Feeling as though they were rats trapped with nowhere to run, the group of men who called themselves the Brothers Of Darkness stood before their Lord and Master, Kumraa. Outside, the storm that raged and thundered since Kumraa freed himself and regained some of his powers continued their rampage across the accursed land the castle stood upon. Lightning flashed and forked across the darkened skies like a reptile's tongue, and loud, nearly deafening thunder followed soon after. Winds whipped already bare trees back and forth, as though attempting to rip them out from the ground. But none of the men or Lord Kumraa in the large, overly decorated throne room noticed any of that.
The men were too busy shaking to their very foundations, looking fearfully up at the evil god as he glared down at them, rage boiling in his red, glowing eyes. For long moments, nothing was said as Kumraa's breath came out in short, gravelly rasps, his chest rising and falling with each intake and exhalation. His bony hands were curled in tight fists on top of his throne's armrests, as though he were fighting to control himself. With the room darkened...even during the day, the only thing that could be seen from the hood of the black, filthy cloak that covered the god on the throne were his glowing eyes, and they narrowed as he took in one more raspy breath, then finally spoke.
"You've failed me," he said. "You, who have brought cities and countries to their knees in my name. You've failed me against a group of powerless, weak, human girls. Tell me how this was possible." The dark lord sneered as he looked down at the men one step down from him, cowering in their black cloaks.
It took several moments before one of them dared to speak, but his voice betrayed his terror as he stepped forward shakily and bowed. "My Lord. My most...humble and merciful Lord..."
"Speak! Do not waste my time!" growled Kumraa.
"My Lord, we have severely underestimated these strangers!" the man said as he bowed lower. "We clearly had no clue as to the powers they had! If it had been just those girls alone, surely they would have perished in our hands. But....but...that prince was with them! We didn't anticipate that! We never thought their power would have grown so..."
"And now since they have found the last Sacred Medallion, their powers are growing even more!" yelled out Kumraa furiously. "It will only be a matter of time before they summon my enemies...." His eyes turned slightly glossy as memories raced across his ancient mind. "Those wenches who trapped me for so many millennia. They will pay for that humiliation. I don't know how they could have survived my last ounce of power to scatter their souls and essence so they couldn't be reborn here on Cyphyrus, but they will pay!." Images of the last battle he had with the Ones Who Were Blessed flashed across his mind, and he remembered their battered and bloodied faces set in determination as they raised their swords with the last of their strength, shouted out a spell that trapped him for thousands of years......right after he cursed them so that their souls cannot be reborn in this world. Could those travlers have found their souls so easily and quickly with the medallions?
But as quickly as the reminisce moment came, it was over, and Kumraa pointed an accusing finger at the group of men before him. "You should have known better than to allow them to make fools of you like that! I have given you unlimited powers so you can make all who oppose me beg for their miserable lives!" he roared out. "Those medallions they found were supposed to be in MY hands, to bring me back to my full power quicker, and you LOST them!"
Another member of the group, still bearing scars from the fight with Jeneta and the others, stepped up timidly. "But My Lord, how could we have known that in the short amount of time they've been here, these...these girls from another world would wield such power, such..."
"SILENCE! No more excuses! You are useless to me now!" So enraged was he that he never allowed the man to finish as he stood up quickly and shot forth a massive beam of electricity from both his hands. Immediately the men were surrounded by the power, and they screamed loud and painfully for long moments as they felt their life forces being ripped from them.
The Dark Lord sneered more as the men slowly began to burn away, leaving not burning flesh and bone, but blackened ashes. "But...we were...loyal to you!" gasped out one man as he slowly turned to ash. Whatever more he had to say was lost forever as the last of the flesh on his face burned off, and was silenced.
Kumraa closed his fists to stop his power and surveyed the damage in slight shock, as though only just realizing what he had done. He growled and cursed under his breath as he sat back down, his hands going into tight fists again. After a moment, he muttered to himself. "I lose more loyal servants that way. Perhaps I should learn to control my temper more and not overreact too much."
Then putting the thought of the now destroyed Brothers Of Darkness out of his mind, his eyes narrowed as he contemplated his next plan of action. "Those five girls...they are a constant thorn in my side!" he growled. "I must find a way to stop them before they can summon back those wretched goddesses. It's almost like I have to fight those goddesses all over again with these girls being here, and...." The evil god stopped as a disturbing thought came to him, nearly causing him to gasp in horror.
"No," he whispered, his eyes widening. "It...it can't be, it's impossible. I made sure of it! There's no way those goddesses could have been re..." He stopped himself with low growl. He stood up and roared in frustration as lightning flashed brightly and thunder boomed outside. There was no possible way he would even THINK that again! It would mean everything he had worked for up until now would be in vain! Well then, he would put a stop to it for sure. This time, he would make sure the girls would die, and he will be the first to stand over their rotting corpses.
With an evil chuckle, Kumraa brought his hands together and did a circular motion with them. Soon, a bright ball of light flashed in between his hands. Then muttering in an ancient language no one living today could possibly remember, he pushed the ball of light forward so that it floated above right where the Brothers Of Darkness stood minutes before. The ball of light then grew darker and darker, red lightning encircling it.
The ball slowly floated down and merged with the floor, going halfway through it. For a moment, nothing happened......until there was a loud boom and the dark light flashed bright one last time. When the light finally faded slightly, a dark, shapeless figure began climbing up out of the floor. It was almost gelatinous, but its arms and legs were easily distinguishable from the rest of its shapeless, shuddering form. It looked to have been made from blackness itself, it was so dark and blended so well within the shadows. It had no mouth, ears, or nose, but two, glowing red eyes slowly opened, making it almost look like it was just a pair of eyes floating in the air in the darkened room.
Kumraa grinned evilly with pleasure. He was about to call forth the black creature when another one suddenly climbed out from under the floor, then stood beside the first one. Another dark creature crawled out...and another...and another....and another until there were almost two dozen standing at attention and obedience before Lord Kumraa. Although there were not too many of them, the loud, humming noise that came from non-existent mouths made it seem like it was hundreds of the blackened creatures.
"Good, good," breathed out Kumraa, rubbing his hands together. "With you, I know I will not fail....the Morticalus Aveti, most feared hunters of the demon world." He brought his palms up and produced a holographic picture of his prey. "You will find them, and you will destroy them all. I want no survivors."
At this, the humming grew louder for a moment, then slowly one by one, the jelly-like, black demons climbed back down through the floor. Each time one of them touched outside of the space they were going down through, it left a blackened, scorch-like mark. When he was alone again, Kumraa threw his head back and laughed long and loudly, knowing that it will not be long before he would hear the news that those brats were finally once and for all dead, and the Sacred Medallions his for the taking.
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As the high noon sun shined overhead, Jeneta sighed with nervousness. She and her friends, along with Kain, Kondolar, Djoser, Tao and now Master Yelsnid, were just leaving the gates of the hospitable village on their trusty horses. But even the bright day didn't do much too alleviate Jeneta's mood. Much of what the sorcerer Master Yesnid told them stuck with her in her mind. After appearing to them earlier in the morning just as they were about to leave, he had taken them back into the small inn they were staying at and carefully explained to them his findings.
"The evil Lord Kumraa is just about back to his full strength," the older man had said. "If there is a time to summon back the goddesses who first defeated him and confront him at his castle, it would be now. It would be foolish to wait any longer."
"So what do we do now?" Ling had asked. "We don't even know where this Kumraa is, much less how to use these medallions," The Chinese girl looked down at the gold medallion hanging around her neck and held it gently. "This looked really cool when I first got it, but all I can get it to do now is look cheap."
"Do not be deceived by looks, young one," said the bald master sorcerer. "I believe that when the time is right, you and your friends will know what to do with them. These medallions were entrusted to you for a very good reason."
"Well, I for one can't think of a really good reason," said Angeni with a sigh. "What if we mess up? What if we can't call these...these...Blessed Ones or whatever?"
"You must have faith in yourself," Yelsnid said a little disapprovingly. "All will be revealed in time." He nodded his head. "Now, I believe I have found a way to use my powers to get you at least half way to Kumraa's castle...."
"What?" Jeneta's eyes grew large. "Why are we going there?"
"Because it is at Kumraa's castle where the last battle took place, and where it is most likely he has them trapped or had their powers drained and stored somewhere in that place." Master Yelsnid scowled slightly. "Honestly, do you think I would just send you there for no reason? Young folk these days! Always imagining the worst!"
"But why are you sending us only halfway there?" Prya has asked, curious. Although fear of meeting this evil lord in his own castle flowed through her body, she was willing to get as much information as possible. "Can't you just send us all the way?"
"Because I don't want to risk Kumraa sensing my powers, or sensing you at his castle before you're ready." he answered. "Now, come, we all must leave here before you are tracked down..."
Now back in the present, Jeneta gulped once more. This was real....they were actually going to confront Kumraa now! She shuddered a little as she remembered the last time she faced the evil demon lord...and the feeling of dread and evilness she felt oozing from him. She didn't even want to THINK about what could be under his hood. Probably worse than those disfigured Brothers Of Darkness. She shuddered again and sighed.
"Jeneta? Are you okay?" She turned to look at Djoser riding next to her, his dark face concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Jeneta sighed. "It's just so...so hard to believe now. At first, this journey seemed like it was just a dream. Then it seemed like it would NEVER end, and now...now it's coming to an end almost too fast." She clutched at the medallion hanging from her neck nervously.
Djoser nodded in understanding and laid a hand on her shoulder. "You must have faith in yourself and your friends," he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "You know I have the upmost faith in you, and I'm sure they do too. You can do this."
But despite the reassuring words of the young man, Jeneta couldn't stop the sneaky words of doubt that were in the back of her mind that said But what if I can't? But instead of voicing those words, she nodded her head and gave him a small smile. "Thank you," she said softly.
The site of the village gate grew smaller and smaller until it was gone, and for the next hour or so, everyone was quiet as they passed through a small forest of red-colored trees. Even the sometimes loud and joking Ling was unusually silent as they came out of the forest and into a meadow clearing, Tao as usual right behind her. The thought of the final battle coming up and facing Kumraa was enough to put them all in a somber mood. But it still didn't deter them from enjoying the wonderful sights of the strange looking animals and flowers that surrounded them in the wide, almost endless space in the beautiful meadow. Far off in the distance, mountains topped with snow stood majestically under the bright and spacious sky. Master Yelsnid stopped his horse about half an hour later and looked around for a moment. "I think this is the right spot to do the transportation spell." he said quietly.
Everyone nodded, and the girls sighed slightly as they realized the time had come...it was finally time to do what they had to do. But Angeni...always the one to see the brighter side of things, calmly looked around and enjoyed the beautiful scenery for just a moment.
"Hey look, what beautiful flowers!" yelled out Angeni in delight. She jumped off her horse and rushed over to a bed of flowers that resembled roses, but they had more petals and no thorns and came in an array of colors. The others smiled as she was just about to reach them......but then stopped dead in her tracks, her face turned ashen.
"What's wrong?" Heather asked curiously, about to climb off her own horse.
Instead of answering, the Sioux girl looked around wildly, as though caught in a trap. A loud, humming noise gradually filled the air. "You guys, I..." She never got to finish as the ground suddenly exploded underneath her. She screamed as she flew back a few inches and landed right in front of her friends.
"Look out!" screamed Jeneta, quickly jumping off her horse. Right then, a horde of black, squiggly-like creatures were climbing out of a deep hole right by the flowerbed Angeni nearly reached. Kain jumped off his horse and helped her to stand on shaky legs.
She blew a strand of hair off her face and yelled "What the HECK was that?" But no one needed to answer her as she saw for herself more and more of the shadowy creatures climbing out from the hole.
"Everyone, move back!" yelled out Yelsnid, jumping off his horse and standing protectively in front of the girls. "These are very dangerous creatures! If they touch you, you're finished!"
"What? You mean the Aveti?" Kondolar looked up at them in horror. "But...but they can't be real! Those are just from stories! They're just legends....!"
"Apparently not!" shouted Yelsnid in indignation. He raised his staff high into the air as the creatures suddenly rushed at them. "Evokus inflamarium!" the older man yelled out. He pointed his staff, and a heavy, large fume of fire blasted out from the top of it. The flame quickly engulfed up to four of the blackened creatures. He gasped in horror as the creatures...even with their gelatinous legs and some of their arms burned off, were still coming towards him, determined to the end to reach their prey.
"Look out!" yelled Kondolar. He quickly grabbed Prya in his strong arms and jumped out of the way as one of the demons shot forth a lasso-like string of black rope towards them. They both rolled and tumbled on the grassy ground until they rolled right up to and slammed into an old tree stump, grunting in pain.
"Are you okay?" Kondolar panted as he looked down at her beneath him.
"Yes, thank you," Prya breathed out with a smile. She was about to say more when her eyes widened. "Move!" She reached up, grabbed Kondolar by the collar of his cloak, and rolled them both away just in time before one of the black demon could pounce on his back. Kondolar could only stare at her in admiration as they got up from the roll, his eyes wide.
'Alright girls, it's time for these ugly slugs to know they're messing with the wrong people!" yelled Jeneta, just coming out of a duck to prevent another one of shadow creatures from grabbing her around the neck. She raised her arm, concentrated for a moment, and her sword appeared with a glow in her waiting hand.
She sliced through the torso of that same demon with ease.....then gasped in horror as instead of the top half falling over, it immediately began repairing itself back to its lower half.
Ling, with Tao standing beside her, stared also in shock as she just finished sending her sword all the way to the hilt from the creature's chest to its back, but when she pulled it back out, the hole started to shrink until it was gone. "Oh no! The swords aren't working!" she cried in despair.
Heather screamed in fright as one of the demons knocked her feet from under her with a kick, making her fall and drop her sword clumsily. "Oh bugger, this is bad!" she whispered to herself.
Angeni slowly backed away from her black demon opponent as it advanced towards her. Oh great, what do we do now? she thought to herself desperately. The creature raised a jelly-like hand and shot forth another of the black rope string from its palm. She closed her eyes, and just as it was about to reach her, she was pushed out of the way and fell heavily to the ground.
"Huh?" She looked up and saw Kain growling in pain as the rope wrapped around his leg, making him fall in a roll. Its toxic fumes were already burning through his pant leg. "Kain!" she yelled out, getting up quickly.
"GO! Run, get out of here!" the young former thief screamed. He waved a hand towards the meadows. "GO!"
"No, I can't leave you! I..." Angeni's words were stopped dead in its tracks as she saw a change she could never imagine come over the bronze-skinned young man.
Everyone watched in amazement as Kain's eyes glowed a dark red, and a heavy, raspy growl escaped his lips. His fingernails slowly began to grow, and his body suddenly began to grow larger and larger. The hair on his head slowly turned grey, and immediately after that, grey fur was growing from his skin.
"K....Kain?" Angeni asked softly. She could barely believe what she was seeing as he raised his head and gave a painful, loud yell. White fangs grew long and sharp in his mouth. Within moments, a large, grey-furred wolf stood where Kain once lay.
Right away, the large wolf turned and barreled into the black creature, knocking him over. The black rope around his leg broke off, but there was little time to celebrate. Instantly the wolf was surrounded by the bounty hunter demons. They each punched and grabbed at him, and each touch was like a flaming torch to the struggling wolf. He whined and howled in pain, and his movements were fast becoming slower and slower.
"We have to help him!" screamed out Angeni. But just as she was about to run to him, her legs too were caught in the poisonous ropes of the creatures. She watched in horror as all the others were caught along with her. Djoser never had a chance to use his magic as he too was caught by sneak attack, surrounded by at least three of the black monsters
Jeneta cried in pain as she also fell to the ground, the rope around her legs feeling like acid from the poison. Tears misted in her eyes as she imagined the horrible scar she must have already as the pants on her legs burned away. Her heart sunk lower as she knew this might be the end, that she and her friends would not survive this.
"Oh God! Please, someone help us!" she whispered desperately, tears streaming down her face. In a last attempt as she was being dragged away, Jeneta reached up and held her Sacred Medallion in her hand. Please! she thought in her mind, not knowing what else to do. If anyone can hear me....the Goddesses or anyone, please help us! My friends and I are going to die! PLEASE!
Suddenly, not even a moment after Jeneta's silent plea, her medallion began to glow....bright and hot until she had to let go of it. "What...what's going on?" she whispered to herself. She blinked and looked up, and saw that each of the medallions around her friends' neck were glowing too, and each of the girls looked down on them in shock.
"Could it be....the Goddesses? The Ones Who Are Blessed?" Jeneta asked to no one in particular. Before she could say any more, the Nigerian-born girl was then engulfed in a bright ball of light. The ropes around her legs slowly dissolved away, as did the ropes around the other girls as they too were surrounded by the bright light. Then, each of the five bright lights with the girls inside it rose high in the air, nearly as bright as the sun itself. Inside, a change was happening to the girls, a change they never thought was even possible.
Moments later, the lights faded gradually and came back towards the ground. Djoser, Kondolar, Master Yelsnid, and Tao dared to look up to see what happened. The sight that met them was enough to take their breaths away.
Before them, floating a few inches from the ground, where the five young girls with awkward, teenaged bodies they have come to know and care about once stood, were now tall, grown women with indescribable beauty. Their bodies were now much more mature, with gracious, hourglass curves and full, shapely breasts that would put any other women to shame. Their young faces now had a mature beauty to them that normally would have taken years for them to get, but somehow seemed naturally enhanced. High cheekbones and full red lips appeared on their serene faces, and their long, flowing hair...almost to their knees, flowed gently in the wind. On their bodies, they wore a beautiful, form fitting Greek goddess dress with spaghetti straps that was cut off just slightly above their knees. Each wore a color that suited them....blue for Jeneta, maroon for Angeni, yellow for Pyra, green for Heather, and red for Ling. On their feet they wore white sandal-like shoes with the laces wrapped gracefully around their shapely legs until it tied in the back at the knees. Around their waist was a white sash that trailed down their long legs.
On their elbows they wore a golden plate for their protection, as well as on their knees. Golden arm bracelets also adorned their upper arms, with designs that seemed impossible for any human to make. In their hands, their own swords glowed bright and true, waiting to defend all that is good in the universe.
It was very long, tension-filled moments before Master Yelsnid dared himself speak, yet even he had a hard time saying it, much less believing it. "It....it can't be! The Ones Who Are Blessed...they were here the whole time...with us. It..was them all along. The Goddesses were reborn as these girls!"
He nearly felt himself faint with relief. All was not lost! Everyone had thought the Goddesses...The Ones Who Are Blessed, were destroyed forever. But now, hope has been regained, and tears flooded in his old eyes as he allowed himself to smile with peace as the beautiful figures slowly floated down to stand upon the ground, their eyes filled with determination.
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To Be Continued....
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