The skies are glowing red in these lands. Part of the world that has been lost over time. The land the Red Mages once called home, Ragnarok. Now it is nothing more than the Land of the Elites. Xivaac's enormous castle is built along the ruins of the capital city, whose name has been forgotten to time. Sammi marvels at the height of the towers. They seem to disappear into view before one can see the top. Instinctively, she knows this has got to be the domain of the God of Darkness. The smell of death and burning rock fill the air. Kraag has been keeping to himself this entire trip from the labyrinth. Is it because she had physically aged four years in what seemed like a few seconds to Kraag?
"We're here. You will soon be meeting with the Dark Lord," Kraag finally speaks.
"Alright. To be honest Kraag.... I'm a little nervous," Sammi admits bashfully.
"It's understandable that you are kid. It's not every day a mortal gets to see the great deity. I was nervous too when I first met Xivaac. Even after all these years."
"It's not about seeing him that makes me nervous.... it's the torment of not knowing if I'll be able to leave here of my own free will or not."
"Sammi. No need to think like that. Xivaac gives you his word you can leave at anytime you wish. No questions asked."
"Good."
As soon as Sammi looks up the staircase that spirals up into the unknown, her jaw drops open. She can't help but say, "Holy shit that's a long way up."
"Yeah! I'd be lying if I told you aaaany different," Kraag jokes.
Sometime later ~
The top is finally drawing near. Never in her life has her legs burned so much. Sammi feels like a zombie by the time they reach the top floor. It seems like the Dark Lord has to be as high above the mortals as possible. She is simply too tired now to be nervous anymore, until the door to his chambers open.
Sammi locks up stiff with fear at the sight of the God of Darkness. His pale white skin shows bright against his dark clothing. The darkness in his eyes is enough to make Sammi feel weak at her knees. The numbness makes her drop to the floor. Almost like her legs just decides to not work anymore. Her chest feels tight and she finds herself struggling for air. This being has so much rage that it radiates in the air, making it feel cold.
"Samantha Kirkwood," Xivaac starts, "I was almost surprised you actually accepted my gift."
"I'm like my father and my brother. Great power interests me," Sammi smiles.
"I know. Kraag," Xivaac commands, "Go wait in the stairwell."
"Yes Sire," Kraag states as he leaves the room.
Sammi walks over to a desk and sits down in the chair. Her eyes cannot help but stare at this tyrant deity before her. It's because of this god that this world has suffered so much loss. The planet of Gaia is grieving for the loss of so many lives. Thoughts of how much the balance has suffered because of the lost deities race in Sammi's mind. The nervousness she had been feeling soon vanishes and her body is adjusting to the evil she feels coming from Xivaac.
"You have a choice to make mortal," Xivaac tells her, "You can join the Elites as my personal futureseer, or you can leave here and miss out on what you'll learn from me. You'll miss out at the chance to become.... an immortal. The choice is yours."
Instantly, Sammi knows what she wants to say, but her mind wanders to the possibilities of what she can learn. The thought if immortality intrigue her as well. All thoughts of her brother slip away. She is only focusing her attention to becoming an Elite. These thoughts consume her mind. Sammi stands up, then soon falls to her knees in pain. Hatred and darkness begins to overtake her. Her body is covered in a black transparent aura. Her eyes glow red and her clothes start to change. Her mother's robes grow black in color and the Fire crests turns into the crest of the God of Darkness.
"I think my choice is clear Sire," Sammi says straightforward as she stands back up.
"Excellent choice. I want you see into the future and tell me what you see," Xivaac orders.
"Yes Lord Xivaac," Sammi obeys.
She lets her mind go blank and the silver tiara glows white. In a matter of seconds, Sammi feels lightheaded and almost like she is sinking. Flashes of white light fills her vision as she closes her eyes tight.
~Drayk and Roku are sitting around a campfire. A giant fish is on a spit over the flames. The words they are saying are fuzzy and cannot be made out.
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The remains of Froz are gathering snow in the endless blizzard. Roku is walking ahead of Drayk as they enter palace ruins. As soon as they walk in, the sight of Karleigh standing in the center of the foyer surprises the Bringers of Hope.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Roku is sprawled out on the floor covered in slash marks and blood. She is trying heal herself while Drayk is blasting the Mistress of Darkness with Storm Magic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sammi is standing in room that was given to her within the castle walls. Kraag is raising his voice, but is fuzzy like the voices before. He draws his weapon on her and she strikes with fire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xivaac starts throwing the furniture about in his chambers. Rage has taken over the Dark Lord. He almost seems like he is stricken with sorrow. Is that possible for a deity?~
Sammi's head jerks for a moment as the images of the future dissipate. Her vision starts to get clear once again. Xivaac is standing directly in front of her, just a few feet away. A look of curiosity is written on the deity's face.
"It will take some time for me to make sense of what I have just seen. If you'll excuse me," Sammi states nervously and walks out of the room to meet Kraag on the stairs.
She shuts the door behind her and looks at Kraag with a smile. He looks back at her in shock that she is dressed the way she is. Xivaac had made an offer she couldn't refuse and he consumed her. She is now an Elite. Sorrow overcomes him for a second then he snaps out of it.
"Lemme show you to your new quarters Lady Samantha," Kraag gestures to walk her down the many flights of stairs.
"Thank you General. Much appreciated," Sammi smiles, "I have much to think about before I speak with the Dark Lord again."
Meanwhile ~
Light casts over the border between Wind and Ice. The edge of the sun shines above the horizon with a warming orange glow that fills the eastern sky. Smoke begins to flow from the stone chimney attached to the wooden cottage. Drayk steps out onto the porch while taking a deep breath. He stretches his muscles while enjoying the morning warmth. Roku soon joins his side with a big smile on her face. She seems to wake up every day with such hope and happiness. Drayk kind of envies Roku for this trait. To him, the reality of the world always makes him feel neutral.
"Good morning Roku," Drayk greets her with a forced smile.
"Morning Drayk! Do you mind if we wait till after breakfast before we head out?" Roku asks outright.
"Of course. It's not every day one meets the mother she never knew."
"Thank you Drayk."
Before Drayk can say anything, a faint whisper fills the air. The words are spoken so softly that they cannot be made out. The sound gets louder, but it is kind of hazy. It begins to focus and words can be heard clearly now.
"Drayk. Riinah. There's no time to explain. I needed to get a message to you. Be careful when you go to Froz," Sammi's voice echoes all around the Bringers.
Drayk and Roku sit in silence for a moment, waiting for more information. The voice has disappeared quicker than it had arrived. The openness of the wind valley is quiet once again.
"That was the voice I heard whisper your name a few days ago," Roku finally says.
"That was my sister. I know her voice anywhere," Drayk begins.
"I wonder what she means by that? Is there something at Froz we need to be concerned with?" Roku interjects inquisitively.
"I guess we'll find out. Best be on our toes while we're there," Drayk jokes.
"Come on back in you two!" Synn's voice comes from inside the cottage, "Breakfast is just about done!"
Drayk courteously allows Roku to walk in first. As soon as she passes, Drayk follows her inside. He makes his way into the dining area where Roku is patiently waiting for him. The smell of warmed maple syrup fills the air, along with that of fresh pancakes. Drayk and Roku sit across from each other at the table. Synn sits at the head of the table after placing plates of food in front of them.
"It isn't much, but it's the least I can do before you two head back out on your quest," Synn smiles.
About an hour later ~
The last of the dishes has just been washed. Roku places the last dish on the rack with the rest. She heads back out into the front room. Drayk is strapping his sword to his back. Synn is standing in the middle of the room, facing the kitchen with a sheathed dagger in her hands. Roku walks over to her with a smile.
"I want you to have this dagger Roku," Synn tells her as she hands it to her, "This is the dagger given to me by your father. I want you to keep this as a remembrance of your heritage."
"Thank you mother," Roku says with a big smile on her face.
She takes the dagger and binds it to her lower left leg. She uses the leg of her pants to conceal it. The sight of Drayk walking over to her twin blades catches her eye. Roku smiles as she takes the blades from him and puts them over her shoulders.
"We must be going. Thank you for your hospitality Synn," Drayk says graciously.
"You are both always welcome here if you find yourselves passing through again one day," Synn speaks with sorrow in her voice, "Make sure to speak to the winds so I know how you are Roku."
"Will do!" Roku cheerfully agrees, "I'm sure you'll hear us anyway."
After saying their goodbyes, the Bringers start walking away towards the land of ice. Roku gives one final wave to her mother as she goes back into the cottage. Instantly, the air around them drops to freezing temperatures as they walk into the blizzard. It's times like this Drayk wishes they had a carriage. Horses won't last long in weather like this though. Nothing can. The treacherous snow storm drove all life from its lands many years ago.
Roku calls up a wind of her own to shield them from the winter storm. It gets a little warmer not being bombarded by the storm, but the frigid air still makes them shiver. Knowing they cannot turn back now, they press onward through the unforgiving winter land.
Hours later ~
Time is easily forgotten here. The snow on the ground and in the air reflect any traces of light. Drayk and Roku have slowed to a crawl, trying to continue on. This is the last place they want to be to have to set up a camp.
"What time do you think it is?" Roku asks.
"Could be around midnight," Drayk replies.
"It feels later than that."
"We should stop for awhile."
That being said, Drayk places his hands into the snow. The tips of his fingers touch to frozen dirt beneath it. Snow melts from underneath them and a dome of dirt encases the Bringers. Using a strong blast of wind, Roku shoots a hole into the base. Drayk lengthens the hole outward using his Earth Magic. He then uses alchemy to change the structure into a metallic material. A metal igloo now stands in the middle of a land in an everlasting winter storm. The wind is mostly blowing at the backside of the metal structure.
Inside is still rather cool, but much warmer than it has been. Drayk lays down on the cool metal floor and heats it up a little using Fire Magic. Roku joins him on the floor, curling up in his arms. The metal radiates warmth and soon they both drift off to sleep.
Several hours later ~
The howling of the winds have not died down in the slightest. The metal has long since cooled again, waking Drayk up. He warms up the metal again so he can go back to sleep. Roku turns in his arms and sits up. Her eyes are wide open and her face is lit up. She feels completely rested now. Drayk lets out a sigh and gets up too. They crawl out of the igloo back out into the blizzard. Roku casts winds around them once more to keep the weather off of them.
After a few days of endless walking ~
The ground starts to elevate as they make their way up a hill. It slowly gets steeper as the two continues to climb up it. The top is drawing near when Roku loses her footing. She slips in the snow and slides into Drayk's legs. He topples down on top of her and laughs.
"Not funny! That hurt!" Roku bursts out.
"It is a little funny," Drayk teases as he stands up.
He puts out his hand to help Roku to her feet. She takes his hand and he pulls her up. Roku brushes the snow off of her as best as she can, then starts walking back up the hill. Drayk bites his tongue and follows close behind. Once they reach the top, they both stop and look out ahead of them. Down the hill and a few miles away; the ruins of Froz stand tall above the snow. A feeling of an evil presence sends chills down the Bringers' spines. A familiar cackling laughter fills the air around them.
"Sammi was warning us about Karleigh!" Roku exclaims as quiet as she can.
"I think so too," Drayk whispers back.
"Should we avoid the ruins?"
"No. We have to put an end to the Mistress of Evil."
After making their way down the hill, the Bringers are feeling quite confident they will be able to stand a chance here. Letting their guard down again is not an option however. The Mistress of Evil fights on a foul level. They stop as they face the ruins up close. Froz was once carved from massive slabs of ice. Nowadays, the city is just a pile of shattered ice. The never-ending winter keeps the ice alive forever. This is a constant reminder of what was, and what could have been.
Roku grabs Drayk's hand and just stands there in silence. Drayk looks over at her to see her frozen with fear. She looks as if she had just seen a ghost. In a way she really has. Roku is staring into her newly revealed origin. The two of them continue to walk through the icy ruins until they reach the only remaining structure. The base level of the Ice Palace is still standing. The door is opened slightly and shaking in the winter winds.
Drayk and Roku walk into the remnants of the palace, trying their best to shut the door behind them. They look into the room and see Karleigh levitating in the middle of the foyer. An evil smirk spreads across her face. Her pure black eyes are cold and unwelcoming.
"Hello once again, Bringers of Hope!" Karleigh hisses, "I made the mistake of not finishing you myself last time. I won't make that mistake again."
"We know what to expect now from you Karleigh!" Roku yells, "We won't lose again."
"Silence mortal!" Karleigh hisses in anger.
Roku bursts out in laughter as she draws her twin blades. A full smile cracks on the Mistress of Evil's face and she cackles in amusement. Karleigh places her hands pointing away from body and her nails grow into claws. Her body fades into a black cloud and passes over them and changes back. As the Mistress of Evil does, she slashes at Roku's back. Roku screams out in pain while blood pours down her back.
Without giving her a chance to recover, Karleigh fades into a cloud once more. Over and over she dances around Roku in a cloud and slashes her body left and right. Roku cries out in agony. Tears fill her eyes and she drops to her knees, not letting go of her blades. Drayk unsheathes his scimitar. As soon as he does, Karleigh hisses at him.
"Stay out of this boy," Karleigh laughs, "I didn't get to play with little Riinah during our last encounter."
Karleigh blasts the sword out of Drayk's hand and into the air. The scimitar reflects light as it spins upward. Another blast is shot and hits the blade directly, cracking it. The sword hits the floor and shatters to pieces.
"Roku...." Roku says as she coughs up blood.
"What?" Karleigh asks, directing her attention toward Roku.
Underneath all the blood in her face, Roku musters up a smile. The yellow in her eyes shine bright. She slashes at the Dark Goddess, cutting her down her left arm. A black liquid drains from the open wound.
"My name.... is Roku!" Roku roars as she slashes at the Goddess again.
Karleigh parries the slash with her claws while jumping out of the way. A small portal opens up next to Karleigh and she sticks her hand through it. A portal opens right in front of Roku and the Goddess's claws cut down the Bringer's face. Blood gushes from the fresh opening. Roku falls onto her back, grasping her face in pain.
Drayk's hands start sparking with blue electricity. He starts shooting lightning balls at the Mistress of Evil. Karleigh tries to swat them away and gets electrocuted in the process. Drayk calls forth a storm cloud right above Karleigh's head. Just as a bolt of lightning strikes, the Goddess turns into a black cloud. The cloud absorbs the lightning and shoots it as a beam at Drayk. There's no time to react and he gets shocked on contact. He looks over at Roku who is trying to heal herself.
Karleigh reforms and throws a black fireball at Drayk. He makes a small water shield that extinguishes the flame. Karleigh tries to strike Roku again with her claws, but is stopped by a rock wall that shoots up in between them.
"I won't let you hurt Roku anymore Mistress of Evil!" Drayk shouts angrily.
"Alright. So it's our turn to play again, is it?" Karleigh jokes with a hiss in her tone.
"That's right. Let's play," Drayk sarcastically tells her.
Karleigh vanishes into a black cloud once more, but Drayk stands still. He is focusing his magic and remembers back to when Grimm had tried the same thing. Her aura can be felt once he clears his mind. As soon as Karleigh reappears, Drayk dodges the slash and strikes the goddess with fire.
"You little bastard!" Karleigh snares.
"Grimm tried the same thing. You'll have to better than that," Drayk smirks.
Karleigh turns into a black mist and scatters into small separate clouds. Miniature Karleighs pop out from the mist and all cackle in a high pitch tone. About a dozen doll sized doppelgangers are before him. They surround Drayk and all vanish into clouds of darkness. He finds himself unable to keep track of all them at the same time. Suddenly, Drayk is stricken from all angles by tiny little claws, leaving cuts all over.
"Prepare to die Bringers of Hope!" The doppelgangers hiss together.
Roku jumps to her feet just as the mini goddesses vanish once again. She raises three fingers to her forehead as she concentrates. Her fingers flash a white light and she points them straight up into the air. A bright and blinding white light flashes down into the area. All of the little doppelgangers are slowed to a crawl by the light and can now be seen. Roku picks up her twin blades and rushes into the group of Karleighs. She slashes through them all as she makes her way through the crowd.
The light fades away and the shadows disappear from sight once again. Tiny yells and screams came from all around as Karleigh is reformed from her smaller selves. She has slash marks all up her body and black blood pours from these wounds. Karleigh coughs up some blood and glares at Roku with the coldest of stares. A smile creeps onto her face as she levitates off the ground.
"Riinah! You will pay for that!" Karleigh roars out with anger, then her voice shifts to a soothing hiss, "You will not live that down."
Karleigh freezes Roku's body, not allowing her to move. As Karleigh lifts her hand, Roku rises up. Roku has been drawn in by the same enchantment as before! She is completely restricted of any movement. Even down to her very eyes, she can't move a muscle. Breathing isn't even an option anymore. She knows she is being suffocated, and most likely to death. Drayk tries to strike the Mistress of Evil, but is unable to do so. A magic veil covers her body! She cannot be touched by magic now.
Drayk looks around for Roku's blades to see them inside the barrier. A feeling of helplessness sinks into Drayk's very being. Roku is being suffocated, and neither of them can do a thing to stop it. Not giving up, he bombards the veil with various spells. Fire, Wind, Storm, Ice, Earth, and even some minor Ultimate magics get reflected. Roku has never felt so vulnerable in her life, not even when she was a stray cat. The sense of death is upon her and there's nothing she can do. Even Drayk is wearing himself down trying to get in here.
Roku slips into unconsciousness from the lack of air to her body. Karleigh laughs out maniacally, watching Roku suffer and Drayk helpless to watch. He won't lose Roku. The world needs her as the second Bringer of Hope, but Drayk needs her even more. They have gotten so close to one another over the 'months' they spent together. He joined the Resistance to prevent his loved ones from dying. Now, he finds himself helpless over and over again, even after being named a Bringer.
"I WON'T LOSE ROKU TOO!!" Drayk yells on the top of his lungs.
He scribbles an alchemic circle into the ground just inches from the barrier. As soon as he taps it with one finger, it lights up in a dim red color. The veil flickers in multiple colors as it disappears. Drayk bombards the Goddess once again with various spells. Karleigh screams out in pain. She is being burned, electrocuted, and so much more. Her flesh is beginning to boil from the Cosmic Magic.
Roku is broken free from the very distracted Karleigh and she plunges both of her swords into her back. They cross over her inside torso, forming an 'x.' Roku rips the blades apart, severing the Goddess in half. Karleigh falls to the floor, face first. She looks up at the Bringers of Hope whom are standing over her. Three claw marks are etched across Roku's face, leaving scars. They are not affected by her Ultimate Magic.
Karleigh's body fuses back together in a white light. Once the light dissipates, a normal looking woman can be seen. Long flowing brunette hair, a solid white simple dress, and the greenest of eyes ever seen. Karleigh looks into Roku's yellow eyes as her body's age catches up to her. She rots away into a skeletal remain in a matter of seconds.
The Mistress of Evil has been slain.