Legend

Prologue

The elder's footsteps bounced all around him as he walked through the dark tunnel, guided by the light of his torch and the fire burning in his heart. Under his free arm, he held an ancient artifact; a sword, it's curved blade red as blood. Every so often the elder would pause, inspecting carvings left centuries ago: winged beasts and men with unimaginable power; dark portals and ancient weapons long forgotten.

The tunnel opened up onto a wide cavern, the statues of two horned beasts seeming to stand guard at the entrance. The elder slowly made his way past the two guards, carefully examining their ancient features, and continued to follow the smooth path that cut through the otherwise rocky terrain. Farther down the trail stood two more guards, their clubbed-tails locked in an endless swing.

Farther still, and he came to the end of the passage, where a mighty beast lay in slumber. Five smaller beasts were in a battle stance around the sleeping one, snarling protectively. The elder slipped past them and came to face the object he had been searching for: A black coffin with the engraving of a red lightning bolt on its belly.

It lay beside the sleeping beast, sealed tight millions of years ago. On its surface lay a black helmet in the shape of a monster's skull; it's red eyes pierced easily through the darkness. The elder stared in wonder at the chamber for no more than a moment before sitting the second artifact beside the first.

The coffin began to shutter, which then turned into a violently shaking. The eyes of the helmet began blazing brighter than ever before, so bright the entire cave was bathed in the red light. Then it stopped. The light died away and the shaking came to an end, to be replaced instead by the grinding of the lid as it slowly slid off and, with a heavy thud, landed on the stone floor.

"Welcome back, old friend..."