Part V Black eyes, like the pits of hell, impenetrable darkness, ultimate evil! The eyes turn, they are devouring...father! Nooooo! He could feel its fetid breath on his face. The demon-eyes stalk Jared. He cringes in abject fear. The fang-filled maw opens! Those eyes! His father, mother and...Orlok! They all have those demon-eyes...black within black, lifeless black irises, their souls fed upon, torn asunder...Orlok! My brother, why? The dirk plunges into his back. He screams... Jared awoke, a scream almost escaping from his lungs. He was soaked in perspiration. Forcing himself to breathe deeply and slowly, he looked around at his new surroundings. He was in a huge but sparsely furnished room. The walls and roof were of rough-hewn stone. With a start he remembered where he was. Dwarholt! Inside the famous fortress city of the Dwarvenkind, where no man has entered before! Funny how circumstances made us curious bedfellows, thought Jared. The door opened as he tried to get up. An ancient-looking dwarf entered, followed by a stunning woman dressed in flowing black robes. "Good morning my son. I trust you are feeling much better?" asked the ancient. Jared nodded dumbly, gazing with dumbfounded amazement at the woman. "Adrienne?" he breathed. "You're...you look...." "Yes Jared. I'm fine thank you. Now get up and get dressed. The Council of Man has arrived and they are...eager to hear your tale. And for goodness' sake pick your jaw up from the floor." With a flick of her wild ebon mane she left the room. Jared shook his head in disbelief, then turned to address the ancient dwarf, who had been quietly changing the bandages around his wounds. "You must be Karell. It seems I owe you my life, sir. I shall never forget." Karell shook his head sadly and said, " I have not saved your life yet my son. The demon-wound lies deep and has festered. For your pain to end, the giver of the wound must die. Then shall the taint be exorcised. I have only delayed the effects. There is naught else I can do now." "Nevertheless I thank you, sir. I feel much stronger now. And fear not. I intend to end Orlok's miserable existence, or die trying." A voice floated in from outside. "Hurry up, will you?" With a grin, Jared dressed hurriedly in the clothes laid out for him and went out of the room. He found Adrienne and the rest of his companions waiting for him outside his door. The three companions immediately knelt before Jared. "My prince, you look well!" said Kedrin. "Get up, my friends, get up. It seems there isn't much of a country left for me to be prince of. From hereon, you three need never kneel or pay obeisance or any of that royalty crap. And just call me Jared. Now lets go kick some sense into the damned council." Jared could not help but notice the sly grin Adrienne gave him as he shouldered past his companions. Gods, she looks beautiful! He felt his heart almost burst as she slipped her arm into his and led him down the corridor. Adrienne could feel the tension in Jared's arms as she directed the party to the council hall. She almost giggled aloud. Men were such suckers for flimsy black robes. She should do this more often. Angry, shouting voices could be heard before they even reached the council hall. Adrienne sobered up, and she could feel Jared's nervousness too as he removed her arm to straighten his tunic. "All ah sez is, ah ruther be BUGGERED den beg ya shitehuuds ta join the Alliance! And I ain't gonna repeat maself. We ALL are gonna die, if wiss don't stand tagethar!" Dorakk's powerful voice was heard. Silence asserted itself as Jared and Adrienne walked into the hall. All eyes were on Jared as he approached the speaker's podium. He could see that all the southern lords and kings of human kingdoms were present. Lord Aregnon of Xenthos, Duke Serassi of Nores, King Ruud of Garthenon and Sitrap Kran of the Southern deserts were the main powers. The rest were a mix of petty barons and nobles who held fiefdoms of various sizes. On the other side of the table, beside King Dorakk sat the original members of the Alliance, the elves represented by their prince Ildrasil, and the trolls of Trollheim by the impressive Lord Krugash. "My lords of the Council of Man. You all know me. You know my father too scoffed at the idea that any force, demonic or otherwise, could take my city..." "We always knew Cartholian was soft and weak!" scoffed Lord Aregnon. Jared's eyes narrowed in anger as he turned to face the skeptical lord. "My city now lies in ashes. My father and family are dead and THIS..." Jared shoved the stump of his left arm into the lord's face. "Is what's left of ME!" Lord Aregnon visibly paled at the sight of the slightly charred remains of Jared's left arm. "I have fought this demon horde, as you can see," Jared waved the stump in the air. "My city raised an army of 10,000 trained warriors. They were slaughtered. Not only that. They have now joined the ranks of the horde. This is the fate your cities will face if we do not join forces and halt their destruction. While you bicker and quarrel amongst yourselves, which unlucky city will fall next? Which unfortunate army will join the ranks of the demons and serve in eternal damnation?" "How do we know what you speak of is true? How do we know its not some sorcerous trick cooked up by Sarkas and that bitch daughter of his to make us commit our forces so they could strike at our exposed underbellies?" challenged Lord Aregnon. Jared exploded in rage. Leaping onto the unsuspecting lord, Jared slammed the arrogant man's head onto the council table. In a voice dripping with ice and death, he whispered into Aregnon's ear, "Take back what you just said, or I will crush your neck with my bare...hand." The council room erupted into turmoil as Lord Aregnon's guards went for their swords, while Dorakk prepared to hurl a marble chair into their midst. Lord Krugash roared in fury and pounded his ham-sized fist onto the council table, effectively cracking it in two. "Me lost two cities already to demons! Me not want to lose number three! You all sit down or me bash heads in! SIT DOWN!" Reluctantly Jared released Lord Aregnon's neck and sat down. The rest of the antagonists also meekly sheathed their weapons. Adrienne whispered to Jared, "I can take care of myself, but thanks anyway." She gave him a peck on the cheek, stood up and walked to the podium. "My lords, peace. I know of no way to prove my loyalty to the cause, except to tell you that my hatred for this demon-lord lies as deep, if not deeper than any of you present. This...thing that is devouring our land is NOT Sarkas. Sarkas is gone. This creature is Karos, Soul-eater, reborn." A collective gasp from the lords. Many made signs to ward off evil. "Karos has taken from me my beloved father. His death I have sworn to avenge." King Ruud stood up slowly, his ancient bones creaking with the effort. "I have known your father, Ledrene Adrienne. He was a good man. I believe your words, but if this demon horde is as powerful and undying as you claim, how can we mortals stand up to it? Karos is a god; we cannot kill a god. It almost destroyed most of the other gods just to bind Karos to his prison. I cannot see how we can defeat the god of evil with just mortal steel and magic." "You do not have to defeat him milord. All the Alliance has to do is meet the horde on the battlefield and hold them long enough for me to get to Karos. I will do the rest." Adrienne held up the long black staff with both hands. "This is the only artifact of good found in the Crypts of Annar. It is the Staff of Aesurr." Another collective gasp. "I will bind Karos with the Staff, and then kill him with his own blade. This will send Karos' essence back into the sword. He is still weak and has not regained much of his powers yet. We cannot delay anymore or it will be too late." Adrienne brought the staff down and struck the floor with a loud thump. " It was written on the walls of the Crypt. I shall redeem my father's sins." Notes: shitehuuds: shitheads Aesurr: God of martyrs who sacrificed himself to bind Karos to his prison. (That's why he's the god of martyrs.)
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