'Scape: The War Begins

[Nukatha]

Okay, this is the first part of my fanfic. It is currently more than 14,000 words long, so be prepared to devote some time to reading it.

This part (that I will be covering in this thread) is currently about 40% done.

This is the first part of a series that is based on the world of HeroScape. This first topic of mine includes all the characters released in RotV and Wave 1, plus the EOV. (The next will involve Utgar's Rage, Jandar's oath, Orm's Return, RTTFF, and VW). Character's will not be dropped out between installments, so Utgar will probably grab a bunch of orcs every time.

Many heroes will die in this, so currently the only two that are certain to live until Swarm of the Marro are Drake and Raelin, because of the re-releases. If Hasbro decides to re-release a hero that I kill in this, I'm gonna need to find a way to ressurect him/her lol.

You could consider this a draft, I will freely accept all constructive critisism, and I'll bet that there are several spots that are harder to read than others (I sometimes write weird). Just point them out and give some suggestions on how to make them better.

Also, I think that I fixed this after my first few revisions of the document, but if any parts seem out of order, that's also my mistake, just point it out.

I took several elements from Thormun's journal on heroscape.com, but I do not plan on establishing continuity with it.

One more neat note: All battles in this series have been enacted on the exact map stated in the story, following the special abilities of the characters. Several times for plot purposes I can't let characters die, or purposefully kill off characters, but aside from several weird things (Mimring escapes and carries several marro in this part), the battle sequences are fully plausible in a real-life 'Scape game. (Yes I rolled dice for these attacks, you can expect some characters to die by bad luck. An Orc Archer on low elevation sometimes does wonders).

Also, I can give no guaruntees as to when I will be updating this thread. What I am posting right now has been sitting on my computer for a few months now. I hope that by having it on 'scapers that it will motivate me a bit more to continue writing.

Aside from that, I present to you:


HeroScape:
The Rise of the Valkyrie and Mallidon's Prophecy



_______________

My name is Sergeant Drake Alexander, of the United States Army. I am in France, fighting the Germans. Our objective is simple: win back this town. What the town’s name is, I don’t remember, I just know that it is a trade route that must be taken back. I have 20 soldiers under my command and supervision. I hope and pray that I, and my team will make it out of here alive…
“Drake, get down!” someone yells.
I duck as a bullet whizzes past my head.
“Thanks man. Alright crew, FIRE AT WILL!!!!!”
Bullets whiz back and forth between the two sides, each carrying death with them. Screams of pain can be heard from everywhere on the field. I see both my friends and enemies falling, one by one. Looking to my left I see that three of my men have already become some of this battle’s fatalities. Suddenly I see what I hoped I would never see. A grenade was flying directly at me.
In less than half of a second a million things fly through my head, what should I do, now that death has found me? I know what must be done. I drop my rifle hands, and I push away my teammates, whom I have not even known for a week, away from me as to get them out of the blast radius. The demonic device lands directly in front of me. I hear the loud explosion. Some shrapnel flies toward my body, and all goes white.



“My Greetings to you Sergeant Alexander,” I hear a voice say.
I rise to my feet to see what looks like a winged human almost like an angel. “Who are you?” I ask.
“My name is Jandar. I am a Kyrie. Certainly, you are wondering where you are.”
I respond, “Well, let me think. A grenade was exploding right next to me. I suppose that I’m dead.”
“You would think that wouldn’t you,” the Kyrie replied, “You are far from dead. I saw your selfless act to save those who were around you from the blast, so I brought you here. You skills are great Alexander, it would be a shame to have lost them. I cannot tell you much, but I can tell you this, your team survived the blast because of you.”
“My team survived! That is good news, but that still does not explain where I am or why you decided to bring me here.
“Ah, I’d better tell you the story while we still have time. 60 years ago a good friend of mine named Thormun, also a Kyrie as most inhabitants of Valhalla are, was exploring some mountains near his home. He found a large stone on the side of the mountain that was loose, and decided to push it out of the way. It moved very easily. Behind it rested a small cave. Upon entering the chamber, Thormun found a pool of crystal clear water, sitting in the middle. Around the room there were ornate carvings, showing that this place was regarded as sacred in the ages long past. Thormun realized that his water flask was empty, and took the opportunity to fill it up with some water. In the chamber there was also a small amulet. Thormun picked it up and quickly put it in his pocket.
As he flew home he naturally became thirsty. Taking a drink from his flask he immediately noticed that his wings grew to enormous size, and his muscles instantly became stronger. Seeing the beneficial effects, Thormun quickly drank his entire flask. Many Kyrie asked him about his added bulk. Naturally Thormun enjoyed the strength the water gave him and noticing that the effects disappeared some time after drinking it, he quickly went back for more. However there was a haunting thing about these magnificent waters. Thormun noticed that he began having strange visions. Visions of war rearing up the land he loved. Visions of great and monstrous dragons, robots, and even humans attempting to destroy each other on the land he held most dear. But the positive effects were too great to ignore. Thormun continued drinking of this magical spring more than 20 years without aging or revealing his amazing secret to others. News arose of another Kyrie who had recently received the same benefits that Thormun had. Hearing this, Thormun set out to see who this other Kyrie was. Meeting him he introduced himself, and once they had an opportunity to sit, they began discussing these ‘wellsprings’ and their magnificent powers. This other Kyrie was I.”
“You!” I said, “That would explain how you saw me. This pool that even now sits before us allowed you to peek onto Earth and see me.”
“Indeed. As Thormun and I talked amongst ourselves I brought up the topic of the Amulet that each of us wore around our necks. Seeing Thormun as a friend and also seeing how we each were equal in strength and ability at that time, I decided to show him this wellspring. To this day, the only people who have seen the inside of this chamber are Thormun, several of my personal friends, and those whom I have summoned here to fight.”
“I don’t understand. The whole magic thing that this water gives seems neat, but you said there was a war going on, what is this about?”
“Patience Drake, I will get to that. Anyways, Thormun and I were not at all surprised to discover that still other Kyrie had found wellsprings. Currently there are known to be 6 Kyrie in possession of these wellsprings, all of whom I have once known personally. Ullar, Einar, Vydar, and Utgar are the other Kyrie. Thormun and I became good friends of them. Together we forged and allegiance and called ourselves the Valkyrie. We had meetings about 4 times a year and discussed how the springs' powers could be put to the greater good. I found myself in a bad position. Of the 6 of us, I was the only Archkyrie, or authority. I was the only one of the group with political power. Basically speaking, if I didn’t want something to happen, it didn’t happen.
This group of ours formed no less than 5 years ago. Over these 5 years we made many changes to the area. We built some great fountains in the cities that made them more welcoming; using our great strength we built castles for the best-known Archkyrie. I even built one alone. An entire fortress, but alas it is more than 200 miles away from where we are now. I meant to give it to the Archkyrie as a whole for a gift but due to recent circumstances I will not be able to until the war is over if that happy day should come. I, to show that we did not wish to overthrow the Archkyrie, always took our major decisions to them. Okay, getting to what actually caused this war that we are currently engaged in. After about 4 and one half years of us giving cheerful service to they Kyrie, I could tell that something was wrong. Until recently we were the most respected Kyrie in Valhalla. Then came our last meeting. Utgar brought along a strange creature.
“Please allow me to introduce you to Ne-Gok-Sa, a Marro Warlord from the planet Marr, according to him anyways,” Utgar said to us.
Next to him stood a creature that looked only vaguely like a Kyrie. It lacked wings and even skin, looking almost skeletal and boasting a bright red color but this was not the strangest thing about this creature. Its right arm did not end in a hand, but instead a blade. Its entire forearm was literally a weapon. Its left arm had a hand, but the outer part of its arm was solid as though metal interlocking plates, effectively giving it the biological equivalent of a sword and shield.
I asked him, “How the heck did that creature get here? I have never seen anything like him anywhere on Valhalla.”
“The visions we have been having, you can make them into reality. In my wellspring there was a hand-shaped marking. Upon pressing my hand against it I immediately began having another vision, however unlike the others that I have had, this one seemed even more vibrant, as though I was actually standing there. I saw the planet Marr, torn by war between Marro like Ne-Gok-Sa, strange snake-like creatures with arms, and odd hairy beasts with weapons that have the ability to spew even fire. I saw Ne-Gok-Sa leading a battalion of creatures like himself against these beasts, then I saw one fire one of these fire beams directly at him. I did not want him to perish, and just at that moment where he would have died, I was surprised to find the vision end and him standing right next to me. Both of us realized that I had saved this Marro’s life, for which he thanked me. It was at that moment I realized something. I have great power with only one wellspring, but with many I would grow in power and be able to rule Valhalla.”
“Are you saying that you declare war on the rest of us?” I asked him.
Einar began speaking, “I will fight beside you Utgar, let us be the rulers of the springs and Valhalla!!!!”
“So shall it be!” Utgar yelled, “Ne-Gok-Sa, kill them all except Einar."
Utgar and Einar drew their swords and began attacking us. Luckily for us the power of the wellsprings had increased our strength that despite this Marro creature getting a direct hit on me I managed to only get a small cut. Utgar had not realized this and yelled when he realized that we would escape too easily. This plan of his quickly failed and Ullar, Vydar, and I flew away as fast as our wings could carry us. We flew apart and I have not seen them since. So you see, I have seen your bravery and decided that it would be better for you to fight here than to die from that bomb back on Earth. You have many talents, especially in combat. I did not want to see them put to waste.”
“So you wish for me to be a Sergeant here just as I was on Earth?” I asked this guy.
“Yes, and from what I have seen of you, I believe you will do a great job.”
“There are two problems I can see here,” I began, “First, just before you summoned me here I had dropped my gun so that I could save my fellows. I am weaponless.”
“A problem that I have already addressed,” Jandar added.
He unsheathed a great Katana.
“This is the Katana of Thorian, Thorian was a great warrior in generations past, he enchanted this Katana with magic. It distorts your image from afar, effectively making you invisible. Should an arrow or even a bullet actually manage to fly toward you, it will sense the danger and allow you to move at enormous speed, it cannot sense all danger, but it is still extremely effective. In addition to its protective abilities, it is extremely powerful and can break through even the strongest of metals with a good arm. Also, my finest smiths have made this tool for an experienced creature that has no wings such as you. Do not take it personally, but most of the inhabitants of this planet have wings and may look down on you. Don’t worry about a thing I have seen what you humans can do and I have no doubt in my mind that you will make a great Sergeant again. Anyways,” Jandar pulled out what looked like a large gun, “This is our grapple gun. The only one we have made. I’m sure that you will find use for it. It has a retractable chain of about 30 feet and can hold up to 500 pounds. You can use it to get up trees, walls and anything else, and I suppose in an extreme situation as a weapon.”
“Jandar, thank you for these, but I must know who will I have under my command?”
“I’ll tell you on the way to base camp, I really want to get out of this cave.”
With that said, Jandar began talking to me about my crew.
“Just recently I brought a whole group of soldiers from this war that you are in, World War 2 I believe you call it. They had parachutes, and still had their rifles with them. They also each carried several explosives. The ammunition for both, my smiths have been able to replicate with great success. Unfortunately I do not have any extra rifle for you. They said that they were dropped from mechanical flying objects called planes, but I think that a group of Kyrie could just as easily carry them to their designated drop point. In all there are 50 of them.”
“50 Paratroopers? Sounds good to me. Now this Utgar fellow, he seems to have the same summoning powers as you. What does he have in his army?”
“About 50 creatures similar to Ne-gok-sa, whom I have seen firsthand multiply by just standing in one spot. However, I know he’s got more than simply Marro though, but specifically I don’t know what.”
As we walked through a small forest we came across to a clearing with a many tents. I saw many paratroopers walking around in their camouflage uniforms, but also I saw a many Kyrie and oddly enough, Vikings. Yes, from way back before even Columbus, with ancient swords at their side and even shields, all with strange symbols on them. I went about to the many tents talking to the paratroopers, exchanging stories, and even played a couple games of poker with the few who brought a deck with them. It was good to be with people from my home. Over the next few hours I even talked to the several Vikings. I, for the first time since I got here, I realized that although the soldiers were speaking English, these Vikings were not, in fact it was unlike any language I had heard before and yet, I understood it. I even realized that Jandar had been speaking this in the cave. I came to the conclusion that being brought to this land of ‘Valhalla’ had the side effect of allowing all summoned to speak the language of the Kyrie.
“Finn, Thorgrim, Drake Alexander, please come here,” a female Kyrie yelled. “Jandar would like to speak to you.”
I walked up to her, two Vikings, wearing apparently leather clothing walked up with me.
“Right this way you three,” she said as we began walking toward the tent.
Upon entering I saw Jandar sitting in a chair. The tent was ornately decorated. The tent itself was made of a swirling blue and purple cloth. On a table in the tent three items sat, a sword with a blue blade, a blue shield, and a long spear.
“Ah, I see you have been looking around camp Drake. I’d like you to meet Finn and Thorgrim, brothers and leaders of the proud Tarn Vikings that you met outside. I am sure that you also met the other people from your time as well,” Jandar said.
“Indeed I have Jandar,” I began, “I am very pleased to meet you Finn and Thorgrim.”
“And this here is Raelin, another Kyrie and an old friend of mine.”
Looking at Raelin I saw that she did not seem pleased with us.
“What good will wingless troops for us Jandar? Slow the entire force down?” Raelin asked with an annoyed tone.
“Raelin, if you had seen the wars that occur on Earth, you would not question me. The size of your wings or lack thereof does not determine your skill in battle. In fact, even the Kyrie that are being trained right now are not ready to fight. Currently the only advantage that they give us is the ability to drop our ‘Paratroopers’ as Sergeant Alexander calls them, onto a battlefield. I promise you this, Raelin, by the time that the other Kyrie are done training, that these humans will have proved themselves many times over to be valuable to our cause.”
“Whatever Jandar, suit yourself.”
“I have brought you here for more than simple small talk. As the leaders you are, I have a gift for each of you. I have already given Sergeant Alexander Thorians’s Katana and a grapple gun. To you Finn, you are more aggressive than your brother, an excellent trait indeed. For that I give you the Sword of Guether. Forged out of an extremely strong metal alloy Ages ago it was enchanted with magic that not only makes it unbreakable and lightweight, but also strengthens those around you. To Thorgrim, I give you the Shield of Gerda. This shield has also been enchanted with ancient magic. It is made of the same material as Finn’s sword. It not only can ward off attacks from you, but also strengthens others to defend against attacks even better than seemingly possible. Raelin, to you I give you this weapon, the Spear of Gerda.”
“What?” Raelin Exclaimed, “Spear of Gerda? Gerda never made weapons; She always used defensive, not offensive magic!”
“I thought you would wonder. Gerda did indeed only use defensive magic. This spear is oddly enough just as defensive as offensive. Gerda cast a spell that causes this spear to create a magical bubble around you that defends all you choose near you, however it cannot help protect you. You must learn to be a team player Raelin. Unless you acknowledge the skills of each of us, you will be a hindrance instead of a benefit to this team.”
“I suppose I could try to do better,” Raelin responded, obviously annoyed.
Although Raelin was very helpful to her friends and allies, she preferred to do things her way, rather than listening to the suggestions of others.
“Raelin, you have made a name for yourself by offering support and mercy to all who ask, I know you will do well.”
“As you all know, Utgar has declared war on all those who oppose him. His goal is to take over the wellsprings and use the power of them to control all of Valhalla. The one spring that I brought all you here with is power enough. I believe that if one spring can support an army, that all the springs could indeed strengthen and support the entire planet. Drake, Thorgrim, Finn, I believe that just as the amulet from one wellspring can bring creatures here, if you could have all the amulets, you could send them back. When the war is over, if that day should come, you will have the choice to go back to your home at any time and place that you desire.”
“Thank you Jandar, I will serve you to defeat this evil that is Utgar,” I said.
“As will we,” said Finn and Thorgrim.
Raelin began, “I also give you my”
“DRAGON, IT’S A DRAGON!!!” I hear a scream from outside, apparently a Viking.
“Quick, use your tools, lets bring it down!” Jandar yelled.
I run outside, and I see a large… NO WAY… A DRAGON!!! Scales blood red, a beam of fire spurting from its mouth. It had already incinerated a few tents. Luckily there appeared to be no one in it.
“Paratroopers, FIRE AT WILL!!! THROW YOUR GRENADES!!!” I yelled at the top of my lungs. My team gets out their guns and bombs. The bombs explode in the air obviously wounding the beast. I hear the rifles firing straight at the dragon’s stage. Fire pours out of its mouth like water. I see a wave of fire floating directly toward me. It reminded me of what had happened just before I was brought here. I push Finn and Thorgrim who were standing beside me away. The fire is less than a yard away from me. Each seemed like an hour. Suddenly a large blue orb surrounded me, the fire hit it, only mere embers getting though. I turn and see Raelin, this bubble of life pouring out of the staff of which she held.
“Are you okay?” she asks.
“Now I am, Jandar certainly knows when you give gifts, doesn’t he.”
“Its more of luck than anything else.”
The dragon appeared startled by the fact that its foes were not burned by its hot flames, and was also being harmed immensely by the bombs that were exploding literally on its scales. It turns its head and entire body around and begins flying away, rifle bullets still flying at it.
“We must leave this place, when it rains it pours, there must be more of Utgar’s troops around here. Dragon’s are not found on Valhalla; only a Valkyrie could have summoned it. Everyone Pack up your things, we are leaving this place.”
“But what of the spring nearby?” I asked.
“It is well hidden. Besides, with the strength that the spring gives me, it will not take long to reach the spring from anywhere.”
Our ‘army’, as I suppose you could call it, began a long hike to the next camp. The place that Jandar had in mind was no less than 40 miles away, or rather, a good 10-hour walk. After we had been walking for a mere mile I felt myself envying the Kyrie, who were flying above us at a much faster speed than we humans could walk. In fact, I’d say that they were going at least 3 times as fast as us. Oh how I wish I still had my old Jeep. I’d be cruising along this place at about 40 miles an hour, and carried all our gear.
I was walking with a few of the other soldiers, talking a bit.
“So, does anyone here know if we won the war on Earth?” I asked them.
“Sergeant, what do you mean? All of us got here before the war was over,” a private in his mid -20s said.
I began explaining my position, “Well lets think here, how the heck could Jandar have brought Vikings here? I mean Vikings haven’t been around since at least the 1100’s.”
“I do see what you mean,” another soldier began, “That is really weird. We all know where we are, but we have no idea when we are. If Jandar and these other Valkyrie, as he calls them, can summon creatures from any time from any place, for all we know the war could have ended a thousand years ago, or it may not even begin for a thousand years.”
“It is all very puzzling,” said another, “But one thing still is true. Jandar saved us all from death. I saw a Nazi literally pull the trigger on his dang rifle when I was brought here.”
“Did he truly save us? Wouldn’t it make sense to bring us here at the exact moment when no one else on Earth would ever see us alive again anyways?”
This was getting out of hand; I decided to tell them what Jandar had told me.
“Soldiers, Jandar has told me something. In this wellspring chamber he found an amulet that he believes allows him to create a one-way rift between wherever and whenever a vision of his states. If someone could get a hold of more of these, you might have a choice of where and when you pull someone out of. If you could get many of them, it may even be possible to create a two-way rift, effectively allowing us, when this war is over, to any time, and any place on earth, or any other planet, that we desire. Just think of that, your friends and family are not gone forever yet.”

* * *

“Utgar has betrayed me,” thought the Kyrie, “and the entire group of we Valkyrie. Here I stand in my wellspring chamber. Utgar said that simply by pressing his hand against the wall that he summoned that demonic creature. Let’s just see how good this works.”
The Kyrie Pressed his hand against the carving shaped like a hand. He immediately saw what appeared to be a great dwelling made of metal and glass. Inside he saw, oddly enough, what seemed to be a Kyrie without wings. This did not startle him though, for he had seen these ‘humans’ in his visions before, fighting for what they believed, or what they were paid to do. These four humans were dressed in black outfits, three male, and one female. Each holding small metal objects in their hand. Suddenly a door opened in the room and several other humans, holding similar objects, walked in. The pointed these metal things at the humans in the room. The Kyrie realized that these metal things were weapons, and by the reactions of the first humans, dangerous.
“I can’t let these people die,” the Kyrie thought.
Using all of his mind’s strength, tried to save them. He heard an explosion, coming from one of the weapons, and the vision ended. Standing before him were the four humans, ready for combat.
“What the heck? Where are we?” the apparent leader of the group asked.
“You are on the planet Valhalla,” said the Kyrie.
“Valhalla? Kyrie? What kind of trick is this? Who are you?”
“This is no trick. I am Vydar, a Valkyrie, and the one who summoned you here.
“Summoned? Do you mean to say that you brought us here? My team? At the moment that would have been our death?”
“That is exactly what I mean. I expected to only bring one person, for that is all that Utgar had summoned, and the most that I believed could be brought with one vision, but seeing all of you and your talents, I did not want your talents to go to waste. Just thinking about how you could be of use to me, I put my mind to bringing you all here, instead of just Agent Carr. I have a gift that I prepared to gain your confidence in me. To you, Carr, I present you this sword. It was forged centuries ago and imbued with magic so that it will never wear down. It is also extremely lightweight, and has saved my life and the lives of my family many times. I hope that it does the same for you.
“How do you know my name?” Carr asked.
“HOW THE HECK DID I GET HERE? THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
“On the world you come from, it would seem that none have been able to harness its power. Only those who have trained for many years in the art that is magic, can use it, or those gifted with an enchanted object that grants abilities. I do not understand it fully myself, but I do know that this amulet I wear, along with the strengthening power of the water before you, apparently allows me to bring creatures and people from across time and space.”
“So, why then did you bring us here?” Carr asked, having calmed down a bit.
“To protect my home and keep the madman Utgar away from here. I do not trust those that were once my friends. They will pay for breaking their loyalty to me, and I am raising an army, beginning with you four, to defeat them. We will be victorious and protect my home. And if possible, after this war is over, I will do my best to send you home, to whatever place and time you desire.”
“Sounds great Vydar…Kyrie...Person, but might I ask what is going on here. You speak of a war, what is happening on this land that you require our assistance for? On Earth we serve whoever pays us. All that you must do is pay us with food, lodging, and if possible, your local currency. We will do what you desire given those items, and given time, if you prove to be trustworthy, I may decide to waive these costs and fight for you as a friend and not a mercenary.”
“Agent Carr, I will honor your request. What you ask of me I will give you to the best of my abilities. Come with me. I will show you to my camp.”
Vydar took Agent Carr and his Krav Maga Agents, as he learned they were called, told him everything about Utgar’s betrayal and how he wanted nothing more than to defend his homeland. After a short meal, they slept.


* * *

“Finally! After being awake for more than 24 hours I can sleep!” Drake thought, having after a 10-hour walk been able to reach his destination.
He, along with his other tent mates quickly pitched their tent, got their cots ready and were about to lay down when Jandar walked in.
“Sergeant Alexander, I know it has been a long day, but there is someone I wish for you to meet. Come with me.”
Drake rose from his bed and followed Jandar back to his tent. Inside there was another Kyrie that Drake judged to be a Valkyrie by the size of his muscles.
“Sergeant Drake Alexander, I would like you to meet Thormun, whom I have already told you about.”
“Very pleased to meet you Thormun.”
“The same to you Sergeant Alexander.”
Jandar began, “Thormun has told me that Ullar, one of us Valkyrie, has a small camp not far from here. He saw his crest on his tent as he was flying over. It is about 10 miles from here. Tomorrow morning I want you, Raelin, Thormun, and 4 of your troopers, you choice who, to attend the meeting of Ullar. Remember, I do not know if he is our enemy right now, so I urge you not act hostilely unless he attacks you, or announces his allegiance to Utgar, otherwise we can assume that he is also against Utgar and will do his best to defend his home from him. No doubt he will have summoned some allies from a few worlds. Do not draw your sword unless they do first. In the morning at first light you will eat, then your crew will leave.”
“I will do as you ask Jandar.”
“Good evening Sergeant, and may you sleep well.”
Drake walked back to his tent, asked his tent mates if they would like to join him.
“Of course we will Sergeant!” they all agreed.
Drake slept well that night.

* * *

“Izumi Samurai, we have been sitting here idle for far too long. It is time to begin showing Utgar how valuable that we are. Go to the Forsaken waters. It is a ten-day journey on foot from here. Each of you should take one of these packs. It has enough food to last you two weeks. If Utgar is also going that way he should have enough food to allow you to get back. There is also one tent and three bedrolls to allow you to sleep well. Take this map and do not fail me.”
“We hear and obey you great Einar.”
The three samurai grabbed a pack and their weapons then begin the long walk to Laur.

* * *
Utgar stared at the wondrous power of the wellspring. He had summoned three great metal creatures, amazingly hard armor, fully mechanical, and yet capable of reasoning, thought, and strategy. One was larger than the others, about 8.5 feet tall, while the other two were about the height of a normal Kyrie or human. Each carried weapons. The largest had on its right arm a gun that appeared to fire 7 shots at once. On the left it had a great, more powerful looking weapon that could fire one shot at a time. The two smaller Soulborgs actually had hands. Each gripped an apparently powerful weapon in its left hand. These three mechanoids would make an excellent addition to his army.
“Welcome Deathwalker 9000 to Valhalla.”
“I thought I would explode. Thank you for saving me,” the Soulborg said in a monotonous voice. Despite the amazing technology that makes up these Zettians, they were war machines with no need to express emotion in their speech.
“I am in your service, winged creature. My guards and I will serve you well.”
“That’s right, we will do as you ask!” the two Zettians said very quickly in a somewhat higher-pitched voice.
“If you three wish to be my allies, please allow me to mark you each as one. Deathwalker, please step forward and lean over.”
The great soulborg did as Utgar requested. Leaning over Utgar pressed his hand against its right shoulder area and Utgar’s crest appeared on it. He then did the same to the smaller soulborgs, marking both of their shoulder pads.
“Come outside. I am already prepared to send you on your first mission.”
After walking about half a mile away from the cave, they came upon an encampment, which held many warriors. These creatures mostly consisted of Marro. About 25 of them, all holding organic weapons and ready for battle. Two great creatures dominated the scene. First, Mimring the dragon, having recovered from his wounds at the skirmish, stood high and mighty above the rest, literally cooking a large Ver-boar with his breath, intending to eat it when it was ‘well done’. The second great figure was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. This creature was walking around the camp. The T-Rex itself appeared to be an adolescent, standing about 13 feet high, larger than a child, but certainly not as big as they come. On its back, believe it or not, was a saddle, and riding on it was an Orc, a blue-skinned humanoid from the planet Grut. A species that may appear primitive and war-bent, but even the best technology cannot compete with large dinosaurs that Orcs surprisingly have the ability to train and domesticate despite their enormous size and often quick tempers.
Utgar walked down to the group and soon found Ne-Gok-Sa.
“Ne-Gok-Sa, your Marro Warriors are indeed powerful. Their weapons are unlike any I have ever seen, and they multiply to serve as their own reinforcements, but have yet to see their true power in battle. I give you this mission. Go to the Table of the giants with four of your warriors. Mimring will also accompany you. I have heard rumors of there being an artifact of great power in the ruins of an ancient temple. I send you there to investigate. After the artifact is secure, come to Migol’s Tomb. Search the catacombs for other objects of power. Once your search is complete come north to the Forsaken Waters on the border of Laur and Nastralund, The rest of us will meet you there. Do not fail me. To help you I give you this map of this area of Valhalla. It should show you where to go.”
With that, Ne-Gok-Sa, four Marro Warriors, and Mimring the dragon began the long walk from their base in Ostrivick, to the table of the Giants in upper Bleakwoode, about a week’s journey.

* * *


“Welcome Elf, to Valhalla?”
“What the heck? Where am I? I was standing underneath Krug’s sword, and now I am here? Am I dead?”
“Nay, you are actually quite healthy,” a winged humanoid said, “And, look at yourself, you still carry a few small wounds from your battle. If you had left your body behind, would not those have disappeared as well?”
“I suppose you are right, but who are you?”
“I am Ullar, a Kyrie, who are you.”
“Heh, I am surprised that you do not know. I am Syvarris, the greatest, most accurate, and strongest archer on Feylund. I must know, where is this place? Why am I here, and for what reason am I here?”
“Syvarris, you are on the planet Valhalla, home of the Kyrie, the winged beings that rule this land. I brought you here because I saw your great talent as an archer and I believe that you will do well to rid this land of Utgar and Einar.”
“What? You talk as though there is a war going on, and I do not know whether you are friend or foe. I see the sword sheathed at you belt, what is to prevent you from cutting me down right now?”
“Syvarris, if words alone cannot convince you, perhaps a gift will.”
“What kind of gift?”
“This”
A great green longbow, ornately decorated, began levitating out of the pool of water in the chamber they were standing in.
“Take this bow, carved out of the finest wood available, imbued with powerful magic to make its arrows fly straight and swiftly, and finally, thanks to the power of the water that sits before you, it creates its own arrow every time you pull back the string. You will not need your quiver again.”
Syvarris grabbed the bow and aimed it at a wall. Pulling the string of the bow back, he was indeed surprised to see that a well-carved arrow simply appeared in the bow. Releasing it, the arrow stuck fast, embedding itself a few inches into the stone.
“I thank you for this, and you have gained my trust, for the time being. You saved my life, and give me this great bow, but what of this Utgar or whatever its name was?”
“The water before you grants the drinker great strength. The amulet I wear grants those strengthened by the water horrific visions of battles, and if one touches the symbol on the wall, the visions become so real that at the moment of death one can save someone and bring him here. Utgar seeks to claim all of these springs and make himself a dictator over all the land. Einar is another Kyrie who owns a wellspring and is assisting Utgar. If the world were to be conquered without a doubt they would attempt to backstab each other. Naturally we will need more than a single Elf, no matter how strong, to defeat this menace. I will demonstrate the spring and amulet’s power right now.”
Ullar walked up to the wall with a carving shaped like a hand. Pressing his had against it, he seemed to enter a dreamlike state. Syvarris stood and just stared at him, wondering what he was doing. After about 3 minutes of Ullar not moving, something strange happened. Ullar snapped back to reality, and in front of him stood three human-sized snake creatures. Serpentine throughout their entire bodies, except for the arms about a food away from their heads, they were a sight to behold. 24 extremely sharp teeth made them look fierce. Their bodies were jet-black, except for their blood red eyes. Each of the Vipers held what appeared to be two talons of a large bird in each hand. They were ready for battle.
“What the heck!?!?!” yelled Syvarris.
He pulled back his arm and unleashed one of the newly formed arrows directly at one of these creatures, a mere 20 feet away. To his surprise it dodged the projectile with ease. It was about to lunge at Syvarris when Ullar yelled, “STOP THIS!!!”
“Syvarris, what are you doing, these three vipers are to be your squad, under your command. I have seen them at their jobs and they are excellent scouts. They can avoid nearly any attack from bows, slings, or even cannons. They can move quickly through water, as they live and hunt in it on their home world. I saved these three from a squad of vicious looking skeletal creatures, each armed with spears. They would have quickly overpowered them, but now that danger is gone and they can do their job.”
“Syvarris, do not take us for idiots as our brothers. We are proud warriors who can, unlike the green of our species, think for ourselves and strategize. I will forgive you for your assault on me, but be warned, should you attempt such a stunt again, my brothers and I will make short work of you, understand?”
“Indeed I do. By what is it you are called on your planet?” Syvarris said.
“Our home planet, Marr, is torn in a three-way war. The Marro, vicious skeletal creatures armed with techno-biological weapons, the Primadons hairy beasts with fully mechanical weapons, and us, the Vipers, using our strength to keep the swampland that we still have and call home. Not to long ago I had cornered a Marro Warlord, named Ne-Gok-Sa, and would have killed him had he not disappeared before my eyes. Anyways, we three are a few of the last remaining Elite Onyx Vipers, proud warriors. We are trained from birth how to fight, evade bullets, scout, and strategize. Whenever one of us is born with black scales, he is immediately recognized for his greater mental capacity and strength. Tell me, Ullar, why is it that I am here?”
“Let us go to a more hospitable place. I have set up a tent, as well as a meal for us. I will tell you on the way.”
Ullar told the Vipers everything that he had told Syvarris, as well as about the time when Utgar had brought the Marro Ne-Gok-Sa to Valhalla and betrayed the Valkyrie.
“Ne-Gok-Sa is here?” A Viper began, “I must warn you against him. Not only is he a cunning and evil strategist and warrior, but also he has a hidden ability. All Marros use telepathy and a clicking language to communicate, but Ne-Gok-Sa has discovered a way to use his telepathy to make his enemies become his own mindless slaves. One second he could be locked in combat with one of my fellow vipers, and the next the viper could turn around and begin attacking his previous friends. Luckily it is short-ranged and it is hard for him to concentrate during a fight, but mark my words, he has done it before on multiple occasions, and will not hesitate to turn our friends against us.”
After all was said, they sat down at a small table, and ate a meal of Ver-Boar, pig-like creatures that grow about 20% larger than pigs on earth, and have much more flavor. After that, they camped and slept for the night.

* * *

Drake opened his eyes to see that he was inside a tent, and realized that this Valhalla place was indeed real. Getting up he saw that it was just about morning, despite the fact that he had went to bed about 5 hours after sunset and slept for about 9. He saw that the rest of his tent mates were also just getting up. Looking around, he saw that each of his teat mates had a clean uniform, which looked quite similar to their normal one, folded sitting next to their bunks. Drake decided that Jandar had asked some Kyrie to make uniforms for us and seeing how effective camouflage is he made an extra one for each of them. He quickly put on this new clean outfit, which felt new and comfortable compared to the sweaty one that he had been wearing. The rest of his tent mates were just awakening, so Drake decided to see what was happening.
He saw several Kyrie and Vikings sitting around a fire eating what appeared to be bread and surprisingly eggs! Fried up just like they were at home.
“These Kyrie sure know what’s good,” Drake thought.
Walking closer he asked them, “Good morning, uh, can I have some breakfast with you?”
“Indeed you may Sergeant, we have plenty of food here, enough to feed an army one might say,” responded a Kyrie, chuckling as he finished the sentence.
“Hehe… I see what you mean Kyrie. Thanks for the meal.”
“Don’t thank me, I only just helped cook it. Thank the villagers who raise the birds for the eggs. They always hit the spot.”
“It seems that you Kyrie have a bit in common with us humans. There are small birds that we call chickens on Earth that make delicious eggs, we cook them the same way too.”
With that, Drake took a bite of his breakfast. It tasted quite similar to chicken eggs, but it tasted almost as though there was seasoning naturally inside it. It was indeed a great meal on this planet far from home.
After he had eaten he asked the Viking sitting to the left of him, “Is it just me or do the nights last extremely long on this planet?”
“Yes, I notice too. Days and nights long, ‘bout 3 howas longa than Earth’s apiece.”
“Wherever we are, at least I can sleep longer.”
“I ‘gree wicha der.”
Drake saw Jandar walking towards him. He said “Sergeant Alexander, I see you have eaten. Are you and your men ready for this mission?”
“I am ready, Brady! Henkel! Johnson! Turner! Are you ready to get going?”
Immediately the four of them stood up, and saluted Drake saying, “Yes Sir Sergeant Alexander!”
Drake Saluted back saying, “We leave in 15 minutes, grab your rifles and a few grenades each, we don’t know what we’ll see out there. At ease men.”
The four of them walked back to their tent to gather supplies.
“I’m giving you each 7 days rations in case you end up staying away for longer than expected. You should be fine. Raelin and Thormun know where you are going. If you meet any opposition always try first to reason with it, but if it will not speak, do not hesitate to use force. Remember, this is war.”
“Yes, we will do our best. Now, I must leave to grab my things and then we will be on our way.”
Drake walked back to his tent, put on his backpack, which he found to already have the rations that Jandar had promised, as well as several other trail goods such as rope and a bedroll, as well has his other uniform, cleaned. He picked up his katana and grapple gun and left his tent. Seeing Raelin standing with his own men, Drake walked over to them.
“So, you all got your things?” Drake asked.
“Yes we do.” Henkel answered.
“We simply must wait for Jandar and Thormun to finish talking,” Raelin said in a calm voice”
Just then the two figures exited Jandar’s tent.
“This is Thormun to those of you who have not met him yet. A friend of mine, he will be your guide to the area that I believe he is.”
Thormun unrolled the parchment that he held in his hand. It was a map of the known areas of Valhalla.
“We are here,” said Thormun pointing to a spot on the map, “Upper Bleakwoode. Do you see that place where many rivers intersect? That is where we are. Ullar has always been close to nature. Based on my observations I think that he is on the southeastern edge of the Elswin forest. If we leave now we should be able to cover the distance in a two-day walk. Let’s go.”
“I hope to see you all soon,” Jandar said.
“Yes. Men.”
“Sir.”
“Lets roll out.”
With that Raelin, Thormun, Sergeant Alexander, Brady, Henkel, Johnson, and Turner all left for the forest of Elswin.
During the first day everything seemed to be the same for hours on end. Raelin and Thormun took turns flying above the group to see if any one was coming near them. They were following a river straight to Elswin. The only time that they stopped that day was for a quick lunch around mid-day.
After 13 hours with the only rest time being that short lunch, the team got their bedrolls out of their backpacks and slept under the twin moons of Valhalla.
“Beautiful sky here at night Raelin,” Drake said
“Indeed it is. So many stars dotting the sky, a work of permanent art in the sky.”
“So, do Kyrie have any constellations, or patterns of stars that represent something? On Earth we often imagine things such as animals or heroes and creatures of mythology as being in the sky.”
“We do. Have a few. If you look to the north you will always see that group, we call it Valda. Valda was a Kyrie gifted with magical powers, and she could also fly faster than any other known Kyrie. That was more than 1,000 years ago. Some say that flew to high to fast and go t stuck in the sky. Legends tell that she had enchanted many objects to give the user great speed, and a few have been found. But despite the several finds most Kyrie I know regard it as myth.
“Do you people know what stars really are Raelin?” asked Brady, also lying down under his blanket.
“I have not put much thought into it.”
“Ah, well let me tell you then. They are great gigantic burning balls of fire burning so far away that it takes even light more than 10 years to reach us from most of them. In fact the sun is an extremely close star compared to these that you see at night.”
“Whatever Brady. Good Night.”
With that the group began to sleep, switching off watch duty. Thormun was first and would watch for the first 2 hours and would switch with each of us as the night went on. Because Valhallan nights are longer than Earth nights, the humans all still awoke refreshed. Nothing suspicious or strange bothered them that night.
The next morning after a quick breakfast they began walking again toward the place where Ullar was thought to be.
Again the day was uneventful through and after lunch, but then finally some news came. Raelin floated slowly down from the sky.
“I can see the forest of Elswin. You should see it from the ground in a mere half an hour. When we get there we will need to search for Ullar, so be ready to start looking through the dense pine trees.
In a half an hour they could see the forest, less than a mile away. Raelin announced that about a mile into the forest that she could see a clearing with a large tent. She believed this to be Ullar’s camp. In a matter of minutes they reached the forest. The group began walking into it, but there seemed to be something wrong.
Shuffle… A noise was heard to their right
Crack… Something to their left.
Splash… Something had just entered the water in the small pond in front of them, something large and black.
“Ready your weapons men.” Drake said to his team, drawing his katana as he spoke.
“Perhaps they are friends Drake, do not act rashly.” Thormun said.
“It is best to be prepared for the worst, even if it doesn’t occur.”
Raelin spoke with a voice of authority, “Who are you, friend or foe? We are servants of the Arch-Valkyrie Jandar?”
Just then a black, snake-like armed creature rose out of the water.
It spoke to them, “I am a viper, saved by the Valkyrie Ullar and am in his service. For what reason have you entered this area?”
“I am the Valkyrie Thormun. We are here to speak to Ullar. Jandar is building and army to prevent Utgar from gaining control of the wellsprings. We are here to gain Ullar as an ally against him in hopes of smashing his plans to rule Valhalla.” Thormun said to him.
“Lower your weapons and my brothers and I will escort you to him. No funny business. My teeth are sharp.”
Two more vipers appeared to the left and right of them. They began slithering while keeping their arms and head up at about the height of a human.
After another 15 minute walk through the brush the group saw Ullar’s tent.
“General Ullar, we have brought you these people. They claim to be servants of the Arch-Valkyrie Jandar, one is a Valkyrie himself, Thormun.
Ullar walked out of his tent.
“I see you have met my scouts. They are extremely good at their job I must admit. So, you say you are servants of Jandar. For what reason did you enter my territory?”
Thormun began, “We have come to seek you as an ally against Utgar’s forces. We seek to stop his attempt to seize control of the wellsprings, and bring his actions to proper justice. We cannot win this battle alone, for Utgar already has his allies. There is strength in numbers, we hope that you may be numbered as our friend and brother in arms, and not our enemy.”
“I see, I myself am seeking alliance for strength, and if Jandar is willing to fight by my side against those who wish to destroy our land and take our wellspring, then defend you I must. In fact, to prove your loyalty I have a request of you that will not only be beneficial to me, but also to all of Valhalla. Utgar is attracted to objects of great power, magic or otherwise. I have heard from several travelers that he has summoned a monstrous reptile that breathes very fire and has great wings.’
“Ullar, we fought this creature, but it fled. On Earth we have tales of them, but none have ever been seen. We call them dragons.” Sergeant Alexander explained.
“Anyways, this ‘dragon’ has been seen by a few civilians. I have also heard tales of a place in the northern half of Upper Bleakwoode known as the Table of the Giants. There was once a temple there, but it has not been used for ages. According to rumors, all that remains are a few ruins, only small reminders of the greatness that it used to be. This great temple is said to have been built by Valda, a great enchantress at the time. She mastered multipurpose magic and supposedly left a few enchanted objects in the foundation of the temple. Now the foundation is deteriorating and would be easy to get into. I want you all to go down there and search the place for this artifact. I warn you though, Utgar will probably have sent forces of his own to retrieve it. Be ready to fight.”
“It will be as you say General Ullar,” Syvarris began, “The vipers and I are eager to see more of this planet you call home.”
“We will also go,” Raelin answered. We will leave tomorrow at first light, but now we are tired and need rest. We have been traveling for most of the past two days and need our rest.”
“Indeed you do. Syvarris, Vipers, please be so kind as to pitch a few tents for our guests. I will prepare us a meal.”

* * *
“Finn, Thorgrim, come here, I have news for you.”
“What is it General Jandar?” Thorgrim asked.
“Several of our Kyrie scouts have seen movement of skeletal creatures just north of here. I have not heard back from the crew that I sent to Ullar. Gather four of your finest warriors and go north to the border of Laur and Nastralund, to the Forsaken Waters. It would be of great advantage if we had control over the area. It is a great trade route. Four of my Kyrie scouts will also travel with you. I warn you though, they are not ready to battle. I have heard some say that the Forsaken Waters is the source of all wellsprings. No doubt this would attract Utgar. Pack your things and go. We are still well protected here.”
“Yes Jandar, we will leave immediately. I hope to see you again soon,” Finn responded, leaving the tent back to the world where the sun was already high in the sky. Quickly choosing their best men they left for the north with only a map to guide them.”
* * *

Drake woke up and like usual, it was still dark out. Leaving his tent he saw that a small breakfast had already been prepared, and surprisingly Thormun and Ullar were talking to each other.
“Ah, good morning Sergeant Alexander!” Thormun said to him, “we have some news for you.”
Thormun had been looking worse and worse every day, in fact, Drake even thought that his wings were shrinking.
“I am sorry to announce that I will not be able to accompany you to the Table of the Giants. I have spent too much time away from a wellspring. I have become addicted to it I suppose, and without it I begin aging again. An old man is of no use on the battlefield, and Ullar has agreed to give me some of its water.”
“I am sorry, but I will not show anyone except for Thormun where the spring is. Should any of you be captured in battle the information would lead an enemy here. Thormun gained my trust ages ago, and I know that he hates Utgar just as much, if not more than I do.”
“I understand,” Drake responded.
“Sit down and eat, you have a long day ahead of you,” Ullar said, beckoning Drake to sit next to him.
“I see Jandar favors you. The katana that you carry is a wonderful weapon. I have heard legends of it. May it serve you well.
“Thank you for that. I see that the sun will rise in about 15 minutes. I will rouse the rest of my team.”
The other members of the crew all woke up, had their fill and left on their journey.


* * *
After several days of walking, Drake, Raelin, Syvarris, and the rest of their crew had reached the Table of the Giants. However, there was one problem. No more than 35 yards away stood 5 Marro and the same dragon that they had fended off before. Looking across the area there was a rocky formation in the middle, right next to a small pond. On the other side of the pond stood the remains of the temple, where Valda’s item was said to have been buried.
“Let’s do this!” Drake yelled.
Both sides were ready for a fight.
“That’s Ne-Gok-Sa!! I WANT TO KILL HIM!!!!!!!!!!!” one of the vipers yelled.
Immediately the Marros began racing for the temple. The vipers did the same.
Drake began running toward Ne-Gok-Sa and the Dragon.
The Marro wouldn’t stop running, however, one of them began climbing up the rock formation, apparently trying to get into a better position to kill his foes.

The Vipers ran up to the Marro. The first one saw what looked like a small helmet. Touching it his friends ran faster than they had ever gone before, and even passed him, but the Marros were still out of reach.
Raelin apparently was also affected by this magic. She flew right past Drake and started up the hill, landing just out of the range of one of the marro.
Ne-Gok-Sa was apparently enraged at this and began running toward the rock that the other Marro was climbing.
Syvarris decided that he should help to. He fired two bolts at the marro across the pond, but the Marro dodged them without any difficulty whatsoever.
The WWII soldiers began running toward Drake and Raelin.
The Elite Onyx Vipers were enraged at the sight of Marro, who had been at war with them on their home planet. The two Vipers that weren’t touching Valda’s artifact slithered up to the closest marro and attacked. The first viper took a slash at his enemy and knocked him dead immediately. The second did the same. Two of their blood enemies were gone forever. All four Airborne Elite ran forward and shot at the marro warriors. One climbed the rock formation, two went to his right, and one to his left. The soldier on the left shot at the only other Marro across the lake and killed it with his first bullet. The other Marro, who was climbing the formation, got lucky. Even though all three of the other soldiers had fired a rifle round at it, they all managed to miss. The Marro warrior was getting scared because of this. It turned around and ran closer to the dragon.
Noticing the speed benefits that the magic item gave them, two of the vipers quickly slithered up to Ne-Gok-Sa.
“I couldn’t kill you the first time, perhaps I will now!!”
Both vipers slashed at the Marro, but neither met their mark.
Drake decided to back up his crew and ran past them toward the vicious Marro Warlord. Seeing this as a chance to escape, Ne-Gok-Sa started running away from the vipers.
“Have something to remember us by!” one of the Vipers yelled, then both vipers slashed at Ne-Gok-Sa, one managing to leave a deep cut into his skinless flesh.
Trying to slay their enemy, both Vipers again slithered up to Ne-Gok-Sa. One lashed out and bit another would into Ne-Gok-Sa’s leg, while the second’s slash barely hit the beast’s armor. Drake continued running toward the group when suddenly Mimring made his move.
“Enough of this, we’re going to Migol’s Tomb!” the beast yelled. He picked up Ne-Gok-Sa and the last Marro Warrior, but not before a Viper made once last deep cut in the Warlord’s chest.
“Well, that wasn’t so bad,” Drake said, “It seems that the dragon was afraid of my blade.”
“He got away from me AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” a Viper yelled, obviously frustrated.
The viper that had been touching Valda’s artifact slithered toward Drake and the two vipers, and the rest of the group also made their way toward him.
Immediately when the viper picked up the artifact, everyone slowed down. Drake watched it slither toward him and was extremely surprised at how well it swam through the water.
Raelin was the first to comment on the item, “That must be a glyph, some glyphs are good for one time use, but this one seems to be more permanent. The glyphs enchanted with permanent magic only activate when immobile for 10 minutes. The moment you picked it up it deactivated and we slowed down. I’d say that this glyph of Valda must increase the speed of whoever you want.”
“That’s great and all, but right now I just want to follow that Ne-Gok-Sa freak.” The viper said, getting irritated. The dragon said something about Migol’s tomb.
“Its about one-day’s journey north of here.”
“Fine. Syvarris, carry this glyph-thing. Lets go north and exterminate these Marros… NOW!!!!!”
“Alright, alright, keep your cool, we’re coming,” Johnson said.

* * *
After flying for the better part of the day, Mimring landed.
“You were fools to have pulled a stunt like that!” the dragon yelled. Now you two idiots lay down. If we come across these guys again at Migol’s tomb, there won’t be any of us left. Ne-Gok-Sa, I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU!!! Sitting back and watching your allies battle, then running when the enemies come to you is WEAK. You are stronger than those creatures. YOU SHOULD HAVE KILLED THEM!!! ARGH!!! I’m leaving for a bit, going to find myself a good meal. GOOD BYE MORONS!!!” With that Mimring flew away.
The Marro warrior grabbed a flask that held what appeared to be murky green water from his pack and gave it to Ne-Gok-Sa. Ne-Gok-Sa drank the entire flask and his wounds seemed to disappear from his body. The two Marro then grabbed a meal from their packs and ate. Ne-Gok-Sa laid out his bedroll on the ground and went to sleep. The Marro Warrior just stood still for about 10 minutes. Suddenly its body split in two. Each half of the Marro quickly regrew the other half of its body, and even replicated the weapon that the original Marro held. Another 10 minutes later, there were four Marro standing there. They all knew that any more cloning would severely harm them. Three of them went to sleep, the fourth kept watch.
Soon Mimring got back, and having eaten an apparently large creature, his rage had been diminished. He lay down and rested.
* * *

“Raelin, we are going to Migol’s tomb, but what exactly is it?” an exhausted Drake said after walking for the rest of the day after the battle.
“Well, about 200 years an Archkkyrie named Migol II ruled over Upper Bleakwoode, where Jandar has his camp, and Laur, where we are now. After he died his son, Migol III, built a great tomb on Barrenspur, a sub-section of Laur. The tomb itself was a work of art. It was decorated with ornate carvings on all sides, and even the top shared some of its beauty. Sadly, not all Kyrie saw the hard work that had been put into it. About 50 years after it was built, many thieves saw the site as a looting place. Not only did they almost reduce the tomb to rubble, but they also dug out most of the earth underneath it.”
“Utgar must still think it has treasure in it if he is willing to send some of his troops there”
“Indeed, but just as the Glyph of Valda evaded both robbers and travelers alike for ages, it is possible that a few other objects remain hidden inside the catacombs.”
“How much farther is the walk?” Syvarris asked.
“I’d say a mere 10 miles. We should be there before noon tomorrow, but now we need our sleep. Good night.”
With that, Raelin walked into her tent.
“What do you think of her?” Drake asked Syvarris.
“A Kind sort of woman, but I’ll bet my quiver I’m better with a bow.”
“Amen to that. That spear of hers sure helps protect us, but for all its worth, she doesn’t seem to know how to handle it.”
“That wasn’t the point I was trying to get at. I was known as the best archer on Feylund, yes the best the planet had to offer. I doubt that any Kyrie, human, or even other elf could master the bow as I have.”
“Well, I must admit, I am a pretty bad shot myself, but regardless, this katana suits me quite well, you don’t really need to aim when your enemy is literally on top of you…”
“Whatever. Good night,” Syvarris said.
With that, Syvarris and Drake joined their sleeping teammates.

* * *

“Tell me again what it is that Utgar wants,” Ne-Gok-Sa said, most of his wounds from the day before already healed.
“He wants the Glyph of Astrid,” Mimring said, “This object is supposed to look like a small, old axe head. It is said to strengthen you and your allies for as long as it remains motionless and someone is touching it. A worthy item in my opinion.”
“Right,” Ne-Gok-Sa said.
The Marro Warriors began making clicking and other strange sounds. Ne-Gok-Sa responded with similar noises.
“What is it you said Marro? I hate it when you do that,” the dragon said.
“Just telling ‘em what we’re looking for.”
“Fine.”
“Mimring, do you know how much longer it will take to reach this tomb place?”
The dragon flew into the air and scanned the area.
“Its just ahead, no more than two miles. At the rate we’re going that’ll be about half an hour.”
“You sure are smart for a big guy with a small head aren’t ya,” Ne-Gok-Sa said sarcastically.
“Watch it or I’ll incinerate you.”

* * *
“You Kyrie are about to enter the most difficult challenge of your lives. You will all stay here, all 83 of you. The last one of you who is still conscious will be my right hand man, as well as receive all the wellspring water he desires. The rest of you will be trained as soldiers. Remember, regardless of whom you are, when we win this war, each of you will receive a share of the wellsprings’ powers. Other Kyrie will enter the fray to remove the knocked out Kyrie. Just remember this, killing each other is prohibited. Any murders that I hear of will be punished…Severely, hehe. Any one of you caught injuring the Kyrie that are flying the injured away will also be punished. If you change your mind about competing, just fly out of the ring. Remember, once you fly away, no re-entering. Have fun, hehehe,” Utgar laughed as the red-skinned Kyrie began an immese brawl between ALL of them, fighting for glory and power, which corrupted their souls, just as it corrupted Utgar himself.
* * *

“So, let me get this straight, if Utgar’s forces aren’t there yet, then we raid the tomb for whatever we can find. If Utgar’s forces ARE there, first we kill them, then we look for these things, and should they escape, we follow them,” a viper said.
“That’s pretty much it,” Drake answered.
“Sounds good to me.”
* * *

“I see the Tomb, Ne-Gok-Sa. Let’s move in.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
“So, what will we do?”
“Well, you’re the one with the huge wings, so you can search the ruins. The Marro Warriors and I will search the catacombs below.”
“Sounds good to me, and the best part is there are no signs of opposi… crud”
Looking through the gap underneath the tomb Mimring saw the same group that they were forced to flee from back at the table of the giants. Fear and anger began flowing through his body. Smoke began pouring from his nostrils.
“Time for a nice meal… we