Empire of darkness

The old mage and his youthful apprentice waited for the shadow born to come. Beings that where once the heart and soul of living men women children and even animals that where never human now twisted and changed by the darkness. These terrible freaks of magic had no physical form and would come in many shapes and sizes always changing but still keeping to the one thing they where built for. The duo knew that only two types would be coming for this battle. The hunters, shadow born that where able to track even the most skilled prey, and the dark knifes, assassin beings that could kill even the most guarded kings. The knowledge that only they would becoming was because only those beings could move so fast to their destination. The hunters could break there body down into small knife sized pieces that would move forward in such way that a group of them could mistaken as a swarm of dark locusts and the assassins with the ability to go into and move along the ground like shadows of darting objects. The flaw to such fearsome beasts was that while in this moving state although they where immune to physical attacks where unable to attack and where vulnerable to the magic of spell binding and other such forums of magic.

The later played well for the duo. They had found a cave and then marked the entrance of the dark cave with binding spells of light once the shadow born appeared they would be lambs to the slaughter at the powerful spells of light.

The old mage named Ewis reached out with his fingers. They looked like old paper wrapped over the bone, destroyed by arthritis he found it hard to move them and they where no longer that nimble and so could not write as much spell bindings as he could in his youth. He grasped a jar from his bag and took from it a blue powder. The texture looked like sand having been strained through with blue die. He threw the blue powder on to the fire the smoke went high and from it made a sphere. The mage shouted to his apprentice to come to his location in the cave.

“What is it master?” Asked the near man named Onic Tarm. The voice was strong yet delicate, that of a magical bard not that of a magical warrior, thought Ewis. “What is that?” said Onic in a confused voice but still carried a charismatic strength in it.

Ewis sighed and looked into the eyes of Onic. “So young,” he taught to himself “and yet he still reminds me of him. I do not know what ever happened he had been so friendly and loyal. I hope that this one turns out better.”

“What is it?” repeated Onic in an assertive voice.

The ancient man sighed “It is a portal,” said Ewis in a sad voice. “You are to go through it once the Shadow born gets here.”

“But master…..”

“No buts boy once you get through the portal, close it if you do not then they will get you too and I could not live with that.”

“I am sorry master but I must stand by you it is the code,”

“Do you question my orders!!!?” Shouted Ewis in a voice Onic did not think possible for such an old man. The man was now standing with full strength and Onic saw a bit of what he might have been like when he was young so powerful and complete. The old mans strength faded and he fell crumbling to the floor Onic jumped across the room and grabbed him before he hit the ground. He saw then the tears in the eyes of the destroyed man. “I am sorry,” he said in a rasping voice he reached up his arm and touched Ewis’s face “Such youth.” He continued Ewis could fell the old mans touch and the bitter cold that came from it. He felt the warmth leaving the old mans touch and he knew some how that the old man would not make it through this his body was to weak and even if he did live through the battle then he would die after wards. The old man kept speaking “You are not a warrior my boy. You would have made a great bard your voice could have brought happiness to many but in these dark times there is little space for bards and so you where left in my position you had to become a warrior so you could fight against Raven-hearts rebellion. I am sorry my boy.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for master you watched over me and trained me and so I will remember you as a great kind man.”

“You would not be the same if you knew me before all of this,” Ewis’s head lurched up “They are here,” he whispered in a solemn voice he quickly turned to his apprentice and said “Go now I will do the activation spell when they come. Once you get to the other side close the gate, DO NOT COME BACK!!!” With that the old mage turned and started to walk towards the entrance of the cave.

Onic turned his head and started to walk towards the portal. He turned again to see his master and there he saw it. An entire force of hunters and assassins coming in full strength movement mode. They looked like one giant shadow ready to swallow them whole. They entered the caveat such speed Onic wondered if his master had waited to long to activate the binding spells. Suddenly the old mage moved at a speed Onic never saw in him before and with that drew and activation spell so fast the spell was like a blur. The rays of light blasted from the Spells on the walls with blinding power. Onic's vision recovered just in time to see the beings the rays of light destroying them like an elephant running into a piece of paper.

The old mage looked at him and shouted for him to run. Onic turned and jumped full force into the portal. Smoke engulfed him and he landed on a hard tiled floor.

“I am ssso happy you came,” said a rasping voice. “We have been waiting for you.”
Onic raised his head to see the being who was talking. He stood up and looked straight in the eye of the dark being named Raven-Heart.