Ethari was camped in the plains his fires smoke trailing in the sky. He was alone out here. Hopefully his partner Lothemedal would catch up. Things were different at dark. Normally the stars provided him comfort but not now. The sky was darker and they no longer held the comfort he longed for. But then he and Lothemedal were on a mission to destroy some undead creatures. Cataraza gave him a reasuring hoot and rubbed agianst his face.

Instead of normally he made no attempt to conceal his angel identity. He flapped his wings occasionally and he let his eyes sparkle. Sighing he looked in the sky for Lothemadal. Catraza began to flapping wildly. She flew in the sky and stayed hovered in the air pointed in a certain direction.

Zombies were coming. Drawing his bow Ethari soared in the sky. Seeing were they were coming from he drew an arrow and flew towards them. He let his arrow fly and it sung through the air and made direct contact with the zombie. The zombies had rusty axes and old moldy leather armor. Guessing by there apparel they were old nomads roaming the plains. Three more were with them not including the one still alive with the arrow pierced in his chest. There armor almost did nothing to stop the penetration of the arrow.

Catarza flew in the sky and flew down and clawed the zombie with the arrow in the chest. Doing no damage at all he flew in the air and let his feather fall on Ethari rejuvinating his fatigue. Then drawing his long sword he shouted " Arrow of the Stars" and spun around rapid and pierced the zombie obliterating it. Then he wrapped his wings around the second one and flew in the air. Then useing all his might he propelled it to the ground and shouted " Wings of the White Star!" . His attack was succesfull judgeing by the thud of the zombies body.

Etheri's fighting was inturupted with a loud screech. A stunted moon gryphon flew out, and mauled one of the zombies. Blood squirted out and spillt on the dirt floor of these plains. Then soaring overhead in the skies, a beacon, a beacon of hope! Lothemadel soared down and shone his light fiercly at a mass of zombies. Grunts of pain were filled with cries of horror as most of them fell, skin charred, giving the air a death like stench.

One zombie screehed as an unnoticed shadow ripped out it's insides. The rest of the zombies fled, gryphon and shadow hot on their tails. Lothemadel quickly flew up and cut them off. "By the name in Elebereth! Be gone!" Light sprung from his staff so brightly, every zombie fell. They looked like rotten corpses, burnt, lightly toasted.

Lothemadel soared back and greeted Etheri. "Hello! Nice to see you again. I really don't think more zombies will be coming back here any time soon." He noticed Etheri's blood stained sword, and peices of rotted flesh on his wings. "Hmm, Arrow of the stars, followed by wings of the white star, nice combo." He was glad that the fight was over, now they could get ready for their plans.

" What took you so long" Ethari said in a playfull manner. He had spent so much time with the old man he was almost like a father to him. He kicked away the dead zombies and began to head towards camp. Instead of his normal night fight Ethari squated on a rock.

He began to wipe his blade on the ground to remove the cogaulated blood of the animated human. " Tommorow we will hunt" he thought aloud. He rested on his bed mat and gazed at the stars for a minitue untill he drifted into the realm of sleep.

Lothemadel slept after reading a bit of both his spell books. Tommorow he would destroy these foul creatures of animated souls. Necromancy how dispicable! Even thinking of disturbing the dead in such cruel manners made even this tough wizard shiver. But even though they would leave in the morning, night always persisted in this evil, desolate land of dead, Dori'ba.

Lying under the stars, Lothemadel remembered a mission he had here before. This was more difficult though. The dead had seemed to get stronger, as if the evil breeding them had become much powerfuller. Of course just the terrible roots this place had to pure evil was vile.

Lothemadel entered a deep slumber and awoke several hours later. He started making some breakfeast. It was salted pork. After heating it up for a while he shook Etheri, "Breakfast!" he whispered in his ear, begining to eat his.

Ethari had a wonderfull dream. He was floating in space with the stars. Cataraza was their except in star form. Then his world began to crumble as a hideous voice shouted " Breakfeast" Ethari rose with a start still clutching Cataraza as he always does when he sleeps. " Oh breakfeast." He grabbed his salted pork and tossed a piece to Cataraza every now and then. If he forgot to give her a piece she would nibble on his ear to remind him.

He finished his breakfeast in sieclence. There was a long day ahead of him. They should build a small fort before night fall when all the zombies came out. After breakfeast he said " Okay heres the plan." He grabbed a small stick and etched out the sketch on the ground. Occasionly Catraza would fly up and point to some thing missing. " So we have our two bedrolls here in the center along with our fire pit. Here is a circle peremeter. Every ten feet we should have a small barrier of something. That should leave four ten foot gaps between us and the camp. I havent figured out what material yet.

Ethari continued " Your summoned monsters will go here and here" pointing to the north and south conners. " and you will be besides them in the east conner. I will be in the west conner. I recomend your summoned monsters have some ranged attacks. So lets get started!"

Lothemadel nodded. "That is a well thought out idea. As for materials, we could use the trees around us." he said, pointing to all withered up trees. "As for ranged monsters, I am not so sure I could provide that" he said with a smirk.

He began to gather materials. Most of the wood broke easily with his hands, but sometimes he would have to wack the trunk. He even noticed that the trees reeked, withered and dead. Nothing could sustain themselves here for long. After a while he took a break. So he decided to scry. Drawing a circle in the dust, he pressed his palm in the middle. His eyes glowed blue He schetched rapidly. When he finished he glanced hopefully for a clue for sucess. It was a skull with a crown. Underneath it read "KILL" very crudly. "Hmm" Lothemadel muttered"It seems we have a lich to deal with."

Lothemadel began to summon his monsters. This was very tedious. First a moon gryphon. Small of course. Then a lesser shadow. It levitated there, both of them watching gaurd. Lothemadel told Etheri of the lich. What cours of action should they take? Lich's were powerfull, undead necromancers. The first wave began to arrive. The zombie horde was here!

Ethari gulped as the horde came. Jugdeing by there armor they were similar to the night befores. This lich must have found a grave yard. He raised his hand and Cataraza lent him some of her power. " bless". He sent a wave of blessing making them all stronger and more powerfull. Then he drew his bow. He pulled out his arrow and let it pierce through the air. One zombie fell. Then useing his great agility he pulled another arrow. He did this untill the zombies were about 100 meters from him.

Useing his combat reflexes he put away his bow and drew his longsword. Then he flew about 2 meters in the air. He screamed " Arrow of the Stars" He sent his body spinning in a circular motion and spireled at the unwavering zombie horde. He made contact with the first zombie. It was completly obliterated. He was still spireling at high speeds and hit another zombie. He was spinning through the mass of zombies untill he reached the other side were the zombies end. There was a visable line were he cut through. Panting he unentered the spiral state and skidded across the ground. He staggered and got up and ran to the feild were he cut down zombies.

Lothemadel sat their, shocked at what he drawn in the ground. The lich's face glared at him. The zombie's massive horde didn't even phase him. Only the fact that a lich was pursuing them. He looked up and saw Etheri's Arrow of the Stars. He turned and saw his gryphon and shadow viciously fighting zombies. He turned some more, and was struck with the most horrid sight in his life.

Walking towords him was a skeleton, garbed in regal clothes. Diamonds, rubies, and emeralds sparkled in the darkness, ereily. The lich had a staff, crooked and crowned with a ruby, glowing brightly. It walked slowly commanding the hordes of undead. Lothemadel couldn't stand here. He had to take action.

He flew above the massive horde seperating the lich from their camp. He reached the necromancer and smashed his chest with his staff. The lich flew, seperated from the horde. It cast a ray of ice at him. Lothemadel quickly ducked, and swung his staff at his feet.

The lich fell with a hallow thump. Lothemadel lunged his staff into is gutt. It screamed with bloodlust and fell limp. A few seconds later it came back to life! "The phalctery!" Lothemadel whispered. The phalctery was were the lich stored its soul. To kill a lich, destroy its phalctery. Lothemadel viciously slammed his staff to the ground. Light sprung forth. A few nearby zombies fell. But the ruby on the lichs staff cracked. The lich screamed a cry of blood lust.The ruby's shards hit the ground with a thump. All the zombies fell. The magic animating them died. Lothemadel slumped to the ground with exhaustion. On his knees, he began to cough up blood. Lots of blood. This was the end. This is were he would die. Not underneath the stars, the moon or sun. Here in this evil, and unhollow land. He whispered "Goodbye"

He passed out.

Ethari was in the battle with zombies swarming everywhere. He had his sword drawn. Sweat beaded on his forhead. His last move had depleted him of alot of his energy. He drew energy from Cataraza. " Blessing from the Stars!" A small blue dust enveloped him and a 40 meter radius around him. He felt revitlized as the blue dust enveloped around him. It held the oppisite effect on the negitive energy powered zombies. Most the zombies were actully rather weak and many of them in that radius collapesed from the aura of good around them. Now to kill. " For Cataraza, for the Istari!!" He lunged and stabbed the first zombie. He removed his sword to find zombies flanking his left. He lunged to the left and slashed knocking back and killing three zombies. His cloak swirled and his blue eyes sparkled with the thrill of combat. His ear length silver hair rustled everytime he shifted to face his new oppenet. Then his new move entered his mind. With a powerfull pump of his wings he soared in the air. Then soaring down he screamed " White wind of the Istari!" He plummeted to the ground and spun to make a huge whirlwind and sent zombies flying in the air. Some thing radiated in the air. He stoped his move. He cast detect evil and only sensed one strong presence. Dying. Lothemdal! He had killed the lich thus finishing all the undead minions. He ran to were the presence was and found Lothemdals hunced body. " Lothemdal, why the stars the guild why!! Remember Elebreth, your son. Ill say anything to get you back. Ill pretend to be your own son if you want. Just if you come back." He hugged the dying body of Lothemadal as his tears poured over his body and he wept for the only father he knew.

Lothemadel looked into the bright blue eyes of his sons. "Ostreand!" He proclaimed. "Dad," he whispered, "Don't go with me and mom. Go back" Ostreand looked into his fathers wrinkled face. "So long, so long!" Lothemadel gasped. "I love you Ostreand! And Ardhel!" Ostreand began to laugh."Your place isn't here! Go back! Remember Elebreth, your son. Ill say anything to get you back. Ill pretend to be your own son if you want. Just if you come back."

The pure white surrondings began to mesh and mold into the dark plans of Dori'ba. Ostreand's face and green eyes turned vibrant blue and his childesh embrace turned to that of embrace of the dead. "You aren't my son, don't act like that. You are the friend of Lothemadel, the student of the greatest magician of your time! But thank you, for all you said." Lothemadel tried to get up, struggling but failing.

"Etheri, I am going to summon a moon gryphon. I will more than likely pass out so you will need to board me on it and it will do the rest. Do not ask were we are going, it will be better than here, trust me."

Lothemadel etched runes in the sky and began chanting in a powerful voice. As soon as the last phrase was spoken, the runes glew violently. A sturdy gryphon shimmered out as Lothemadel's body haunched over. His vision grew dark, and concionous left him.

Ethari sighed. Thats Lothemdal for you. Old and stubburon. He let out a dry chuckle thinking about how he still had the strength to perform a summon monster spell. He lifted his unconsious body onto the surprisingly giant and muscular gryphon and sat on the gryphyn. Its soft silver hair was a nice delicacy from the hardship of battle. He sure had alot of his energy depleted. And were was this gryphon going. Lothemdal had said that it knew were it should be going but were. What if it wanted to go to its home on the moon. Ethari wouldnt know how to stop it if it left for the moon.He jumped off thinking it would help lessen the gryphons load. He sighed again kicked the grphons rear gently. It began to soar in the sky. Ethari gently beat his wings and let his white cape flap gently in the moonlit sky. Cataraza padded her wings in the night sky along side him as well. The moons silver light shone on the grphon and made his silver coat shine. Ethari picked up the pace and kept along the gryphons side. They contined about this way for about half an hour. Ethari was tried and pantd hopeing that the grphon would soon stop. He turned sharplyand banked into a small pathc of trees. Landidng he pictched the tents and unrolled there bed mats. He unrolled the bed mats and lifted Lothemdal. The grypon disappeares aburptly. He laid Lothemdal gently on the ground. He laid on his own bed roll and let sleep embrace him.

Lothemadel awoke to Eheri setting the bed mats carefully on the dirt floor. He gently got up and studyed the surrondings. The trees were sparse, somewhat green as well. A pleasent change from the land of the dead. Yet the transition of unhallow dead lands to pleasent grass lands was not yet complete. They hade not completely left Dori'ba.

He got up sielently and said "Etheri, we are soon going to exit Dori'ba. We are heading to an anceint abandoned temple somewhat a little bit of a ways from here. I think we could manage the flight from here for a bit tommorow. We should get some good exploring done. But my dreams tell me that it will not be safe. While you sleep tonight, prepare yourself mentally for battle.

Lothemadel fell into a restless slumber, the dreams of the ancient temple haunting his mind. A childs voice would whisper endlessly "Kaunturga, Kaunturga, Kaunturga....Temple Kaunturga." When he awoke, he nudged Etheri gently. "Wake up" he whispered softly, "I heated up some salted pork. We should head out soon if we want to make it their by noon."