[Book 1] Land of Rising Evil: Light and Darkness (AQW)

Kitri

Gomfalion and Gamzati sailed for long hours, following the flying castle of the Shadowscythe. Gomfalion surrounded himself with thoughts. Could the Shadowscythe's leader really be Valen? Could he have changed his name? Is he undead as well? And how? Unlimited thoughts filled Gomfalion's mind.

"That voice from the castle, It sounded exactly like Valen's," he thought. "It has to be him. Who else could it be?"

He was determined to find out if it was really him. This was the actual reason he followed the castle. Coincidentally though, Mortimer was kidnapped, so they had to find him as well.

As Gomfalion surrounded himself with thoughts and began to startle himself, Gamzati tapped his shoulder and pointed to the horizon.

"Look!" she exclaimed. "The castle! It disappeared!" and the castle slowly vanished from their sight, being covered by the clouds.

"Don't worry," Gomfalion said. "Though it is possible they might take a different route, I assure you that they are heading for Swordhaven."

"But how are we supposed to get there?" Gamzati asked. "We do not have anything to follow anymore."

"It's alright," Gomfalion said. "I know how to get to Swordhaven."

"How then?" Gamzati asked another question.

"Don't you remember? I took the same path to Lolosia from Swor-... Well, at that time, It was still called Dreadhaven."

"Oh right," Gamzati said. "So all you have to do is reverse the path that you have taken before?"

"Yes, exactly," Gomfalion stated.

And so they sailed for hours and hours on the route Gomfalion took long before. Luckily, he still remembered the pathway. The Shadowscythe, as mentioned by Gomfalion, took a different route to Swordhaven. They passed by the land of Oaklore, home to many peaceful villagers and guarded by battalions of knights, lead by no other than the iconic paladin, Artix Krieger.

After an hour, the Shadowscythe finally arrived in Oaklore. The undead knights, including the unknown leader, began to jump off the castle, and into their positions, forming the army. A red dragon also landed by the side of the army and it roared loudly. On the other side, the battalions of Oaklore prepared their defenses behind the gates of the Oaklore Tower. The Shadowscythe's leader then went in front to make his announcements. He was in full red armor with a red and black sword, and he wore a helmet that was shaped into a form of a red skull, with glowing red eyes. He raised his sword and yelled with a broad voice.

"We will take this land in the name of evil! For the Shadowscythe! CHARGE!!!"

And the armies charged at each other, thus beginning the battle. The red dragon flew across and breathed its fires on the Oaklore Tower. Looking at the horizon from a cliff, there was a woman observing the battle. She was in a blue and gold robe, and she was equipped with a staff with an orb on it. As the dragon passed by the cliff, she jumped off and landed on the dragon, then she jumped again to the ground. As she set foot on the land, she was surrounded by undead warriors. She pointed her staff at them, and they charged at her. She casted spells on them. Seeing as she had a staff with an orb on it, it was obvious she was some sort of mage that specialized on arcane magic. She then defeated the warriors surrounding her, looking for more enemies to kill, but she runs by a little boy. The boy called her out.

"You're here! The knight captain said the help we needed would arrive today. We need our hero now more that ever. The undead army is attacking all over Oaklore!" said the boy. "You are Kitri, correct?"

"Um, yes," the woman replied.

"Perfect!" the boy exclaimed. "The captain said you had abilities beyond ordinary folk, and I'd be able to see it. And I can! You're exactly who we need to save us!"

"Great!" Kitri replied, enthusiastically. "Now, what am I to do?"

"You've got to come with me to the keep," the boy stated. "Once you're there, they'll make sure you have the knowledge you need to fight the battles ahead!"

And so the boy brought Kitri to the keep and she met up with the knight captain.

"Greetings, young lady!" the captain said. "I am Artix, the knight captain."

"Pleased to meet you," Kitri said. "But as much as I want to talk, we have no time to. Sir Artix, what must I do to defend the keep?"

"That is exactly what I was going to say next," Artix said. "The only thing I need you to do is help the knights protect the inside of the keep. There are many undead capable of breaking these walls. Meanwhile, I will protect the outside of the keep with my warriors, and prevent any undead from breaking into the keep. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir Artix," Kitri said.

They then continued what they had planned. Undead knights did break into the walls, thus forcing Kitri and the keep's knights to defend. They fight for a very long time, however the undead did not seem to decrease in number.

"Knights, DEFEND THE KEEP!" said one of the knight commanders.

"Where are they all coming from?" said one of the knights as he stabbed an undead warrior. There then came a bunch of commands and exclamations of knights from both sides.

"FOR SEPULCHURE!" screamed one of the undead generals. Sepulchure? Is that his name? Or could it be Valen's new name?

The undead knights growled and the dragon roared, alarming everyone. There then came orders and more exclamations from the knights of the keep.

"Keep them away from the wounded!"

"Our numbers are even... For now."

"If there aren't any sneaking around, you mean."

An undead mage attempted to cast a spell on a knight. The knight threw his sword backwards, and Kitri jumped to it, caught it, and slashed the undead mage.

"So if this is a surprise test, what's the extra credit like?" Kitri asked.

"You'll see, if you survive!" the knight replied.

Kitri rushed back to the keep. She met up with a man with a red sword and a helmet shaped like a dragon. His name was Galanoth.

"We're winning!" Galanoth said. "The invaders left are weak, and we can take them out easily now."

Kitri pointed at the dragon. "That doesn't look weak to me! It looks like-"

"Your final exam!" Galanoth interrupted. "Defeat that, and you'll be ready to take on anything!"

Galanoth rushed out of the keep to fight the remaining undead. Kitri confronted the dragon. She casted a spell on the dragon, but the dragon breathed its fires and extinguished it. Kitri charged to the dragon, but the dragon knocked her to the wall. The dragon smashed Kitri's right arm, and Kitri let go of her staff. The dragon breathed fire, and she dodged. She then jumped to the wall and grabbed a sword. The dragon once again attempted to breath flame again, but Kitri jumped and flipped to the top of the dragon's head, and she stabbed it. The dragon roared its final roar, and it fell down to its death. Galanoth entered the keep once more.

"That was the finest dragon slaying I've seen in years!" Galanoth cheered. "You're a welcome member of the Order of Dragonslayers."

As the dragon was killed, the Shadowscythe decrease in number and the flying castle flew to the destination of their next target, Swordhaven. Kitri met with Artix and a girl named Alina, who also defended the keep.

"My friend, Oaklore keep stands strong thanks to you!" Artix cheered.

"But you aren't done yet, Kitri!" Alina stated. "There's still the rest of the undead army! If you need more supplies, you can always stop by the town of Battleon, just down the road."

"But hurry, the people of Swordhaven need you!" Artix said. "With your skill and bravery, Sepulchure's army does not stand a chance!

And so, Kitri bid her farewells and left the keep, and she headed for Swordhaven.

"Time to rush to King Alteon's kingdom," Kitri said to herself. "I have a land to save, and I will destroy the Shadowscythe by all means."