KOTR EP. 1

Rydelus sat on a rickety wooden stool, his arms resting on the long wooden bar in front of him, his head hung in silence. Ryde feigned a sigh of dreadfulness, he did not want those around him to know what he was thinking. The bar Rydelus was in was a small pub called Shale Ale near the border of the Shale county side and the City of Arkose, it was a musky shack, filled with plenty of dirty vagabonds and passerby's. "I have just lost everything I worked all my life for," Ryde thought to himself, but he shook this thought from his head, he needed to think now. Ryde stared down his glass mug, it was filled with a strong wheat ale, completely different from the Castle rum he was used to drinking, Rydelus lifted the mug and drained the harsh liquid, before resting the mug back on the bar. The huge sluggish bartender paid Rydelus and his companion no mind, and Ryde was thankful for this, for had no intention for small talk. He could trust no one anymore, Ryde thought aimlessly, I was just betrayed by my star pupil, and cast out like a stray hound.

There was only a few people Rydelus did actually trust, the Priests of Feldspar, whom were always kind and honest to Ryde; Brynn, a rather deadly but beautiful mercenary whom he came to care for like a daughter, but he always felt she was hiding something from him, a big secret she didn't tell anyone, and the former king Cason, who Ryde viewed as a Father figure, if not Ryde's best friend. But now, Archer, the king's son, had stormed his fathers castle and had taken the Crown by force. Ryde had tried to resist but his forces had shrunken because of Archers influence, and Archer personally had Rydelus thrown out of the castle and stripped of all his rank. Rydelus then wondered the Shale Country side, looking for shelter and food, until he came across his new companion, a young scrappy dwarf. Rydelus hardly talked to the Dwarf, he didnt even know his name, but no matter, because the silence between the two was actually a blessing, Ryde wanted nothing more then silence right now.

Rydelus was thinking up his battle plan as he always does when he leads his troops to war, He put himself in the other commanders shoes, What would Archer do in this situation. "I would send someone to exterminate your biggest obstacle," he thought. Rydelus Smiled, the first grin to break his face in the past weeks. Ryde Shifted his body up, the stool screeched behind him, Rydelus deposited some silver on to the beaten wooden bar, and turned from it, looking to his companion, "Come on Dwarf, the battle for our lives start now." Ryde turned again and with several long strides he reaches the door to the bar, opening it with a swift pull, and was greeted by an overcast sky threatening the broad hills of the Shale Country side. Rydelus left the Bar.

The man screamed in terror as the massive demon pushed him against the cold stone wall. The beast was menacing and unforgiving; it had come out of nowhere and cornered the man. His dark robed companion strode over, with a devious smirk on his face. His eyes were as black as night and revealed nothing.

"Tell me sir, do you value your life and the lives of those you love?" The dark robed man spoke with such malice in his voice it felt as though his words pierced through his body.

The man struggled for a moment, fear gripping him and demanding silence, but instinct let the words escape his lips "YES!" he screamed "Please, i am a simple farmer i have done nothing to defile the heavens!"

"Do you think a demon cares what you have done farmer?" The demon's voice was deep and scornful, it was like no voice the farmer had heard before.

The man in the dark robes held a hand up as if to silence the demon "Farmer, I am not here to kill you, however, if you do not give me what i want you, and all you know will die." He looked into the farmer's eyes as his face shifted to a more serious form. "I have been told that this is the town in which a man by the name of Rydelus Archaic is from. Is this true?"

"Ye... Yes..." he muttered, fear still coursing through him, restricting his speach to simple answers.

"Where can i find him?"

"I... I don't... know" he struggled this time, not knowing if this was the wisest answer.

The demon's grip grew tighter, and it snarled, grinding its teeth and letting a puff of air in the farmer's face. The robed man shook his head slightly as though he had just been told exactly what he expected, but did not get he wanted to hear. "I will ask again farmer. I want you to think about your family. Your children if you have any. And then I want you to think about whether my large demon friend here would ENJOY THE TASTE OF THEM AS HE CONSUMES THEIR SEARED FLESH!" he was growing impatient with the man, as he often did with people. He paused, regained his composure and smiled. "Now, tell me. Where can I find Rydelus Archaic?"

"He... He..." the farmer hesitated. The large demon pulled the man off the wall slightly and recoiled back sending the farmer's back crashing into the stone wall to which the demon had him pinned. The man screamed as the pain racked through his back, spreading throughout his body. He took a few deep breaths, his breathing was fast, and his heartbeat raced faster than any horse could run. Crying out this time "He was here," he sniffled "he left this morning heading east. There is a tavern along the road," sweat soaked the farmer's entire body, slightly annoying the demon "its... its called Shale Ale. He would have stopped there" the farmer finished.

The robed man looked up to the sky for a moment, contemplating the information. It was dusk, the sun was setting and he took a moment to admire the beauty of how the orange light from the setting sun rolled over the golden fields. He turned back to the farmer "You have an admirable will to live, farmer. It is a shame it is bathed in fear. You must be more confident when death stares you in the face. If what you say is true, you have saved your entire village and doomed one man to a horrible flaming death. How do you feel about that?"

The man did not speak this time, he looked away this time. Hiding his shame, he knew Rydelus well and would not wish any harm on such a good man, but he could tell that the robed man's words were the truth.

"Farmer, I have little patience. NOW TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL!" He roared.

""I am ashamed" the farmer said calmly.

"See" the robed man said, he could see a smile spread across the demon's face. "Where has the fear gone? has relief and shame whisked it away? And without fear you can speak calmly, you can think clearly? Think about this the next time someone threatens to end your life. For all life has a cruel ending awaiting it, all life is a struggle. The least you can do is show no fear in the face of your enemies." The robed man reached a hand out. He stretched his long, pale fingers over the farmer's face. The farmer had no fear as the robed man's words echoed in his head. A quick flash of purple and blackness consumed the farmer's vision and not a second later the he was unconscious.



"Let him go Daeden." Esker said as the demon released his grip on the farmer. The farmer made a loud clunk as he hit the grassy earth beneath him. Daeden turned to Esker and looked at him hard. "What was all that about?"

"I'm not entirely sure why I said that, but I'm sure he will never forget it." Esker said softly as he turned to the farmer's fields. The farmer's family was inside the stone hut and surely heard the whole thing. It would not be wise to stick around here, especially if he intended to find Rydelus.

"You let him live." The demon said bluntly, slight disappointment in his voice.

"Yes. He does not need to die today." Esker said staring at the skinny farmer.

"And why is that?" he paused a moment "Master" he said defiantly.

Esker looked up to the large red demon "because, if we are to defeat the Arbiter one day then we cannot go around slaughtering every poor soul we come across."

"I have been at your side for nine years now and I still fail to see this 'we' you speak of. This is your ridiculous path; I am here because I have no choice. You mortals are so naive." He said.

"Then keep your comments to yourself Daeden, and follow my orders." Esker barked.

The demon sighed. "Yes, oh great Zealot Esker, your wish is my command." The demon said sarcastically.

"We should get moving."

The duo turned towards the orange sun and began their march ((OOC: in Turast the sun rises in the west and sets in the east)). They avoided the village, as they knew the towns people would not take kindly to an 11 and a half foot demon strolling through their peaceful town. Not to mention many of the townsfolk could have heard Esker's interrogation. On his way passed the village he noticed a Temple rising over the townspeople's houses, it looked as though it was some kind of Holy place, not the type he would, or his companion would, be welcome in.

They pressed on, passing a few fields and houses all golden and serene. They seemed so peaceful, as though they just danced happily with the wind, submitting to its sway without defiance. It was like nothing he knew, in the swamp from which he came life was brutal. Everything was out to gain an advantage on the world and would do whatever horrible, unspeakable thing it could to achieve this. His home was no different, acolytes fought hard to earn the title of Zealot and only the most cruel and ruthless ever made it. Here, however, it was not like this. Things here worked in harmony, greeting the day in warmth and comfort. Things here could look to the sun each morning and know that it brought gifts of life and in the swamp it was the exact opposite.

Esker could see the Tavern in the distance. A travelling trader passed by, but kept his distance. He stared hard at Daeden, Who looked at the trader and cocked his head. The trader then speed up and hurried to wherever it was that he was going.

Lion felt like a hallow shell with out a soul, he knew not why he stood with this human or how it came to be honestly. The past few days had been a drunken blur to him, but he knew that it was the right thing to do. He sloshed down the rest of his ale and stepped outside of the bar to follow Rydelus, "just call me Lion" he said harshly as he had not spoken in days other than "bartender!". He cleared his throught then looked up at Rydelus then down to "Pain" which he had in a make-shift sheath, he was ready for what ever crazy plan Rydelus had cooked up.

He thought to himself as they headed out how he would slay Archer "oh what fun and creative possibilities i could come up with for making that prick bleed" he thought. He looked up once more and spoke to Rydelus "Do you know prince Archer Arkose, son of king Cason Arkose?"

Rydelus looked intently at the suddenly exuberant dwarf, he barely heard the words that slipped from his drunken mouth, but when they sank in, a hot flare of anger rose inside of Ryde as he clenched his fists tight. After a second or two, Ryde took a deep breath and finally spoke to Lion,

"Oh yes i know him, He was like a son to me, I taught him mostly everything i know..." Ryde's voice trailed at the last few words, he still could not believe he had been beaten by his former pupil, He should have seen it coming. Ryde shook his head, there was no time for brooding. Ryde would reclaim the throne and turn Arkose into the once prosperous Kingdom it once was.

"I have a feeling you have a bone to pick with him too friend, unless you wouldnt be walking the path i walk dwarf."
Rydelus said as the looming green mountains of Feldspar started to replace the horizon, he was traveling to the Temple of Feldspar, Rydelus wished to have an audience with the priests there and also meditate in silence, one of his favorite hobbies. Nothing soothed Rydelus more after a long military campaign then a trip to the Brackish Village in the Shale Country Side and a visit to his priest brethren at the Temple of Feldspar. Things were looking up for Ryde, for a feeling of pure happiness started to grow within him; he was coming home.

Esker stood on the road and observed the tavern. It was stone, with a straw roof. There were horses outside and it was loud. He could hear the sounds of drunken patrons laughing, arguing and everything in between. He could tell this was a place for the people of this countryside to unwind from daily toils, a place of freedom, and not so much of peace. There was no place like this in the Castle where he came from, no place like this in the swamp. There were periods of peace back in the swamp, but there was always some creature looming in the murky water or in the dark bushes waiting to strike and get a free meal.

Daeden was starring down a drunk who was lying next to the tavern, barely conscious and definitely not sober. Esker let the demon day dream. Esker noticed an older man and a dwarf walk out of the tavern. A bit of an odd pair he thought, especially since he had only seen dwarves in books found in the castle's library. The dwarf was shorter than he had imagined a dwarf would be, but he knew from the texts that they were a lot fiercer than they looked. The old man had a look of wisdom about him, so Esker figured it would be a good idea to ask the old man where Rydelus could be. Esker threw up his hood to hide his face and waved Daeden to follow him over to the man and his small counterpart.

"Peasant" he said with a bit of anger in his voice. It was Esker's intention to intimidate, so he remembered that simple townsfolk, such as the people in the tavern and in the town earlier that day, were the lowliest on the ranking scale among human culture; so belittling them made getting information easier. "I am looking for a man by the name of Rydelus Archaic" he continued. "Your insignificant life now depends on the information you provide." He summoned a little fire at his feet for effect. He signaled Daeden to ready himself in case the duo decided to run in fear, which happens more often than not with this kind of approach.

"What i know just might depend on your actions after i tell you nothing," snarled Lion. "oh by the way, i dont know if you noticed silly human, but your feet are ablaze." Lion chuckled "if i say i do not know where this Rydelus is, and you intend to harm me, then it will be a challenge accepted, but if when i say nothing and you head on your way i might just laugh at how pathetic you are" "so flame foot, i know nothing and your choice now is to strike or walk, have at me!" Lion grabs pain and ready's his shield as he lets out a small laugh.

Rydelus had to smile at the spunk of Lion the dwarf, but he held his arm in front of him and said
"Ill have no one lying for my sake, Lion." Rydelus sized up the gigantic menacing demon standing before him, his eyes trailed to the young clothed man before him. Rydelus' left arm went to his shortsword Arkosa, gripping it tight.

"I am Rydelus Archaic, what is your business here zealot, I know your kind and it only brings trouble."

Rydelus looked straight into the cold dark eyes of the robed man, it was awash with malice and hate, but also a hint of hurt and remorse.

"I have a feeling that you didn't want to find me so we can talk" rydelus spat as he released Arkosa from its sheath, ringing as it met the air, the sword had a certain shine to it that only magic can give.

"Just know one thing zealot, if you and your baby demon here try to assassinate me, just know that you can not and will not defeat me." Rydelus reached behind his back and pulled a bronze decorated shield onto his forearm.

"Well? What do you have to say zealot?"

Esker smiled. He had to admit, the lack of fear the duo showed was indeed admirable.

On Esker's travels to this land he had gathered as much information on his target as he could. Ryde was a famous general, revered as a hero by his people. He was known for being brilliant in combat and in his knowledge of battle. A man such as this would be a great ally as he most likely had heavy influence in the world and probably commanded troops.

Esker was sent to kill the man, but since learning who his target was, he had decided to enlist his aid. Esker of course was not one to put trust in something without seeing it in action first, so he decided to test Rydelus. He wished to see if the stories were true, if Rydelus truly was the man of legend his people made him out to be.

Esker did not know what to make of the rowdy dwarf. He was clearly drunk and probably would have jumped at the first thing he saw. Daeden stood next to Esker, trying to contain his laughter at the dwarf, Esker could tell the demon was ready to fight, as he most always was.

A devious smile grew across his face "I must admit, I expected a more diplomatic response from the famous Rydelus, but then again I wouldn't take kindly to a Zealots threat either." He laughed a bit "You would be correct, I am not here to talk to you. I am here to test you."

Esker snapped his fingers and Daeden leaped into the air. Daeden's agility had always been surprising to Esker, and it most certainly never failed to surprise his opponents. The demon flew threw the air landing in front of the duo, who stood ready for battle. When Daeden landed Esker cast a small enhancement spell so that the earth would quake beneath his massive demon counterpart. Esker laughed slightly as he noticed how short the dwarf really was. Daeden was extremely tall compared to the people of Turast, but the dwarf stood no taller than Daeden's thigh.

The quake would surely throw the two off guard. Esker then mustered an invisible demonic aegis to surround his own body, as Ryde, if he had any knowledge of Zealots, would surely attempt to bypass Daeden's massive form and head strait for Esker. Many foes had made the same mistake, and Ryde would be in for a surprise if he did.

"il get the demon, you deal with him," lion shouted to Ryde. Lion sized up the demon, he wasnt scared by the demons size, but knew he was disadvantaged. He knew he had to even the field somehow. Thinking was a waste of time now, he had to do something and now was the time. Lion charged the demon at full speed ramming his whole body into the demons leg hoping the massive weight of his armor would bring him down.

" I hate fighting mages!" Rydelus thought as he raced towards the zealot at full speed, the demon was high above him. Ryde's muscles ached with age, but screamed with a joyful youthness, his whole body was already on fire. He rolled to the side as the demon landed near lion and the ground around the demon started to shake. As ryde recovered he regained his speed and brought his bronze shield infront of him. He planned to shield bash the zealot from the side. As Ryde got closer to the mage, a trickle of cautiousness, filled his brain, ryde subconciously started to gather energy inside his body, he was readying a healing spell for himslef at impact. Ryde's whole body shined a dull white as he slammed the front of his shield in to the left side of the zealot.

Daeden laughed as the dwarf charged him. He loved to show his strength and even more he loved opponents who felt the same. 'This will be fun' Daeden thought. He leaped slightly to the side, dodging the dwarf's simple charge. Daeden could see that the dwarf was in heavy plated armor and would not be moved by a simple kick, which is why he chose a stance where he could throw all of his body weight into the dwarf. As he hit the ground he maneuvered his body to land on all fours instead of his bipedal stance. He lowered his head, reeled back and charged forward, horns first. Daeden chose a scooping motion as he lunged at the dwarf, so as to not pierce the dwarf, but rather send him flying into the air. There was a loud clash of metal and bone as the Daeden's head colided with the dwarf. The blow would surely send the dwarf much higher than he would want to be.

Esker had little martial skill, but he knew how to handle a charging opponent. Rydelus' sheild came hurtling in Esker's direction and Esker moved with it. He simply threw his body back in the same motion of the shield severely weakening its impact. This put Rydelus directly on top of Esker, as he had anticipated. Esker smiled as he threw his arms out to his sides and the small flames around them began to grow and spiral upwards, consuming the two combatants in seconds. Esker made sure not to make the flames lethal, but to ensure that they hurt, and hurt severely. Esker's Aegis would shield him from any damage the magical fire would do, as well as any magic Rydelus might throw out to extinguish the flames. Esker desperately wanted to see what Rydelus would do next. Still standing within the flames, he got himself into a ready stance, a wicked smile spread across his face.

Lion landed on his feet near the zealot. 'Switcharoo!,' He yelled laughing, The way the demon just tossed him angered him deeply. He now knew that this was a real fight. Pain glowed as Lion rushed toward the mage. Lion's shield connected with the mages body. Lion twisted his body as Pain slammed into the mages face. Pain was glowing bright when it connected with the zealots face, Lion heard a crack sound as Pain hit the zealots face. "damn," he thought to himself as he saw the pain the the mages' face. Then he manuvered pain under the mages feet as he slammed him once more with his shield hoping to bring the mage on his back.

Ablaze, Rydelus rolled away from the zealot, in mere seconds Ryde had become incredibly hot, his armor and cloth had instantly been set on fire. Striping his armor from him as fast as he could, he trickled a little of the healing spell through his body, he could still feel the heat, but there was no pain. The dwarf had landed beside him and had yelled "Switcheroo" Rydelus had completly understood his meaning, they were mismatched, dwarves have a natrual resistance to magic, The dwarf would have a better chance against the mage, he thought as rushed towards the back of the demon, lunging with his sword. the sword dug deep with a sickening noise into the hide of the demon. Rydelus roared with bloodlust, it had been a while since he saw blood. He felt as if he was in the midst of a battlefield with his army. His mind raced, his heart quickened, and his eyes glazed over, he was ready to fight to the death.

Esker's body racked with pain. It had been a long time since he had been hit with such brutality. He was hit fast and lost track of where he was for a moment. Blood was everywhere. It had spewed from his mouth initially when the Hammer made contact with his head. He could see that the blood had splattered onto the dwarf's armor. Not a full second later he hit the ground. Landing on his back, the fall nearly knocked the wind out of him. He did not scream, nor did he hesitate. He immediately drew his ritual dagger from his sash and drove it into the dwarf's calf. With his other hand he reached up, pointing his palm at the dwarf's chest and released a blast of unstable shadow energy. It shot the dwarf back, putting some distance from him and the tiny man. Esker stood up grasping his hip as he did so. Pain was trivial to Esker, he and Daeden shared their pain and a demon of Daeden's caliber could handle near limitless pain.

Esker smiled once more as he focused on his blood and on his dagger. The two were the advantage he would need to win this fight without killing the dwarf (as much as he would have liked to after what the dwarf had attempted). Killing the dwarf would not help him win Ryde's trust once he was done playing with his new friend. Esker was a master at manipulating the magical energy that flowed in a person's blood. This dwarf, unlike Rydelus who had released some magical energy to heal his burns, had not yet given off any kind of magical essence to which he could focus on. This forced Esker to use his own magical flow. His blood, which was spread all over the dwarf's body, began to dry rapidly, this way it would stick to him and he would not be able to simply wipe it off. He began to channel some of his demonic energy into the blood, as he did so the dwarf's armor and hit shield began to gain weight. For some reason the dwarf's hammer was unaffected by his sepll, but no matter, so long as the dwarf wore that armor and carried that shield the sheer weight would root him in place.


Daeden felt a sharp pain in his back. The human warrior, still slightly aflame had sunk his blade into Daeden's back. The blade was short, and did not pierce anything major. He laughed as he reached an arm back, spreading his massive red hand and wrapping his fingers around the old man. He squeezed tight and stood upright. He jerked his shoulder forward and threw the man to the ground in front of him. The man made a loud thud as he came in contact the bare earth. Daeden could still feel the sword in his back, protruding from his thick demonic hide. Daeden let out a laugh as he lifted his foot and proceeded to stomp the old general several times.

Lion felt a deep pain in his calf as he flew back into the air. "fuck me," he thought as he landed on his back. He stood up quickly but for some reason as soon as he got onto his feet his armor felt almost three times as heavy, the weight was immense and felt as if it was getting heavier and heavier. He was brought down to one knee by the combined weight of his armor and his severed calf. He knew soon he would be laying down and didn't want to go out with one last hit on this blasted duo. He stood back up and dropped his shield, then with all the strength he could muster he raised Pain into the air and threw it. Pain glowed bright as it flew threw the air, right past the mage. Lion knew that the mage would just simply dodge it, but the brute of a demon not paying attention stomping away at his new companion would be surprised at how powerful the hammer had gotten now that Lion was in pain. In one last effort to make Pain hurt the demon as much as it could, Lion reached down and shoved the dagger deeper into his leg. Lion looked up just to see an almost sonic boom as Pain connected with the giant demon. Lion dropped to the ground under the immense weight of his armor. He had done all he could and it was Rydelus's job to finish or surrender.

Rydelus had never fought a demon one on one before, nor has he ever been stomped by one either. The pain was excruciating. Rydelus was picked up by a large hand, gripped tightly and then thrown to the ground with tremendous force. He thought he heard a loud snap from his shoulder region as he landed on it hard. The healing magic he stored had instantly gone to work mending Ryde's broken collarbone back together, but he had not stored enough to what came next. It was as if a mountain had fallen upon Ryde, the enormous weight and force of the demon foot slammed into Ryde unexpectedly. He felt as his ribs had been crushed instantly, as the foot lifted from his body, Ryde put his arms across his chest instinctively, simultaneously channeling some healing energy to his broken ribs, which couldnt be fixed at the moment, but could delay the immense pain. The foot of the demon came down upon Ryde with the same ferocity as the first stomp. But Ryde had braced himself, thus reducing the damage to his body, but he still took quite a bit of internal damage. Ryde winced with pain, but he would not give the demon the satisfication of crying out in pain. The demon lifted his foot again, and was readying for another attack when the large demon paused, A large sound erupted from the back of the demon, and Rydelus used that time to roll from the demons foot range, Ryde had now landed behind the demon again, the wound where his sword had stuck in was slightly larger when he first had stabbed the Demon. Ryde looked to the ground beside him and saw the dwarfs hammer digging into the ground, as if it weighed heavily. Ryde paused as he searched his hidden pockets inside his slightly charred black tunic, before his hand clasped on two small jet black spherical objects, they were his old mercenary smoke bombs.

With a small throw he aimed one of the jet black smoke bombs at the bloodied Zealot, and then gripped the hand of Arkosa, his shortsword, and twisted the hilt as he pulled his sword from the thick demon hide, and then jammed the second of the smoke bombs in the gaping wound of the demon. Ryde then pivoted on his left foot and swung his whole body towards the Zealot as he flung his sword with intense speed at the mage. The sword somersaulted through the air. The first smoke bomb hit the ground before the Zealot, and with an audible pop and a small explosion, it hissed an incredible black cloud of smoke, A huge screen of black drifted between the Zealot and Ryde. Ryde did not know if his aim was true, because of the smoke blocking the way. Arkosa cut through the smoke and disappeared.

Rydelus then grabbed the shield on his arm and took it in to his hands, pivoting on his left foot again, lunging his whole body at the wound on the back of the demon, the shield slammed into the gaping hole where there was a smoke bomb. The impact was horrendous, the shield connected with the small smoke bomb, causing a small explosion in the back of the demon. Rydelus was pushed back slightly from the explosion, he lost his balance, and fell backwards on to his back hard. Ryde looked up to see if the demon would retaliate, only to see large bits of skin hanging from the watermelon sized crater on its back, the black smoke had covered the other upper half of the demon, looking as though the demon was only made of only a lower half, the inky smoke enveloped it.
Ryde could only smile to himself,

"Not bad for an old guy."

Esker had made the dwarf useless to the fight for now. Now he could focus on Rydelus, who was already in pain from his and Daeden's attacks. He had to ensure that Rydelus lived so his next step was to halt Daeden and speak to the old general. When he looked back to the dwarf he saw the magical hammer fly past his head and not a second later a smoke bomb exploded right next to him. Esker twisted and as he did Rydelus' sword flew through the air and gashed his deltoid. The cut hurt like a sting, but was not crippling, he would still be able to maneuver his arm with nothing but a minor sting.

Daeden let out a demonic curse as Rydelus' shield forced the smoke bomb into his back. It exploded on impact and took a massive chunk of his back with him. His demonic hide flew through the air, his blood spraying the golden fields on which the battle was taking place. As he lurched forward in pain for a moment a hammer flew directly where his head once was. Smoke was all around him, but Rydelus was still giving off strong magical residue. Daeden turned quickly and stomped his way over to the old man who now lay on his back.

"Not bad for an old guy." he muttered.

Daeden's face was filled with rage as he slammed his hand onto Rydelus, pinning him against the ground Daeden leaned over and stared deep into the old man's eyes. "And now i tear you limb from limb mortal."

Daeden reached down with his other hand and wrapped his fingers around Rydelus' left arm and began to pull.

Esker walked out from the smoke, coughing slightly and he saw his demon partner with Rydelus pinned to the ground, preparing to rip the man's arm from its socket. Daeden had that look in his eye where he intended to kill and bathe in his prey's blood.

"Stop" Esker said calmly.

Daeden widened his right eye and whispered to the old general "lucky."

"Release him." Esker commanded once more.

Daeden stood upright still looking down to Rydelus. "Now" Esker smiled. "Pick him up." Daeden looked at Esker with a hard look. Esker could tell the demon did not want to pick the old man up off the ground, but he had to. Slowly, and with hesitation, Daeden lifted Rydelus onto his feet.

"I apologize for the fight Rydelus Archaic." He smiled as he looked to the ground. "I had to test you."

Lion layed there on the ground in an almost bored state. The mage had made him unable to do anything and he didnt even know if his last ditch effort to attack the demon worked. He was just waiting to be finished off by the mage.

At first Rydelus could not believe what he was hearing. One moment his arm had popped out of his socket by the demon pulling his arm off. The next moment the Zealot was then scolding the demon to stop attacking him, and actually helped him up from the ground. Rydelus stood shakingly, holding his shoulder, he gripped it and forced it back into the socket, making a loud pop. Rydelus looked into the inky black eyes of the mage.

"A Test...?" Ryde was a bit shocked at the words. Ryde then racked his brain, thinking for a couple seconds before finally realizing why the zealot had even come here in the first place. Ryde grinned a bit, the blood staining the corners of his mouth cracked, knowing that he now had an upper hand in this squabble.

"You want somthing from me, dont you Zealot?..." Ryde finished as he wiped the dried blood from his face.

Esker smiled, it was a malicious smile, but a smile. He was slightly surprised that Rydelus was so calm, but then again a man of his reputation could not have gotten fazr by losing his cool or being afraid. This was definately the man he was ent to kill and he could tell why someone would want him dead. An enemy of Rydelus' spirit, skill and resourcefulness would be one not easily overcome. It did, however, raise the question as to why someone would want Rydelus dead, but it was not a Zealots concern to know "WHY" he was to complete a task, just to complete it.

"Your dwarf friend, If i release him from his burden, will he attack?"

He looked over to the dwarf once more. The short man was lying on the ground unable to move. Esker had thought that the dwarf would attempt to remove his armor in order to fight, but it appears that the armor was not be removed be it death.

Lion smiled as he knew now that the fight was over. "i may be weighted down but my ears are still good mage, you have my word. i will not strike" Lion thought maybe he could con a beer or two out of the mage. "on one condition although, lets find an innn for the night and you buy me a pint, that is where we shall have our talk sound like a plan?" Lion chuckled at the thought of having the man who just stabbed him buy him a cold ale.

Rydelus looked towards his dwarf companion, then back to the zealot, everything was happening way to fast, he needed to rest and collect his thoughts, first though, he needed to understand the current situation.

Rydelus spoke to the zealot. "First, I would like to know your name."

Rydelus' ribs and burns had to be healed, he needed to rest now. His magic would do the rest.

"There's a village back where you came from where we can rest, I know the people there."

"On one condition although, lets find an inn for the night and you buy me a pint, that is where we shall have our talk sound like a plan?"

Esker thought for a moment. A pint? He knew that a pint was a measurement, but he had no idea what the dwarf meant by "a pint."

"Very well" He said to the dwarf, pretending to know what the short man was talking about. He would have to play along in this world in order to reach his goal. He was not entirely sure the dwarf was going to keep his word, so he waived Daeden to be watchful of the dwarf's actions.

Esker turned to Rydelus "My name is Esker and I would like to apologize for the threats and the battle." He was not truly sorry, but he needed to win the trust of Rydelus, so the custom was necessary. "I only needed to test you. Anyone can say they are the famous Rydelus Archaic." Esker did not expect Rydelus to understand his logic, but it would have to suffice.

"If you know that I am a Zealot then you know this demon is my faithful partner. His name is Daeden" Daeden crossed his arms and looked away from Rydelus in disgust, sending an evil glare at the dwarf.

"Rest would be fitting. I must tend to Daeden's wounds. Lead the way General Rydelus Archaic."

Esker was unsure on how to address a man of Rydelus' status, so he just went with what sounded proper. He had already injured the man and his dwarf friend and was not trying to disrespect him any further. He was still unsure if Rydelus would help him at all. If Esker had been in the situation Rydelus was in a few moments ago he would not be kind with his assailant.

The village Rydelus spoke of had to be the one that Esker had passed through before reaching this tavern. He was not sure if the people there would take kindly to him after what he had done to the farmer, but perhaps being in the pressence of the famous Rydelus Archaic would be enough to calm their nerves.

Esker took a quick survey of the area around them. Blood could be found scattered all over the road and much of it was charred. A small crowd had gathered at the tavern's entrance to watch the scene that had just unfolded. They were clearly speechless, he could sense fear in the hearts of a few of them, but they kept their distance.

Esker was told when he left the castle of Alter that the world knew not of Zealots and their ways. He was also told to keep his identity a secret and avoid public exposure at all costs, to kill any witnesses and ensure the secrecy of the Arbiter was kept. This was not his concern any longer. Esker had been set free of the castle and was his own man now. The arbiter was sure to find out that he had failed to kill Rydelus, and would not be pleased. More Zealots would come, which Zealot the demon of hunger would send was a mystery.

OOC: Esker thinks a lot. Jesus (not admin)

Lions mind raced with what to do next as he walked over and grabbed pain. He thought maybe he should strike another time, breaking his word, something dwarfs have been known not to do. He decided to just go along with them as see if maybe the zealot (which he know knew was the proper name for the mage) wanted the same thing as Lion, the death of Archer. He would have to wait and find out over a nice cold pint thought, something he looked foward to as his calf was still bleeding partly and he was beginning to sober up (something Lion hated doing).

Lion felt the watchful glaze of the large demon on him, he looked up to see the demon looking right at him. All Lion could do was laugh. "for such a big demon you sure are whipped around like a little toy" Lion said to the demon chuckling.

Rydelus looked directly at Esker, Ryde still felt uneasy about the newcomer, and his faced showed it. Ryde was a hard man to gain trust from, all his Generals would know. He would tread cautiously with this zealot. Rydelus had to chuckle when he was called the general, he hasn't been called that in a long time. Ryde gathered some energy, flowing healing magic into his legs, so he could make the journey to his old village. Ryde had a lot to say to this zealot, but would have to wait. He started upon the beaten path, holding his ribs as he walked. It hurt to breathe, let alone speak. He only hoped that this zealot would help him and the dwarf with their goal.

He not only hoped, but had a feeling they would help.