Tales from the Aegis book Original Draft

Prologue

A barrel would fall down a set of cold stone stairs, landing and shattering against the moss covered floor. "You are certain this is the place?" Devan said, his long, Grey ears twitching. "Yes," Novak replied. Novak looked around the small room. It was covered in crystals, glowing as if they were lit from within. The room was circular with no doors or windows. As they stood there staring into the room, it began to shake violently. Devan gasped in surprise as he jumped backward and held himself on the stairs."What's going on?" Devan shouted as he tried to get back up the stairs. The room shook even more than the barrels falling did. A few broken shards of crystal fell off the walls; shattering against the floor. "It must be the artifact! the shaking will only cease if we find it!" Novak then said, pointing forward at the dark hall ahead. "Let's go." They entered through a door that suddenly appeared .As they stepped out into the hallway, the hallway was covered in shards of shattered crystal. "I guess this means it's here somewhere," Novak said, walking forward. He could hear Devan's footsteps behind him. "This... Item creates these crystals?" Devan asked, "Yes, and the quakes, it's a defense mechanism from it's magic core." Novak continued forward, looking for the source. "There it is, the artifact!" He pointed ahead as they slowly walked toward it. Crystal shards fell upon them, breaking against the floor as they approached. Devan grunted, holding his head, "You are certain that we need this?" "I'm certain we need if we want to win the war." Novak replied, gruffly. "It's not worth dying for." Devan replied. They reached the artifact, a large cylinder embedded into the wall. The artifact was made of a smooth glass-like material. It was wide enough for Novak to walk inside. "I would die a thousand times over to win this war, my dear Devan." Novak replied, his spindly limbs reaching toward the spinning matrix which held the true artifact. "You are a lunatic, Novak." Devan responded, Novak proceeded to chuckle as he grabbed the handle on the machine, pushing it inwards, revealing a mechanism that could fit the hand of a Drow. A small red light blinked, indicating it had received a signal. The machine whirred as it spun, creating a small vortex that opened up a gate to another dimension. Novak reached out, grasping the handle and pulling it towards him, entering the portal. The Portal grew and engulfed both of the two elven men, revealing a massive purple expanse around them, the mechanism still in place, now with a small door. "Where are we?" Devan asked, but Novak ignored him. The portal closed, leaving them alone in the vastness of the void. "This is it." Novak said, as they stepped out of the portal. "This is what? What is this?" Devan replied a bit frantically, gawking at his surroundings. Novak stuck his hand into the mechanism as the door opened, pulling out a small, stone ball, engraved with a strange symbol, which almost appeared to have dried blood around the cuts in the stone. "This... is the most powerful weapon a Necromancer could ask for, Devan..." Novak said, an unsettling smile stretching across his face, "With this, our people will finally be able to take back what belongs to us. Take back this world, take back the dead, and we will all return to the world below." Devan stared at him with great concern, before speaking up. "Are you insane?!" Devan yelled, backing away from him." Insane, no, I am not insane, my dear friend." Novak said, grabbing hold of Devan's arm, "I'm just doing what needs to be done to save this world." "You're a fucking madman," Devan said, yanking his dagger out of the scabbard on his hip. Novak's grin contorted into a great scowl as he let go of Devan's arm and kicked him in the stomach, promptly knocking him over, Devan hit the floor and grunted, slowly beginning to raise himself from the floor. "You don't believe in our faith." Novak said, "You don't believe in our Emperor." "If this is what our Emperor has in store for all of us then no, I do not." Novak shook with anger and hyperventilated, slowly taking his axe off of his back, "You... You are a false believer... You are a snake!" He yelled, "I will put an end to you, AND YOU WILL JOIN THE REST OF THESE DISGUSTING NONBELIEVERS IN THE TORTURE ROOMS OF TENEBRIS!" He screamed, throwing his axe over his head to swing. Devan rolled out of the way, the axe hitting the ground and sliding along the ground, before coming to a stop by the edge of a crystal. "No, you won't." Devan said, kneeling beside the ball, "I'll make sure of it." Devan then shot up from his knees and thrust his dagger toward Novak's side. Novak quickly dodged the side and swung his axe at Devan again. Devan attempted to dodge out of the way, simultaneously thrusting his dagger once again toward Novak. Devan managed to Stab Novak in the stomach and rip it to the side, tearing open Novak's gut and spraying blood everywhere, but not before Novak swung the axe down and cut off Devan's arm at the Shoulder-blade. "AHHHHHH!" Devan cried out in pain as he fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his arm, "AHHHHH!" He continued to scream until Novak dropped down and began to bleed out, making a hoarse gasp as he clenched his stomach to prevent his organs from spilling onto the cold stone floor. Devan, thinking quickly, used what little energy he had to create a small flame within his hand. Devan had studied Pyromancy from the books inside the great library in Guranlevan, the great castle of the Drow Empire. He then pressed the flame against his shoulder, screaming loudly into the abyss as his wound was cauterized by the flame.The stone ball began to glow bright red, devouring all the blood within the room, as well as the blood Novak was bleeding out. The crystal ball grew larger and brighter, until it became so bright that it started to blind Devan. Devan used his good arm to shield his eyes from the blinding light, as the now-dead Novak rose from where he lay, his entrails slowly seeping out of his stomach, his eyes empty and soulless. "By Lutia... Novak... what have you released?" Novak stared down at Devan with his mouth agape, and let free a slow, choked breath. the cold inside of his body reacting with the air of the Dungeon, making it visible. Devan looked around for the exit, hoping that even in this strange void, the room they were in was preserved. Devan's eyes brightened as he saw the door, the sunlight from the surface slowly piercing through the ajar wooden door." GALENA!" Devan called, "Galena!" He screamed, as loud as he could. But there was no answer. Devan rushed to the door, the light outside becoming stronger and brighter. The undead Novak began to give chase, making a horrifically high pitched scream that no man could make. Devan panted as he ran, the door growing closer and closer, as he outstretched his arm to open it." It's too late," Novak said, approaching Devan from behind. "Too late for what?" Devan asked, running faster than he ever had before, "For you to live, my dear Devan." Novak slung a dark ball of energy at Devan's leg. Devan had just barely pushed open the door before it hit directly into his calf, causing an intense muscle spasm and knocking him over. Devan hyperventilated as he desperately crawled up the stairs, Novak inching closer behind, laughing in a sickly voice. "You should have believed me, Devan." Novak said, standing up from the ground, his lifeless eyes focused on Devan's back. "You should have believed in the Emperor." "Please, please don't kill me." Novak chuckled, "It's too late for that." Suddenly, the door swings open as a silver sword shoved through the air and through Novak's forehead. Devan snapped out of his begging, "G-Galena!" He said, reaching his hand out to her, Galena grabbed his hand and lifted him to his feet and helping him stand, "What the fuck happened in there?" she said, her eyes fixed on Devan with worry. "I... I don't know, Dear sister, I don't know." Galena helped him walk away from the dungeon door, which was just a large mound sticking out of the ground with a door at the end. Devan's breathing slowed, taking in the warm sunlight and the green grass. After a while of walking, Galena set him down on the ground on a hill and sat beside him. "Please, tell me what happened in there," Galena said, crossing her arms,Devan took in a deep breath, "The artifact... It was... something horrible..." Devan said, with a grimace, "Something evil." Devan explained everything that had happened, how Novak attempted to kill Him, how the artifact rode Novak from the dead; Galena listened to his story, nodding. "He spoke of turning us all undead, like that. filling us with an evil I cannot describe." Devan said. "Then he is a traitor, he betrayed the Regim by attacking you." Galena replied, "No, Galena... it's not that simple.." Devan continued, "He spoke of it like he knew. Like he had been told to retrieve this artifact, knowing the evil it contained. I think we are the traitors, Galena."That doesn't make sense, Brother." Galena said, shaking her head, "We are all faithful followers of the Emperor." Devan then looked down at his hand, and then to the cathedral in the distance. "Perhaps we shouldn't be."