Deathslayer: A Return to Damnation

Chapter Fourteen - Memories of the damned.

Edowin was confused when he was told to meet his lord on the beach. He arrived and watched as dark clouds swirled overhead until forming the giant armed figure that was Xenovar, or El Diablo as everyone else called him. His figure when standing reached near the clouds in the sky as his head (made of black flames with two glowing blue flames for snake-like eyes) seemed to darken the skies above him.

"Why are we here?" Edowin asked as they approached a large makeshift wooden cabin. It was a homely seeming place but something was still off about it. Weapons lined the front porch and there seemed to be a rotting corpse a few feet away from the entrance. "I need something," Xenovar explained. He began to walk towards the cabin before falling to one knee and compressing his size. He now only stood slightly taller than the cabin itself. Edowin approached the corpse and noticed it was wearing a very similar set of armor to his own darkened suit that he wore. "This is the former black knight- which means-" Edowin began to worry as he realized who this house belonged to.

"Don't worry, I've received word that the Deathslayer has left his home and is in Zira. He has just slaughtered the Poverty King to my knowledge, and either way it's not the house I need," Xenovar began to approach the woods. "What are we here for then?" Edowin asked him. Xenovar raised a hand in front of him and flattened it out, a wave of black energy shot out of the hand and started streaming forward, knocking down tree after tree after tree. They all came tumbling down like some twisted game of dominos. Xenovar then closed his hand and Edowin watched as all the trees began to slowly melt until they all turned into a black liquid that seemed to burn the ground it stood on, steam rising into the air. Xenovar slid his hand to the left and the liquid did the same, then he slid his hand to the right and it followed. Next he flicked his hand forward and the black liquid soaked into the ground, as the ground began to turn black and steam. El Diablo then turned around and pointed one finger at the water, sending the black liquid towards the ocean. Edowin jumped up and down to avoid stepping in the liquid as it streamed across the ground towards the ocean, burning the grass, dirt, and sand as it went and leaving huge burn marks on the ground. Eventually Edowin saw what Xenovar was looking for. There was a clearing only a few trees down from the area that Xenovar had cleared. Both Edowin and Xenovar slowly entered the clearing and stared at the small makeshift wooden grave that stood in the center of the clearing, an almost taunting sight. There was something odd about it, it didn't fit in with its surroundings. It's like it had an aura of grief and suspicion around it. Edowin slowly approached it and read the name, "Elizabeth Dracovich." Edowin thought for a second. He hadn't heard her name before but the last name rung a few bells. More like it set off sirens in his head, there was something that Xenovar wasn't telling him. "Who is this?" Edowin asked, turning around to face Xenovar.

El Diablo's eyes faded in his head as he thought about what to say before they eventually came back, "No use in hiding it, it's Styrkar's wife." Edowin felt his heart drop upon hearing the words, this was the death that caused the first crusade The main reason for the death and destruction wrought upon the land that decimated millions if not billions of lives. It all started and ended with this grave. This grave that was protected by the Deathslayer for decades.

"This is it- where it all began and ended right in one spot- that means that this used to be-" Xenovar chuckled before snapping his fingers with a metallic clank. More trees began falling down and melting before his eyes. Structures were revealed, large structures that were half destroyed. Vines that were on the structures melted with the trees revealing more cracks and damages to the structure. Xenovar folded his hands behind his back as he stomped his foot. He watched as the remains of the structure refolded themselves back together and began to form the village where the Crusade ended. "This is where he slaughtered the reaper, tore him in half," Xenovar motioned forward and Edowin saw Styrkar walking forward. The grave was replaced with a large podium where a man in a black robe and metal mask was struggling. He was tied to the pole. He slowly saw the huge bulking figure in the distance approach with a crowd behind him that lit fire to every house. Screams echoed out as people were burned alive and begged for mercy. Styrkar answered most their cries with an ax to the head or a stomp of his foot on their back, crushing every organ in their torso.