Three men could be seen running through the small forest heading right for the Annon-en-Groth Mines. These men had just been in a small town and stolen alot of gold from some of the people within the town. But their luck was not with them as within that town were two of the Keepers of the Sacred Deep. Zenith and Sraxen had been within the town and were now headed after the men. Zenith took flight into the air heading over the trees and tracking the men down. He did not know how far back exactly that Sraxen was but Zenith had told both Shadow and Telsor, his Falcon and Plasma Dragon, to follow Sraxen just incase.

Fully covered in his Resplendant armour as well as his Resplendent Cloak of the Gargoyle flowing in the wind behind his as he beat his large wings sending his speeding through the air. Between Zenith largw wings on his back was his Holy Blade and Blade of Balance, these blades where somewhat covered however by the Resplendant Tower which lay upon his back. On his right leg was stapped a Shadow Blade while at the back of his torso Zenith kept his Resplendent Countering Longsword. Yes he had many weapons upon him but Zenith had not brough Destiny and Hope along this time... the two swords he used most in life were back at the Keepers Guild hall.

Zenith was growing ever closer to the three men... but who was to say that they were the only ones. For all Zenith knew these men could have only been the weak ones sent into town while their leader was relaxing somewhere. Either way they had broken the law and Zenith was going to get that stolen money back. He did not want to kill these men, but he wanted to somehow make them see the wrong of there ways and in turn maybe ever convert to Holiness.... thus was the way of a Keeper.

Thats when Zenith seen all three men quickly head into the entrance of the Annon-en-Groth Mines. Zenith however did not enter yet. He softly landed on the ground just outside of the entrance and stood waiting. Zenith looked back to see if Sraxen was near and could tell he was closer than Zenith first thought as he seen Shadow fly ahead toward him and land on Zeniths shoulder. Zenith looked at Shadow then said "Good work my friend... now just to wait on Telsor and Sraxen... although sadly Telsor will have to stay outside here... For he is too large to get into the mines. Hopefully they will get here soon" Then Zenith smirked a little and said "Maybe he got lost... I should help him find his way here... Moon Beam!" After saying the last part of this a beam of light from the moon came down and acted like a spotlight upon Zenith. With luck this light would let Sraxen know where he was.

Dwarves are not usually identified as fast runners. They can sprint a few hundred yards if they have to, and be quite successful, but their small figure it not particularly suited to long distances. And so as Zenith flew overhead, Sraxen had difficulty managing to keep up. He may have been slow reaching the mines, but he had not lost his sense of direction, and knew exactly where he was headed. He noticed that the arch angel had left behind his companions, Shadow and Telsor, to follow the dwarf as he made his way up to the mines.

Sraxen turned to the falcon that was flying right behind him. "Okay, little one, you let Zenith know that I am near. We will take care of this problem as soon as possible." The falcon flew off towards the mines, where Sraxen suspected Zenith was waiting.

The problem that he spoke of was the possible threat that three thieves had created. Though their deeds weren't of an especially high magnitude, it was something that the Keepers needed to look into, so Sraxen had responded to Zenith's message as quickly as possible, as they had both been in the town at the time the deed was commited. He gripped the axe that was at his side, not sure of what to expect when the mines began to come into sight. He was relieved when he finally saw the entrance amidst the snow, knowing he had finally reached his destination. He also noted the beam of light in front of the mines, and he smiled. "Silly Zenith, thinking I'd get lost." He turned his attention to Telsor. "That's your master up ahead. He looks like he's expecting us. Let's not make him wait much longer."

Sraxen broke into a run for the final stretch. The snow kicked up behind him as he accelerated, making it to Zenith's side in just a few minutes. "I hope you weren't waiting too long for me. Are our bandits inside the mines?"

Zenith seen the large blur ahead... yup, Telsor was now near and that meant Sraxen was close by as well. Zenith made the beam of moon light leave as he seen Sraxen running towards him. Now seeing a dwarf run was funny... but Zenith had to hold back his laughter after all this moment was serious. As Zenith listened to the words of Sraxen he replied back "Fear not friend, I have not been waiting for to long and yes they have went inside. I can make sure no others follow us inside however by having Telsor keep gaurd at the entrance as he we go in. Shadow can come in with us and inform us of any trouble ahead." It was clear Zenith knew many battle plans... but the young Angel still had much to learn.. as this would be his first time teaming with a fellow Keeper in a mission.

Zenith then dusted himself off and nodded towards Sraxen. He then said "Telsor... be safe out here my friend ok. If you are in to much danger then leave." Zenith then took his Resplendent Countering Longsword, known as Redemption from the back of his waist, as well as his Resplendant Tower into his left hand. With these two things as well as Zenith cloak and full set of Armour he was ready for battle if needed. Although if needed Zenith still had his bladed Coruption, Salvation and Judgement at hand to use. Or of course for his fellow keeper to use.

His wings fully spread out and Zenith then said to Sraxen "Shall we go then... and make these men see the error in their ways..." Zenith then smiled a little and headed towards the entrance only to be stopped by two gaurds.... Why didnt they trust him? Maybe because he was an angel... it was a good thing Sraxen was there or Zenith may have needed to use force in order to enter but he didnt want to that yet.... he wanted to spare as many lives as he could. Knowing this he said "Sraxen... I need a little help here my friend." He knew that if an Angel was friends with a dwarf then he may be able to enter the mines with the said dwarf.

As Zenith talked, Sraxen had caught the guards of the mines out of the corner of his eye. He paid attention to what the angel was saying but at the same time he tried to calculate how much trouble the guards were going to give them. Sraxen alone would have been able to enter the dwarven mines freely. But the dwarf saw the skeptical glances they were throwing Zenith's way, and knew it wasn't going to be the easiest thing in the world to just waltz on in.

Sraxen nodded as the angel suggested they enter the mines, but it wasn't long before two of the guards halted Zenith. "You," one said, "are no friend of the dwarves."

The dwarf ran to the Zenith's side and put his hand on the angel's chest. "He's with me," he retorted, not rudely but not friendly either. "He is a friend of this dwarf."

The two guards conversed shortly, then the one that had previously spoken turned his attention to Sraxen. "And just who might you be?"

The stout dwarf smiled politely. "You may have heard of the Elders of the Mines? They will vouch for my authority in this realm. I am the son of Vorskez."

The guard nodded and stepped away from the entrance to the mines. "Proceed, son of Vorskez. We know who you are."

Sraxen nodded at him. "We appreciate your hospitality, and know that it will not go unnoticed by the elders." Not giving a second glance at the dwarven guard, Sraxen took large strides through the entrance. He was now in the Annon-en-Groth mines. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked, turning to the angel.

Zenith looked down at Sraxen as he placed his hand on his chest, the look on Zeniths face as if he was saying Your lucky that I need you to get into these mines Yeah he didnt like being touched much at all. Zenith looked to the gaurds as the spoke to Sraxen... it looked as though everything was moving along nice. The gaurds slowly moved out of the way as Sraxen walked into the mines. Zenith continued to look at the gaurds and then tightened his grip on both Redemption and his sheild.

Thats when Zenith heard Sraxen talk. He listened to the dwarf then answered by saying "Ever lay a hand upon me like that again and it shall be removed Dwarf." He then looked around to see the inside of the mines better, keeping his wings tucked into his back as he did so. The last thing Zenith needed was to start a battle in here just because an Angel entered their mines. That was the only thing Zenith didnt like about these mines... the endless amount of drunk dwarves. It got old rather fast...

He shook his head and said to Sraxen "Why did they have to come in here of all places." The only reason Zenith had snapped before to Sraxen was because well.. the pair had not really become the best of friends so far. The only thought that went through the mind of Zenith for a few moments was how the gaurds outside would be acting with Telsor constantly looking onto them... It would have been rather funny to watch.

Even though Zenith had only been to the mines once he still had an idea of where he was going, of course mainly following Sraxen in here seemed the best idea... after all a Dwarf should know their way around this place right? Well Zenith only had hope that Sraxen knew where was going or they would never the men they were after. Thats when ahead of him Zenith seen a large hall filled with some kind of light... he had never been to this part of mines before. Before heading to this room Zenith said to Sraxen "When we find them... what shall we do then?" This was a good question, the three men had broken the law but how were they going to get them without death.

Sraxen had been caught completely off guard by the angel's words. "Ever lay a hand upon me like that again and it shall be removed, Dwarf," Zenith said, blatantly threatening him. Instantly Sraxen realized that he had not been aware of Zenith's perception of personal space. Even so, he was concerned by the angel's quickness to threaten him for the deed. Sraxen had only wanted to help, and the angel hadn't even thanked him for that. Sraxen kept his composure, however, and decided to ponder the occurrence at a later time. For now, they needed to find these bandits.

A large room was just up ahead, a bright light radiating from behind its doors. The angel turn to face Sraxen. "When we find them... what shall we do then?" The dwarf pondered the question for a moment. The thieves first needed to surrender before fighting to the death, and then they needed to be told what they had done was a crime against society and wasn't the best way to live. Sraxen had to come up with a plan that would allow them to capture the criminals unharmed.

"We need to divide and conquer," he said finally. "When we find them, we split them up, and then we make sure they surrender. If at all possible, we need to spare their lives. They have done wrong, but they are not past redemption." He looked back at the glowing room. His gut told him this was to be their destination. Gathereing his thoughts, he became as ready as he could possibly be, should a fight arise in that room.

Zenith nodded a little as he said "Very well then. We shall split up, just dont get yourself killed. Like you I would also like to keep the body count to a minimum." He then let out a small sigh stepping out into the large room. Zenith then spoke softly to Sraxen as he said "Sorry about before... the last person that lay a hand upon me... almost killed me. It was my brother, he placed his hand over my heart then turned into his phoenix form..." Right after saying this Zenith seen two of the men they were after. One of them must have went to the leader to tell him about their conquest. Seeing them just ahead of them Zenith nodded towards the direction of the men so that Sraxen was sure to also spot them.

He then tightened his grip on the Resplendant Tower and Redemption. Zenith was also ready incase they needed to battle. But even if they did have to fight the men, they didnt need to kill them. Just injure them so that the fight would in turn end. As a master swordsman this could prove difficult for the men in question to beat Zenith in a battle of blades. Although any hopes of a fair battle were soon cut short as each of the two men were called by someone in order to follow them. One of the men headed to the left while the other headed to the right. Seeing this the only thing Zenith said was "Which way do you want then Sraxen. Either way we have no idea how many will be within each direction so be carefull." Awaiting on the reply of the dwarf Zenith began to look towards each passage... in some way they may have linked up in the end, but he was still rather unsure of this.

"I will take the left," Sraxen said. Without giving Zenith a chance to respond, the dwarf started heading in that direction. As he stepped up his pace, he hoped the angel wouldn't get too lost in the mines. After all, they had no way to communicate with each other once they split up, and making a meeting place would be pointless. There was no telling when their task would be done. And so, Sraxen thought this may be the last time he saw Zenith for some time. The job came first, and the job required that they split up at this point and go their separate ways.

"I'll see him again," he muttered to himself. "I'm just not sure when."

He thought about what the angel had said right before he had left his side. "The last person that lay a hand upon me... almost killed me. It was my brother." It was good enough for Sraxen, and he didn't think about the incident any more. he had heard of Alba Meria, and knew what he was capable of. It was extremely difficult to grasp the idea that he was Zenith's brother. Such evil was so close to the holiness that Zenith represented that it had made the arch angel very sensitive. And Sraxen would honor that sensitivity.

He made sure to keep a safe distance from the man he was following, knowing this was not the opportune time to make his presence known. He continued to trail him fromt about thirty meters behind, his steps silent. The thief was conversing with the one who had summoned him, so he did not think to look back and search for anyone following him. This worked to Sraxen's advantage, and he was able to keep the bandit in his sight at all times. He waited for the right moment.

Zenith seen Sraxen take the left so he nodded and headed right. It was hard for Zenith not to be seen with his height after all. He placed the Resplendant Tower back onto his back and slowly drew his Holy Blade into his left hand. Now with both Salvation and Redeption in hand Zenith was ready for whatever was to come his way. Zenith seen the man up ahead, it looked as though he was being taken to another door, but where to? It was actualy very bad that he had to go a different way from Sraxen, after all, it was the dwarf that knew these mines better than anything else.

As Zenith followed the man down the mine he heard something running tight through his mind. The thing he heard was "Im coming for you Brother.... I will find you soon enough!!!" Quickly Zenith looked around the area he was in. Hearing that voice again was not good, the voice of Alba. It meant that he was infact still out there, this had to end soon. Zenith hated taking lives but Alba was one person he needed to destroy, he needed to rid Arda of that beast.

Zenith looked back to the man he was trailing only to him being taken into another room, this did not look good for Zenith. Slowly he moved closer to the now closed door and placed his head near it to try and hear if anyone else was right at the door. After all Zenith had no idea what was behind this door now. Taking the risk Zenith quickly opened the door and stepped in. The men he had been following were gone, seemingly down the long corridor now ahead of him that seemed to snake to the left alot. Maybe these men were being tested in order to be accepted into a guild or faction of some sort? Either way Zenith and Sraxen needed to have a word with them about what they had done in town.

Following the path Zenith soon seen them ahead once more, the halls were also getting alot darker. Usualy Zenith would have cast his light spell, but that would have given his placing away. So instead he just began to creep up behind the men still trying to stay out of sight. Although as he did this Zenith began to wonder if Sraxen was ok. He would hate to lose the life of a fellow Keeper, and friend.

Sraxen was being led down what seemed to be an endless amount of passageways. This was the way the mines worked, of course, but Sraxen had somehow expected that the strangers would have had a shorter path to wherever they were going. The deeper one goes into the mines, the less humans one would find. Dwarves inhabited the more secure areas, with visitors always sticking around the outskirts. These bandits were no strangers to Annon-en-Groth.

Finally, they stopped talking and stood still. Sraxen kept out of sight as he ducked around the corner he had just turned. Then, they started conversing again, in hushed tones. The dwarf could barely make it out.

"Where are you taking me?" the one man said. Sraxen thought it was the bandit he was chasing.

"We're paying a visit to Hruka. Shush."

"Who is Hruka? Why can't I simply be on my way?"

"This is what you wanted, isn't it? Then keep your mouth shut."

The conversation ended. Sraxen peeked around the corner, to find the two men had disappeared. "Curse it," he said under his breath, and he rounded the corner to catch up.

They are taking these men to see important people in the organization, the dwarf mused in his thoughts. The question is, why were the three men split up?

Things just seemed to be getting worse for Zenith. The passage he was following the men down began to get smaller and smaller. Soon the angel had to crouch down to walk through in silence. Ahead of him now lay something he did not want to see down here, not know. The men had come into a large open room from the tight passageway and then opened a door within the ground. They seemed to be going ever lower into the mines. This was not the bad thing however as when that door was shut Zenith began to move forward a little only to be blocked by a large Orge in the mines that was not sat on the door. What was he going to do now?

Zenith let out a small sigh as he softly said "Just my luck... they will be long gone by the time I can follow again!" His grip began to tighten on his blades and then Zenith had an idea. He moved closer to the opening to the room and then said softly "Illusion" He made an image of a dwarf appear infront of the Orge and the dumb beast seen the figure and began running after the illusion Zenith had just cast. Seeing this Zenith smirked and quickly ran over to the ground door, opening it and jumping down.

Luckily the men he had been following had moved on further so he was not seen after jumping down. The ground in this new room was alot harder than that of the ground above. The large hall seemed to be very dark but soon the eyes of Zenith had somewhat focused in this new light. He got back to his feet and began to follow the men once more. As Zenith walked by a kind of hole in the wall he heard someone say "This is what you wanted, isn't it? Then keep your mouth shut." Not knowing what this meant or who it was Zenith cast these words aside and continued to head after the men that had escaped him.

Seeing movement ahead Zenith knew he was once again drawing closer to the men, so in turn he slowed down his pace. At least this new passage was larger and Zenith was able to once again fully stand up. Drawing near the men Zenith heard the one that had been in town say "Where the hell are we going man!" Only the reply he got was "You will soon find out... And im sure you will love what your about to see kid!" Zenith didn't like the sound of this but still, he had to keep following them.

Never had Sraxen been more shocked in his life.

In the moments that had followed the conversation between man and bandit, bizzare occurences had taken place. And Sraxen, against all reason, had been placed in the middle of said events.

He had followed the men for some time, that had been the easy part. It was when they had come up into a large open room that things had gotten a little tricky. Sraxen found it very difficult to find a place to hide as they walked through the chamber, where the ceiling was high and the walkway wide. The dwarf scurried to a large pillar in the room, waiting to let the two gain some distance on him before he followed further. Then, he heard the one begin to talk again.

"To answer your last question, Hruka is not a person. Hruka is a place." His companion may not have understood what the man was saying, so he continued. "This," he said, extending his arms out extending through the large chamber, "is Hruka."

The thief still seemed perplexed. "I don't get it. I was told that as soon as I committed the sacred sin, I would be rewarded. What is this place. What is Hruka?"

"Hruka," the man replied, "is our source. Hruka is where we find our dark energy. Hruka defines us as an organization. Welcome to The Brotherhood of Hruka." The Brother shook the thief's hand, and it was sealed with that.

The dwarf was astonished. He had managed to somehow stumble upon a dark organization he had not even known to have existed, all by following this man and attempting to convert him. And now, all around him, he felt the presence that Hruka gave off. It was like a weight upon his shoulders, burdening him constantly. Hruka, somehow, had managed to be kept hidden in the mines all this time for the Brotherhood's own use, and now, their secret had gotten out. If only Sraxen could survive to tell someone.

"I can save him," Sraxen thought to himself. "This young lad has not yet been doomed to the fate that befalls all necromancers." He didn't know how he would do it, but he was sure he'd be able to. "If only Zenith were here now to help."

Sadly Zenith had troubles of his own. Upon following these two men ahead of him they seemed to stop in a room with alot of large pillars. Why they had come here Zenith had no idea. Suddently one of the spoke, "Yes you have done well. We shall take you to Hruka soon enough little one. You are much younger than that other man. I still dont see why the Phoenix wanted us to bring you and the others here anyway." One word of this seemed to start ringing through the head of Zenith. The word Phoenix! But it could not be, could it? Could Zeniths brother Alba really be here in the mines. If so then both Zenith and Sraxen were in more danger than they first thought.

Once more the grip of Zenith seemed to get tighter on his blades, but he could not let his cover be blown. Zenith needed to know where this Hruka was. With any luck it would also lead him back to Sraxen, or even Alba for that matter. If Alba was in these mines then Zenith and Sraxen would need to work together in order to battle him. Being a Phoenix gave Alba alot of added effects onto him, the worst one was the fact that even in death he shall return from his own ashed to seek revenge on those that had slain him. Alba had even been known to let himself die in battle just so he could track the person down to their entire family and slay them all.

Alba was indead a sick and twisted man, Most not seeing how he could ever be the brother of Zenith Meria. Since Zenith was a being of pure heart and Holiness, But Zenith was also the one Alba liked to hunt down most in Arda, which meant anyone he was close to were in danger at all times. Soon the men ahead began walking again. Once they had left room, heading further left through the passage now, Zenith began to follow them again. Only to hear the scream of the large Orge from before, something bad had just happened but sadly Zenith did not have the time to go back and see for himself. He had to keep up with these men in order to find Sraxen as soon as possible.

As Zenith followed him he began to think to himself, "Damn you Alba. Why cant you just die already. I will never join you, no matter what you say. I will also not let you harm any of my new family. Yes... the Keepers, My new family! I will always protect them from you Alba!" Zenith then let out a silent sigh and seen the men stop once more as one of them opened a large secret door. So even the mines had shortcuts then, that was good to know.

Zenith soon reached the door and managed to also open it. The thing he seen by this door was amazing. The two men he had been following were now right next to the ones that Sraxen had been following. So the entire thing was a test for the men. But still why? Why split them up, only to bring them back together again. Yet still, Yes, one of the men were missing. Sraxen and Zenith had been after three men yet two only stood in this large room.

One of the men that seemed to know this Hruka then said, "Welcome to Hruka. We shall show you all you need to see soon enough. If you are lucky, you may even seen the large black and red Phoenix that had graced this place of late." Trying to ignore what the man had just said, Zenith quickly darted through the darkness not being seen. He now was hidden behind a large rock but was still looking around the place for any sign of Sraxen near by.

The son of Vorskez was in hiding. The man he was following was about to begin a ritual that would lead him down a dark path. And Zenith was nowhere to be found. "Now I regret splitting up," the dwarf said, though he knew fully well that they would not have been able to track the men to Hruka if they had done it together. Besides, Zenith's man would not have been followed, and they wouldn't have a clue where he was.

That changed when Sraxen heard an unfamiliar voice. "Welcome to Hruka. We shall show you all you need to see soon enough. If you are lucky, you may even seen the large black and red Phoenix that had graced this place of late." Someone else was now in the chamber, talking to someone else. Were these the two men that Zenith had followed? If they were, that meant Zenith was nearby. If they weren't, that meant Sraxen was all alone, potentially fighting four men by himself. The odds certainly weren't in his favor.

Whatever the case, he had to act soon. Time was running out. "The time to witness Hruka's power has come. You two are the lucky ones, for you have proven yourselves worthy to be graced by Hruka's energy. As for your companion, he was not so fortunate."

Well, now he knew where the third bandit was, but that didn't solve the current problem. Zenith still hadn't been located, though his man was obviously here from the way the Brother spoke. And the presence of a large black and red phoenix wasn't a good thing either. Sraxen only knew of one such phoenix, and it meant the arch angel was in certain danger, just by being here.

"Have we been set up? Or is this Hruka the real thing?" He didn't know what to believe. This could all be some large scam put on by Alba in order to lure the two Keepers here, or that could merely be a part of a much larger thing, such as this Brotherhood.

There was no time to think about what was happening though, and Sraxen put his thoughts aside. He needed to stop this Hruka from manifesting in the chamber at all costs, to spare the lives of these two young bandits who didn't know right from wrong. He needed to eliminate the Brothers, all the while making sure Alba the phoenix wasn't anywhere in sight. And he needed to make sure Zenith was fine.

That was the last thought that passed through Sraxen's mind as he jumped out from behind the pillar. He quickly pulled out his axe and looked at the four men who were gathered some distance away, just ahead of him. The two Brothers turned around first, the bandits more oblivious to his presence, as a great light was descending from the top of the hall. They seemed to be completely mystified by the bright white as it flowed around the room, staying close to the ceiling. The Brothers, however, were already running towards Sraxen. "This blasphemy will not be tolerated!" Sraxen bellowed as he swung his axe around in his hand, waiting for the two men to close the distance and come in range.

"You, Dwarf, will not upset today's events," one called out as he charged forward. "It is already too late."

I hope he's only bluffing, the dwarf thought to himself, as he got ready to start his attacks. This was surely not what he had bargained for when he had come to the mines.

Looking on at the men Zenith still did not even want to think of his brother being within these mines. Ontop of that he could still not see Sraxen anywhere at all, this was not looking good one bit. With Redemption and Salvation held tight in the hands of Zenith has was ready to defend himself within a moments notice. Slowly the angel raised his head above the place he was hiding to look onto the men once more. His eyes fixed onto the two men both himself and Sraxen had been after. Thats when Zenith heard one of the other men say, "The time to witness Hruka's power has come. You two are the lucky ones, for you have proven yourselves worthy to be graced by Hruka's energy. As for your companion, he was not so fortunate." So they had killed the third man, thats why he was no longer with them.

This mad Zenith somewhat angry but he managed to control his anger like all other times not wanting to be dragged into the darkness of his past once more. Zenith had been able to stop all of these feelings, but whenever Alba was neat him the memories seemed to always come back to the young angel. Zenith continued to look upon the men, taking in the structure of this new area of the mines so that he would be able to use it fully to his own advantage.

His study of the room however was soon broken when Zenith heard a familiar voice and also seen a familiar figure charging into battle. It was Sraxen and he seemed to be screaming out "This blasphemy will not be tolerated!" But a few seconds after saying this Zenith then heard the voice of one of the men saying "You, Dwarf, will not upset today's events, It is already too late." And soon after the first man began running for Sraxen so did the other man.

Still Zenith sat and waited for the perfect moment, then when both of the men charging towards Sraxen were close enough Zenith said, "Thalion Linnod" Saying this Zenith cast his Sonic Burst spell. A booming noise ringing through the ears of one of then halting his advance, the other man however was still headed for Sraxen so Zenith cast another spell with the word "Sîr" Right after saying this Zenith pushed himself in the direction of the other man, his movements now like a blur as he drew closer. Soon Zenith grabbed the man and pushed him into the wall before turning back to Sraxen with a small smile.

Both men where down for now, but were both already getting back up to there feet. Seeing this Zenith then said to Sraxen, "Looks like this wont be as easy as I first thought Sraxen, be carefully in this battle my friend!" The angels grip still tight around his blades and his body still blessed with his Blur spell. This fight would be both interesting and testing for Zenith. These men seemed to become more powerfull each second they were in this area of the mines.

The sudden arrival of Zenith had changed everything. It was good news, first of all, as it meant the angel had not lost his prey, and had been following them all along. He must have been hiding in the chamber for some time, unbeknowst to Sraxen. Secondly, it meant that the angel was present to use his casting abilities and halt the forward motion of the dwarf's attackers. This was especially helpful, considering he hadn't had much of a plan for taking both of these men on by himself. And that wasn't even taking into account the fact that the two newcomers may also present a problem, albeit a smaller problem than the established Brothers, who were gaining more power from Hruka every passing second.

The beams of light coming from the top of the chamber were growing stronger in brightness, to the point where Sraxen felt he would need to sheild his eyes soon from the rays coming down. And yet, as bright as it was, there was an evident darkness to it, though perhaps not a physical darkness. It was the feeling it gave off when it passed into Sraxen's vision, and it wasn't something he particularly cared for. This was all part of the dark energy that this room was giving off. It affected him. And he knew the other men were affected as well. And that was dangerous.

"Looks like this wont be as easy as I first thought Sraxen, be careful in this battle my friend!" came Zenith's voice.

The dwarf turned to face him. "I'd have to agree with you, angel," he said dryly. "Not easy at all."

The first man was getting up off his feet again. "Not even the two of you combined could possibly match the power of Hruka. Stand down, and we will give you a swift death."

"No death is required today, friend." Sraxen put his weapon down. It was a bold move, but it signified the dwarf;s intentions of peace. "We can end this darkness that haunts you. We can cast it away and have it never come back. Is this really what you want?"

"If it wasn't," he replied, "I wouldn't be here." The Brother raised his arms high and closed his eyes, the light seemingly reflecting off his figure. Sraxen picked up his axe once again and looked up to the ceiling.

It didn't need to be like this. I can save the others. He turned his attention to one of the inductees, holding out his hand, palm upwards. "You have not yet been corrupted by these halls! It's not too late to turn back now!"

The man recoiled, turning away from Sraxen. "That is not what I wish. I am too far in to turn back now."

"That's not true! Zenith and I, we can help you!" Sraxen motioned towards the angel, indicating he was the Zenith he spoke of. "The Meria bloodline is not fully corrupted. You don't have to be, either." The thief gave no reply to this, only turning to his new master.

Sraxen was suddenly overcome with grief. Here were four men who probably had led conservative lives for most of their existence, and yet only one or two small mistakes had changed the course of their actions. They were now sealed in their fate, not wanting to turn back. They held no hope fore themselves. Even if they wanted to end the darkness, they would not know how. And they weren't allowing Sraxen to show them.

The dwarf would not give up. he would not spill blood until the last possible moment. These men would be shown their choices, but only they could decide. In this hostile atmosphere, he was not fully able to reveal to them the path of holiness. That is what his end goal was, and he would make sure he reached it. However, precautions had to be taken. As Hruka manifested itself, becoming brighter and brighter, he turned to Zenith. "We may need to send for Telsor."

Outside of the mines the chaos was also going on. Telsor was no longer at the entrance and the two gaurds that were there were now lay on the ground covered in a thick layer of their own blood. Foot steps seen in the dirt and snow outside of the mines and the entrance fully opened up. Someone had come to this place and forced their way inside. The trail of blood making a long path through the mines. Bodies also laying the way of this path. Chaos was growing in the mines, a large group of dwarves, maybe twenty or so where gathered at another large door within the mines to protect it.

They would not last lonf however as someone covered in a large red and black cloak began to walk towards this giant door the dwarves were gaurding. Upon getting closer to the door one of the dwarfs said to the cloak figure "You shall not enter this place. We shall slay you evil being!!" But before any of the other men had time to talk, the cloaked figure pulled a large black and blood red scythe from under his cloak and fired a large blast of dark energy towards the short beings.

Six of the gaurds were instantly killed while the ones that lived ran towards the cloaked figure. Fourteen against one would seem like the fourteen would have the advantage. But as each dwarf grew closer they soon fell, and without their heads on their bodies. One by one the gaurds were killed, the blood staining the walls of the mines as if marking the start of a new era. Yet the destruction had only began, more lifes were to be taken by this cloaked figure.

With each powerfull step within the mines the figure got deeper and deeper. The Orge that Zenith had seen before now stood in this persons way. The figure once again raised his scythe and cut through the body the orge with ease. This person was on the hunt for someone, and was going to make sure that his task was filled this time. The man under this cloak, was another member of the Meria family, and was also the brother of Zenith. Yes, Alba Meria had now come to claim his prize, that prize being the head of his younger brother.

Alba was growing closer to the room that Zenith and Sraxen were in. He soon got the large room and seen the men begin to power up with the power of Hruka. Seeing this Alba said out from under his cloak "Enough Fools. I told you no harm was to come to the Keepers... But since the short one has come, you may have him. I want the angel." Albas hood then came down and his eyes fixed onto Zenith as he went on to say "Hello there.... Brother, Happy to see me again?" The Keepers were now in more danger than they first thought, and with no extra help to be found.

Everything was going so fast, the power of these two men seemed to be increasing more and more with every passing moment. Zenith seen Sraxen try and talk to the men they had been tracking but they too where now consummed by the evil within this place. The mines were indead in alot of danger. Then Sraxen asked Zenith to call for Telsor. Zenith nodded then looked up to the top of the room as he said "Fly Shadow." With this said a falcon began to fly into the air, it had been with Zenith all along and headed out from a small hole in the roof to find Telsor.

With his friend being called on Zenith once again turned his attention towards the brotherhood members. This fight would be difficult but the Keepers had to keep hope. As Zenith stood their his Holy Aura began to grow brighter as the Keeper then said "Brotherhood of Hruka, Now is the time for your rain of terror to end. The Keepers shall not let more darkness to consume this world. We will never let you destroy or harm the light of Arda. I, Zenith Meria, Shall stand in your way untill my death!" These words seemed to flow softly from the lips of Zenith, each word perfectly said and in with a certain holy tone to it.

Zenith grip upon his blades still tight and his armour showing his alignment to Holiness and the protection of Arda. Being trained by both the Goddess of Life and the Gaurdian of Holiness had its perks when it came to battles. All of Zeniths weapons also had a sacred ruin within them meaning any evil that went to take his weapons would be badly hurt. This was but a gift given by the Goddess of Life on becoming one of her Divine Protectors of Arda.

Still blessed with his Blur spell Zenith was about to attack when he felt a strong burning feeling in his heart. With this pain taking over Zenith fell to his knees and said "Sraxen, Get out of here now!!! ALBA IS IN THE MINES, RUN!!!" But as if on cue right after Zenith said this he heard a voice that he did not want Sraxen to ever need to hear. "Enough Fools. I told you no harm was to come to the Keepers... But since the short one has come, you may have him. I want the angel. Hello there.... Brother, Happy to see me again?" These words filled Zenith with more anger than ever before. Slowly the Arch Angel of life got to his feet and looked at Alba. He seen his brother was still weilding the large scythe of his. Zenith then placed his other weapons away leaving only his Holy Blade, Salvation in hand. If he was going to face his brother once more the rules would be the same, Dark Blade against Holy Blade.

Zenith eyes were fixed on Alba as he said "Sraxen, stay away from Alba, this battle is between me and him. Nobody else ever try and enter it. This time, you will be destroyed Alba." It was clear Zenith was now enraged, he had never been like this with any of the Keepers. Infact, Sraxen would be the first of the Keepers to see Zenith and Alba in the same place at once. The Sibling battle was about to begin.

As Zenith commanded the falcon to search for Telsor, Sraxen made ready his axe. The fighting would start all too soon. "Brotherhood of Hruka, now is the time for your rain of terror to end," Zenith declared to the heretics. Sraxen listened intently and agreed with every word that the arch angel was saying. The Keepers would simply not stand for this blashoemous activity to continue. Hruka had to be destroyed, and its members had to be shown the path of light, or, if necessary, disposed of.

The problem, however, was the fact that Sraxen and Zenith knew very little about Hruka. Did it have any vulnerabilities? When would it stop growing in power, and when would it start affecting the divine protectors more negatively? All they knew was that it had to be stopped at all costs, whatever that entailed.

For now, the best we can hope for is that this day will end without bloodshed. Unfortunately, death seems inevitable. He had already tried to turn the two new converts away from this path, and had failed. The resolve of the Brothers was even stronger, and would be harder to turn. A conversion to holiness seemed altogether improbable.

"Enough, fools. I told you no harm was to come to the Keepers. But since the short one has come, you may have him. I want the angel."

Sraxen froze in place. The voice had not come from any of the four thieves gathered, nor had it come from Zenith. It was someone else. Someone the dwarf had hoped he would never have to see.

It was Alba Meria.

Hello there, brother, happy to see me again?" The dwarf knew the answer to that question, and he nearly was about to answer for Zenith, but before he could do so, he heard the tail end of Zenith's plea to him. ..."is in the mines, run!" was all he heard from the angel. The phoenix's presence had distracted him to such an extent that he had blocked out nearly everything else that was going on, including the fact that at that very moment, a Brother was rushing towards him at great speeds, a scimitar in hand, ready to do battle. The dwarf had been caught off guard and would now have to face the consequences. The man had the upper hand in this battle by taking Sraxen by surprise. He would have the first attack, and Sraxen would have to go on the defense for some time. He got his axe into a defensive position and stood ready to block any attacks.

"I've had just about enough of your folk interrupting the ceremony of Hruka. No longer shall the dwarves inhibit its power!" Somehow the Brother had managed to say all this as he sped toward Sraxen, the last syllable of his sentence ending in the first strike of his sword. Metal clashed with metal as Sraxen's axe stopped the attack.

Sraxen took a moment to provide his own sentiments. "Indeed, for after this day is over, Hruka will no longer need to be stopped. We will deal with that right here and now." And as he said so, the man made another offensive strike, bringing his sword down low, Sraxen's axe following to prevent it from succeeding. His parrying was well-timed, as he was always one step ahead of his opponent. His many years of practice had paid off in his defenseive skills.

"Sraxen, stay away from Alba, this battle is between me and him. Nobody else ever try and enter it. This time, you will be destroyed, Alba." This was Zenith, letting the dwarf know not to interrupt the duel. It may have been a duel to the death, possibly ending in Zenith's fate, but Sraxen knew better than to get in between them. This event had been a long time coming.

"Wasn't planning on it!" The dwarf replied quickly, as he steadied his axe against the scimitar he was facing. However, the fight was about to get more difficult.

"I am Telune, a Brother of Hruka, and you will not stop me." The man had finally revealed his identity, though Sraxen was surprised he still had one. The members of cults tend to give up their sense of self and simply become part of the group, but that had not happened here, not yet. Telune still had a name to call his own. That didn't mean he wasn't powerful. He lifted his weapon high into the air as the white light of Hruka seemed to descend down upon him. Suddenly, a fire leapt up in his eyes as he stared straight through Sraxen, anger obvious in his facial expression. Then, both of his hands came forward, fully extended out towards the dwarf, and suddenly, a bolt of air hit Sraxen in the chest. He was pushed back a few steps by the heavy magical blow, his defensive stance disrupted. Telune came charging towards him again with newfound energy. Sraxen knew that this time, he would be facing more than poorly-planned offensive attacks. The battle had just begun.

All:
You barely hear an almost inaudible string of growls, but the background noises quickly become overwhelmed by the sounds of battle. As you begin fighting your respective opponents, a large creature leaps from the shadows behind the group. About as large as a horse, the black cerberus pauses for a moment, its draconic tail swaying back and forth as it eyes each being before it.

Alba Meria:
During your killings while making your way through the Annon-en-Groth Mines, the scent of blood had met the noses of a large male cerberus. It followed your trail of death through the mines. After revealing its presence to you, the large creature leaps in your direction, baring its fangs and slashing its claws in anger.

Sraxen:
Telune, bearing the fury of the Brotherhood of Hruka, continues to charge in your direction, slashing his weapon at you with immense ferocity and skill.

Hearing the sound of the steps behind him Alba knew something was coming closer but had no idea of what it could have been. The only thing was Alba was to busy getting ready to battle his brother Zenith. But before the siblings could start their new battle a large black Cerberus had leaped out of the darkness looking at all within the room. Its eyes, on all three heads, then turned in the direction of Alba as the Cerb could smell the blood of the fallen upon his scythe. This was not going to be very good, but on the other hand it would be rather fun for once.

The large black beast then charged towards the Phoenix with great force, its fangs showing and its claws heading for the body of Alba. Seeing this, the Phoenix spread his wings and raised into the air, his wings burning with the flame of the Phoenix within him as he looked down at the dumb beast of Chaos that had went to kill him. Alba then smirked as he lowered the blade of his scythe down towards the beast and fired a blast of dark energy into its side causing it alot of pain but far from killing it. Alba was just making the beast even more mad so it would take its fury on those still upon the ground below him.

Alba then watched on as the beast roared in pain then turned its left and middle head towards Sraxen and Zenith. These two having a different scent from the others seemed like the perfect targets for the cerberus, and with that the beast began to run towards Zenith but suddently jumped back and a large chunk of the roof fell in. What had caused that roof to cave in? Alba did not know but he was sure about to find out now.

Zenith did not know what he was to do. Sraxen was being attacked, but at the same time he could not let his brother attack Sraxen either. So in the mind of Zenith he was leaving Sraxen with an easier battle, the only reason Zenith was going to battle his brother was because they had battled so much in the past but Alba had always won, but even though he won he still spared the life of his younger brother for some reason.

Zenith was just about to attack the Phoenix with a mighty blast from his Holy Blade when a large black Cerberus appeared before them all. It seemed to look upon everyone in the room but then started its attack on Alba first of all. This was not very affective though since the Phoenix flew into the air and blasted the beast with his scythe only the make the Cerberus anger more. All was not going well, Zenith had to now stop this beast born of Chaos and make sure nobody else was to get hurt, after all being a Keeper was not an easy task but still Zenith loved the feeling it brought him in the end of things.

The Cerberus looked at both Sraxen and Zenith but then began to run towards Zenith first with a mighty lunge only to stop itself and jump back when the roof above the fighters began to fall in a little. But what was the cause of this? All was about to be shown now. For after the thick dust cleared Zenith heared a mighty roar that he knew well, Telsor had found them and was now here to help. Upon seeing the large mighty Plasma Dragon one of the Brotherhood members said "What the... YOU DIDNT TELL US WE WOULD NEED TO BATTLE A DAMN PLASMA DRAGON.. AND AN ADULT AT THAT!!!" This brought a smirk across the lips of Zenith as it seemed this man had a fear of Dragons in total.

Telsors large head then scaned the battle before him and he seen the now small looking Cerberus back up, but only a little bit. Zenith then nodded and said "Sraxen... you and Telsor take care of this please. I will help out once im done with Alba, I PROMISE!!" Zenith then spread out his wings and headed into the air after Alba, this time their battle would not be stopped. Holy against Chaos was about to begin and Zenith was praying he would finally be able to defeat his older brother.

The Brother was certainly more skilled with a blade than Sraxen had first thought. He hadn't counted on Hruka's power to be so potent within the members of the cult, and he was paying dearly for the mistake. He had not yet been able to start an offensive attack of any kind. Telune had kept him on the defensive as each of his attempts grew in power. Sraxen found himself exerting more energy with each passing second, and he knew he'd tire soon from the monotonous parrying. That was when a large, black ceberus leapt out from behind the shadows and showed himself to all that were gathered.

"This does not bode well for us," the dwarf thought to himself. It was a surprise to him when, instead of attacking one of the Keepers, the beast went after Alba. Apparently, the animal was not a part of the Brotherhood's plot against the Keepers, but in fact a third party. That made things all the more interesting. He didn't have a lot of time to pay attention to what was going on with Alba, the cerberus, and Zenith. Telune was holding his attention quite well.

"Give it up, dwarf. Your power is no match for Hruka. You will be destroyed, along with everyone else that has ever stood in our way."

"I am not giving up," the paladin said resolutely, "until you tell me how I can defeat this monster you call Hruka."

Telune laughed as his blade slashed into Sraxen's axe. "It cannot be destroyed! Does this point need more reiteration?" Sraxen parried against the low shot, but Telune quickly brought his sword up and slashed along Sraxen's right arm. The hit landed, tearing through the skin. "Perhaps I can beat it into you," Telune said, sneering. Blood gushed from the wound, spilling out onto the marble stone floor. Telune stood back, giving the dwarf a moment to gain his bearings.

Just then, a large dragon came bursting through the room, in unquestionably Telsor style. The other Brother, who was not currently fighting, but rather tending to the initiation of the two new members, called out "What the... you didn't tell us we would need to battle a damn plasma dragon! And an adult at that!"

Sraxen smiled. "It is Telsor, and all your lives are officially at stake. The dragon is not as forgiving as I am. Turn away from the evilness you dwell in, and I will spare you from his wrath."

Telune gave no reply to this, but instead pointed his sword at Sraxen's wound. "You are in no position to speak such promises. You are on the verge of being defeated."

The dwarf grunted. Up until this point, he had not used any magic whatsoever. Then again, neither had Telune. Was the man only capable of physical damage, or did Hruka give him magical powers as well? That was yet to be seen, but the dwarf was interested in the answer. As Zenith called out to him, he readied himself to begin a barrage of magical attacks that would hopefully give him the upper hand in the fight. It remained to be seen if he had the energy left in him to do so.

"I've been taking is easy on you so far, my friend. Now, it is time to step it up a notch." He whispered close to his axe, the words that would bless it and cause greater damage to people of an evil nature. It was clear that Telune had to be incapacitated before any converting could be done. He healed his wound just enough to stop the bleeding, though his arm was still in pain, which would be a detriment to him, but there was no other choice. "Ready when you are," he said to Telune.

"I've been ready ever since you stepped foot into here," the Brother retorted, and the fighting continued.

Everyone seeemed to have their own battle now with the appearance of Telsor. The dragon would most likely face off against the black Cerberus, it would be Zenith against Alba and of course Sraxen who was still facing off against Telune. The only thing was, the men Zenith and Alba were also still there as was the other follower of Hruka. This made Alba somewhat happy knowing that the Chaos outpowered the light in this battle. But yet, he still did not feel right. It had been a long time since he had last faced off against Zenith and Alba was unsure of his brothers new power level. The only thing that was clear is that Zenith was now alot more powerfull than the last time they battled each other.

As Alba watched on at Sraxen fighting Telune he then seen the sight of Zenith heading into the air at great speed towards him. This battle would be one to remember as Alba was no longer going to hold back. Sure Zenith was a master with swords but Alba was able to use his scythe in a much more powerfull way than Zenith and his blades. This battle would indeed be interesting and Alba was looking forward to it once more. The time to lower the number of Keepers was at hand, he wanted to lower the number by one but, If Alba got his way then two Keepers of The Sacred Deed would be slain this day.

Seeing Zenith getting closer to him Alba raised his scythe into a perfect attacking stance. He was now ready for battle but just to make things well, a little more interesting to say the least, Alba then pointed his scythes blade back to the ground and shot out three powerfull blasts of Dark Energy. One was sent towards the angel Zenith, another towards the back of Telsor while the third was aimed towards Sraxen. It seemed now that the dwarf was in the most danger so far anyway.

Upon blasting these from his scythe Alba raised further into the air, now nearing the top of the large room. His wings still buring with Phoenix fire as the twisted demonic being of the Meria bloodline looked down upon the chaos he was once again the cause of. This was the best part for Alba, to watch as his victums struggle to survive from the chaos he unleashes onto them.

As he watched what was going on Alba could not help but let out a sick and twisted laugh into the room "Mahahahahahahahaha, You will never be able to destroy me. If I am to die, then I shall take all of you with me in the end of this. Even those foold of Hruka. For I am Zenith Meria. Chaos Knight, and Chaos Phoenix." After saying this the eyes of Alba turned a much brighter red as he looked down, something was happening to Alba but as of yet it was not very clear what it was. Only time would tell.

Zenith felt really bad for leaving Sraxen to battle the Brotherhood members alone, but alteast he had Telsor to help out Sraxen now which was a turn up in his mind. Everything seemed to be going from bad, to well, worse really. Zenith seen the look on Albas face and grew more and more worried on the plans that his brother had for him. On top of that Zenith could not help but wonder if Sraxen would be ok. But he had heard Sraxen talking about the sudden appearance of Telsor and this made Zenith a little more at ease.

Telsor looked right at Telune as he attacked Sraxen once more, the dragons anger growing more and more at this. He let out a large and powerfull roar towards the Brotherhood member to show that he was not going to let Sraxen be hurt. But just as Telsor was about to fire a blast of Magma towards Telune, the black Cerberus jumped at the dragon and slashed him against a wall. With his right wing now in pain Telsors large red head turned towards the Cerberus with a look of pure hate.

It was clear that Zenith had done a good job in taming the dragon as it soon got back its focus and roared towards the Cerberus before blasting a wave of Magma towards the three headed dog. The blast made impact onto the Cerberus but did not kill it. This Brotherhood of Hruka power seemed to heal the beast a little making it still able to battle against Telsor. It was now clear he would be unable to aid Sraxen for now. Telsor had his own battle to take care of, but the blast of Magma that was shot had still made an impact as it had burned a large hole in the wall of the room leading to somewhere else within the mines.

It was only then that Zenith looked back towards Alba and seen a large powerfull blast of energy heading towards him but it was to late to dodge the blast as it made contact with the armour of Zenith sending him smashing into the ground below with great force. A second blast from the scythe of Alba then blasted into the back of Telsor. It seemed the poor dragon was now in both alot of pain and major danger from this Cerberus. All seemed lost already and Zenith did not know what to do.

As the angel got back to his feet he seen a third and final blast going over his head and heading into the direction of Sraxen. Seeing this Zenith yelled out to Sraxen "SRAXEN WATCH OUT!!!!" He could only hope that this would alert his friend in time. Zenith then turned back to Alba and spread out his wings again. It was then that another set of wings also appeared on the back of Zenith from the effect of his Holy Blade, or Salvation. His grip then got tighter upon Salvation as Zenith kicked off the ground and began to fly into the air once more heading for Alba.

This time Zenith was traveling faster but his Blur spell used before had now worn off so he was not to fast. As he drew ever closer to Alba, Zenith raised the hilt of Salvation and went for a powerfull strike towards the side of Alba hoping to rip through the skin and cause some major damage to this Chaotic being who had once been his brother.

"Olassar of Estolad, do you swear your life to protect and defend the Brothers of Hruka, til your dying day?"

The thief named Olassar bowed his head. "I will do this, Marsof, my master."

Sraxen heard this dialogue going on in the background, and knew that the Brother, whose named had been mentioned as being Marsof, was initiating the two thieves into the order as the fight raged on around them. Olassar was the one that Zenith had been tracking, and now was deep into the initiation process. The other was waiting his turn.

Can I still save them, even after this initiation has been caried out? He did not know the answer to the question he posed in his mind, but he hoped it were possible. He was not ready to give up these lives to Hruka quite yet. However, he was well past believing he could save Telune. The man was far past the point of no return, dwelling deeply in his evilness. This was evident in the tactics he used against the dwarf, hacking and slashing with a wild rage, caring little for defense, and barely needing it. His speedy attacks left Sraxen very little time to turn an offensive move.

"Olassar, you are hereby proclaimed a priest in the Brotherhood of Hruka. Dwell in the glorious light of our power." Marsof and Olassar lifted their heads in unison, staring straight into the fiery white light that Hruka was creating. A beam of the light arched down and tapped Olassar, and immediately a hateful expression could be seen on his face. Hruka had accepted him, and changed him.

"You cannot save him," Telune whispered. "Give up your hopeless quest."

"My quest is not in vain," Sraxen shot back as he counted a slash. "The only thing that stands between me and victory is you."

"And the only thing that stops me from defeating you right here and now is that I have nothing better to do with my time."

"Sraxen, watch out!" The voice of Zenith came booming through the halls, gaining Sraxen's attention just in time to realize a beam of magic was headed straight towards him. He desperately tried to get out of the way of the oncoming attack, diving to the ground. But this was costly indeed, as his eyes had been taken off Telune, who took a moment to gather Hruka's light to him, and use it to create an electrical current that went spiraling towards the dwarf that was still on the ground. He had dodges Alba's attack, but Telune's had hit him, and had hit him very hard. The electricity zipped through Sraxen with a terrible power. He groanded loudly as his energy left him. Telune continued the attack for some thirty of forty seconds before he finally ceased.

Sraxen lay on the stone floor of the halls, groping to get up and regain his strength. Telune came closer to the ailing dwarf, his hands out in front of him, palms upward. This is what Hruka can give you," the Brother spoke. "If only you'd embrace the power it can give you."

"Nothing created by Raku holds any value in this realm. All darkness shall be abolished off the face of Arda. Hruka included." He gripped his stomach. The pain caused by the electrical charge was not going away.

Somehow, a new thought entered into Sraxen's mind. It was Telune, invading his brain by the power of Hruka. Give in to your evil nature.

In the background, Telsor's cries could be heard as he battled the giant cerberus. The three-headed dog was obtaining wounds of his own. The plasma dragon had shot a wave of magma at the beast, causing great damage. A remnant of the magma could be seen trailing through the halls, finally colliding with the wall and creating an opening that led to a different, smaller chamber. The wall glowed red as the magma died down.

"I won't give in to you and your corruption. That is not why I came to these mines." Slowly, Sraxen picked himself up off the floor, still holding his stomach with his left hand, his axe dragging on the floor in his right hand. "And this is what Lothlómendil can give you." His left hand left his stomach as he created a curled fist. Then, his training as the Sacred Hand of the Goddess was put into motion as he created a magical beam of holy energy and flung it towards his opponent. Telune did not react in a timely manner to the first offensive move that the dwarf had made, bringing Hruka to him in defense, but not in time. Hruka and Holiness collided right in front of the Brother, put the Sacred Hand's power overcame the weak defensive attempt, and the beam crashed into Telune. The tide of this battle was slowly turning.

It is only be the grace and teachings of Lothlómendil that I am still alive. He regained most of his strength and stood ready to fight off another wave of attacks. Telune would soon be recovered enough to fight once more.

Alba seen that two of his blast of dark energy had gone through, and if that Zenith had not called to Sraxen then the last one would have also hit. But then again, Sraxen still took some damage from that Brotherhood member. This battle was starting to become fun for Alba. The plasma dragon Telsor and the black cerberus seemed to be at war with each other and in turn ripping the mines apart which again was always a nice addition to a run of chaos. Even the initiation seemed to go very well at this point with both Sraxen and Zenith in their own little battles.

Soon Alba seen the holy warrior of a brother flying right towards him trying to land another attack. This would prove fun for Alba as he had been using his scythe alot longer in battle than Zenith had his Holy Blade. Seeing the attack of Zenith drawing closer to his side Alba quickly moved his scythe in such a way as the block the strike. He then pulled back from Zenith, both still in the air of course. Alba eyes fixed onto the armour and weapon of his brother. This might prove more trouble than first thought since Alba would feel pain by just touching Zeniths armour now that it had runes upon from the Goddess of Life.

Alba then started to spin his scythe with an evil look upon his face, the white part in his hair falling down over his left eye as he did so. The speed in which Albas scythe was spinning seemed to increase further and further before the Phoenix launched himself towards Zenith once more. But Alba was not going for a slash just yet, he was only toying with his younger brothers mind. Alba, once close to Zenith, Raised into the air once more and began to fire a series of Dark blast to him once more. It was one of the most powerfull and effective attacks that Alba had so why not take full advantage of it.

As Alba shot these blasts his attention was taken away from Zenith as he seen Sraxen unleash his most powerfull attack yet, it was an art learned from the Goddess of Life. Sraxen had just fired the Sacred Hand abilty and done some major damage to Telune of the Brotherhood. But in this short moment of time that his attention was taken away from Zenith may just have proved to be the worst mistake for Alba to inface make in this siblings battle.

Holiness? Chaos? Zenith was confussed at this moment what any of those two terms meant. He was meant to be a being of Holiness within Arda, yet here he was trying to savagely kill his brother. This did not seem like the actions of someone sided with Holiness, but for now Zenith would need to cast these thoughts to one side and deal with them later on. The reason for this was because the battles within these mines were growing more and more dangerous for everyone involved within them.

Zenith had warned Sraxen of Albas attack in time for his freind to avoid it, but his action had come at a cost as Sraxen was then attacked by a lightning attack from the vile Telune whos power was becoming more and more intense with every passing moment he was close to Hruka, this brotherhood was indeed a force with much force, and on top of that they seemed to have Alba on there sides as well. Zenith was not happy at what was going, and ontop of that his strike to the side of Alba had been blocked which in turn changed the balance of their battle as Alba pulled back from Zenith.

Now looking right towards his older brother, Zenith felt the rage building up within him, he hated Alba so much not only for the deaths of those in the mines, but mainly for the fact it was Alba that had killed all other members of the Meria bloodline. Now only Alba and Zenith were left and the only reason Zenith was still alive for now was because all thise years ago Alba could not find it within himself to kill Zenith. All had changed now however as the chaotic nature in the heart of Alba had began to come to the surface with a powerfull force and take over his soul.

Yes, AlbaMeria was now lost to Chaos, he wanted nothing but destruction and thus Zenith had to stop him, he had to stop his brother in order for his soul to be free and the chaos made by him to end once and for all.

Zenith then seen Alba charge towards him as below Sraxen seemed to be in serious pain. When Alba had neared Zenith, the young angel was about to strike his brother when he raised higher above Zenith as began to fire a series of blasts from his scythe. Zenith managed to block some of the strikes but was hit by the last three, these blasts once again making the body of the young angel come smashing down onto the ground. It was then that Zenith finally seen his close friend fighting back against the brotherhood by using the Sacred Hand on Telune to cause some powerfull Holy damage to the evil being.

Telsor on the other hand seemed to be having more luck than Zenith and Sraxen combines as he had mananged to rip apart one of the Cerberus three heads, this of course causing the rest of the beast imense pain. Yet still the cerberus fought on with pride against the dragon. Telsor then went for a strike towards the right head of the black chaotic animal. The dragons fangs sinking into the neck of the right head to cause even more pain. It was clear, size wise, that Telsor would win since the Cerberus was but he size of the horse. Telsor towering over the Cerberus in comparison.

Albas attention had been taken away from Zenith from the moment Sraxen had used the Sacred Hand. It was now time for Zenith to also use this power attack learned from Lothlómendil during his training as a Divine Protector of Arda.

Slowly Zenith managed to get back onto his feet, but his Holy Blade was now missing. He had droped the blade after smashing into the ground and now had no idea where it infact was. Putting this aside for the moment Zenith began to concentrate his energy into his right hand. Soon hishand was glowing with a Holy white shimmering light. It was time for Alba to feel the pain that Telune had just went through first hand. Looking right up to Alba, Zenith smirked a little and Teleported behind him before pushing his right fist through the air towards Alba causing a large and powerfull beam of Holy energy to head right towards Zenith former sibling. During all of this, not one word passed the lips of Zenith Meria.

The Sacred Hand had not affected Telune as much as it could have, but it still managed to cause a great deal of harm to the Brother. It was certainly a powerful attack, coming straight from Lothlómendil's training of her divine protectors, yet Telune's Hruka energy had taken the edge off of it. Now he was using the dark power to heal his wounds, all the while snarling at Sraxen, who was waiting patiently for the man to make the next offensive move. This was a defensive battle for the warrior. Telune could make all the moves he wanted. Sraxen beleived that defense was the best offense, and he would stick to what had worked for him in the past. Under no circumstances would Telune be allowed to win this fight.

But the skirmish had drawn on long enough in the Dwarf's mind, and it would soon be time to end it. The initiation of the second thief could not take place this day. One had already been all but lost to the ways of evil, but there was still hope for the second one. Sraxen meant to take advantage of this hope. If only one life could be saved today, it was worth the fight. Such was the way of the Keepers.

Telune, however, was very much against Sraxen making these strides towards reclaiming his new servants. It showed in his expression, it showed in his actions, it showed in his words. "No holy magic will ever be enough to tie down my power. Brace yourself for death, Short One." Sraxen rolled his eyes. Telune was cocky, and it would surely be his downfall. He was very powerful, especially with Hruka on his side, but Sraxen had not yet shown his entire arsenal of tricks. One by one he was about to reveal them.

"Erwë, son of Borsad, will you allow yourself to be overcome by the power of Hruka, and will you swear to defend the Brotherhood until your final breath?"

"Pay no attention to what is going on over there, fool," Telune said to the Dwarf. "The initiation ceremony does not concern you. I concern you."

Still, Sraxen watched what was taking place. Marsof was waiting for the young man's reply, but Erwë's eyes were closed, giving no indication that he had heard the question. He was deep in thought.

"There can be no hesitation, boy! Do you or do you not pledge your life to the Brotherhood of Hruka?" The thief was silent. Marsof's frustration with the man flooded over him. He raised his hand and struck Erwë across the cheek. "Answer me!" Erwë opened his eyes, a pained expression apparent on his face.

"Fight me, Dwarf!" Telune called out. "There is no hope for him! There is no hope for any of you!"

Erwë's expression turned resolute. "I do not beleive Hruka is the true path. I will not accept its power."

Marsof was in utter shock. "You have asked for your death today, thief! You have come too far to simply walk away. If you do not join us, I will kill you my self."

The boy turned to Sraxen, tears in his eyes. "Then at least I will die with what little honor I have left. I have lived the life of a thief, but I swear to you this day I am not an evil person. My death shall reflect this."

Sraxen sighed. The boy had redeemed himself in the Keeper's eyes, something Olassar had not been capable of. A glimmer of hope shined through the room, a light so bright that Hruka could not even compare. Erwë had made a bold decision.

It took some time for Marsof to recover. "Very well then. If you will not embrace Hruka, you will embrace death." The Brother pulled a short sword out from its sheath and brought it high up into the air. Sraxen shrieked, "No!" But the action could not be undone. As the Dwarf stood there, mouth open and axe up in protest, Marsof snickered. He swiftly brought his blade down and pierced the stomach of the thief, the blade going through the young man's entire body and coming out the other end. Immediately his breath was stolen from his. A muted gasp creeped out of his mouth. Marsof held the blade there momentarily, then after a pause, he brought it out as swiftly as it had gone in. Erwë crumbled to the floor, broken. The Brother cleaned the blood from his weapon with a motion of his hand. The red liquid smeared onto his fingertips. The deed was finished.

"No!" Sraxen screamed again, but in vain. Nothing could stop the young man's death. The dwarf ran over to him as he laid there on the floor of the halls. He put his hand around the back of Erwë's head. "You have redeemed yourself. You die not a thief, but a saint. May you be an example to all." Erwë smiled slightly with what little life he had left in him, and then Sraxen felt the dead weight on his hand. The young man had breathed his last breath.

"The same fate awaits you and your angel friend," Telune shouted, still in the same position he had been in when Sraxen had struck him with holy magic.

Sraxen turned, wiping a tear out of his eye. "Telune, you are starting to get on my nerves." And the Dwarf charged towards the Brother, forsaking any previous thoughts on defense being the best offense.

In just a few short moments so much had happened within this large scale battle. The Cerberus was in major pain, and drawing closer and closer to death with every passing moment that Telsor battled the beast. Alba on the other hand having taken his eyes off of Zenith for a few moments, that was really something the Phoenix was not going to do again as it was the biggest mistake he had ever made. And it was about to cost him a great deal. Zenith had appeared behind Alba as charged an attack within his right hand, Zenith then pushed his hand forward and fired a large powerfull beam of Holy energy. The beam made contact with the back of Alba with great force and pushed the Phoenix smashing into the wall ahead of him.

As Alba smashed into the wall some large chunk of rocks fell to the ground below, soon followed by the body of Alba. It seemed as though he was in grave danger now and was about to be slain once and for all. As Alba lay motionless upon the floor of the mines Sraxen continued his conflict with the brotherhood, but then the second theif that had been brought into this place to become a member of the Brotherhood. The big surprise was the fact that the second theif had refused to join them, and in doing this he was slain on the spot. This was indeed a moment of pure evil in the hearts of the Brotherhood, but it also seemed to make Alba smile a bit.

Thats when Sraxen happened to run over to the body of the fallen one, the dwarf was now in tears, and hearing them dripping onto the ground below Alba began to slowly get back up to his feet. Zeniths attack had caused alot of damage to Alba, but it was nothing he could not handle, after all Alba had been through much more pain than he was in for that moment. Suddently the phoenix wings came darting out of Albas back once more, the flames that covered the wings seemed to burn with alot more power than the last time his wings had been out.

Albas eyes were locked onto Zenith as the angel had not seen his brother rise to his feet yet. Slowly Alba picked up his scythe once more and said to himself, "Playtime is over Zenith, Let the battle begin." Thats when Alba launched himself forward in another attack, the only thing is, he was no longer heading towards Zenith but was heading right for Sraxen. If he was able to take the dwarf out of action then the battle with Zenith would be alot more interesting since Zenith would be fuled by anger if Sraxen was to be hurt.

Drawing closer to the short Keeper Alba ran his scythe swiftly throught the air, the blade seemingly heading for the under part of Sraxens torso. This battle was getting more and more Chaotic, which in turn made it more interesting for Alba.

Seeing his attack go through was a stroke of luck for Zenith as it seemed to cause some major damage onto Alba. Once Alba smashed into the wall and then fell down onto the ground with a loud bang Zenith looked first right towards Telsor who was still in a battle with the Cerberus, at least for now. It was clear the dragon was winning but still the black cerberus would not give in, its power increasing more and more with every passing moment. It was clear this Hruka had to be stopped and now.

Then something very sad happened to one of the thiefs. He had chosen not to side with the power of Hruka and in turn had paid this with his life. Zenith hated seeing the inocent man laying dead upon the ground but there was nothing he was able to do for now. Slowly the man slipped away within the arms of Sraxen who seemed to have taken the mans lose to heart as tears fell from his eyes.

It was soon after this that Alba had gotten to his feet, Zenith had not seen him getting to his feet, but could feel a change within the air as Alba charged towards Sraxen. It would have been to late to help Sraxen block the attack, but there was still something Zenith was able to do to help his friend from the danger of both Alba and Telune. Quickly the angel placed both of his hands together and closed his eyes before saying, "May the power of life protect you Sraxen my friend." With this said Zenith had cast his Reversal of Fortune ability onto Sraxen. If this ability had worked then the next attack that Sraxen took would heal the dwarf instead of hurting him. This would be very good to have if Albas attack was to hit.

Once doing this Zenith began to look around the floor to see if he could see his Holy Blade, yet still he could not find the blade. Thats when he placed his right hand infront of him and went to summon his blade into his hand, this of course went wrong as instead of the Holy Blade Zenith had wanted to summon he had brought another weapon into his hand. A large lightweight axe was now gripped in the right hand of Zenith.

Zenith had never seen this axe before but since he now had it in his grasp it would have to do for now. Sure he could use one of his other weapons but he would still have to find his Holy Blade as it had once belonged to his father.

A small smirked formed on the lips of Zenith from under his helm as he tightened his grip on the axe and charged towards Alba so that Sraxen would not need to battle everyone. As he was running to Alba Zenith seen a glimmering within the dirt, it was his blade, as he ran by the blade Zenith summoned it into his left hand. He was not going to just toss this axe aside, it seemed to be a powerfull weapon that may have its use in due time.

As Zenith ran towards his brother aiming two attacks, one at Alba side and the other near his neck, Telsor was still fighting the cerberus, both animale ripping chunks out of each other. Telsor was then bitten on the side by one of the two remaining heads of the Cerberus, with this done the Plasma Dragon snapped. Telsor grabbed one of the remaining heads, the middle one, and roared right up close to it.

The dragon the opened its large mouth to show its teeth before a stream of magma began to pour out of its mouth onto the Cerberus, the skull of the god beast slowly began to melt away and soon the entire creature fell limp onto the ground below. Telsor had won that battle, but the main dangers were still to be killed. Those being Alba, and the Brotherhood of Hruka.

It may have been in Sraxen's best interest to continue playing the defensive game, but his fury with the Brothers had temporarily disabled his higher level of thinking. He had blindly charged towards Telune, forsaking all defense and leaving him wide open for any outside attacks. Granted, it had been improbable that Alba would suddenly change targets and head for Sraxen, but the Dwarf should have looked at all possibilities. He had failed to do so, and would now suffer the consequences. With Telune right in front of him and the phoenix coming in from his right side, it looked like it could turn out to be a three-way collision. The problem was that Sraxen was outnumbered two to one. In an instant, Alba had closed the gap, his scythe heading straight for the paladin.

The next few actions passed quite suddenly, but for the Keeper it all seemed to go in slow motion. Telune was preparing another electrical charge to send into Sraxen, while Alba's blade moved closer and closer to his large frame, looking to be a sure hit. Sraxen did not have time to hold up his axe in defense against the large weapon, with his velocity still moving him towards the Brother. The next thing Sraxen remembered was wincing and bracing for certain disaster. He closed his eyes for not but a second, knowing his fate may be coming at any moment. Then, he felt a strange object come into contact with his stomach. He knew it to be the scythe that the phoenix had swung at him, but the action caused no pain, only a mild feeling of nauseousness when it struck. Suddenly, energy poured into Sraxen, and an unnatural healing followed. Shocked, he opened his eyes. There was Alba's blood red scythe, plain to see, striking his body. Telune was just in front of him, awe apparent on his face. The strike had not caused damage but, strangely enough, the exact opposite. Sraxen's previous wounds from being captive of Hruka's electric current were washed away.

It took another few long seconds before Sraxen and the rest of the baffled foes realized why this had occured. Zenith came charging into the fray, his holy blade in one hand and an axe in the other. How the axe had came to be in Zenith's possession, Sraxen was not sure, but he was certain of one thing. Zenith must have enchanted the dwarf to be immune to the chaotic phoenix's last attack. It had been his saving grace, the second time his life had been spared that day by the instruction or aide from others. He would surely not forget it.

All was not yet settled, though. Zenith's ploy had earned Sraxen a little time (plus, somehow, some healing), but Telune and Alba combined were still a force to be reckoned with. Zenith's appearance into the middle of the halls made this less daunting, as his duel with his brother would surely be continued. But the battle between Telune and Sraxen had so far not reached any solid conclusion and was still anyone's fight. The Dwarf needed to pull some quick maneuvers or Telune would once again have the upper hand.

This is it, Telune, he thought to himself. The fight ends here.

He took advantage of the man's temporary state of shock and charged in. As long as Marsof and Olassar stayed out of the fight - which was likely, considering that the initiation was still in its final stages - Sraxen would have the man beat, with the right combination of tricks. As he raised his axe up to start a flurry of blows, he silently uttered a prayer. Bless my weapon, and let it fall heavily upon my foes. His prayer was seemingly heard, as Telune's weapon went up weakly to defend the attack, and yet the axe's momentum carried on. It pushed roughly against Telune's weapon. Slowly, it pushed it back closer and closer to the Brother's body. Sweat poured down from Telune's forehead as it dawned on him that Sraxen's holiness may be a formidable foe for him to face. He attempted to call Hruka to him, but he was cut off, Sraxen's holiness stood in the way of his connection to his dark power. Fear crept into Telune's eyes. They darted this way and that, searching for a way of escape. And then, just as Sraxen's body was about to push his axe straight into Telune's, the man disappeared. Hruka had heard his plea in the eleventh hour, and had teleported him across the chamber. Sraxen watched the streak of Telune's body as it was transported to the large opening that had earlier been caused by Telsor's magma attack. Telune shot a hateful smile back at the Dwarf before stepping through the new doorway and stepping out of the main chamber. He had evaded Sraxen.

"Curse him!" Sraxen yelled. He turned to Zenith, knowing the angel was locked in battle and would not be able to hear him, but he spoke anyway. "I'm following Telune. He won't evade me further." And with that, he accelerated to his top speed, headed straight for the opening in the wall.

Alba began to laugh as his attack came closer and closer to the side of Sraxen, it was now clear his attack was going to go through and the only thing Alba was thinking within his mind was, "One Holy man down, one to go, then the other Keepers shall fall one by one." The eyes of Alba were then filled with a pure evil gaze as his scythe went into the side of the dwarf. At first the laughter of Alba grow louder as he looked at the scythe that had entered, but soon enough his laughter stopped as he seen Sraxen moving, what was going on? Somehow this blade of Albas had healed the dwarf of all his wounds instead of killing him. This was of course the work of Zenith, and Alba would make his little brother pay for making the Phoenix look like a fool within this battle.

The battle with Telsor and the Cerberus had now come to an end which meant Alba would most likely need to battle the dragon as well, this would not hold well for the phoenix, slowly the odds were being taken from him and Alba didnt like it one bit. At one point within the battle he had the advantage but now at first glance it would seem that all was lost for Alba. As for the second brotherhood member that was here, he would soon be killed by Alba himself if he did not get involved in the battle to help turn the tides.

It was then that the Phoenix seen Sraxen running towards the brotherhood member Telune, the dwarf now at full power once more while Telune had drained his energy during the battle. Sraxen now seemed to have the upper hand within that battle but then soon Telune had vanished, he had used the power of Hruka to Teleport across the room. Sraxen did not seem to be very happy with this and soon charge after Telune, it was only then that Alba had been made aware of Zenith charging towards him, of the dwarf had kept his mouth shut then Alba may of been killed with Zeniths next strike, but it was the typical thing with these Holy followers, they always seemed to tell each other what they were going to do in battle, it was rather pathetic.

Alba quickly seen his brother now had a strange looking axe and his holy blade. This was a little strange, where had the angel gotten the axe from? It was of little importance just now, all that mattered to Alba was the death of both Sraxen and Zenith and the Phoenix wanted to have his way. As Alba gripped his scythe tighter the white streak within his hair fell down over his left eye, but the Phoenix did not move the streak of hair. Instead he stood perfectly still awaiting Zenith. Soon the pathetic angel was near Alba and once close enough the Phoenix jumped into the air and managed to pass over Zenith. Once landing on the ground Alba then quickly turned back to Zenith and shot two blasts from his scythe, both blasts heading for the back of Zenith to cause the angel more pain.

Zeniths tactic had worked, Sraxen had been healed from Albas attack which was a very good thing. The best part about this was Alba seemed to take a few moments before he seen his attack was healing Sraxen and also Telune, who seemed to be stunned by the suddent healing of the dwarf. It was then that Zenith seen Sraxen run forward and continue his battle with the Brotherhood member, Sraxen now seemingly getting the upper hand in battle after his healing. Zenith was of course very happy he had been able to save his friend Sraxen again.

But then Telune used his power of Hruka to Teleport across the room before Zenith had any time to react. Sraxen then ran after Telune while Zenith continued his charge towards Alba, but unlucky for the Angel his brother now knew his attacks were coming. Still Zenith would not let this ruin his attacks. He grew ever closer to Alba and was about to strike his brothers back when Alba leaped into the air flipping over Zenith. The Phoenix then seemed to fire a blast from his scythe towards Zeniths back, but the blast was cancelled out by the Blade of Balance that lay on the back of Zenith, the angel had been saved for now.

Zenith then turned back to Alba with the Axe in one hand and the Holy Blade in the other. The angel was not going to let his brother leave this place without atleast being in serious pain. It was time for Zenith to finally get the point to Alba on how powerfull Holiness was. Zenith then start to run towards Alba and smirked under his Helm, the angel had a plan. Once he was close Zenith threw the might axe towards his brother in an act to hurt him. After doing this the young angel used his Teleport ability to appear behind Alba and after getting behind him Zenith pulled up Salvation in a strike towards Albas back. If both, or even one of these attacks were to make contact then Alba would be in for some great pain.

Telsor on the other hand, after slaying the large black Cerberus, now turned to help not Zenith but Sraxen. The plasma dragon made its way over to the hole it had made in the large wall. Looking into the hole he seen Sraxen and Telune and was ready to help the dwarf with only a simple comand. Just to let Sraxen know he was waiting Telsor let out a great roar into the small opening within the wall.

((OOC: Sorry for shortness))

"We will finish this," Sraxen said with utter determination. "Right now."

He was speaking to Telune, who was a few yards ahead of him, poking out from behind the corner of the hallway. It was apparent that the Brother now had a genuine fear of Sraxen's holy powers, something he hadn't counted on the Dwarf having. Even in the hall that Hruka dwelled in, the corrupt cult member had been nearly outdone by the paladin, and it wasn't something he was used to. Sraxen figured the man didn't know how to react, so he had teleported away in order to live and come up with a plan. But even that had backfired, as he was now forced to run through the mines, possibly becoming further and further away from his power source. It was a chance Telune was apparently willing to take as he made himself once again invisible to Sraxen's line of sight, hiding behind the corner. He'd have to run - and run fast - or else be caught by the paladin who was running low on his mercy.

That's when Sraxen heard a loud roar coming from behind him. He turned to see Telsor, the plasma dragon that belonged to Zenith, ready for action. "Good to have you here," he said to the beast, coming closer. "I trust you bested the hound in combat?" The dragon nodded solemnly in his own way, forcing Sraxen to smile. "I don't doubt it. We've got to catch Telune in these mines. He cannot be allowed to escape. Are you with me?" Another roar was produced from within the dragon. "Good. Let us begin the chase." Without another word, Sraxen took off to catch up with Telune. By the time he came up to the corner the Brother had been hiding behind, he was not surprised to not see anything. Telune had the head start, and would likely keep it for some time. The burden was on Sraxen to choose the right direction when racing through the mines, which twisted and turned in a sort of maze. It would be nearly impossible to match every direction that Telune took, but the dwarf was undaunted. His will remained resolute to find and take down the evil man, and this was enough to give him the faith that he would not falter in his search.

They came up to another turn, with the option to go right or left. He hesitated only slightly before going down the hall to the right. There was immense rubble in this passageway, chunks of rock and stone laying lopsided on the ground. Particles of dirt fell from the roofing, catching in Sraxen's hair. "He's been here," he whispered to the dragon. "He's tried to bring down the pathway, blocking us from finding him. But his power isn't as great as he thinks it is." He noted that Telune's ability to use telekinesis grew less and less the further he got from Hruka. It was only a matter of time before the man would have to rely completely on his own skill. "He's left a trail for us to follow. Come, it won't be long." The hunt continued.

This battle was becoming rather difficult for Alba. Zenith seemed to counter all of Albas attacks with more powerfull moves. Zenith had certainly become a powerfull warrior and Alba was actualy proud of his brother for once. The phoenix did not have time to block any of the attacks that Zenith had sent towards him, yet he was not going to give this battle up. He was going to continue the battle on until the end. But thats when it all happened. Zenith seemed to throw the large axe towards Alba.

The axe ripped into the left shoulder of the Phoenix making him yell out in pain and he felt the bones in his left shoulder shatter from the impact and also rip through his skin. The blood was pouring down the arm of Alba who was for once in great pain from something his brother had done. Infact the pain he was feeling at that moment was worse than when Zenith had blasts Alba with the Sacred Hand attack before in the battle.

As this pain ran through the body of Alba his mind seemed to drift off into the past. Before him he now seen the large house his family all grew up in. Alba had been the first child of his father, but unlucky for the young Phoenix at the time his mother had died when Alba was born so he had never gotten to know her at all.

It was not that long until Albas father was to marry once more, this time to a shapeshifter known as Juliet Meria. Then a few years later Juliet gave birth to Zenith Meria, Alba then of course had a little brother. Both children got on very well and Alba seemed to be very protective of his little brother. Yet something was still not right with the young Alba. Every now and then he would have a serious build up of rage and his wings would ingnite in flames, they young boy not knowing what on earth was happening to him. Thats when Alba was told of him birth mother and the fact that she was a Phoenix woman.

It was then clear that Alba had been born with his mothers powers the only thing was over the years these powers began to rip apart the mind of the young boy, twisting his thoughts until one night when he woke up from a nightmare Alba just snapped. He took the Dark Blade that his father had gotten during a war by defeating a large demon and began to slaughter his entire family. Yet when he got to Zenith, his younger brother, Alba entered in a battle with Zenith, who had taken his fathers Holy Blade to attack.

The battle soon ended however with Alba as the victor, yet still the now Chaotic natured Phoenix could not bring himself to slay his brother. Having cared for Zenith for so long Alba could not kill him. Thus the phoenix dragged his little brother from the burning Meria household and left him in the streets while Alba walked off in search of his new chaotic life style.

This vision of his past soon passed however when another pain ran through the body of Alba. Zenith had slashed Albas back with the Holy Blade and had almost broke the spine of Alba, luckily the Phoenix had moved forward a little. He was still in great pain however and almost fell to his knees. Alba then ripped the axe from his left shoulder, his left arm now hanging lifeless at his side. Thats when the Phoenix took the scythe into right hand once more and shot three blasrs of energy at Zenith. Alba had to be carefull now of he would be slain in this battle... his wounds were already to great for him to heal them. At that point all seemed lost for Alba.

Zenith seen the large Axe rip into the shoulder of his brother. A small tear running down the face of Zenith, of course this was hidden by his helm. It was taking effect on Zenith. He was trying to kill his brother, the one that for so long had always been there for him, but now, well now Alba was a being of Evil who would not listen to reason or even stop his ways of evil. With this in mind Zenith looked on as his Holy Blade also ripped into the skin of Alba. Both of his attacks had gone through and this was a surprise to Zenith. He thought his brother would have been able to block one of the attacks he sent, but yet both crashed into the body of Alba causing him damage.

It was then that Alba seemed to gain his focus back as he shot another few blasts of energy from his Dark Scythe. Zenith managed to dodge the first blast, after which he began to run towards Alba in order to attack once more. As he flew along the ground towards Alba the other two blasts managed to hit Zenith, but no upon his body. Instead the blasts had smashed into the large white angel wings of Zenith. This causing the angel to fall into the ground yelling in pain as he tried to overcome the pain flowing through his wings now.

Thats when Zeniths wings started to heal, he had managed to cast his greater heal spell thus healing the wounds. Although his wings were still in pain atleast they were no longer bleeding. The small puddle of blood on the ground was still laying there however. Zenith then managed to get back up to his feet looking right towards Alba. Under his helm Zeniths eyes were narrowed. The Alba before him was not the one Zenith had cared for all those years ago, this was a totaly different being and the angel had to make sure the true life of his brother was remembered, the life of Alba Meria, the one that had looked after Zenith as a child. This person before him was nothing more than an imposter.

Suddently Zenith then kicked off the ground and went towards Alba at a run, soon his body became nothing but a blur and he appeared to the right side of Alba. Now with his Holy Blade and Blade of Balance in hand Zenith was looking to take out Albas other arm to leave his brother unable to weild any weapons anymore. Both blades not flowing through the air heading for the arm of Alba ready to cut through his arm. This was the start of the final moments in the battle between Zenith and Alba.

As Sraxen and Telsor got deeper and deeper into the passageway, the amount of rubble sharply declined. Telune's ability to weild the power of Hruka diminished the further he got away from its source. "The dark energy doesn't seem all that useful," Sraxen mused, as he speedily ran through the corridor. "If they can't use it outside of this location, how are they supposed to use it during battle?" It occured to him that perhaps Telune's inability to keep the energy within him was due to the fact that he was severely wounded. His concentration wasn't as sharp as it should have been, lessening his focus on maintaining a channel with his power source. "Whatever the case," he said aloud, "there seem to be quite a few cons to it. I intend to exploit all of them."

The longer he chased his quarry, the weaker he would be until, finally, he could take Telune down while he was off guard. However, this was enitrely up to the Brother. It was he who was leading the chase, and therefore he decided how far he would run. The dwarf had no choice but to follow him wherever he went.

This has gotten completely out of hand, he thought. We came in here to track down three thieves, and this is what we got caught up in. It had been a sudden turn of events. He still hadn't quite grasped all that had happened since those first few moments when he came upon the hall of Hruka. He had seen Telune and the others in their initiation ceremony, he had seen Hruka manifested, he had seen a redeemed man slain, and he had seen the red phoenix. All of today's events were connected. When this was all over, he intended to find out what ties Zenith's brother had with this cult.

His thoughts were cut off when a large slab of rock fell from the ceiling, just in front of him. He barely stopped his momentum in time to stop short of the fallen debris. The rock crushed into the ground with a loud boom and sent dust particles soaring into Sraxen's vision.

"He knows where we are," he spat out, coughing, his eyes closed. Telsor seemed to nod in agreement. "He knows how far we are behind." Coughing into his fist, he added, "And he seems to be regaining some of his power." He stroked the hairs of his beard for just one second as he recuperated. Then, he said, "Come, Telsor. We need to find this man. Before he finds his full power once more."

The blasts Alba had sent out were running through the air at great speed towards his brother, he seen Zenith dodge the first attack and then continue his charge. That proved to be a mistake for Zenith as the last two blast smashed into the angels wings to cause his great pain. As Alba looked on at the pain Zenith was going through he used the time to contstantly cast his dark healing spell, each time it was cast it helped Alba more. Still the pain was still great and Alba was still not able to move his left arm.

He then seen Zenith getting back to his feet, seeing this Alba tightened his grip around the Dark Scythe in his right hand, he had to be ready for this next attack, the battle could depend on it. He acts to defend himseld soon faded however as Zeniths movements became only a blur. When this happened Alba thought to himself, "Damn... I need to win this. I will not be killed." Thats when the Phoenix thought of where Zenith would try and attack, he would want to make sure Alba could no longer attack thus he would go after his working arm.

Quickly Alba turned as Zenith came into view with his strike, Albas scythe blocking the attack from Zenith yet Alba was still pushed back from the actual force of the attack sent to him. Albas eyes then fixed on Zenith and the Phoenix said to him, "I never thought I would have to do this when I battled you dear brother. But you have left me no choice in the matter!!" Once saying this the flames from Albas Phoenix powers began to spread over his body untill the form of Alba was totaly taken over by the flames.

It took a few moments but the flames then died down, only to show something worse than had been there before. Alba now had bright red hair the flowed right down his back, large powerfull wings made from pure phoenix flames. His hands had become claw like yet he was still able to weild his scythe. As for the rest of Alba, well his skin was now red and black and he was still the same height as before. Alba had now become his Phoenix demon form and had been fully healed, he had also become more powerfull than before. The true battle was at hand.

Alba let out a sick laugh and pushed forward, the flames from his wings streaming through the air as he headed towards Zenith. The demonic Phoenix then made a strike from the neck of Zenith with his scythe while at the same time the claw of his left hand headed towards Zeniths torso hoping to rip the angel apart. Alba was now more powerfull than before, and he was not going to let Zenith forget that fact.

Zenith was still speeding towards Alba, his blades heading for his attack on Albas right arm. Suddently Alba seemed to block Zeniths attack although it also pushed Alba back somewhat. Zenith was just about to run towards Alba again when his brothers body suddently became covered in raging Phoenix flames. Zenith come only stand and look on as his brother began to change into something else. He had no idea what was going but it was however clear to Zenith that it was not a good thing anyway.

Soon the flames around Alba died away and Zenith was left to look upon his brothers new form. Alba looked as though he was fully healed now and Zenith had lost alot of energy from their first battle that day. It now seemed like Alba would now have the upper hand in the battle. The worst thing was Zenith was alone, Telsor and Sraxen were both after the Brotherhood member. Zenith tightened his grip around his blades awaiting the attack from Alba.

The demon phoenix then charged towards Zenith and sweaped the scythe for Zeniths head, luckily the angel was still affected by his Blur spell and managed to dodge the attacks from Alba rather easy. If Zenith was to have been hit by either of those two attacks then he would have been in great pain, or worse he would have died.

Zenith then raised himself into the air away from Alba as his right hand once more began to glow a bright white. Zenith then placed his Blade of Balance back into a holster at this side. The young Arch Angel then pushed his right hand forward through the air with great force as he unleashed his second Sacred Hand blast. This was of course going to drain more of the energy from Zenith but he had to try and take out Alba as soon as he could. The blast was headed right for Alba, and it was also charged at full power.

As the beam of pure holy energy headed towards Alba, Zenith was going to make it more difficult for him brother. The angel teleported behind Alba, with both Salvation and Judgement in hand once more. He then aimed an attack from each blade at the wings of Alba. If Zenith was able to damage Albas wings it would help him a great deal in battle since Zenith would be able to take the air in order to get away from him. The force of the battle between Alba and Zenith was increases at a high rate, it would not be to long until the ultimate attack of the battle was sent out.