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It was late in the night, but the Tavern was still full. In fact, more people had entered. Cylene had struck up an amusing conversation with Korlic and Atma. It was the first time a smile had crossed Atma's face since Cylene had got there. Kiera sat outside on the floor, leaning against the wall, watching Zethar play around with Iago the wolf and Kasha the crow. She seemed protective over the boy that she had just met, though she was always over protective of children. Damien and Zyka sat silently next to each other, sipping their drinks, and even though there was a lot of noise, to both of them, it was an awkward silence. Drakul stood at the door watching Zethar, then turning towards Kiera, who had a warm smile on her face.

"Cute kid," Drakul said to the distracted assassin. "Is he yours?"

Kiera noticed the question was directed to her, even though it had taken her a while.

"No," She chuckled a bit. "I don't even have a husband - or man."

"A beautiful woman like you?" Drakul replied with a smile. "That's hard to believe"

"And an attractive boy like you?" Kiera looked at the necromancer. "Where's your woman?"

"I don't have a woman," he said. "Maybe because I'm a necromancer?"

"A necromancer?" Kiera looked at him funny; chuckling again. "You are the friendliest necromancer I have ever met."

"Well, you are not so evil for an assassin."

"How did you know I am an assassin?"

"You have two Katars. It is an assassin's weapon."

"Maybe I just like katars?"

"You also have those circle throwing blade things."

"They are called Shurkens."

Drakul leaned against the wall. They stared at each other for a moment. There was something about this assassin that interested him. She interested him, made him wonder why an assassin was so kind. It was odd. Then again, it was odd for a necromancer to be lively, which Drakul usually was.

Kiera examined the necromancer. He reminded her so much of a lost love. His relaxed demeanor, his smile, his warm voice. It was of someone Kiera once knew. Someone she once lost. She closed her eyes for a second and a flash of the man's face appeared in her mind. He was a paladin. She loved him. And then her eyes burst open as she realized that the only paladin she had ever met was killed by her fifteen minutes after their introductions. She tried to shake off the cold chill that crept up her spine. She had been doing that a lot lately. Having flash backs of lost memories. The problem was that most of the memories weren't hers; because as she remembered a face, she would realize she had never met someone like that or she'd remember a place and realized that she'd never been there before.

She turned back to Drakul and met his eyes, and suddenly, every other thought was gone. They just continued to stare into each others eyes in silence. Even though there was noise around them, they heard nothing. Unfortunately, that special silence had ended for them when a loud bell echoed across the town.

Inside the tavern, Atma jumped out of her chair in shock when the bell sounded. She ran out in a panic after screaming "The Palace". She was followed to the door by Korlic and Cylene, who both stopped by Kiera and Drakul. The assassin quickly got to her feet, while the necromancer stood up straight.

"What is going on?" Kiera was confused.

"I don't know," Korlic replied to her. "But by the look Atma had on her face, it's not good."

"It never is."

Screams echoed through out the town as well as the sound of horses racing. Zethar, curious about the four people standing outside the tavern went over to investigate. But, around the corner, a group of horses came racing towards the boy, who was in the middle of the road. Zethar, still curious, was clueless as to the fact he was about to be trampled on. Kiera, on the other hand, jumped for the boy, grabbing Zethar and rolling out of the way, just before the horses trampled them both.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" She snapped at the horsemen.

"None of your concern, foolish assassin," replied a cloaked man, as he and his companions jumped off their horses. They all drew Crystal Blades and advanced towards the five warriors. "Now, where is Atma?"

Korlic looked at the palace and then at Kiera. Their eyes connected and immediately, they knew they could help each other. She was the fastest out of all of them. It would be easier for her to get to Atma and easier for Korlic to beat these thugs. Giving a nod to the barbarian, she leaned down to Zethar's ear and told him to stay with Drakul. She took off towards the palace at a great speed. She heard the man call "After her", as she left, but she didn't turn around. She didn't need to. They'd never catch her.

Meanwhile, in front of the tavern, Korlic, Cylene and Drakul prepared to fight the approaching enemies. They ran for the trio, who immediately jumped into action. There were about nine thugs. Korlic, swinging his axe, penetrated the one's body, taking him to the ground instantly. Now there were only eight thugs.

Cylene, with her spear, skillfully deflected a few attacks from two of the thugs. She stuck her spear into the ground, and while holding the pole of the spear, she jumped off the ground with both feet and kicked the one down, and in an instant, she had already got back on the ground, pulled her spear out of the ground and swung it at the thug's head, who unfortunately ducked. Thinking quickly, she kneed the thug in the face, and as his head came upwards, she plunged her weapon through his heart, before kicking him off the spear.

Without a thought, Drakul used his bone spear spell, which penetrated and killed two of these thugs, one after the other, causing a bloody demise. He then used his dark magic to raise skeleton warriors from the fallen bodies, and as the bodies exploded like bloody bombs, the sword wielding skeletons rose. They attacked the one thug, who with two swift swings of his blade destroyed the boney warriors. But it didn't matter. They were distractions. Drakul, using this distraction, drew his dagger, grabbed the man by his head and slit the thug's throat, killing him. Drakul, not even having time to enjoy his victory, managed to dodge the sword of a surprise attack from behind. But as he turned, he was kicked to the ground by the warrior.

Cylene swung her foot through the air, kicking the thug's bloody face. She repeated the attack and then kicked him in the stomach, which there after; she pummeled his head with the bottom of her spear, knocking the thug out cold.

Korlic was grabbed from behind by one thug, and approaching to kill him was another, while the thug who had Drakul on the ground, raised his blade, preparing to stab the necromancer.

"Time to die."

Suddenly, before knew what was going on, a broad sword came straight through the thug looming above him.

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Damien said as he pulled his sword back - causing the thug to full backwards.

As for Korlic, he was saved to. The attacker in front of him burst into flames, much like that Sabre Cat in the desert. The man holding Korlic looked over the barbarians shoulder and was met with an arrow to the head. He dropped to the ground. As the smoke cleared, standing in front of Korlic was Cylene holding a bow and Zyka wielding her staff, with grins on their faces. Drakul got to his feet and thanked Damien.

"That's two to me," Zyka commented, smirking at Damien.

"How you doing kid?" Drakul asked Zethar who was no where to be seen. "She's going to kill me!"


Meanwhile... At the entrance of The Palace

Kiera had run past multiple thugs hurting people. Even some of the guards were overwhelmed by the numbers of the vicious attackers. Kiera tried to help as much as she could - taking down five or six thugs before they knew what hit them. She moved like a shadow in the night. She was swift and fast and silent. No one would know she was coming.

She arrived at the palace. It looked like hell was breaking loose inside. People were running out of the palace screaming, while thugs were running in, or chasing the town's people, stabbing and slashing them. They were cold, just killing for the sake of killing. Why was this happening? Kiera had no time for an answer as she noticed a young girl about to be struck down. Kiera moved quickly, slitting the thug's throat.

"Jerhyn, our leader... he has been taken hostage!" The girl was in a panic.

Kiera made her way into the palace, running past guards and thugs fighting, slashing the unknowing enemy from behind.

"Where's Jerhyn?" She asked a guard as she deflected another thug's attack.

"He's in the lower levels," the guard said as he penetrated the man's body with his spear.

"Thank you!" She slashed the last thug and moved.

Kiera made her way through the lower levels as fast as she could and finally came to three thugs; two holding Jerhyn down and another ready to chop his head off with a sharp axe. Thinking quickly, she threw one of her ninja stars, which plunged into the thug's neck. He made a gargling noise as he choked on his blood and fell to the floor. She ran towards the two remaining thugs, flipped through the air and landed between the two thugs. As she landed, she spun around once, and with a loud scream, kicked one of the thugs in the jaw. As he fell backwards, she let out another kick, but this time she screamed as some form of energy travelled through her. As the kick hit the second thug, he went flying backwards, before sliding across the ground at a speed and smashing his head into a wall.

Kiera bent down and tried to help the young leader up, but she didn't notice the thug she had kicked in the jaw rise from behind her. The thug advanced towards her, with his blade in hand, while she tried to untie Jerhyn. The thug's blade rose above his head, but in an instant, Kiera was standing and facing her opponent with her bloody katar held up high, as a red glow in her eyes began to die. Blood began to make its way down the thug's neck and he dropped to the floor. Jerhyn, horrified by this display of speed, managed to untie himself and began dragging himself along the ground. Kiera turned to him and began to walk over to him. He quickly got to his feet.

"Do not touch me!" Jerhyn screamed, "Y-you demon."

"I'm a human being!" Kiera got defensive.

"Impossible," Jerhyn objected. "No human, not even an assassin, could have moved as fast as you did. And I saw your eyes go red you beast from hell."

"Forget about it," replied the nervous assassin, trying to avoid the subject. "I am here to find Atma. Where is she?"

"Now why would I give you a human?"

Kiera grabbed Jerhyn's clothes and pulled him closer. "What I did to that man will be child's play compared to what I'll do to you if you do not start talking."

Jerhyn thought for a few seconds. "They have taken her to the treasure room." She let him go and he pointed down the corridor. "Just keep heading that way until you reach a big room. It is filled with gold, you cannot miss it."

"Thank you," she replied sharply as she began moving.

"And one more thing assassin," he said as Kiera stopped moving. "Demon or no, be careful. The man leading these thugs is not an ordinary warrior."

Kiera began running again. Flashes of her past came into her head as she thought about the speed Jerhyn had just witnessed. The glowing red eyes that he had witnessed.

"I'll just have to be more cautious," she whispered to herself as she traveled down the hall.


Meanwhile... On the streets of Lut Gholien

Cylene was helping where it was needed, taking down as many thugs as she could. She soon found herself fighting side-by-side with the leader of the mercenaries who were paid to keep the town safe. Cylene had killed another bandit.

"Impressive," the mercenary leader stated, as he killed another thug. He was a tough looking man, with dark eyes and short black hair.

"You are not so bad yourself," she replied, killing the last thug around her. "May I have a name?"

They both stood and faced each other as the last thug's body hit the cold ground

"Greiz. And yours?"

"Cylene." She said as they both began moving towards the next bunch of bandits.

"It's a pleasure," he replied as they charged into another bunch of bandits.

Cylene and Greiz fought well alongside each other, taking down as many thugs as they could. Unfortunately, they were separated while fighting and as she took down her last thug, she turned and noticed the thugs mounted their horses and began retreating. Greiz mounted a horse left by one of the dead thugs.

"I'm going after them," he told Cylene. "You seem to be doing well by yourself."

"Ok then," she replied. "Be careful out there."

"Don't worry," he said, and then turned to his men. "They are moving men, mount the horses they left behind and let's chase them down."

Greiz's remaining men in the area climbed onto the horses and began moving out of the city, after the bandits in a roar. Cylene stared at the mercenaries as they left the city and then turned to see some city guards as well as the remaining thugs fighting. People leaned over the bloody bodies of their loved ones. Others lay on the floor, injured, holding onto their lives, begging for help.

"Why?" Cylene wondered out loud and then moved on to take care of the few remaining thugs.


Meanwhile... Back in the Palace

Kiera had arrived to the vault just as Jerhyn had instructed her. It was a huge room, filled with treasure of all shapes and sizes. From shiny gold coins to stainless diamond bowls to sharp unique blades. It made a U shape around the room, the door way and the path to the middle being the only empty spot. In the middle stood a man, surrounded by six men, none which seemed to notice Kiera's arrival. The man, dressed in brownish coloured clothes, was the same man that had argued with Atma earlier that night. He was talking harshly to Atma, but Kiera couldn?t make out what he was saying. Kiera thought that he was obviously looking for something. She had ducked behind a huge chest and watched as the man continued screaming. It seemed that Atma had told no to what ever he had asked her to do. He hit her, and as Atma went down, Kiera moved forward.

"What do you think you're doing?" She screamed at the man while looking at the unconscious Atma. How strong was this man? He had knocked her out with one hit.

"I don't know who you are little girl," the man replied.

"Did you just call me a little girl?"

"But you should not have come down here," he ignored her. "Men, take her out!"

The six warriors draw their crystal blades, while Kiera draw both her katars. She could see that these warriors were far better prepared for battle than the rest of the thugs in the streets. The thugs were the first to make their move, attacking at once. Kiera moved forward. They all swung their blades, but Kiera was fast and dodged and blocked the one and then the other, until she had reached the other side of the group. Now she stood on the path, from the door way to the centre; in front of her, the six warriors, and behind her, their leader as well as Atma.

"She's fast," she heard the one say, as she stood waiting.

Silence covered the room, so much so that it was un-nerving. Kiera stood there waiting for them to move again and it appeared they were waiting for the same purpose. She stared at the warriors with a determined look in her eyes. She was not going to take hers eyes of them for a second... at least that's what she thought. A flaming sound could be heard behind her. She did a back flip, which was high enough, just dodging the fire ball that flew past her and struck one of the six un-expecting warriors. The silence was broken as the warrior on fire began screaming like in agony, struggling to put the flames out. As she gently landed on the ground, he turned towards Kiera and ran for her. The calm assassin, with a swift swing of her blade, put the warrior out of his misery as he approached.

One down, five to go, she thought to herself. They all attacked again, Kiera raised her blades and their weapons began to clash. Metal hitting against each other echoed through the room. Kiera was doing well, but with five warriors on her, she was getting tired. The one warrior swung his sword as she jumped back, and slashed her shoulder. She let out a yell as blood began running down her shoulder. While she was distracted by this, one thug ran towards her and with the hilt of his sword slammed her in the gut. Before she could even catch her breath, another ran towards her, and with a forceful punch across the face, brought her down. The rest moved for her, while the two standing tall on both sides of her laughed as they raised their blades. She swung her arms out, almost cutting through the men's legs. Each screamed in pain as they fell to the ground. She jumped back up and impaled their heads with her weapons. She stood up straight, blood covered katars as they were drawn out of the men's heads. Three down, three to go. They all began to approach.

Suddenly, it came out of nowhere; a wolf jumped on the back of one of the warriors and all Kiera heard was a crack. The two warriors turned to see what was happening. The wolf jumped back, and Kiera taking the chance, moved back a bit and looked at the wolf that had just snapped the warrior's neck.

"Iago?" she whispered to herself, as she wasn't sure. "Iago, is that you?"

No, it was not the wolf she had seen before. In fact, this was not a mere wolf at all. It stood on its two hind legs and even though it was growling at the warriors, Kiera noticed a sort of childish innocence in its eyes.

"Zethar," she smiled as she realized that the young boy, who claimed to be a master druid, had transformed into a were-wolf.

"Get him," the one warrior commanded as Zethar ran out of the room, followed by the two warriors.

Kiera stood up straight and turned to face the leader of the group. He had been searching the piles of treasure, as though nothing had just happened. It was like he hadn't noticed his guards leave the vault. Taking this opportunity, Kiera grabbed a small explosive device that hanged on her belt and through it with force. It traveled through the air, but was struck by a fire bolt and blew in mid air. Kiera's head moved down from the explosion and faced the leader of the thugs, who had his arm held out.

"Listen here girly," he said in a harsh tone as he turned around. "Just because I have my back towards you doesn't mean I don't know what's going on."

"So," Kiera pondered. "You're a wizard."

"No," he replied, to Kiera's surprise. "I'm just one of a kind."

The man was clearly full of himself. His clothes were dirty and cheap. His hair was scruffy. His skin was red, no doubt from the scorching sun. Yet, he spoke as though he was a god. The only thing worth looking at on this man was a bracelet he'd been wearing. It was gold, with strange markings on it. It also had a big, clear crystal in it. It seemed like a diamond, but Kiera wasn't sure.

"I see you like my prized possession," the man said, noticing Kiera staring at his bracelet.

"It looks nice on you," she said with a serious sarcasm.

"Oh, let me assure you, it's not just for show."

He blasted another fire ball, which Kiera easily dodged, and as quickly as she could, ran to strike the man. To her misfortune, dodging the katars seemed effortless to the man, moving out of the way of every shot. A pleased smirked crossed his face, which annoyed Kiera to no extent. She swung her left arm right, but the man ducked. As he stood up, she sent the arm flying back towards him, but with amazing speed, he grabbed her wrist. With a simple movement of his hand, he twisted her arm, forcing her back to turn towards him and her grip on her katar to be lost. The sound of the katar hitting the floor was loud in this vault of silence.

"Allow me to show you another trick this bracelet can do," the man said, twisting her arm more.

Suddenly, it looked as though Kiera was having a seizure right then and there as a shock went straight through her. She shook as her entire body felt as though she'd been struck by lighting. The shock made her drop her second katar. The man spun her around and without giving her a second of peace; the man hit her in the chest, which sent her sliding back, across the floor. She lay on her back for a moment. She caught her breath, but it felt as though a bull had just rammed into her. She climbed to her feet, to stubborn to give up. It showed in her face that she wanted to drop, but she wouldn't allow it.

"Give up," the man demanded. "And maybe I won't kill you."

"Like that?s ever going to happen," Kiera replied.

"Fine! Come at me with all you've got."

"With pleasure," she said as she attacked the man.

They fought hand-to-hand combat. In actual fact, Kiera was the one fighting while the man stood there; blocking each attack like it was child's play, smacking her back certain times.

"It's hopeless," he laughed, "Why not just give up?"

"Never", she grinded her teeth, irritated she wasn't even getting a shot in. "What the hell are you?"

"I'm human," he reassured her. "I'm just one-of-a-kind"

"So I've heard. What do you want from the palace? Treasure?"

He laughed some more, and then, as quickly as he could, nailed Kiera in the stomach.

"Oh please, treasure means nothing to me."

He punched her across the face twice and the third time, she went down.

"I'm looking for something special, something only that woman knows the location of."

He kicked the downed Kiera in the stomach and she slid across the path.

"Soon, the powers of the Prime Evils will come to this plain again and then I'll have all the treasure I want."

He walked towards her and crouched down, examining Kiera.

"Still alive?" He asked as he looked at Kiera. "I'm impressed. No human has ever survived this long after my shock. Most don't survive at all. No matter. You'll be dead in a matter of minutes. But, who has the time? I'll just hurry things up."

The look of pain on her face amused him. She was too beaten to stand up. This man wasn't natural. She could actually take on demons twice his size and come out on top. A couple of shots from this man and suddenly, she was in too much pain to move. She looked up to see what he was doing.

He looked next to him and pointing outwards of a pile of treasure was a golden spear, perfectly placed for Kiera's demise. It was secured in the treasure, slanting upwards. He smirked and then picked the body of Kiera. He walked towards the spear.

Come Kiera, she thought to herself, Get up. Don't let him win. I could always... no, I promised myself I'd never use the power again. But I don't think I have a choice. I can't. I'm too weak.

"This is what happens when you attack me!" He prepared to throw her, send the spear through her body, kill her.

Do something! Kiera thought to herself.

"Time to die!"

NO!

"WAIT!" Atma's voice echoed through the room. "Let her go!"

"Or what?" he replied, about to throw Kiera again.

"I'll tell you where it is," Atma caught the man's attention. "As long as you leave her alone."

"Tell me where it is or she dies."

"I'm the only one who knows its location. It's out in the desert and if you kill her, you might as well kill me too, because I won't help you" - she climbed to her feet - "And I can assure you, you'll never find it by yourself."

The man thought for a moment. With a flick of his wrists, Kiera's body fell behind the man, onto the cold floor. He moved over to Atma and grabbed her arm, pulling her close.

"Very well; we'll play your game. But heed this warning: if you try and trick me, I'll leave you to rot in the desert and return here to torture everyone of these people until they beg for death" - an evil grin crossed his face - "And then I'll grant their wish."

He pulled her along and moved out of the door. Kiera tried to stand, but she was too injured. She should have used it. She should have used her powers; her un-natural powers. It was the only way to win. What ever that man is, he wasn't human. His strength was incredible. Kiera tried to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. She noticed someone walk into the room, but her sight was too blurry to identify the person. What ever he'd hit her with was hard. He even said he was surprised she was alive, but he also said not for long. It must be bad. Soon, Kiera couldn't hold up any longer and everything began to fade, finally going black.


Thanx for ready. Much appreciated.

*************************

It was late in the night, but the Tavern was still full. In fact, more people had entered. Cylene had struck up an amusing conversation with Korlic and Atma. It was the first time a smile had crossed Atma?s face since Cylene had got there. Kiera sat outside on the floor, leaning against the wall, watching Zethar play around with Iago the wolf and Kasha the crow. She seemed protective over the boy that she had just met, though she was always over protective of children. Damien and Zyka sat silently next to each other, sipping their drinks, and even though there was a lot of noise, to both of them, it was an awkward silence. Drakul stood at the door watching Zethar, then turning towards Kiera, who had a warm smile on her face.

?Cute kid,? Drakul said to the distracted assassin. ?Is he yours??

Kiera noticed the question was directed to her, even though it had taken her a while.

?No,? She chuckled a bit. ?I don?t even have a husband ? or man.?

?A beautiful woman like you?? Drakul replied with a smile. ?That?s hard to believe?

?And an attractive boy like you?? Kiera looked at the necromancer. ?Where?s your woman??

?I don?t have a woman,? he said. ?Maybe because I?m a necromancer??

?A necromancer?? Kiera looked at him funny; chuckling again. ?You are the friendliest necromancer I have ever met.?

?Well, you are not so evil for an assassin.?

?How did you know I am an assassin??

?You have two Katars. It is an assassin?s weapon.?

?Maybe I just like katars??

?You also have those circle throwing blade things.?

?They are called Shurkens.?

Drakul leaned against the wall. They stared at each other for a moment. There was something about this assassin that interested him. She interested him, made him wonder why an assassin was so kind. It was odd. Then again, it was odd for a necromancer to be lively, which Drakul usually was.

Kiera examined the necromancer. He reminded her so much of a lost love. His relaxed demeanor, his smile, his warm voice. It was of someone Kiera once knew. Someone she once lost. She closed her eyes for a second and a flash of the man?s face appeared in her mind. He was a paladin. She loved him. And then her eyes burst open as she realized that the only paladin she had ever met was killed by her fifteen minutes after their introductions. She tried to shake off the cold chill that crept up her spine. She had been doing that a lot lately. Having flash backs of lost memories. The problem was that most of the memories weren?t hers; because as she remembered a face, she would realize she had never met someone like that or she?d remember a place and realized that she?d never been there before.

She turned back to Drakul and met his eyes, and suddenly, every other thought was gone. They just continued to stare into each others eyes in silence. Even though there was noise around them, they heard nothing. Unfortunately, that special silence had ended for them when a loud bell echoed across the town.

Inside the tavern, Atma jumped out of her chair in shock when the bell sounded. She ran out in a panic after screaming ?The Palace?. She was followed to the door by Korlic and Cylene, who both stopped by Kiera and Drakul. The assassin quickly got to her feet, while the necromancer stood up straight.

?What is going on?? Kiera was confused.

?I don?t know,? Korlic replied to her. ?But by the look Atma had on her face, it?s not good?

?It never is.?

Screams echoed through out the town as well as the sound of horses racing. Zethar, curious about the four people standing outside the tavern went over to investigate. But, around the corner, a group of horses came racing towards the boy, who was in the middle of the road. Zethar, still curious, was clueless as to the fact he was about to be trampled on. Kiera, on the other hand, jumped for the boy, grabbing Zethar and rolling out of the way, just before the horses trampled them both.

?Who the hell do you think you are?? She snapped at the horsemen.

?None of your concern, foolish assassin,? replied a cloaked man, as he and his companions jumped off their horses. They all drew Crystal Blades and advanced towards the five warriors. ?Now, where is Atma??

Korlic looked at the palace and then at Kiera. Their eyes connected and immediately, they knew they could help each other. She was the fastest out of all of them. It would be easier for her to get to Atma and easier for Korlic to beat these thugs. Giving a nod to the barbarian, she leaned down to Zethar?s ear and told him to stay with Drakul. She took off towards the palace at a great speed. She heard the man call ?After her?, as she left, but she didn?t turn around. She didn?t need to. They?d never catch her.

Meanwhile, in front of the tavern, Korlic, Cylene and Drakul prepared to fight the approaching enemies. They ran for the trio, who immediately jumped into action. There were about nine thugs. Korlic, swinging his axe, penetrated the one?s body, taking him to the ground instantly. Now there were only eight thugs.

Cylene, with her spear, skillfully deflected a few attacks from two of the thugs. She stuck her spear into the ground, and while holding the pole of the spear, she jumped off the ground with both feet and kicked the one down, and in an instant, she had already got back on the ground, pulled her spear out of the ground and swung it at the thug?s head, who unfortunately ducked. Thinking quickly, she kneed the thug in the face, and as his head came upwards, she plunged her weapon through his heart, before kicking him off the spear.

Without a thought, Drakul used his bone spear spell, which penetrated and killed two of these thugs, one after the other, causing a bloody demise. He then used his dark magic to raise skeleton warriors from the fallen bodies, and as the bodies exploded like bloody bombs, the sword wielding skeletons rose. They attacked the one thug, who with two swift swings of his blade destroyed the boney warriors. But it didn?t matter. They were distractions. Drakul, using this distraction, drew his dagger, grabbed the man by his head and slit the thug?s throat, killing him. Drakul, not even having time to enjoy his victory, managed to dodge the sword of a surprise attack from behind. But as he turned, he was kicked to the ground by the warrior.

Cylene swung her foot through the air, kicking the thug?s bloody face. She repeated the attack and then kicked him in the stomach, which there after; she pummeled his head with the bottom of her spear, knocking the thug out cold.

Korlic was grabbed from behind by one thug, and approaching to kill him was another, while the thug who had Drakul on the ground, raised his blade, preparing to stab the necromancer.

?Time to die?.

Suddenly, before knew what was going on, a broad sword came straight through the thug looming above him.

?You took the words right out of my mouth,? Damien said as he pulled his sword back ? causing the thug to full backwards.

As for Korlic, he was saved to. The attacker in front of him burst into flames, much like that Sabre Cat in the desert. The man holding Korlic looked over the barbarians shoulder and was met with an arrow to the head. He dropped to the ground. As the smoke cleared, standing in front of Korlic was Cylene holding a bow and Zyka wielding her staff, with grins on their faces. Drakul got to his feet and thanked Damien.

?That?s two to me,? Zyka commented, smirking at Damien.

?How you doing kid?? Drakul asked Zethar who was no where to be seen. ?She?s going to kill me!?

*************************

Meanwhile? At the entrance of The Palace

Kiera had run past multiple thugs hurting people. Even some of the guards were overwhelmed by the numbers of the vicious attackers. Kiera tried to help as much as she could ? taking down five or six thugs before they knew what hit them. She moved like a shadow in the night. She was swift and fast and silent. No one would know she was coming.

She arrived at the palace. It looked like hell was breaking loose inside. People were running out of the palace screaming, while thugs were running in, or chasing the town?s people, stabbing and slashing them. They were cold, just killing for the sake of killing. Why was this happening? Kiera had no time for an answer as she noticed a young girl about to be struck down. Kiera moved quickly, slitting the thug?s throat.

?Jerhyn, our leader? he has been taken hostage!? The girl was in a panic.

Kiera made her way into the palace, running past guards and thugs fighting, slashing the unknowing enemy from behind.

?Where?s Jerhyn?? She asked a guard as she deflected another thug?s attack.

?He?s in the lower levels,? the guard said as he penetrated the man?s body with his spear.

?Thank you!? She slashed the last thug and moved.

Kiera made her way through the lower levels as fast as she could and finally came to three thugs; two holding Jerhyn down and another ready to chop his head off with a sharp axe. Thinking quickly, she threw one of her ninja stars, which plunged into the thug?s neck. He made a gargling noise as he choked on his blood and fell to the floor. She ran towards the two remaining thugs, flipped through the air and landed between the two thugs. As she landed, she spun around once, and with a loud scream, kicked one of the thugs in the jaw. As he fell backwards, she let out another kick, but this time she screamed as some form of energy travelled through her. As the kick hit the second thug, he went flying backwards, before sliding across the ground at a speed and smashing his head into a wall.

Kiera bent down and tried to help the young leader up, but she didn?t notice the thug she had kicked in the jaw rise from behind her. The thug advanced towards her, with his blade in hand, while she tried to untie Jerhyn. The thug?s blade rose above his head, but in an instant, Kiera was standing and facing her opponent with her bloody katar held up high, as a red glow in her eyes began to die. Blood began to make its way down the thug?s neck and he dropped to the floor. Jerhyn, horrified by this display of speed, managed to untie himself and began dragging himself along the ground. Kiera turned to him and began to walk over to him. He quickly got to his feet.

?Do not touch me!? Jerhyn screamed, ?Y-you demon.?

?I?m a human being!? Kiera got defensive.

?Impossible,? Jerhyn objected. ?No human, not even an assassin, could have moved as fast as you did. And I saw your eyes go red you beast from hell.?

?Forget about it,? replied the nervous assassin, trying to avoid the subject. ?I am here to find Atma. Where is she??

?Now why would I give you a human??

Kiera grabbed Jerhyn?s clothes and pulled him closer. ?What I did to that man will be child?s play compared to what I?ll do to you if you do not start talking.?

Jerhyn thought for a few seconds. ?They have taken her to the treasure room.? She let him go and he pointed down the corridor. ?Just keep heading that way until you reach a big room. It is filled with gold, you cannot miss it.?

?Thank you,? she replied sharply as she began moving.

?And one more thing assassin,? he said as Kiera stopped moving. ?Demon or no, be careful. The man leading these thugs is not an ordinary warrior.?

Kiera began running again. Flashes of her past came into her head as she thought about the speed Jerhyn had just witnessed. The glowing red eyes that he had witnessed.

?I?ll just have to be more cautious,? she whispered to herself as she traveled down the hall.

*************************

Meanwhile? On the streets of Lut Gholien

Cylene was helping where it was needed, taking down as many thugs as she could. She soon found herself fighting side-by-side with the leader of the mercenaries who were paid to keep the town safe. Cylene had killed another bandit.

?Impressive,? the mercenary leader stated, as he killed another thug. He was a tough looking man, with dark eyes and short black hair.

?You are not so bad yourself,? she replied, killing the last thug around her. ?May I have a name??

They both stood and faced each other as the last thug?s body hit the cold ground

?Greiz. And yours??

?Cylene.? She said as they both began moving towards the next bunch of bandits.

?It?s a pleasure,? he replied as they charged into another bunch of bandits.

Cylene and Greiz fought well alongside each other, taking down as many thugs as they could. Unfortunately, they were separated while fighting and as she took down her last thug, she turned and noticed the thugs mounted their horses and began retreating. Greiz mounted a horse left by one of the dead thugs.

?I?m going after them,? he told Cylene. ?You seem to be doing well by yourself.?

?Ok then,? she replied. ?Be careful out there.?

?Don?t worry,? he said, and then turned to his men. ?They are moving men, mount the horses they left behind and let?s chase them down?

Greiz?s remaining men in the area climbed onto the horses and began moving out of the city, after the bandits in a roar. Cylene stared at the mercenaries as they left the city and then turned to see some city guards as well as the remaining thugs fighting. People leaned over the bloody bodies of their loved ones. Others lay on the floor, injured, holding onto their lives, begging for help.

?Why?? Cylene wondered out loud and then moved on to take care of the few remaining thugs.

*************************

Meanwhile? Back in the Palace

Kiera had arrived to the vault just as Jerhyn had instructed her. It was a huge room, filled with treasure of all shapes and sizes. From shiny gold coins to stainless diamond bowls to sharp unique blades. It made a U shape around the room, the door way and the path to the middle being the only empty spot. In the middle stood a man, surrounded by six men, none which seemed to notice Kiera?s arrival. The man, dressed in brownish coloured clothes, was the same man that had argued with Atma earlier that night. He was talking harshly to Atma, but Kiera couldn?t make out what he was saying. Kiera thought that he was obviously looking for something. She had ducked behind a huge chest and watched as the man continued screaming. It seemed that Atma had told no to what ever he had asked her to do. He hit her, and as Atma went down, Kiera moved forward.

?What do you think you?re doing?? She screamed at the man while looking at the unconscious Atma. How strong was this man? He had knocked her out with one hit.

?I don?t know who you are little girl,? the man replied.

?Did you just call me a little girl??

?But you should not have come down here,? he ignored her. ?Men, take her out!?

The six warriors draw their crystal blades, while Kiera draw both her katars. She could see that these warriors were far better prepared for battle than the rest of the thugs in the streets. The thugs were the first to make their move, attacking at once. Kiera moved forward. They all swung their blades, but Kiera was fast and dodged and blocked the one and then the other, until she had reached the other side of the group. Now she stood on the path, from the door way to the centre; in front of her, the six warriors, and behind her, their leader as well as Atma.

?She?s fast,? she heard the one say, as she stood waiting.

Silence covered the room, so much so that it was un-nerving. Kiera stood there waiting for them to move again and it appeared they were waiting for the same purpose. She stared at the warriors with a determined look in her eyes. She was not going to take hers eyes of them for a second?at least that?s what she thought. A flaming sound could be heard behind her. She did a back flip, which was high enough, just dodging the fire ball that flew past her and struck one of the six un-expecting warriors. The silence was broken as the warrior on fire began screaming like in agony, struggling to put the flames out. As she gently landed on the ground, he turned towards Kiera and ran for her. The calm assassin, with a swift swing of her blade, put the warrior out of his misery as he approached.

One down, five to go, she thought to herself. They all attacked again, Kiera raised her blades and their weapons began to clash. Metal hitting against each other echoed through the room. Kiera was doing well, but with five warriors on her, she was getting tired. The one warrior swung his sword as she jumped back, and slashed her shoulder. She let out a yell as blood began running down her shoulder. While she was distracted by this, one thug ran towards her and with the hilt of his sword slammed her in the gut. Before she could even catch her breath, another ran towards her, and with a forceful punch across the face, brought her down. The rest moved for her, while the two standing tall on both sides of her laughed as they raised their blades. She swung her arms out, almost cutting through the men?s legs. Each screamed in pain as they fell to the ground. She jumped back up and impaled their heads with her weapons. She stood up straight, blood covered katars as they were drawn out of the men?s heads. Three down, three to go. They all began to approach.

Suddenly, it came out of nowhere; a wolf jumped on the back of one of the warriors and all Kiera heard was a crack. The two warriors turned to see what was happening. The wolf jumped back, and Kiera taking the chance, moved back a bit and looked at the wolf that had just snapped the warrior?s neck.

?Iago?? she whispered to herself, as she wasn?t sure. ?Iago, is that you??

No, it was not the wolf she had seen before. In fact, this was not a mere wolf at all. It stood on its two hind legs and even though it was growling at the warriors, Kiera noticed a sort of childish innocence in its eyes.

?Zethar,? she smiled as she realized that the young boy, who claimed to be a master druid, had transformed into a were-wolf.

?Get him,? the one warrior commanded as Zethar ran out of the room, followed by the two warriors.

Kiera stood up straight and turned to face the leader of the group. He had been searching the piles of treasure, as though nothing had just happened. It was like he hadn?t noticed his guards leave the vault. Taking this opportunity, Kiera grabbed a small explosive device that hanged on her belt and through it with force. It traveled through the air, but was struck by a fire bolt and blew in mid air. Kiera?s head moved down from the explosion and faced the leader of the thugs, who had his arm held out.

?Listen here girly,? he said in a harsh tone as he turned around. ?Just because I have my back towards you doesn?t mean I don?t know what?s going on.?

?So,? Kiera pondered. ?You?re a wizard.?

?No,? he replied, to Kiera?s surprise. ?I?m just one of a kind.?

The man was clearly full of himself. His clothes were dirty and cheap. His hair was scruffy. His skin was red, no doubt from the scorching sun. Yet, he spoke as though he was a god. The only thing worth looking at on this man was a bracelet he?d been wearing. It was gold, with strange markings on it. It also had a big, clear crystal in it. It seemed like a diamond, but Kiera wasn?t sure.

?I see you like my prized possession,? the man said, noticing Kiera staring at his bracelet.

?It looks nice on you,? she said with a serious sarcasm.

?Oh, let me assure you, it?s not just for show.?

He blasted another fire ball, which Kiera easily dodged, and as quickly as she could, ran to strike the man. To her misfortune, dodging the katars seemed effortless to the man, moving out of the way of every shot. A pleased smirked crossed his face, which annoyed Kiera to no extent. She swung her left arm right, but the man ducked. As he stood up, she sent the arm flying back towards him, but with amazing speed, he grabbed her wrist. With a simple movement of his hand, he twisted her arm, forcing her back to turn towards him and her grip on her katar to be lost. The sound of the katar hitting the floor was loud in this vault of silence.

?Allow me to show you another trick this bracelet can do,? the man said, twisting her arm more.

Suddenly, it looked as though Kiera was having a seizure right then and there as a shock went straight through her. She shook as her entire body felt as though she?d been struck by lighting. The shock made her drop her second katar. The man spun her around and without giving her a second of peace; the man hit her in the chest, which sent her sliding back, across the floor. She lay on her back for a moment. She caught her breath, but it felt as though a bull had just rammed into her. She climbed to her feet, to stubborn to give up. It showed in her face that she wanted to drop, but she wouldn?t allow it.

?Give up,? the man demanded. ?And maybe I won?t kill you.?

?Like that?s ever going to happen,? Kiera replied.

?Fine! Come at me with all you?ve got.?

?With pleasure,? she said as she attacked the man.

They fought hand-to-hand combat. In actual fact, Kiera was the one fighting while the man stood there; blocking each attack like it was child?s play, smacking her back certain times.

?It?s hopeless,? he laughed, ?Why not just give up??

?Never?, she grinded her teeth, irritated she wasn?t even getting a shot in. ?What the hell are you??

?I?m human,? he reassured her. ?I?m just one-of-a-kind?

?So I?ve heard. What do you want from the palace? Treasure??

He laughed some more, and then, as quickly as he could, nailed Kiera in the stomach.

?Oh please, treasure means nothing to me.?

He punched her across the face twice and the third time, she went down.

?I?m looking for something special, something only that woman knows the location of.?

He kicked the downed Kiera in the stomach and she slid across the path.

?Soon, the powers of the Prime Evils will come to this plain again and then I?ll have all the treasure I want.?

He walked towards her and crouched down, examining Kiera.

?Still alive?? He asked as he looked at Kiera. ?I?m impressed. No human has ever survived this long after my shock. Most don?t survive at all. No matter. You?ll be dead in a matter of minutes. But, who has the time? I?ll just hurry things up.?

The look of pain on her face amused him. She was too beaten to stand up. This man wasn?t natural. She could actually take on demons twice his size and come out on top. A couple of shots from this man and suddenly, she was in too much pain to move. She looked up to see what he was doing.

He looked next to him and pointing outwards of a pile of treasure was a golden spear, perfectly placed for Kiera?s demise. It was secured in the treasure, slanting upwards. He smirked and then picked the body of Kiera. He walked towards the spear.

Come Kiera, she thought to herself, Get up. Don?t let him win. I could always? no, I promised myself I?d never use the power again. But I don?t think I have a choice. I can?t. I?m too weak.

?This is what happens when you attack me!? He prepared to throw her, send the spear through her body, kill her.

Do something! Kiera thought to herself.

?Time to die!?

NO!

?WAIT!? Atma?s voice echoed through the room. ?Let her go!?

?Or what?? he replied, about to throw Kiera again.

?I?ll tell you where it is,? Atma caught the man?s attention. ?As long as you leave her alone.?

?Tell me where it is or she dies.?

?I?m the only one who knows its location. It?s out in the desert and if you kill her, you might as well kill me too, because I won?t help you? - she climbed to her feet - ?And I can assure you, you?ll never find it by yourself.?

The man thought for a moment. With a flick of his wrists, Kiera?s body fell behind the man, onto the cold floor. He moved over to Atma and grabbed her arm, pulling her close.

?Very well; we?ll play your game. But heed this warning: if you try and trick me, I?ll leave you to rot in the desert and return here to torture everyone of these people until they beg for death? - an evil grin crossed his face - ?And then I?ll grant their wish.?

He pulled her along and moved out of the door. Kiera tried to stand, but she was too injured. She should have used it. She should have used her powers; her un-natural powers. It was the only way to win. What ever that man is, he wasn?t human. His strength was incredible. Kiera tried to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. She noticed someone walk into the room, but her sight was too blurry to identify the person. What ever he?d hit her with was hard. He even said he was surprised she was alive, but he also said not for long. It must be bad. Soon, Kiera couldn?t hold up any longer and everything began to fade, finally going black.

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Thanx for ready. Please, please review. Much appreciated.

"Fate is a weird and wonderful thing. It does mysterious things, when ever it thinks necessary. It has away with dealing with things. For example, it was fate that allowed the death of the Prime Evils come to be. It was fate, which brought out a hero from nowhere to battle the evil when there seemed no hope left and it was fate that helped him succeed. Now, with Diablo, Mephisto and Baal all dead, the world is returning to normal. Demons still run across the land, but ultimately, the humans are winning the battle. The story that I?m about to tell, is a story of seven warriors, of seven classes and seven pasts. Unknown to them, fate has conspired to throw them together, and only by working as a team, may they overcome the looming threat"


Cylene sat in the tavern, with her untouched drink sitting on the wooden table in front of her. The tall amazon looked around at the empty room, where tables and chairs stood with no human, or even living, company. There was not a soul in sight and even though it was a small problem, Cylene had found it to be a little unsettling. She studied the room with her beautiful, emerald green eyes. She slowly took a sip of her drink as it was getting warmer by the second and the heat inside was just as bad as the desert beyond the town's wall. She turned as she felt a breeze hit her dark, blondish hair and noticed a barbarian male had walk through the door. She could tell immediately that he was a barbarian by his muscular build and the mean expression on his face, which made her wonder if he was here to cause trouble. Despite his intimidating appearance, his brown eyes told a different story; a story of loss. He seemed to have travelled to Lut Gholien to find something, an objective Cylene also had on her mind. She turned back to her drink as he walked across the room and began speaking to the woman known as Atma. Cylene felt sorry for the woman, as she had been here for eight days and had never seen Atma smile. It was as though the happiness had been completely drained from her. The barbarian began talking to Atma, and as he spoke, it looked as though all the blood had drained from her face. She signaled for the barbarian to go into her back room and they could talk some more.

*********************************

"I don't know where she is Korlic," Atma told the barbarian as she closed the door behind her.

It wasn't the biggest room Korlic had seen; a bed, a table and chair with writing equipment and a stash against the wall which looked like it had been broken into lately. Korlic turned back to Atma as she explained that she hadn't seen his wife in two weeks.

"But she was living here last," Korlic queried.

"I know," Atma replied nervously. "But she took off one day and hasn't come back since."

Korlic had a strange feeling there was something Atma wasn't telling him something, but she's been a caring woman since he met her and if she's hiding something, it was to protect him. That's what scared him the most.

"Did she say anything before she left?"

"Just that she had some un-finished business."

"Un-finished business?"

"I'm sorry Korlic, but I cannot tell you more."

Korlic decided to drop it for now. Clearly there was something going on that she didn't want him to know. Atma and his wife were close friends and they told each other secrets that they wouldn't tell their husbands. Korlic looked at the desk, where an amulet lay. He picked it up.

"How are you Atma?" He randomly asked.

"I have my bad days," she said as she gentle took her son's amulet from Korlic. "But I'm pulling through. Hard to believe it's been ten years since...since..."

"Since your husband and son made a sacrifice to save their people," Korlic finished. He knew she could never say they were murdered. It would have killed her to say the words aloud. "If you hear anything about..."

"I'll let you know," she answered as she walked out.


*********************************

An hour past before the tavern had filled up. Korlic had sat near Cylene; his expression had changed from strong, independent barbarian to a depressed, lonely man.

"Cheer up;" she said to him, "It can't be that bad."

He looked up at her. "It is bad. My wife lived in this city, but Atma says she has been gone for a while and nobody has seen her."

"I know how you feel," the Amazon replied. "I'm looking for my father, and I don't even know what he looks like."

"I see we are both in the same predicament." The last word surprised Cylene. She didn't think barbarians were idiots, but it was no secret they had brawn over brains. She would assume he'd use the word problem or something similar to that. "My name is Korlic. May I have the honour of knowing yours?"

She smiled. "Of course you may. Cylene."

"What a beautiful name," he stated, grinning a bit. "You are an Amazon, correct?"

"Is it that obvious?"

As Korlic was about to reply, they both heard someone arguing outside. The one voice was clearly Atma's and the other sounded angry and rough and mean (very mean). The voices had gotten louder and without saying a word, Cylene and Korlic had left their seats to see what was happening. They both had been armed; Cylene, with a spear with a sharp point - as well as a bow around her body and quiver of sharp arrows - and Korlic with a huge two-handed axe. They exited the tavern together.

"Where is it?" a rough looking man demanded, with an evil gleam in his eye. "Tell me or else!"

Korlic stepped between the man and Atma, "Or else what?"

The man and his two thugs backed away after noticing Cylene and Korlic were more than ready for a fight.

"Who the hell are you?" He snapped.

"Her body guards," Cylene stepped forward. "And you are?"

He raised his arm which had a strange bracelet on it. "I'm a man you don't want to mess with."

"Want to bet?" Cylene readied her spear.

The man mumbled something and climbed onto his horse. "You better get it Atma!"

The man left as quickly as he had came, leaving the three standing outside.

"What did he want?" Korlic was curious.

"I... I can't tell you," Atma said. Her expression was worse than usual. She had turned pale as she quickly walked inside, leaving her heroes outside in the blazing sun.

"What's wrong with her?" Cylene asked, worried about the sad, lonely woman that had just left them.

Korlic looked at Cylene. "She lost her family to a terrible monster awhile back," he sighed, "and she has been this way ever since."

Cylene looked at the Atma with pity in her eyes. Cylene could not even imagine how that felt, because she never truly met her real family. As she began drifting into her memories, she was interrupted by Korlic, who said they should go inside.

***********************************

Meanwhile... at the entrance of Lut Gholien

Kiera walked calmly into the town, all dressed in black, the sun on her like a leech, sucking her life out and the look on her face showed her discomfort. She checked her surroundings. As an assassin, she always had to know her surroundings, no matter the circumstances. Men stared as she walked past them. She was undoubtedly a naturally beautiful young woman. Her black long, smooth, black haired swayed left to right as her piercing blue eyes looked around at the people in the streets. Her eyes caught a boy being pulled by the two guards along with another trying to hold down a wolf and another being tortured by a crow. She found it amusing how the guards couldn't keep these animals down and, by the look on his face, so did the young boy. She also found it strange that guards were holding a mere child like a criminal and followed them as they were lead to the palace. The assassin thought about the stories of the palace, which stood in front of her. It was believed to be overrun by the evils of hell, but it seems that everything was normal, or at least returning to normal. But, everything was returning to normal after the death of the Prime Evils. Diablo, Mephisto and Baal all fell before the power of one hero. Ever since then, the world began transforming back to its peaceful state.

The boy was placed in front of a man. By the look of respect shown to him by the guards, it was safe to assume he ruled the city.

"What is problem here?" The apparent ruler asked.

"This trouble maker," the guard grunted, referring to the boy, "was caught steeling from Lysander. He has stashed items and food worth fifty gold somewhere in the city."

"Do you know what the punishment for steeling in this city is?" The man asked the boy.

"Off with your hands!" The one guard excitedly butted in, drawing his blade.

"Slow down there," The assassin interrupted calmly.

"And you are?" The guard asked, agitated by the woman who approached them.

"That is not important," She replied fast, throwing a small bag at the one guard. "That should be enough to cover what the boy stole."

"Fine!" The ruler stated looking into the bag, and then at the woman's weapons. "Release the boy. And you, assassin, make sure the boy stays out of trouble."

The boy ran up to the assassin. He had such an innocent look on his face and eyes. He whistled to his angry wolf and crow, which obediently came over. The boy climbed onto the grey wolf as though it was horse, but it was not surprising; as the wolf was the biggest Kiera had ever set her eyes on and the boy was quite small. The black crow landed on the boys shoulder.

"You sure have away with animals," Kiera said as they walked along the road.

"Of course I do," The boy's over-confidence showed. "I am a Master Druid of course".

"A master druid?" The assassin giggled. "Aren't you a little young to be A Master Druid? How old are you? Five?"

"I am eleven," The boy replied, agitation in his voice, "and I am old enough to do anything. And you are one to talk. The man called you an assassin."

"That is because I am one."

"Impossible. Assassins do not care 'bout anyone. And you saved me. If you are truly an assassin, why are you so nice?"

"I wasn't always nice. People change." She began thinking back.

"What happened?"

"It is a long story. What about you, and your animals?"

"What about me and my animals?"

"What is your story? How did a boy, a wolf and a crow come to be in Lut Gholien?"

The boy's face saddened. "My parents died. Since then it has just been me and my friends, traveling around the world, going where ever the wind takes us." He looked at his bird and wolf, smiling once more.

"And you get by with stealing?"

"I need something, and I take it."

"So it would seem," the assassin replied, looking down at the wolf. "What a beautiful wolf. What is her name?"

"HIS name is Iago," the boy replied, "and my crows name is Kasha."

"What beautiful names."

"My father named them."

"Speaking of names by your father, do you have one?"

"Zethar. And yours."

"Kiera."

As Kiera and Zethar spoke, they made their way into the tavern. Not allowing any pets inside, Iago and Kasha, surprising Kiera, stayed outside and behaved like Zethar commanded. Kiera could not believe how a mere boy, at the tender age of eleven, could control these wild animals as he did. She looked to the sky as the sun slowly began to set and wondered how long she'd be allowed to stay in the city.


***********************************

Meanwhile...outside of the city.

The fierce paladin, otherwise known as Damien, sliced through another Sabre Cat. His sword hit the flesh of the beast, with an extreme force, sending it spinning through the air and finally hitting the sandy ground; the ground, which was riddled with the bloody bodies of at least two dozen Sabre Cats. The paladin, wielding his shield and broad sword with great skill, attacked the remaining three Cats. He struck them down with anger and hatred. Finally killing the last of his enemies, he didn't notice one of them climb to its feet. About to strike the unknowing paladin, the Sabre Cat suddenly burst into flames, sending the paladin to the ground. He looked up, waiting for the smoke to disappear, and once it began to clear, a figure, holding a staff, could be made out, walking towards the warrior of light.

"You should really be more observant when fighting," She said to the paladin, as the smoke had completely cleared. He saw a woman with a beautiful body and the face of an angel. But despite her good looks, he didn't like her comment.

"And you should learn to mind your own business," He snapped back.

"A lot of anger in you," She began circling the dark skinned, dark eyed paladin. "You should learn to calm down. It might help your concentration."

"I do not need the advice of a foolish sorceress."

"You need someone's advice, Paladin," She replied, examining the man. "I watched your entire fight and you are a very angry little boy."

The paladin attempted to retaliate, but were disrupted by a young man, maybe nineteen or twenty years old, sliding down the dunes screaming for the duo to wait for him. He was dreadfully pale and by the way he was dressed, it was safe to assume one thing... this boy was a necromancer. Or at least, that's what it had seemed. But, by his warm hearted smile and friendly tone of voice, it was hard to tell.

"Thank you for waiting," the young necromancer stated. "My name is Drakul. I was hoping for some direction to the nearest city."

"You are in luck, young necromancer," the sorceress said. "I am heading that way," she turned around. "Follow me!"

"Thank you," Drakul replied gratefully. "May I have your name?"

"Zyka."

"And yours, noble paladin?" Drakul addressed the bitter warrior.

"That is none of your concern creature of the dark," The angered paladin replied walking off, leaving the young necromancer with a confused look.

The three companions, if you could call them that, walked along the sands and with in no time, had arrived at the gates of Lut Gholien. Drakul attempted to speak to the two warriors, but they didn't seem in the mood to talk, unless it was to criticize or mock each other. Nightfall had come, and the three companions had decided to enter the tavern. It seemed to be a peaceful night. But, little did they known, that this night would be anything but peaceful, for outside the town were the making of a nightmare... but also of a great thing too.

"As I described above, fate has away of dealing with things. It was fate that Cylene the Amazon?s search for her father had lead her to Lut Gholein. It was fate the Korlic the Barbarian had come looking for his wife on that day in Lut Gholien. It was fate the Kiera the Assassin chose to hide from her past in the walls of Lut Gholien. It was fate that the winds drew Zethar the Druid into Lut Gholien. It was fate that Damien the Paladin had found a horde of demons outside of Lut Gholien. It was fate that Zyka the Sorceress had been heading into Lut Gholien this day. It was fate that Drakul the Necromancer had stumbled upon a guide to Lut Gholien. And it was still fate that caused these seven different warriors, with different pasts, to be present in the exact same location at the exact same time."

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Thanx for reading. Again, please review.