not left. and leveled a portion of the fort they were in. Yosef Terrentius had a psychotic, enraged expression on his face. His eyes were already bloodshot. Energy swelled from his body rapidly as he looked around for Elthas. Rubble and stone were everywhere, several folks were already killed from the gathered. At that point people, except for the most loyal of guards began to run. Yosef summoned vast power at his command, and summoned still more power. Electricity was already swelling out of his strong body. Yosef was screaming the entire time, in a fit of rage as his eyes darted around, searching for his hated enemy. Yosef Terrentius decided he would in fact destroy everything...to be certain his enemy died. He raised his mighty sword, and began to slash at the support pillars in the room. Already, the structure in that part of the fort was beginning to collapse. Yosef would destroy the whole fort if he had to. As he slashed the support pillars, he proceeded to get on top of one of the few standing tables.

Yosef Terrentius: "Stop hiding, you coward." Yosef was breathing heavily when he suddenly felt something.

Elthas had grabbed him from behind.

Elthas Belthasar: "You misunderstand why I am here." Elthas grabbed Yosef with both of his arms. "You will not know redemption, you will not know peace. Because of everything I have learned, I have come to repay the favor. You killed me once, but it is no longer simply about revenge." Elthas explained. "I've come for your living soul." Elthas warned. "There will be no final judgment for you. Yosef Terentius."

Yosef Terrentius: "You're bluffing." Yosef said, attempting to move out of the strong grip that held him.

Elthas Belthasar: "You only wish it." Elthas said coldly. He turned Yosef around quickly, and grabbed his neck with one hand. Elthas lifted Yosef Terrentius up and off the table. "I'm here to close the circle with you, Yosef Terrentius. The work that started the first time we met, many years ago...it ends tonight." Elthas suddenly tossed Yosef Terrentius aside like a rag doll. He fell several paces away. Elthas turned slowly to look at his enemy. "Your...move." Elthas said coldly.

Yosef Terrentius: He stared at Elthas the entire time and coughed to catch his breath. It was all slipping away. "I...killed you...they don't come back!" Yosef gathered what energy he could summon, and launched a powerful blast at Elthas, already on the move. The blast exploded nearby causing more debris to fall down.

Elthas had successfully evaded, utilizing only a fraction of his vast speed.

Yosef was slowly getting up when Elthas kicked him across the head, and he fell down agan.

Elthas Belthasar: "Your hour has come, Yosef Terrentius." Elthas proceeded to do what he'd come to do.

[Elthas_Belthasar]

He's using a lot of life energy...that will be my way in. Elthas thought to himself.

He evaded the desperate blasts of energy that Yosef Terrentius launched at him. It got easier and easier to evade, the patterns had a distinct few moments of charge before he launched an attack. That moment was an eternity for Elthas to dodge and evade at will. After he was done with Yosef, he would continue to train his new power. In the meantime, he had to defeat his enemy first. Elthas dodged off to his left when another attack came. By that point, much of the chamber they were in was completely destroyed. Wind swirled in from the vast hole in the wall, and the township that Yosef controlled was visible. It was one of Corone's many smaller towns, Elthas never cared to learn the name of it. He was only there for one purpose. Elthas did not draw his daggers, he would not need them. I can taste his fear in the air. I wonder if this is what Xu Bellaparte felt before he became corrupt...I wonder... And Elthas, at last, reached Yosef Terrentius. The man needed to expend his own life energy to conjure the mystical arts he was using against Elthas. Elthas knew, he learned quickly and adapted quickly. He was ready to finish the deed that he started with his first bounty hunter job, so many lifetimes ago. It was almost bittersweet, when a voice called out to him.

Nenkulor Shima: Without fully understanding why, he returned to the throne of Yosef Terrentius. The false lord. Nenkulor Shima was shocked to see that Elthas Belthasar had already usurped the false lord. Nenkulor called out to Elthas and caused them both to stop. "Wait." Nenkulor said calmly. He approached Elthas very, very carefully and kept a respectful few paces. "What do you intend to do with him?" Nenkulor had to know.

Elthas Belthasar: "A fate worse than death awaits him." Elthas said plainly. Elthas kept his eyes locked on Yosef Terrentius, in case the man attempted a last ditch attack.

Nenkulor Shima: "He has become a man of great importance after you...acquired your current fate. What do you intend to do with his title, his land, everything he has acquired?" Nenkulor needed to know, on this all mattered.

Elthas Belthasar: A long time ago, Yosef's worldy possessions would have made a difference. But he looked at the defeated man, who merely stared blankly. He knew he'd exerted too much life force and it was weighing on him heavily. Elthas looked at Nenkulor Shima, then at Yosef. "I do not care for the man's possessions. You may have them if that is your wish. Once Yosef is dead, my business here will be concluded."

Nenkulor Shima: "That's not what I am saying, Elthas..." Nenkulor revealed that he knew the wraith's name.

Elthas stared at Nenkulor Shima coldly and narrowed his gaze.

Elthas Blethasar: "I don't know how you know me, unless he told you my name." Elthas pointed towards the fallen Yosef.

Nenkulor simply tapped the side of his own skull.

Nenkulor Shima: "I am a Prophet. A keeper of the old ways." Nenkulor continued. "The ways of The Thayne Codex are known to my followers and myself. Now I must ask you again...what do you intend to do with his identity once you have slain him?"

Elthas looked at Yosef for a long moment, and then towards Nenkulor Shima.

Elthas Belthasar: "You misunderstand." Elthas knelt down slowly towards Yosef and wrapped his hand around the man's throat. "I do not wish to simply kill him. I am going to consume him."

And right before Nenkulor Shima's horrified eyes...it happened. Elthas simply began to consume and absorb Yosef Terrentius who screamed in horror the entire time. The process was slow, and painful, the yell lasting many long moments. Elthas completely consumed Yosef Terrentius until there was not even a corpse remaining. He did not bite or use teeth, he simply absorbed the living matter into himself. Consuming every aspect of Yosef Terrentius into himself. Elthas's body glowed briefly with energy for a long moment. Then he turned towards Nenkulor Shima. Elthas stared at Nenkulor for a long moment...He is also an enemy. The man was an ally of Yosef Terentius. He is dangerous and may become a dagger in my side another tomorrow. Elthas was considering Nenkulor's fate. Then, the thought dawned on him...

Elthas Belthasar: "I know your name now, Nenkulor Shima. I have absorbed everything about Yosef Terrentius. Ever cell, every life morsel, every memory, every aspect of his corrupt heart and soul. I know what he knew. You are one of his allies and associates. The true question is now...do I let you live. Why should I allow you to live?" Elthas asked of Nenkulor Shima.

Nenkulor Shima: For the first time in a long time, Nenkulor felt threatened. Not by Elthas's spoken words...but by the dark arts he'd just witnessed. [i]The wraith can kill me, I have to act fast... "Stop and think. How do you think Yosef was able to escape from Lornius in the first place?" Nenkulor asked.

Elthas Belthasar: "Your followers helped him." Elthas said plainly. "You have one chance at this, Nenkulor Shima. Explain to me why I should not kill you right now." Elthas had never been more serious about something in his life.

Nenkulor Shima: "The Thayne Codex." Nenkulor said truthfully. "It is the main reason I allied myself to him. The Thayne Codex spoke of The Great Tree hidden deep in Ruild..."

Then it suddenly all made sense.

Elthas's eyes narrowed.

Elthas Belthasar: "Xu Bellaparte was not acting alone in the corruption of The Great Tree?"

Nenkulor Shima: "Nor in the downfall of The Terrentius Estate. Think Elthas. My followers made your life a living hell, imagine what they can do to you at this point."

Elthas Belthasar: "What...do you want? You would not be here if you did not want something from me..." Elthas, actually pondered escaping early and taking his leave of the wretched prophet.

Nenkulor Shima: "You're getting it now. I can be a reasonable man. I have in my power a means of defeating you, but because you will help me...things will have not to go down that dark path." Nenkulor Shima said calmly. He kept his composure, and knew this would be a once in a life time opportunity.

Elthas Blethasar: "Just tell me what you need, before I change my mind." Elthas was getting angry, and for a wraith, anger was very dangerous indeed.

Nenkulor Shima: "It so happens that I need an object that is in the vaults of this town. I have fancied this object for a long time...but was never able to acquire it." Nenkulor said.

Elthas Belthasar: "What kind of object?" Elthas was hesitant, but he did not want to place his own well being in danger. He did not know if Nenkulor was bluffing or not, he could not take the risk.

Nenkulor Shima: "The object is a relic of Thayne Codex. It is the only reason I put myself in this backwater location...now if you retrieve this object for me. I promise I will not harm you."

Elthas Belthasar: "What if I just leave?" Elthas asked.

Nenkulor Shima: "I would not try that if I were you." Nenkulor removed a talisman from his personal effects. It had a mysterious glow about it, and symbols that were quite familiar to Elthas. "I have this talisman. It will ward any attempts you make at attacking, it will also paralyze you in place if I use it that way. But believe me, Elthas, I don't want to. Give me the relic in this town and you're free to go."

[Elthas_Belthasar]

As Elthas left the castle, there were panicked folks staring at his person.

The cloaked figure of the wraith maneuvered through the streets when a thought dawned on him.

I am a Wraith now...I do not have to abide by anything that man says and does... Elthas paused for a moment and turned to look back up at the building. The whole town once belonged to Yosef Terrentius, now it was wild territory. Elthas saw Nenkulor Shima staring out a window, and Elthas smiled at him. I wonder if he can see what I am planning. There were people rioting in the streets, and stealing various objects. Elthas took advantage of the chaos. A mob of folks ran towards the main part of the castle, and Elthas smiled at Nenkulor once last time. The crowd became thick, ran forward and pushed into the building.

And with that group of a mob, Elthas was gone.

Nenkulor Shima knew what was happening almost right away.

He could see the shifting future in his mind's eyes and mentally prepared counter contingencies.

But something happened that he did not expect.

The rioters went right to the area of the castle where the throne room was.

Rioters: "Recover the body of Yosef Terrentius!" A large group of people ran into the destroyed throne room.

Nenkulor had enough time to cover his tracks.

Several people were dead in the throne room after the battle between Yosef and Elthas.

Nenkulor had taken one of the corpses of the fallen and used his powers of Necromancy to make the corpse appear as if it were Yosef Terrentius.

Nenkulor Shima looked at the rioters.

Nenkulor Shima: "The body of Yosef Terrentius is right here." Nenkulor said.

Rioter: "You should get out of here, this place won't be safe for your ilk for a time." The man said with a stern expression on his face.

Nenkulor nodded, prepared to take his leave...when the unexpected happened.

One of the rioters stabbed the great Nenkulor Shima in the back.

***

Elthas felt free for the first time in a long time.

He was free to do what he wanted to do, and make the decisions he needed to make.

Elthas did not look back at the ruined town of Yosef Terrentius.

Instead, he looked forward to face his own future. I just tricked Nenkulor Shima...the old man, Seth Terrentius, would be proud of me. Elthas made his way away from civilization. Far from the world of men and their daggers in the dark. Elthas was free. As a Wraith, he would use his growing power to forge his own destiny. Away from the ties that bound him to his old life. Elthas Belthasar was dead. He was replaced with Elthas the Wraith. Elthas carefully made his way to the depths of Concordia Forest. Ruild. The home of his folks in a past life, but he wasn't going back to see The Great Tree.

No.

He was going to an entirely different part of Ruild.

A part of Ruild that was ancient and full of dark things...where those like he...could simply be.

~The End~

[Rayleigh]

Thread: Old Gods and New Streets 2 (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?29639-SOLO-Old-Gods-and-New-Streets-2)
Participant: Elthas_Belthasar
Type: No Judgment

Congratulations!

Elthas_Belthasar (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?15053-Elthas_Belthasar) receives:
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[Rayleigh]

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