In a flash of light, she landed in the center of the town. Light fell off of her like water washing off a person as they stepped from the sea. Her plate armor gleamed bright, even in the midday sun. Clenching her gauntleted fist around a large sword she walked up to the nearest villager, her red hair a stark contrast against her large white feathered wings.
“Where is he?”
The villager bowed his head as he spoke, as he had a hard time looking directly at the divine being before him.
“Where is whom, your most bright, um gloriousness?”
Impatiently she replied, “your magistrate, mayor, your… whatever you call who leads this village?”
“Oh, uh, um you mean the consul, most holy…uh shiny diviness?”
“Shiney diviness…?”
Had it really been so long that people had forgotten who she was?
“You may call me Amriel, and simply Amriel. Now your consul where is he? I fear you have a problem that needs to be dealt with quickly before more damage is done.”
Pointing with a quivering finger towards a larger building with a stone tower at its center the villager squeaked…
“Um, th–th-there, your most graceful radiantness… er, Amriel.”
She rolled her eyes, then gave a light push with her wings and glided over to the entrance of the building. Her radiant full plate armor not even making a whisper as she landed on the steps. Placing her large sword on her shoulder, she entered the building.
Walking into a large assembly hall she could hear many voices talking loudly.
“We cannot stand by this Arol, you need to call out the garrison.”
“What is the garrison going to do? They can’t stand up to that power.”
“Sitting idly by will not make the problem go away, people are dying Firth.”
“The garrison will die if we send them Khalam, how many need to die? We need a different solution.”
“And just what are you proposing Medri? All you have done is complain and call for the garrison.”
Gliding over the crowd the angel landed on the wooden raised platform at the end of the room. A small man with a balding head, who she assumed was Arol, stood before the crowd. The room quieted as she turned to speak to the assembled gathering of villagers.
“Calm and peace to all of you, I will dispatch this darkling for you. You have no need to fear,” Amriel said with a melodic voice.
With stuttering timid words Arol responded, “wh-wh-who are you-you most illuminated armored one?”
“I am Amriel – one of the last protectors of this land, and I have come to aid you,” replied the angel.
A man shouted from the crowd derisively, “Phah, you’re late then!”
“Careful Medri, she looks as if she could cut you in half without even thinking,” whispered one villager.
“Shush it Medri, you’re going to get yourself killed… look at her, and look at that sword… besides, she said she is going to help us,” another said in hushed tones.
A cacophony of questions came from the crowd of villagers at that point.
“She looks like she could take it on, especially with that armor, look at it!”
“Surprised you are still even around, surprised there is anyone around at all claiming to be a protector of the land. Why show yourself now?”
“I have heard legends and tales of angels aiding men. Thought they were just all fairy tales.”
“Are you sure we can even trust her, what if she is another darkling in disguise?”
“The last being to show itself to us promised protection too, and look what it got us.”
“We still don’t even know why she wants to help us.”
She slammed her sword into the platform, slicing through the wood like a hot knife through butter, and raised a gauntleted finger to the villager.
The angel replying sternly said, “you question my intent, my divine and holy purpose?”
“No, no your most fiery holiousness,” squawked Arol, motioning the crowd to quiet down. “It’s just that no one has seen an angel in… Well, I think me grandad’s grandad saw one of you once. It’s just that… it’s been a very long… long time.”
Scowling, Amriel picked up her sword. “Point me to the last place you saw the darkling, there is no need for your people to die further. It is not your burden to bear.”
“On the outskirts of town, where the forest starts, it lives in a small cottage.”
The crowd erupted again at that point pleading with the angel for her aid.
“Been luring away our young folk, promising them power, not much left of them when they return… if they return”
“Dead eyes, like their souls are gone…”
“Faces turned white as snow as if they had been to hell itself…”
“Aggressive… even bloodthirsty, as if there is a fire in them that can’t be quenched…”
“Please bring my boy back!”
With a calm voice Amriel looked over the crowd and said, “you have no need to worry, I will deal with this, be at ease. All of you.”
Suddenly a waterfall of light washed over the angel and with a loud popping crack, she was gone. She streaked through the sky, a bright light visible even during the day. Arcing through the air towards the ground, she lightly landed near the cottage the villagers had indicated. Had it really been so long that she was forgotten, or had she gone too far in removing herself from the affairs of the world? She and Hadriel had decided that it would be best to not involve themselves too much and to let the races set their own course, and make their own discoveries. In the past, too much knowledge had only proven to make things worse. It only led to destruction, chaos, and shadow. Or maybe it was gaining that knowledge too fast? It was hard to tell, nothing they had tried seemed to work out as they planned. In the end, everything seemed to turn so dark, to chaos and death. It seemed of late there were far too many from the Dark Realm who had crossed. Just how were they making it through this time? She also could feel something darker, more sinister stirring. Something she had not felt in a very long time.Too many questions to ask herself now, she needed to focus. She had a darkling to kill.
She strode forward and brought her senses to a heightened awareness of the surrounding area. Immediately she could smell the pungent and decaying odor, with a hint of sulfur, accost her nose. It was emanating from straight ahead where she could see the cottage the villagers had mentioned. If the foul creature was not present, the odor certainly indicated that it had been around for a long time, probably years in fact. Why had the Silver Seraph’s or one of the deva’s not been dispatched and taken care of this already? Perhaps, it was too powerful for them she mused.
As she approached, she noticed a tall thin old man sitting on a rock next to a tree. He was holding a large tome that appeared far too heavy, and far too large for someone with arms so thin. Quietly humming, he was idly flipping through the pages. He seemed not to notice her as he was talking aloud to himself. “No, no that will not do, that will only continue to trap the thing but not actually banish it. Besides, it has burrowed its tentacles deep here, I need to cleanly sever him from this realm… recover the souls he has stolen. Is that even possible… hmm, curious problem indeed.”
“And just might who you be, you are awfully close to…”
Continuing in his rambles without turning towards the angel, the old man continued. “Yes, yes I know there is a darkling in the cottage. Yes, I know who you are, Amriel. Been pretty absent lately, don’t you think? Yes, yes I know darklings are dangerous…”
Who was this strange creature, this human… mused Amriel, he seemed to read her thoughts. Which was strange, as she had never known any who could do that.
Coming back to the man’s chattering… “this one, in particular, is an especially nefarious one, his name is Bogok, and I really must apologize. You see, one of our order has made the mistake of actually bringing him from the dark realm. I have been here for a few weeks trying to find the best way to be rid of him.”
At the sound of the darklings name, Amriel gave a hiss – she had fought Bogok before and she knew just how foul, devious, and powerful he was.
Responding now directly to the man “and who just might you be? You don’t look to be part of some king’s guard and there is no way that you are a Far Strider… you are far too… clean to be a Far Strider.”
“My good Amriel, the most radiant of all angels, you who have fought and slain the most denizens of the Dark Realms compared to any other. My name, your most beautiful graciousness, is Harow.”
Circling around to speak to him face to face she said, “Harow, I demand to know who you are with and what this is about, you say that one of your own brought Bogok here? Explain quickly before I strike you down where you sit. ”
“I can see you have been out of touch lately with the world. As you reasoned earlier I am not part of some king’s guard or the Far Striders – and yes I agree… they are far too dirty. No, my good lady, I am an archmage the Sen’Jerei. We are here to ensure that those who practice the use of magic don’t go… too far. If we find someone who has… gone too far, we seek to quell them quickly. Though, sometimes it is necessary for progress to study them first. That is why I am here, to clean up the messes that sometimes are made in our pursuit of knowledge.”
Looking closer she could see the dark purple circle in his iris’ and she knew him for the dark caster that he was. Indignantly she responded, “You act as if you are capable of putting down Bogok, I don’t think you realize just how dangerous he is.”
Casually Harow replied, “oh, I know he is dangerous, and as to being able to… as you put it… put him down. I am unsure as to that. Hence why I have been here for weeks observing him. You see he has been engaged in a most interesting activity.”
“This is not some scholarly pursuit!” she replied angrily, “you have allowed this creature to thrive here, do you realize the damage he has done already!”
She lowered her large sword from her shoulder and held it with the tip to the mage, ready to strike him down.
Unfearful of the clearly angry angel and large sword mere inches from him, Harow continued, “Yes, he has engaged in an interesting endeavor of draining the energy from the souls of the locals. As of yet we did not know it was possible to draw mana from such a source, or even establish a conduit with another creature. Though, where this seems to be a one way increase in power it may actually go both ways! I am most confident that he is not entirely aware of just what those consequences will be… or are currently.”
“And you have allowed him to do this… for weeks? For one who claims to ensure others don’t go too far with the use of magic, you don’t seem to be doing your duty,” exclaimed Amriel!
Scowling, the old man said, “we seek to gather knowledge, and what we are seeing is crucial to know. You have not been around very much of late and that has led to some very dark things happening. The Far Striders seem to be very preoccupied of late, the Alynic Order doesn’t have any real power anymore, and the Brass Legion is in disarray with the political squabbles of the nobles. All the politicking of cities has rendered them incapable and apathetic and unable to fulfill their charge. They probably wouldn’t even notice a problem such as this unless it turned them upside down, smacked them in the face and said, ‘I am a problem.’ Someone needed to step in and we have. Who are you to criticize our methods, when your method of late, has been inaction.”
In a hushed tone the angel continued, “You do not get credit for cleaning up your own messes, and just how many lives must be sacrificed in your pursuit of knowledge?”
Back to his calm amicable demeanor, the archmage went on, “Well, under the previous hypothesis that I would be taking on Bogok alone, I figured it would be another two weeks at least. For you see Amriel, my actions were not strictly in the pursuit of knowledge but also out of expediency. You see, each time a villager is lured in and a new conduit is established, Bogok seems to sacrifice a little of himself. I am not entirely sure he realizes what is happening. Perhaps he is doing it wrong? A question for another day perhaps. You see, he is getting weaker. Also, I have been working on a way to nullify all these new conduits he has established, otherwise we may not be able to truly banish him from this realm. Though even if I did and his conduits remained intact, it is likely he would return stronger.”
Stunned by his response, Amriel stood there contemplating the knowledge this so-called mage had imparted to her. This was very troubling news indeed, she and Hadriel had definitely spent far too much time away from the affairs of the world. She hoped her inaction did not lead to greater catastrophe. Resolved to the task that must be done, she gripped her sword tightly. Bogok was powerful, he had power that rivaled even her own. She was amazed that a mortal even had enough power to bring him over, in fact how was he brought over? They had sealed the Dark Realm many millennia ago behind the Fael. When she was done with this task she would need to check the ring, it must not be compromised. Otherwise, there was nothing that could save this realm. There simply wasn’t enough of them left.
“There is no more time to waste on your study mage. The longer Bogok remains the greater the danger becomes.”
“Yes, yes I suppose it would be good to dispose of him now that you are here. He should be no problem for you and your… brilliant sword.”
“Are you sure he is still inside, the stench of this desecrated ground is so strong I cannot separate it from him?”
“Huh, oh, yes, he is, I have various… hounds, wards, and alarms… surrounding the area. If he passed one of them I would be alerted. He is most assuredly still inside.”
“Well then my task is set, I think it would be wise for you to stay back. I do not know what traps he may have laid in the area, and I cannot protect you from them all.”
“Oh you have no need to worry about those, I have already rid the area of them all. It should be quite easy for you to enter.”
The smile the mage gave as he said that was, for Amriel, quite unnerving. Who was this man that seemed so frail and weak to have the power to dispel the traps of a darkling as powerful as Bogok? Pushing it from her mind she started a purposeful and determined stride. Amriel gripped her blade in two hands and gathered her power, it was time to settle things with the Bogok. With sudden bright power, the blade burst into flames and a wave of radiant energy swept from Amriel. She gave her wings a powerful push and, in a burst of light, she dove for the cottage. With a powerful strike like thunder, she stuck the door, the power of her swing destroying the entire front of the cobbled cottage. Inside stood what appeared to be another old and frail man.
“Noooooo, you are not supposed to be here yet!” It bellowed in a deep gravelly voice.
With a yell, the angel charged and swung her radiant sword sharply down as if to cleave the man in half. All light in the room, except for that emanating from Amriel, disappeared in a flood of darkness. Sooty black ash fell as the creature showed its true form. A large creature with dark black skin like night and the wings of a bat, raised a sword that seemed to contain the fury of a storm itself and blocked Amriel’s attack. With a swift flick of its wrist, a fiery whip cloaked in shadows swept out from its hand and wrapped around the angel’s foot. With a great heave, the dark creature threw Amriel through the cottage walls and outside. Flipping deftly in the air Amriel pushed her powerful pristine wings behind her. Like the sound of wind rushing down a canyon, she dived back and swung her sword again. Pushing the beast’s sword aside, she struck it in the shoulder, carving a deep wound.
Darkness oozed from the wound spilling over its body. It swung its sword, black ash trailing behind, and destroyed the final wall of the cottage. In the collapsed wreckage of the roof, it’s dark bat-like wings burst out. It gave a powerful pump and lifted into the air. Amriel thrust her sword, powerful radiant energy coursing over the blade. She struck the creature again and it gave a deep bellowing howl at the biting cut of her blade. It turned to retreat, swiftly flying from the angel and her great blade. It dove headlong towards the woods, and with a resounding crunch, like a dwarven warhammer on a giant’s kneecap, it crumbled to the ground stunned.
In its daze it realized it had struck some unseen force that had refused to let it pass, what power did this angel have that could do such a thing? Seeing her opening, Amriel dived for the beast again, and without much defense, she brought her blade down and cleaved it in two. With two inky black eyes staring at the angel, a disembodied voice spoke.
“Mwahahaha, you are too late angel. It is only a matter of time. I have forged a bond too tightly with this. I will return and when I do, I… will… CRUSH you!”
Amriel stood there contemplating the darklings last words as inky black smoke leaked from the remains. Slowly the remains dissipated into nothing. She turned and saw the mage get up from the same rock he was sitting on, with that impossibly large book in hand, stride over.
Balking at how close the mage was to the fight, “I told you to stay back. Did you conjure this wall holding the darkling in?”
Replying casually he said, “Yes, yes my rock was back enough. Besides, you did not say I could not assist. It seems that my assessment on setting up a circle of protection was correct in that it could hold the darkling back. It also seems to have worked in your favor and greatly shortened the fight. If the darkling had fled into the forest, surely the swath of destruction from your fight would have made for some very disgruntled lords.”
Questioning the mage she continued, “How is even such a thing possible? The amount of mana required is tremendous. It would have required…”
“Eight people perhaps… no worries mistress Amriel. We may not have large radiant swords such as yours. But the Sen’Jerei is very capable in our own way. I appreciate what you have done here, it has been most… informative,” Harow replied bowing.
Moving his hands rapidly his eyes glowed and trails of mana streaked in the air. They formed many complex patterns and symbols that gave a flash as he completed his movements. Behind the wizard named Harow, mana traced a rectangular shape the size of a doorway, and to Amriel’s surprise, it was just that. The mage reached out his hand and gave a twisting motion as if it were an actual door he was opening. The area within the magical rectangle warped oddly and through the opening, Amriel saw what appeared to be a circular room. Harow stepped through and with another odd warping the door shut… and he was gone.
Amriel shouldered her blade again and mused to herself about what had transpired. With her task not quite finished she turned, gave a few powerful thrusts with her wings and glided back towards the village. She would not enjoy her next task, but it had to be done.