The night was black but a near full moon did light the sky, making it possible to travel without the aid of torches. Quickly the elf ranger moved down Brent Street and then Copper Street hoping to prevent anymore useless deaths from happening this day.
The Woo Hoo tavern was a quick side trip from the route to the cemetery. Cameron stopped off to pick up Corsican, his black war stallion before continuing onwards. There was the stench of death in the air. He motioned Corsican towards the cemetery, when he heard a cry for help from just up the street. Knowing that the bulk of the Moorgate militia would be fighting the undead at the gates of the graveyard, he turned his horse and rode to aid the one who had cried out. He rode up the avenue but did not see anyone from whom the cry could have come.
"Who cried for help? It is I, Cameron M'uab Dib. I will aid ye if I can, but I cannae seem tae find ye."
From the shadows of an alleyway between two shops a voice again cried out for help. The ranger dismounted his stallion and entered the alleyway cautiously trying to let his eyes adjust to the lack of light within the alley. He moved further in but could not find anyone. Thinking that his hearing was playing tricks upon him, he turned to leave. Blocking his exit was a short man in blood red robes.
"Hello Trollhater. I need your help."
Trollhater looked at the man oddly, wondering how he had missed him when he came in.
"Hail ... what is it that ye need, friend?", queried the elf as he moved closer.
"Just this, Trollhater..." and with that he lunged at Cameron with a red serrated dagger he had been concealing within his robes. He caught the guild master off guard and would have struck true were it not for the bronze mail that the elf always wore. The armour turned the would be assassin's blade away and kept Cameron from harm. Cameron threw the man to the ground, and ran from the alley. Grabbing Corsican, he turned and looked to see that the mage was again trying to attack him. The dagger's blade flashed evilly in the moonlight and arced through thin air. Trollhater and his stallion were both gone, for the ranger had used his guild ring to remove them from harm.
Cameron regained his senses and was again back in the main hall of the fighter's guild. Too many times had he done this. Too many times had these would-be disciples of Morlend attempted to attack him. They all wanted a sample of his blood, but for what purpose, only Morlend knew. The ranger had heard rumors abound of Morlend's blood stone and could only guess what powers Morlend would have over him, were his blood apart of that vile stone. Cameron shook his head in disgust wondering how many more attacks he would be able to escape from before Morlend got what he wanted.
"Why is this filth allowed to have his way with the land, Kali? Why?"
Even from within the guild the cries for healing could be heard coming from the marketplace at the center of town. Hurriedly, the ranger replaced his guild ring and again blew out the call for help on the guild horn.
"All members tae the marketplace, we must defend ourselves from this warlock's attack", he shouted as he exited the guild, hoping that some would hear his words.
Moorgate was in turmoil once again, all because of the aspirations of one man, the warlock lord Morlend. Many times recently had the citizens of this city endured an attack because of his grasp for power. As Trollhater rushed to join the battle in the center of town, he could see a red glow coming from the North. The mages guild, and Morlend's study, rested in that direction.
He turned Corsican and charged north towards the mage's guild. He heard the shouting long before he arrived. High above the voices of the others he could hear the voice of Flynn, the Guardian of the Light. Flynn and he did not see eye to eye on everything, but he knew that Flynn would ever fight against the likes of Morlend. Charging into the room, he saw many people who had been friends in his past, standing behind Morlend lending their strength to their leader. He saw many standing in front of Morlend, in defiance of the death he had wrought this day. Flynn stood before them all, smiling defiantly at Morlend.
"Why are you so quiet Morlend. Do you see you death before you sooner than you thought?"
Morlend did not appear to hear Flynn's words. The air around and behind Morlend began to glow with the color of blood. Morlend waved his hands in an intense spell and a creature of pitch black stepped from out of thin air. Fast as lighting it was and it struck Flynn without a moments thought. Flynn's body crumpled to the ground but disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Many more it attacked before Trollhater recovered from shock long enough to call for a retreat.
"Retreat! Retreat! Ye will all fall before that thing. That is a Gatekeeper! Fear it, for it will be yer death should ye stay! Retreat!"
The guild master regrouped the survivors on the road just south of the mages guild. He sent scouts out to report what was happening back at the entrance. Apparently the beast was gone. Morlend had been forced to return it to where he had summoned it from, after it had started to attack him as well. He motioned that it was time for the militia to move back and confront Morlend once more.
They approached the guild entrance just in time to see a large bird of fire land in front of Morlend. On the back of the phoenix rode the guardian Flynn fresh from the realms of rebirth.
"Your power is nothing compared to that of my lord, Morlend. She has blessed me with her grace this day." Flynn turned towards those who had decided this day to defend their city from the warlock. "Stand strong friends, Morlend can't handle such a show of force for long, if we all stand together."
Morlend merely smirked at Flynn in response.
"Kali may protect you today, Flynn, but someday soon, I will grind you beneath my heel like the slug that you are. Begone slug, you are not wanted here."
And with that the Blood mage started casting another spell, drawing upon the support of those who stood behind him. One or two of his would be disciples crumpled to the ground offering up their life's blood in support of their lord. The air around Cameron grew arm and the scent of blood grew strong. With the thunderous sound of wood splintering into several pieces a swarm of undead pulled themselves up out of the streets to attack the militia. The battle raged on for a long time, and many fell, but in the end the militia would hold strong. The battle had drawn the attention of more citizens of Moorgate. Two of note appeared late in the battle. One being the Lady Ifalna, Shamaness of Moorgate, and former follower of Morlend. The other was the Battle-mad berserker called Leoric, Guild Lieutenant of the fighters guild. These days Leoric had earned a new nickname. Many now called him the hideous one, as he was forever covered in the blood of his enemies, which he refused to wash off. Leoric stormed in upon the back of his hairy War Mumakil. Neither Ifalna nor Leoric joined in the battle to aid the militia. Both stood on the outskirts of the battle, Ifalna in seeming confusion over something and Leoric sitting purveying the scene with a wicked grin carved into his face. When it became clear the militia was winning and some had begun to advance on Morlend, Leoric made his move.
He forced a path for his Mumakil between the angry mob and the mage Morlend, driving many back by lunging at them with the beast he rode.
"Move out of the way, Leoric! Morlend's time has come. Let us at him," shouted Cameron M'uab Dib at his guild Lieutenant, but to little avail. Leoric stood his ground and only shook his head.
Morlend, who's eyes had remained closed, now opened them and eyed Ifalna standing at the back of the mob.
"Fear not, Ifalna, I forgive you. You will join me again. You and I both know it."
"Ifalna will not join you, Morlend. She has already learned from her past follies. You have no sway over her.", muttered Trollhater, though he doubted his words even as he said them. This betrayal of Leoric's had caught him off-guard and returned him to his earlier state of doubt.
Morlend, never taking his eyes away from the shamaness spoke.
"She knows what ties still bind her to me, and she knows their strength. She will follow me once more."
Trollhater looked to Ifalna and could see that Morlend spoke the truth. An inner battle was raging within her, and the friend he had recently made seemed to be losing the fight. Cameron shook his head sadly. Flynn began calling for action from the militia, but the elven ranger no longer heard what was going on around him. With his mind in turmoil over the events of the last two days, he turned Corsican away from the mages guild and rode to the center of town.
His actions had not gone unnoticed by Sedillo, Knight in Training. He followed his guild master away from the newly brewing battle. He followed Trollhater to the marketplace and found him sitting on the ground in the now vacant town center, leaning against an iron fence.
"Where are you going Troll? We need you back there.", wondered Sedillo.
"Go away, Sedillo. I need to think." muttered the elven ranger to his friend.
Dismounting from his grey war stallion, Strider, he hitched him beside Cameron's black stallion and sat down.
"I'm afraid i can't do that, GM"
The guild master frowned at Sedillo, but said nothing.
"Why did ye leave, Troll?
"I don't know ... I just grow tired of seeing those I called friends, joining Morlend. I am tired of him having his way in this city, and yet, there is nothing any of us can do about it, is there?"
"We cannot allow doubts to enter into are minds. That is what he feeds off of."
"I know ... I know ... but what good has anything we did today done? Is he gone? Is he weaker? ... Stronger? It seems that with each invasion he visits upon this city, we grow weaker, and he grows stronger. Now even Leoric has joined sides with him."
Trollhater rose from the ground and grabbed the wrought iron fence in both hands as if he would try to wrest it from the ground. Shortly after, though, he leaned against it for the support it gave him.
"When did he join Morlend? That action surprised me tonight."
"Who knows? Who cares? Apparently it takes little coaxing to get a blood thirsty lunatic to switch sides. I should have seen it coming, but somedays my trust in others gets the best of me."
For a few moments silence hung in the air of the marketplace. Faintly they could both hear the sounds of battle coming from the North west. Trollhater took off his helm and let his hair fall free. Eventually Sedillo spoke.
"Where is Golgotha? I haven't seen him in a while. I need to talk to him." He said while stroking his beard.
Trollhater merely shrugged his shoulders and muttered something under his breath that Sedillo couldn't make out. Before he could ask his guild master what he had said, injured from the fight at the mages guild began to pore into recall. Sedillo began healing the injured while Troll leaned against the fence.
Over and over in Trollhater's mind, the events of the last few days raced. He pounded his fists into the fence's bars in frustration. He was a man who had lost his center.
"Forget the Gods ...," he thought aloud, "I will fix my problems on my own."
Sedillo finishing up with the wounded, turned to once again try and help his guild master break free of his recent depression.
"Have faith in Kali, Troll. She will see us through even the worst of times."
Cameron turned and stared at his friend, shocked by Sedillo's naivety.
"The Gods do nae care what happens to us anymore ... that is my faith."
"Troll ... why do you say that?"
But Trollhater had turned away from Sedillo and begun to untether Corsican from the fence. Sedillo seeing that he was leaving, followed suit.
"Troll ...?"
Seemingly Sedillo's words were going unheard by his friend, as he was deep in thought. Sedillo tried to gain Cameron's attention again.
"Troll ...?"
Cameron, who was now astride his war stallion, rubbed his eyes as if they ached.
"What is it, Sedillo?"
"You need to forget about the Gods. We don't need them to save us. Trust in us, in out ability to save ourselves.", counciled Sedillo, who was also now astride his grey war stallion. He moved closer to Cameron, "We can do anything we set our minds to."
Suddenly a thought occurred to Cameron. The words of Sedillo struck a chord somewhere deep inside of him. He felt a moment of clarity stronger than any he had felt before. He knew now that he had been a fool to ever put his faith in the Gods. Why had he wasted so much time in prayer to them? They had shown him over and over that they did not care what evils existed in this world. He had wasted all that time praying when he should have been doing.
"Aye ye are right Sedillo. We should only believe in ourselves. We can do anything we set our minds to. Thank ye ... Ye have been a great help."
"That's not exactly what I meant, Troll. We should believe in ourselves, because the gods have given us everything we need to whatever we need to do. Trust the Gods, as they trust in you."
"I am sorry Sedillo, but I do nae think I can trust the Gods anymore. I trust in this ...," he said as he drew out his flame arrow bow, " and this." He pounded on the chest armour he wore beneath his ranger's cloak. "I trust in them because they are here. I can touch them and feel them, so I know they are true. The gods cannae be touched, so I cannae put anymore trust in them."
Sedillo sat back in the saddle, shocked at his guild master's behavior.
"Listen to you. Just listen to you. I did not come back for this. I left this island for what I thought would be for good. But as soon as I heard that Jihad was leaving, I came back. I came back to help you get through this rough period so that things would go more smoothly. I did not come back for this. So wake up! We need you right now."
Cameron stared at Sedillo for a moment before speaking.
"I am here," he began," as I have always been here ..."
"Then start acting like it"
"... I merely point out that neither Kali nor Ica are here."
"They do not need to be here, They have the trust in us to handle it."
"Why do ye act like we are arguing. We seem to be in agreement."
"I do not like this new attitude you have, Troll. the guild needs you right now and I am here to make sure that you are here as the guild's leader. And, like it or not, I am here till you get over this and start acting like it again. With Leoric behind Morlend and Niniane leaving on her quest soon, you are all we have."
Trollhater looked at his friend in silence, and motioned Corsican back towards the guild, Sedillo keeping pace with him.
"Kali will be here if we need her."
"I fear ye are overly optimistic my friend."
"One of us has to be. Kali is here with us. She will save us if need be. As will Ica."
End of Part 4
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Memories of my Youth
Crisis of Faith chapter one
Crisis of Faith chapter two
Crisis of Faith chapter three
Crisis of Faith chapter five
