Derian made his way through the ashen and barren ground. The rumbling volcano echoed his sentiments of uneasiness. It was too coincidental that this demon had approached him about a meeting. Derian’s master had granted him a period of vacation or recreation depending on your view. He shifted from human form to tauren, to ease his worries. His large dark frame melded with the dark volcanic rock.

Silently he walked, ignoring the fumes and the ashy fog being thrown through the air. His seared feet cracked the hard ground as he walked, his weight causing miniature fault lines in the seared ground. Focusing his energy, his rune began to glow a pale green as he searched for the demon. If the assassin had planned to strike him, the demon would fall on the twin axes he carried.

Growling in short temperedness, Derian gripped his axes and made his way towards a large rock formation shining a pale red hue. The demon had mentioned that location as the specific rendezvous, and Derian doubted that he would be happy if he was kept long. Frowning he trudged on, trying to get a read on the demon before confronting him face to face.

Krakas stood tall in the shadow of the volcano. Rumor within the dark temple stated that he was ‘fashioned’ here at the expense of three atani, so that his power might be enhanced to serve a demon lord. It was a fine tale, and Krakas did not feel the need to steer the simpletons and demons away from the tale. Leave it to fools to gossip and form stories to enhance his persona; his blade needed neither a vaunted legend nor a shrouded past to prove its skill. However, there was an issue concerning his true past. Hopefully that issue would show up soon, for Krakas grew impatient easily, and when he became impatient, his mind wandered to and fro, which in these circumstances could be deadly.

However, as if his mind had an overpowering will of its own, thoughts of how a stroll through memory lane would serve him well raced through his head. Silently he crouched against a large igneous rock formation, sheltering him from the direct heat of the volcano as well as the ash that flew through the air. His kin had thrown him out of their protective circles in the underworld, and ironically it was a demon lord that had found his limp body as it floated through the crevices within the volcano. No one had fashioned him, but it was true that his raw skin had hardened within the fires and lake of lava. Only the ‘blessing’ of his clan lord had saved him from burning alive, yet it was Lord of the sigilus clan that had placed him in there. The poor fool who had found him was an underling serving a Marauder demon. The large demon was a total monstrosity, one of the horrors of the underworld. Its six legs and pincers reminded Krakas of the undeveloped arachnids of the living world. It was closer to that of a scorpion, as the atanis called the creatures. Morgrave as the fiend was called had given him a cloak that was rumored to conceal its wearer in the shadows, a katana and dagger that both were somehow able to be blessed to counter any fellow demons Krakas would face, and he gave him a spell book that had allowed him to enhance his nimble nature and hone assassin skills. Morgrave had wished that the shadow demon would track atani monks and priests down for the Marauder’s collection, as well as for its sacrifices. It could suck energy from creatures, much akin to a metallic pole absorbing and storing lighting strikes. The holy energy was absorbed and changed to serve as a source of energy for the demon. Somehow the pure energy was worth more to Morgrave than tainted evil energy. Whatever the case, Krakas had served the arachnid for decades, faithfully growing his power and honing his skills.

Then it had happened. A paladin in the entourage of a priest had survived through the journey to the underworld. Unbeknownst to the demons, the paladin harbored a blessed blade, one rumored to have been wielded by a champion of Chimera centuries ago. His patient meditation and prayers were answered as the priest was being sacrificed. The priest had long ago made an oath to the gods that his body be pure as it entered the afterlife. That oath was fulfilled as it caused a poison like energy surge within Morgrave. His abdomen bloated and ballooned, and much like stories told to entertain the youth, the paladin struck with his blade, slicing through the rock hard exoskeleton. Demons and imps alike that were linked to the Marauder demon through blood rituals were also slain that day. All died, save Krakas and another demon, which slew the blessed knight and slithered away with the blade. That day, Krakas left the underworld and sought out an enchanter to craft him an illusion. He could not pass through the world of the atanis and carry out his profession if he was acknowledged as a Rauko. So his disguise was fashioned, and he guarded his identity as well as possible, until that damnanable ‘General’ had shown up. In the crowned city of Arda, Krakas had shown himself and subsequently was suckered into fighting the possessed armor. Only through an intervention by a kin was Krakas able to survive the fight. That event had led him to this day. A boon was to be asked of this half-rauko cousin. Krakas had heard of his cousin Rynax being summoned by a wizard, and the summoning going awry. A bastard child had been rumored of before Krakas had been thrown out for his inferior shadow abilities.

Times had changed him, and with that passing time his strength had grown. He had sought out his kin, and that kin had agreed to meet him here. The wind and shadows promised an eventful meeting, almost warning Krakas that other events might play out, but like most of nature they remained mute to any specifics, leaving him to fend for himself as fate rolled along.

Derian gritted his teeth as the ash drifted into his eyes. Reaching up with his right arm, he brushed away the tears as his eyes welled in reaction to the dust. Even though his eyesight was blurred, he saw his full blooded cousin crouching against the wall of rocks. Krakas looked as if he was either contemplating a distant future, or reflecting on an unfortunate past. Either way, Derian had no intention of standing there and letting the shadow demon dose off and on as he contemplated life.

“So cousin what is this all about? I saved your ass back in the misty woods and I know that you have designs for the tournament, but really what is this all about? I am curious if you are interested in an alliance of sorts? I am just rather curious and slightly befuddled as to…” as if sensing his cousins desire, Derian cut himself off and kneeled beside his much smaller cousin.

Gratefully the rock wall was large enough for him to lean against. As it did for Krakas, it leant itself as a shelter of sorts against the volcano and all the elements involved. Glancing at his forehead using his axes as a mirror, Derian noticed that his rune glared a deeper green than before. Curiously it hummed in his skull as if someone or something was watching him and the assassin…

Half-smirking, Ita playfully tossed the black gemstone up into the air, catching it and pocketing the precious item. She walked along a path of rough, hardened rock, cloak dragging behind her. Her walking stick gained traction by digging itself into the large cracks in the volcano. Following her was Rellik and Fenrin, her usual familiars. The former, a tiny helper ghost, nervously floated around his master, moving its headlike core side to side as if scanning its merciless surroundings. The latter seemed angry, digging its claws into the terrain harder than usual. The large black wolf scowled, head lowered, barking loudly whenever lava exploded through one of the cracks in the path. The cloaked lupine seemed to be the only one in a better-than-average mood, even though it was sadistical.

“So, now that I’ve finally found, killed, and tamed the spirit of a hellcat, we can move on. Any one of you two know how to get down?” Ita said inquisitively, squinting her glowing blood red eyes in an attempt to scout out a way to the base of the volcano. Almost out of seeing range was a huge rock that seemed to glow pale red. But what really piqued Ita’s interest was the flattened area around it. “Come on. We may have to set up camp there,” she said, pointing in that direction. She sighed, muttering about the Walk on Fire spell before continuing on.

Ash and dust clouded the area, causing Fenrin and Ita to blindly cough. It took longer than expected to scale the jagged rocks, rivers of lava, cracking ground, and other obstacles to finally reach the rock formation, but the trio did it. This would have been the worst place possible to stay for the night, but rest was needed and Ita needed to build up more power for the trip back down. The lupine summoned a small hawk spirit that seemed to sport third-degree burns. It would be the group’s watchman and the scout for tomorrow. With that done, Ita and her familiars stepped onto the flat ground around the large rock formation. But before Ita could get her bearings, Fenrin began to furiously bark.

“Oh boy,” Ita groaned. Somebody was here.

Krakas smiled as his eyes were still closed; he could sense the were-tauren coming. The smell of Death, along with the power of Death, reeked from a distance. The were-tauren could not sneak up on anyone with that wretched smell plastered all over him. Chuckling to himself, he kept his pose as the Minotaur stood in front of him and began asking questions.

“So cousin what is this all about? I saved your ass back in the misty woods and I know that you have designs for the tournament, but really what is this all about? I am curious if you are interested in an alliance of sorts? I am just rather curious and slightly befuddled as to…”

Krakas’ eyes opened as the other demon finished talking. Krakas looked up at the other and peered into his eyes. Their certainly was a level of malice beheld in them, but something else gave Krakas reason to pause. As if a dog shaking himself of a bond, Krakas shook the thought from his mind and shifted his legs and sat down. Gripping his katana at his side, he compared it to the mighty axes that his cousin was wielding. They were of obviously good make, and valuable to the mighty warrior. Dismissing the stray thoughts, Krakas brought his gaze back to the other and began talking.

“Well cousin, there is a reason after all I have asked you here. I am in need of some personal rediscovery if you will. I need to hone myself and I figure that you will be an excellent partner in my enterprise. No warrior that I have seen, save the mighty guardians and the deities’ own chosen can rival you. If you are not opposed to the idea of joining me in my business, I believe we can be of mutual assistance…as to why we meet here, well this is the place that I was born into this world. Here there was a demon that fostered me and taught me to become what I have. I thought it would do you good to see my beginnings as I ask you the same. How have you come to be almost full atani yet bear the sign of death and of the sigilus clan all at once…this is most unusual…have you any thing to offer in way of explanation? I under…”

As if angered at the insistant talking, the volcano shuddered and Krakas caught himself as the ground shook a bit. Curiously the minotaur didn’t flinch one bit and for once in his life, Krakas was angered at how this mortal had been blessed with such power while he a full blooded demon barely scraped by. Suddenly as if fate itself had heard his grumblings, Krakas could not resume his thoughts as a loud barking soon filled the air...

It occurred to Tulkas that what he was doing was odd. Mysterious people had wanted to meet with him to discuss an important issue for the war. He had gone to them after much deliberation, but after their short conference they had said they could not show him why they had asked him to come until he proved himself worthy of this secret. He was asked to travel to Lhachlith Volcano to complete his task. The Misty Forest grew along the western feet of the Ered Annon Mountains, and these mountains were the home of the great volcano. It had taken only a day to travel along the base of the mountains, away from the forest and to the volcano in the North. During his rests he spent time studying some new spells in his book, and practicing. He did not doubt his quest, or those that sent him to it. He wondered to himself if he could complete this task, but in that day he spent traveling alone he came to realize that if he could not complete this quest, he was not ready to face what he must do in the war to come.

He had traveled by horse, one provided by his mysterious allies in the forest, but he was to send it back once he arrived at the volcano. This would mean that his return would be on foot, and take perhaps three days to complete instead of one. As he agreed, once he reached the entrance at the base of the volcano he took his pack from the horse and sent it back to the forest with a pat on its hide. The new gauntlets he had purchased from the small armory within the encampment of the mystery allies made a small clanging sound as he did so, and the horse was off with a gallop. It knew its way back, as did the knight. He paused only for a moment to watch the horse disappear, then turned and entered the caverns of the volcano.

It was hot inside, and his strong armor was no help in keeping him cool. He did more using teleport than he did walking to lessen his exposure to the heat. He traveled into the great agitated mountain and upward via a path that seemed to curve along the outermost part of the volcano. Every so often there would be a hole in the wall, much like a window or doorway, that lead out into the open air and allowed cool air to touch him. His goal was to go as high as possible, for his task would be completed in the upper parts of the volcano. He walked for many, many hours, steadily climbing higher. This felt more like a test of patience than of virtue and strength, and he walked with only mundane thoughts in his head as he observed the inside of the volcano. He was grateful that he didn't have to go further into the center of the volcano yet where it was even hotter, where the lava pools churned. The finding of openings into the cool air seemed to increase in frequency the higher he went, and he saw entire caverns filled with cool air that opened into a ledge. Ledges with dangerous drops that he was sure to avoid.

He was in one such cavern when the great agitated mountain trembled every so lightly, complaining of the load it bore inside. He wondered how much change an eruption would cause here, how many of these caverns would no longer touch the cool air because they would fill with lava that flowed down the mountain side. But his allies had assured him that the volcano would not erupt during his quest, and he believed them. He hoped that this meant it would still not erupt directly after he completed his quest. Moving from this cool cavern into a narrow tunnel, he could feel some heat again. The tunnel turned inward, away from the edge of the volcano and deeper into its center. He was certain that this was the right path, and knew that he must be reaching higher levels now that his path was taking him into the mountain depths.

Further into the heart of the volcano the tunnel he was in ended in another large, cavernous opening. Though this one was not aired out by any holes leading outside. The air was very warm, and ashes floated in the air like dust. A fine powder of ash coated the floor, and his footsteps cracked and broke the baked-together path. Had he been on the opposite side of the large opening, he would have noticed that someone else had been leaving tracks in the brittle coating on the ground...

He took a tunnel on the right hoping it would both lead upward and somewhere nearer to the outside where he had a chance of getting some fresh air. However, all he saw ahead of him was a large rock formation. Just as he reached the opening to the formation, the volcano trembled again, but not as weak as it had done before. It shook with force, and he wobbled a bit, slightly off balance from the tremors. Once he recovered, he resumed his trip out of the tunnel from the cavern to the area with the rock formation. He stepped forward but stopped in his tracks. He heard a loud barking from a distance ahead of him, on the opposite side of the rock formations. He drew his sword and made himself ready, moving to stand behind a larger rock formation to avoid being seen for the moment. He was not alone here, and no dog was not part of his quest as far as he knew. He cast strengthen upon himself, then gathered his will and stepped into the open from behind the rock without a word to face whoever else accompanied him in the cave.

<< Sorry for making such a long post, when less than half of it really concerned you! :lol: But that's how tying in plots works, I guess. And I did some changing stuff around in the last paragraph after I wrote it, so tell me if I messed something up so that it doesn't make sense. >>

Iveskae was disappointed; the White Knight had not been in Lomedor as he had hoped. A quick visit to the Sanctuary had not been fruitful either, save rumors of Tulkas going off towards the Erad Annon Mountains. If that’s where the Knight had gone, then Iveskae would find him.

Something piqued Iveskae’s interest. Heat radiated as he approached the mountains, the volcano spewing in all of its natural anger, but there was something else there. A bright aura could be felt, but a shadow clouded Iveskae’s mind. Brushing off the sweat on his brow midair, Iveskae followed the perimeter of the base of the volcano. Thoughts of coldness and darkness grew stronger as two demons came into sight. A large black minotaur and a bug shaped thing were talking as shudders shook the ground. Gripping his sword, Iveskae caught a sense of hope and quickly he bee-lined towards it. Even as his wings pumped, providing some cooling, the volcano was getting to him.

Catching himself mid flight, Iveskae was surprised as an armored figure was coming out of a cavern, but a bark drew the figure and Iveskae’s attention. Something was here…something he did not like. Sweeping down and around, Iveskae came behind the tall armored human, hoping in his heart of hearts that this was the famed knight of the moon.