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The Adventures of Indigo Montari- Beyond The Shadow
#1
Well I was thinking of getting back to writing the rest of Indy's story, but first to recap the old chapters (1-10 )
I currently have 4 more chapters that will soon be finished and ready to be posted stay tuned for those.

1 Best laid plans
2 The Stratagem
3 Point and counter point
4 Out of the fry pan
5 sphere of the Lythereal
6 Into the fire
7 Recollections
8 Peacocks and other wildlife
9 Hardships
10 Lets make a deal
===New===
11 Treasure
12
13
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#2
Chapter 1


Best laid plans



Looking back on it Alex wondered, at what point in his life the gods took interest in him and started to use him and an instrument in their plans. Did it start at his birth or was it the first time he met the avatars of the gods? All he did know is that from that point on his life was forever changed, no longer was he to lead a life of mediocrity in the shadows of his parents. Alex then wondered why or how could the cries of a lost scared little boy be powerful enough to call forth the messengers of the gods and why would they care about the future of a small human child so much so that they had a contest to see to which deity the child’s powers would align to. Each of the avatars summoned a champion to seek out and find the child and lead him back to his people, in the end it was the champion of Lyssa that found the boy.

The woman was a skilled mesmmer as she was able to hear the boy’s thoughts and used them as her compass to guide her as she headed straight to his location; His emotional distress was so great she could not focus on any thing else. In the grove of the ancients she found him, a place rumored to be once the home of a powerful mage lord long dead and forgotten. It was then the avatars made their presence known to both of them. The woman knelt in respect and motioned for the boy to do the same. She was shocked to see that Lysa touched the young child as magenta energies started to form around his body and his destiny would lead him to become a mesmer. Alex recalled the boy could not control his new gifts as he was able to peer in to the woman’s mind until she managed to raise her mental defenses to block his intrusions but it was to late he knew her as if she was kin, he knew her past, her desires, and even some of her secrets that she kept well hidden.

“I ask of you just one thing My champion, show this boy to his home for some day he will be needed in the upcoming fight against the darkness”

with the words delivered the avatars vanished in to the ether.

With their departure whatever abilities the boy had access to stopped and the energies that surrounded the boy began to dissipate.

“Child tell me your name”

“Al… Alexander Mrs. Annelin. I want to go home please”

“Are you here to take me home?”

……….

“Tyria to Xander come in Xander”

Natasha knew her friend well enough to know he was lost in thought and not at the tasks at hand. “Come on if we don’t do this just right your memories will be lost for ever”

“All that you are will be lost and I don’t want to lose another friend to this beast”

“Where is Artimus Nat?”

‘She is out back chewing on some fresh yak I picked up for her… I did not want any distractions and she tends to get nosey when something is going on and it does not involve her. Why you picked her as your pet I will never understand”

“Nat I told you she picked me I never did tame her, she just fallowed me home one day”

Natasha knew that there was more to that story but that is all she could ever get out of her friend.

The spell that they were going to cast was an old and ancient form of magic; very few alive knew that it was possible to store a copy of your memories, thoughts and more in a crystal. In this day and age, there were even less that could cast such a potent and dangerous spell.

“ And don’t give me that look Nat, I have given this more thought and soul searching than I care to admit. As long as I am alive that beast will not stop till it gets the information that I possess. We both have lost loved ones to that demon and tonight I will do what it takes to keep every one we care about safe even if it is just for a while.”

Alex had one of his deviant smiles.

“Do not worry as long as the crystal is safe I can be made whole again…. Its not like I will be dead. I will just be some one else till you can get to the spear.”

With a deep breath and a long pause

“All the preparations have been made, travel arrangements, fake papers and spending money…. take care of Artimus for me and”

Alex did not finish as both locked their attention to the ruckus out side. They heard the village alarm bells go off and knew it could be only one thing the charr. Being on the northern side of the great wall brought many risks one of them were the small char raids that would happen every once and a while. Most of the time they made off with a few supplies before the towns defense force was readied. After that they would run back in to the forests with their spoils until it was time for the next raid.

“ I will take them out, we don’t have time for this”

And with that she made for the door

“ and Alexander don’t do any thing stupid while I’m gone this should not take long”

The door closed behind her.

Would she have stayed if she had known that this would be the last time she would see her friend as he was?


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#3
Chapter 2

The stratagem





Something was not right normally the charr would have a raiding party of six to ten members, this raid comprised of three and the gray hair in their manes meant that this group was made up of elders. Natasha wondered what was up, most raiding parties comprised of the young warriors as the charr wanted the fastest of their kind to do the raids. She then realized something was wrong very wrong as the air was almost electric with the spell energies being summoned. Mere moments later the skies lit up with the falling meteors and she looked back in shock to see the village she was just in shattered as the large rocks tore through the wood structures. What was not destroyed on impact began to catch fire.

“NO!…. Alexander!”

She then noticed that the rain of rocks began to get closer to her position. With a single spell she displaced all tree charr and started to run. Summoning every ward and mantra she could to protect her she could only think of one thing, how to survive. It came to her there was a small chance, a cave not far from the village if only she could get there she might have a chance to live through this. The journey to the cave was the longest ten minutes of her life. She noticed that others from the village thought the same thing. Many did not make it as they were unprotected by magics. If she had only known she could have saved many that day. There was only one other group of people that made it to the cave, young man and a woman and their three small children. Once they made it Natasha began to expand the wards she cast earlier to protect them all. This taxed her powers beyond any thing she had ever done before. They would all be safe as long as she remained conscious to renew her magics.
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#4
Chapter 3

Point and counterpoint

The room that the ritual was taking place was not much more then a cellar in the basement of one of the homes in the village. At he far ends of the room stood shelves overloaded with all manor of rare books and scrolls. Leaning against a wall, a large slate slab stood with runes and inscriptions both carved in to the surface and done in chalk. At the center stood a small round table with a black silk shroud covering it, on top of that were a lone scroll, a ritualistic dagger, and a large crystal housed in a tripod stand. Each of the items was incrusted with runes, and each emanated energy, so much so that even a no talent Wammo could sense them.

Of all the objects, the crystal emanated energy the most for it was the vessel that now contained almost all of the power that the mesmer once had, the energy stored in it lit the room with an eerie lavender glow, soon it would be time for it to start taking his memories as well.

Alex whispered to him self “ Come on, hurry back Nat…….. I need you to sever the link or the crystal will take me body and all.”

The air got cool. Not cool, cold very cold.

Alexander knew that the daemon was coming and there was nothing he could do. The beast was impervious to all manors of mortal weapons and magics save for a few choice hexes and curses. Even the wards that surrounded the house could not stand against a demon that could tear a hole in the fabric of reality to appear wherever it wants. The beast simply bypassed all the security precautions that were in place.

The demon stood twice as tall as the average man, skin and exoskeleton glistened like black obsidian. Its head touched the roof joists. The beast took a survey of its surroundings, then all of its focus turned to Alexander.

“You have thwarted me in the past. This time you are alone and this time I shall have what I came for”

Alex instantly knew that the charr’s attack on the village was a ruse to separate him and Natasha, for she was the only one who at this point who could wield the curses that could slow and hurt the beast enough for them to get away.

“Something is different about you I sense no power.”

The beast could see the bond between the crystal and the mesmer

“Ah….. you think such a gambit would keep me from my goals? Stupid human, your little transfer spell has sealed your fate I don’t even need you any more the crystal will do. All I have to do is wait for it to take you, and then I can deliver it to my lord. Face it you have lost’

“All of this! This was all a set up, finding the scroll ….. you wanted this!”

“Yes it was, why fight and have to deal with you as I take you to my lord and master when all I have to do is give him the vessel containing your essence”

The first of the meteors started to fall each causing the ground to shake until one hit with enough force to shake the building. The timbers of the house groaned in complaint as the ground shifted. This also knocked over the table. Alex tried to stay upright, but as weak as he was could not steady him self and fell to the ground. He slowly regained his footing and stood up as his famous deviant smile formed on his lips.

“So you think you have won this round? Well I disavow your victory! The funny thing is this was all just to fake my death to by some time, but now I realize the only way to stop you is my death”

With that said Alex showed the demon the items he now had in his hands. Summoning all of strength he had left he flung the crystal at the slate tablet on the wall. Alex released a cry of great pain and sorrow as with the other hand he plunged the dagger in his chest and collapsed to the earthen floor. The crystal hit the large slate tablet on the wall and shattered. This released all of the energies stored in it with such force the house exploded and what remained standing soon collapsed.

The events of this day would never be forgotten, the day the skies rained fire, the day the old kingdom of Ascalon was all but destroyed. This is the day that Alexander, the son of Varrik and Shanna died. This is the day that a true champion of the gods was born.
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#5
Chapter 4

Out of the fry pan


The bombardment of the earth lasted for only a few hours, but its effects would scar the land along with the harts and minds of the people of Ascalon for centuries. The worst was yet to come as the wild fires scorched the lands, any thing that could burn did, and filled the air with a putrid haze that blocked out the sun for weeks. The survivors of that day would pass stories down, telling of the horrors and great courage that it took to survive in that new landscape. Forests, fields, villages, towns, and cities laid waste.

Natasha passed out of exhaustion shortly after the last of the rocks fell to the ground. With in the few hours that it lasted, she pushed her self and her abilities to their limits, and then with out concern to her self she went past them. Never before did she do such a thing, all of her training forbid her from doing such a thing les she surrender her self and be consumed by the raw power and energies. That day the gods were looking after her.

The family she saved looked after her for the next few days as she slept. Though her body rested her mid did not. Reliving the horrors of the first few minutes over and over again. People incinerated before her eyes, bodies of children burning as their parents lay broken alongside them giving their lives in the desperate hope that their sacrifice would some how save the children. The worst was seeing the house that her friend Xander was in exploding in flames even though she was to far way to see it. At that instant the pain of loosing another friend would tear another chunk of her soul away. Just as it would end it would start all over again. The sights seen would haunt her dreams and nightmares for years to come.

“Pappa is the lady still sleeping”

“Yes Jayrrin, though she woke up a few times during the night. Go tell your sister to fetch some water from the spring in the back of the cave. I think our savior may need some when the next time she wakes.”

The boy ran off as fast as his feet could carry him.

“I am no savior; I just did the right thing. I’m happy I was able to save your family.”

“Ah good your up you must be thirsty and hungry, you have been sleeping for 2 days now and don’t be so modest, to us you are, your gifts kept us safe. By the way my name is Noran, and the young boy that just ran off is my son Jayrrin. Let me go get something for you to eat. Oh here they come with that water ”

“My name is Natasha, Natasha Vandumontt”

The girl stared at Natasha for what seemed an eternity. Nat did not need to rely on her gifts to know that the young girl wanted to ask a question but was to afraid or to shy to ask it.

“Hi there my name is Natasha it looks like you want to say something. Do not be afraid to speak. For if you do not ask, you will never get the chance to find out something new. Lets see maybe I should talk first. Is that water for me? I guess I should say thank you”

The young girl curtsied in response and quickly shuffled back behind her brother once again.

“What is that for young one?”
Stepping out from behind her big brother one more time and with a soft little voice the girl responded

Isn’t that what you do for a princess? Mommy told me that princesses wear fancy dresses, so you must be a princess.

All Natasha could do is smile in response. Though she was of royal blood, she was no princess. Officially Natasha was a countess, but never did let any on know of the fact, not even her closest friends knew save for a select few.

“Not all who wear fancy clothes are princes and princesses. To be honest I am a magus, a mesmer to be exact. We get to where fancy clothes as well …..well most of us do”

By that time the man returned with what few scraps of food they could spare

“Magus …Don’t you mean Magi? Hmm a messmer? I could have sworn that you were an elementalist with all the wards you had in place.”

“a common mistake of the uneducated Magus is singular, Magi is plural, so you are familiar with the spells, did you study any particular craft?”

“No, no I am a no talent, as your kind sometimes likes to refer to us. No, but I did learn to recognize those spells, as my wife’s sister is a pretty good elelmentalis and shush honey, the last thing I need is her to find out that I said that”

A young man came bursting trough the entrance of the cave with great speed and interrupted them. He looked sixteen or seventeen in age and tried to catch his breath fro a moment.

“Korban what is it.”

“Men… Coming this way……… they looked heavily armed… they are looters that are harassing the survivors for supplies and money. They killed two people in front of me… I was well hidden, but I’m afraid one of them spotted me as I tried to sneak away. I managed to out run them but I fear it won’t take long for them to find this cave we must go. We must go now.”

All of them glanced at Natasha in a silent plea for her to do something, all of them hoping that their personal savior would help them out once more. By then it was to late the sound from outside indicated that the lad’s pursuers had caught up and now have taken vigil outside the entrance to the cave.

“Come out boy! All we want is any money you may have, we promise no harm will come to any one who is in there.”

Natasha knew what the word of any man who was willing to kill over a few scraps of food and a gold coin or two was worth. She glanced back at he family.

“I wish I could do something right now but I am still to weak to do much the most I could do is muster a small illusion but if any of them has trained in the arts they would be able to see past that… If only Xander was here. Then the both if us could easily make them regret the day they were born.”

The mention of her friend caused Natasha great pain, so much so the man and his wife could see it on her face

“Xander? You have said that name before, when you were dreaming you would wake up screaming that name then pass out again. Was he your husband or lover?”

Hearing those to words together in reference to Alex lifted her spirit enough to bring a small smile to her face. With a small chuckle to her self, she responded to the woman’s inquiry.

“Husband, Lover… No… No we were just good friends.”
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#6
Chapter 5

Sphere of the Lythereal



It was a strange sensation for the man, cut off from both the natural harmonic rhythms of the land and the storms of chaos found in the untrained minds and thoughts of every one around him. Not since he was a small child did he feel this way naive to the ways of man and the world that surrounded him. The place was foreign to any thing he had ever experienced. Even the air was strange, that is if what he was breathing was air. Questions filled his mind. Was he dead? Who am I? Is this the mists? Why am I here?

This was the second time Alexander met the avatars of the gods, his head was afire, all of his senses lit up and was instantly overloaded on the sudden input. It was then that he noticed the glow of the avatar of Lyssa forming in front of him.

“Your destiny still has not changed and you will still have to face great threat to us all, mortal and god alike, but for now you and your friends are safe”

It was then the avatar of Balthazar spoke.

“Your sacrifice saved your friends lives that day. The demon is gone; it was consumed in the energies released by the shattering of the crystal. As a debt we managed to create a new vessel for all that you lost. It is important that when you do return to your world that you seek out this vessel, you will have to make your self whole again.”

After that Alex blacked out. In that place time had no meaning, when He awoke again he did not know how long he was out it could have been minutes or even hours, in a way it even felt like it was years. The avatars once again made their presence known

“The beast’s master has showed us his hand, he has set forth a series of events to eliminate one of his biggest threats to his return to this world. He did this to force them out in to the open. You know of them as you have been to their hidden city. You have the knowledge to penetrate their cloak. It was this knowledge that it was after. They may have turned their backs on the gods. But we have not done the same to them. Powerful spell casters their kind has become, yet the ones that have left their hidden city are domed.”

The avatar of Melandru spoke next

“Your body is healed, when its time we will return you back to your realm, until then rest as you are still needed champion”

With that Alex slipped out of consciousness once more
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#7
Chapter 6

Into the fire


Korban stood vigil at he entrance of the cave, far enough in that he was still hidden to the men out side, but close enough that he could monitor their movements. Of his family he was the only one who was trained to use a sword. He would gladly give his life to save the people with in that make shift fastness. A few of the looters started to make their way to the entrance to the cave when the leader of that pack of scavengers called them back in to formation. He new that this must be reported to every one inside. Making his way past the natural obstacles near the entrance he ade his way to the cavern that every one was hold up in.

“From what I can tell most of the men are untrained but the leader may have some military training. I think it is just one guy who is using this time to be a parasite on the weak.”

Natasha considered the news for a while.

“Is there any way out of this cave other than the entrance?”

“Far in the back of the cave past the fresh water spring, there was a small fissure in a wall that headed down in to the catacombs, but it appears that it has closed.”

“So that means the only way out is trough the front and past the looters. Strength of force will not get us out….. Trickery will not get us out. We have little food but fresh water, that means we could hold out here for another day or maybe two but not much longer.”

Korban spoke again

“I forgot to mention this but in my scouting out side I noticed that the spring here is the only source of fresh water for miles. All of the lakes and rivers. Have been polluted with a thick tar that seams to be leaking from where ever one of the meteors fell. Also in a few of the craters that they left behind it appears that there are large crystals that are growing. I think that they are some sort of strange seed, though what ever that caused them to start growing is beyond me.”

This news made Natasha a little uneasy, not because of the strange seed rocks that fell from the sky; it was the fact that the only fresh water around was located in the back in the cave. She knew that of the looters fond that they would use it to extort gold, goods and favors from the rest the rest of the survivors. Such a resource like that had to be protected from the greed of a few men for the good of the people.

The somberness of the moment was shattered when they all heard the sounds of the men rushing for the entrance of the cave. With that Natasha took control of the situation telling every one to head back in to the cave and hide in the area past the spring. With luck her spells and Korban’s sword may dissuade them from entering. The brisk run to the entrance only took half a minute, but in that time every thing changed. New noises came from out side of men fighting. Some thing or things was attacking the looters and forced them to retreat to the cave just as she and the family she protected did. This time though the cave was occupied and they would not be allowed to enter.

At the entrance of the cave stood two large necrotic bone minions their attention was on the ruckus outside they did not notice Natasha and Korban approaching. The mesmer stopped dead in her tracks and motioned for the young man to do the same.

Natasha then spoke in a whisper

“ Do not attack them, their targets are outside, and as long as we do not appear as a treat to their master they will not attack us, lower your sword Korban”

The young warrior did as she said, but he so wanted to fight, even if it was just to release some of the frustrations and anger that he has let build up over the past few days. He knew that that fighting those things with just a sword in a hand and no armor would be suicide. However if it would protect his family he would do it.

Natasha could sense the necrotic energies unleashed outside she could hair the screams of men dieing and the grotesque sounds of freshly summoned minions ripping their way out of the fallen bodies of the dead.

“You may still get a chance to use your sword Korban, but for now the enemy of my enemy is my friend. For now lets not try to make our new friend a new enemy”

With the bodies of the men out side she knew that they could be facing a small army out side the cave. Could this day get any worse?
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#8
Chapter 7

Recollections

Every time he awoke from his slumber the world around him would change. It was a little disconcerting at first, but Alex got used to it. Each time the world would arrange to match the last dream he had, as if a small fragment of that dream had been brought back with him. This time it was no different; his last dream was of a time when he and his father had gone on a ranger training camping trip. Alexander was nine at the time. Although he was now gifted with power by Lyssa, his parents were still insisted on teaching him the ways of Melandru. On this trip he had to learn the skills needed for stalking and tracing prey.

This dream centered on a night near the end of the trip a time when his father left him alone during the evening and only returned the next afternoon. That night Alex had to rely on his training and fend for himself for a night. The first order was to setup a camp and make a fire with out burning down the forest around him.

“ Who are you?” The young child asked.

This startled Alex, of all the dreams this was the first time that some one came back with him. But what shook him the most is that the small child that stood before him was young version himself at an earlier age. He knew what the boy was capable of and quickly raised his mental defenses to prevent any accidental reading of his mind. Lucky for him that training and discipline focusing of your mind to prevent such an occurrence was not tied to the gifts of Lyssa.

“Ah err…well every one calls me Xander, it is strange to see a young child all alone in the wilderness”

“Is Xander, short for Alexander? Ya know my name is Alexander as well and I’m not alone, my father is a few miles away. He thinks that this is a test to see if I am old and brave enough to further my training as a ranger… I known what he was planning to do, I saw it yesterday.”

“You saw it? Do you see the future?” Alex knew full well that the boy had one of his accidental intrusions in to a persons mind, as it happened a lot to him as a child until he started to receive training to gain control of his emerging powers.

The boy seemed embraced now as if he did something wrong.

“No… I… I kind of saw it when I focused on my father… I think I read his mind”

“Do not be ashamed Alexander you have been blessed with the gifts of Lyssa. That means you are destined to become a mesmer that is if you start to get training to harness your gifts. I’m a mesmer my self If you want I can show you how to prevent your accidental intrusions in to other peoples minds.

“It is strange, I just met you but a few moments ago however for some reason I know I can trust you. Its like you are family”

Once again this startled Alex, Did the kid manage to brake through his mental defenses? He knew at that age he was well ahead of most young mesmers. At that age most still have not had their abilities awakened by Lyssa.

“The reason I will show you this Alexander is that reading another persons mind with out there permission is kind of against the rules of being a mesmer.”

With that said they began the training sessions that lasted well in to the night and in to the early morning. It was little awkward at first training someone that was still new to their powers when you your self could no longer use your own, however Alex managed, he could fake it. He knew what the boy was thinking by recalling his own memory of the first time he received training.

The boy was gifted with other abilities aside from that which was granted to him by Lyssa, a near perfect memory helped the child to learn the lessons at an accelerated rate, a gift that served Alex well through out his life. When the suns first light started to bring the world out of darkness the child had mastered all the lessons he was taught. And with that Alex leaned against a trunk of a tree and fell asleep.

Once again the world around him reformed to take on the appearance of part of his dream. This time it was during his academy days; A time when he met his fellow classmates for the first time. A young female mesmer from Oar, a necromancer reluctant to use her powers, and an attractive ranger that Alex had a crush on for the first year that they were all at the academy.

Oh those were the days
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#9
Chapter 8

Peacocks and other wildlife


The pair walked past a small alcove in the main courtyard of the academy. A place that looked like the grounds keeper forgot to take care of it for the past fifty years, so overgrown with grass and tall shrubs.

The boy was 12 years of age now and just starting his second year in the academy. Most of his friends were a few years older than himself from the fact that he was allowed to enroll as a student a few years ahead of the normal age. Most students had their powers awaken at or near puberty however there have always been a few that had them awakened early. This was not totally uncommon but it was a rare occurrence. Alexander had a tormented first year there because of this. First from being so young and smaller than the other students many at the academy treated him like a child. However most this came from the other students. Of those that made fun of him, they mostly did so as he was son of a ranger trying to learn to become a Mesmer.

In that first year he arrived at the academy still wearing the passed down rags of his parent’s profession He stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb as every one else was dressed in clothes befitting a mesmer. His parents did manage to scrape up enough gold to purchase all the scrolls and supplies he needed, though where they got the platinum to pay for his enrollment he did not know.

During his first year he found solace by going to the practice field and plugging arrows in to the target dummies. It was there that he met his first crush, a tall blonde haired blue-eyed ranger named Tarra. It did not take long for the others to notice and they tormented him even more. He did notice one thing; Most of his bullies and tormentors were fellow spell casters.

For the most part the rangers left him alone. The warriors could care less, always in to who had the biggest sword. There were a few monks there but they were the older students, there only to learn skills from other professions.

That year form hell was behind him; the new semester was just starting. Alexander did manage to make a few friends during that first year. Most of them in some way were like him, an outsider trying to fit in. The first one he managed of find was Kaila. She was in many ways like Alexander. Her mother was a prominent fire mage in the kings army her birth father was gone. He ran off when Kaila was still a baby. She did have a stepfather another fire elementalist. When her powers awakened they expected young Kaila to fallow in their footsteps. Grenth had other plans for her.

Alexander could sense that this year was going to be very different. When he arrived back at the academy form the summer break he arrived to find that he had a mysterious benefactor. Some one whom not only paid for his books and supplies but he had found a full wardrobe full of clothes more fitting for a young mesmer. They were not fancy by any means but at least they were not the rags that he had to wear all last year.

“Tyria to Xander, come in Xander… you know I am supposed to be the dark and brooding member of the group. Any thing wrong?”

“I do not know Kaila… I had a strange feeling like for an instance I felt a presence from the past but just for a moment…. It’s just strange it was there then it vanished…. Oh I wanted to ask what was that gathering back there in the courtyard all about?”

“Nothing, just the kings messenger announcing that prince Rurik’s birthday will soon be here. I am so glad that this is his final year here at the academy. No more Rurik this and Rurik that.”

“Come on Kaila, as princes go, he is not that bad; at least he cares about his subjects. Oh I get it, your still mad that he stood you up on that date. You do now it was not his fault. The king found out and stepped in. I guess he did not his son flirting with a commoner, a necromancer no less”

“It was not a date!! You may want to call them prince and king but they are not of royal blood “

“Ok.. ok I get it. I don’t want a repeat of the last time you got mad at me. I did not know you could summon a minion out of the cafeteria food. Gods did that thing stink. Leave it to you to find a new use for the gruel they serve there. “

“Ah Grenth’s spit. I forgot a few of my scrolls back in my dorm room could you please tell Mrs. Annelin that I will be late for her class.”

Alexander did not for get any thing but he needed an excuse to be alone for a while. Walking back, trough the main courtyard and down the hall to the point where his attention got diverted on to something else. The alcove was so overgrown it was easy to hide in there. In fact Alexander had to use it on numerous occasions during his first year. The old habits die hard as this was the first place Alex knew was close by and could easily conceal his presence.

“You can come out now she is gone Mr. Zander …or should I say older me”

Alex new he was to late in raising his mental defenses, a choice had to be made find a place to hide or be found in the halls of the academy. The sound of footsteps startled both and with that Alex withdrew back in to the shadows.

The young elementalist was dressed like a peacock rapped in the finest silks from Cantha. For him, he did not simply walk down the halls he strutted. Every thing Lance did was to show off the fact that he came from a family of wealth. As a son of a merchant’s family Lance could afford the best, fancy clothes, new scrolls and books a private dorm room He even had his own carriage and horses stabled in a near by village so that he could take the eligible ladies out for a night.

“Why it’s the wannabe Mesmer. Talking to the shrubbery now? Have you hugged your tree lately? Ha ha ha “

“I have no time for your insults, what do you want Lance?”

“Well the price is going to have his birthday party in a few days and I need to find some one to take I guess I was thinking of asking Tarra. Do you think she would like to go with me to that? Oh wait I did and she said yes. You snooze ya loose ranger boy.”

With that said the young elementalist walked away chuckling to him self

“Gods I hate that pompous ass, one of these days I should backfire one of his spells when he is in front of the class showing off”

“Do not be so resentful towards him Alexander, like most he just wants attention and one little thing I should mention; there will be a time when both of you will call each other friends.”

“Ya right friends, he is to stuck up to ever want to have real fiends”

“The gods work in mysterious ways, yet I am not sure why I am here the last time was to help you gain control over your emerging powers. This time I am not sure … What day is it today?”

“It’s the second day of the semester. Why do you ask?”

“Oh now I know why I’m here. Today you are going to meet some one very special, its imperative that you befriend her today.”

“Why would it be so important that I make this person a new friend?”

“I can’t tell you much as it is better that you find out for your self but her name is Natasha and she is a student who just transferred over form the Oarian Academy You will meet her when you go to your next class. And you better hurry Mrs. Annelin is waiting for you.”

The alcove was in poor condition as the academy’s wall there were in bad need of maintenance. The mortar holding the brick and stone together was poorly mixed

And the brickwork on the walls would fall off from time to time. It was so unsafe to venture in there that even the maintenance workers hired for the upkeep of the academy grounds would not venture in to cut the grass and shrubs. This time the young mesmer could easily sense the falling bricks and quickly dodged them. Alexander could not. One lone brick landed in his head and with that he was unconscious again dreaming.

The gods do work in mysterious ways and some time it hurts.
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#10
Chapter 9

Hardships


The strong commanding voice the necromancer announced out “If any one is in the cave please come out you will not be harmed the looters are dead” she then turned her head to one of her companions “Be prepared for healing, there are at least two in the cave from what my minions have relayed to me. Lance go through the remains of the dead for anything that is of value and be thorough, this group have been looting for the past two days. If we can find where they stashed the spoils, we can redistribute all of it back to the survivors of this area and the village back there.”

Lance, at over six feet tall stood well over most of his fellow countrymen. It was easy to see that he took great pride in his personal appearance and more importantly that he always looked his best whenever there were young attractive ladies present. The elementalist stood tall like a peacock showing of all of its feathers. His long blonde locks pooled back in to a ponytail. Not a single hair on his head was out of place.

“Why me? Can’t you see I have my canthan silks on? You know how much this outfit costs?”

The elementalist slowly made his way to the bodies of the dead to start on his gruesome task. Twenty or so men lay dead on the ground. The summoned minions had ripped half of bodies before him to shreds as they fought their way in to this world by tearing out of the flesh that bound them. He knew that the task had to be done; the survivors needed the stores of food and materials stolen by this band of thieves.

Rolling her eyes and in a low whisper she murmured to her self “Ah ….you are almost as bad as a Mesmer when it comes to your choice of apparel, I told you to dress for battle this is not a diner party you should expect to get dirty”

“I heard that! And for your information Kaila I haven’t had the chance to change or I would have not been wearing my best dress ware for the past two days. I really wish we could find a Xunlai agent. A change of clothing would be nice and I need to get one of my staffs out of storage.”

He knew the necromancer was not in a good mood today, but this one was strange. She did not revel in the death s of the searing as most of her kind has been over the past few days, She honestly cared for the well being of the living. Even though during those school years he did not hang out in the same social circles as the others, He had known this of her from the years that they all spent at the academy. At the time he was more shallow and self-centered, he did have his friends however they mostly consisted of snobs and other wealthy students. He thought to himself how strange it is that the events of the past year have united them all.

It was easy to see that the monk did not come form this part of the world as she was born and raised in Cantha.

“Shai linn, I need you to get ready should anyone in the cave need the attention of a healer. Lance, have you fond any clue to the location of their stash or maybe where they are operating from.”

The events to the past year weighed heavily in her hart and mind, many of their mutual friends have perished from the attacks of the demon and now this disaster. How many more people that they have known had lost their lives in the past few days?

“I hate to interrupt your moping Kaila but we have hit a little snag… this one is still alive”

Lance pointed to a body of a man that was barely breathing and unconsciousness. From one glance at the wounded man they all could tell that he wore what looked like a stolen set of ill-fitting armor. A few pieces even looked like they were looted from the body of a dead Ascalon guard, most likely this is what saved his life. He was singled out form the rest of his fallen companions. Grabbing the wounded man by the bootstraps, Lance dragged him to what looked like the remnants of a campfire for Shai Linn to start invoking her healing magics away from the other dead.

“Kaila this may take some time but once the scum is well enough to talk we can get the information from him. Lance could you go check out the cave please. Once I am done here I would like to start looking over the people in side to see if they need my services. ” The monk quickly turned her whole and undivided attention to the task at hand.

Kaila relinquished her hold on the two large minions still guarding the entrance of the cave. With out the will and the life force of the necromancer to drive them, the animated flesh of the summoned creatures quickly started to turn to dust just as they stopped in their tracks. She let out a small whimper as the euphoria of the boon of energies now returning to her body. Once they were out of the way Lance slowly made is way to the vacated opening.

“Lance do this …Lance do that. What do they think I am… their personal maid?” he grumbled to himself. He stopped at the spot where the minions parked them selves and held out the palm of his hand before him. The beginning of tiny witch fires started to dance between his fingers, within a few seconds a small ball of fire levitated above his hand. His make shift torch lit the entrance to the cave enough to him to make out the shape of two people off in the distance.

“Do not be afraid we are here to help. Is there any injured? We have a monk in our party.”

The young warrior replied “Just me, my family and one other. We have plenty of fresh water but we are getting low on food”

The one other comment caught his attention, but by then it was too late, magenta energies formed around his makeshift torch and the ball of fire extinguished itself. Lance was blinded for a few seconds, as his eyes were not accustomed to the near darkness of the cavern. The woman let out some laughter then held out her hand and duplicated the fire spell.
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