???: Sorry guys, but Zedd gave us specific orders not to let anyone in here.
Scotty: Come on Dan, we need to speak with him and the girls right now.
Dan: Incase you havn't noticed Scott, Zeddicus is a demon..a very powerful one for that matter. Jory has left him incharge in his absence and to disobey the orders of a powerful demon is something only a fool would do.
He felt like he was arguing his case to a brick wall, now he knew why most humans hated lycanthropes, not because of their weird ability to change into animals..but because of how stubborn they were. Zedd had placed two werewolves outside the cabin door to insure the privacy of himself, Colleen and Kerri...but Scotty knew it was to keep himself and Craig out, afterall..what threat could two humans pose to lycanthropes?
After Craig & Scotty had their talk in the woods they were determined to talk with Zedd and find out what the problem was. They had been through too much together to be left out of this and Scotty would be damned if he was going to sit out here and not know the fate of his friend.
Craig stepped up to the side of Scotty and shot Dan a menacing glare, Scotty could see the magic of him dancing in his eyes..Craig wanted to call the Elements to remove this obstacle from his path..but he couldn't..this person was afterall an ally.
Craig: Dan, it is very important that we go in there and speak to Zedd.
Dan: Myself and Clark will not move until Master Zeddicus has instructed us to, I'm sorry guys.
Scotty gave Craig a side glance before placing his fingers over his eyes and giving them a stressed out massage. He found himself proud that Dan would follow orders without hesitation, but right now was not the best of times.
Craig: Dan, you know I'm a man of magic right?
Dan: Yes, we have been told of your blessing from the Heavens.
Craig: Well, aside from being able to command the earthly elements, I have been blessed with a power that only the rarest of the rare can have. The Lord has truely blessed me Dan.
Scotty turned his head a little towards Craig while he was talking and saw Craig give him a small smile from the corner of his mouth, Craig was up to something.
Dan: What gift could be more greater then yours?
Craig: Dan..I have the vision of sight. I can see into the past and the future..I could tell you what will happen 5 minutes from now..or 100 years from now. It is a knowledge that the Lord passed onto me in hope it will serve well in this great battle.
Dan: Why are you telling me this?
Craig: Because Dan, I have had a very powerful vision of Jory...a vision so gruesome..so terrorfying, it would cause your skin to crawl off your bones in fright. I must warn Zedd of this vision so that we may have a chance at keeping this vision from becoming a reality.
It took everything he had not to laugh, or even smile. The lycanthropes respected magic, especially a human with magic..and they definately held Jory in high respect. To hear of him in danger would certainly set most, if not all of them into a paniced frenzy. Normal humans looked at lycanthropes as if they themselves were nothing more than animals that should be locked up in cages, the only people who could remotely understand how a lycanthrope felt was a human gifted with magic. Craig and Jory both would know in some aspect how the lycanthrope community felt..they too were feared and loathed by many humans.
Dan: This can't be possible! If we lose Jory....
Craig: Then we lose the war Dan, please let us in.
Scotty could tell by the look in Dan's eyes that he was weighing his options. A man of magic has just told him of a disturbing vision that could cost them the war, but a demon of even greater power has instructed him to not allow anyone into the cabin and to disobey a demon in high command was almost certain death. Dan stared at the ground for a moment, then turned his eyes up to Scotty & Craig's and smiled.
Dan: I fear the punishment a demon of Zeddicus's power would play upon me for letting you in, but I fear even more losing a man who has helped us at every whim on this journey. We will let you pass.
Giving Dan a small nod of respect, Craig & Scotty walk past him & Clark and open the door to the cabin, ready to get some answers from that crazy old demon.
Using what paperwork he could salvage and what army he could keep loyal to him, Durius managed to sneak away from the watchful eye of Hell and found his way slowly into Jory's camp area. Staying far off so not to be detected, he kept his eyes on the trees as his scouts searched the area for a possible entry for attack..he was not going to fail The Master this time, even if it meant being punished for not listening to his orders.
Once Durius returned from Hell with the phantom, it was an uphill struggle to find lycanthropes, vampires, spirits, witches and any other create of magic he could find that would follow him and not go along with Hell's new plan..to Durius's dissapointment many of his men feared Hell more then Durius and left, but he managed to find at least 200-300 who were loyal and would follow. With them backing him, he snuck away from the base and hightailed it out of there before the Daemonlord The Master sent to replace Durius could arrive, thus avoiding a very messy situation.
Standing there now, with only a handful of his men to keep him company, Durius wondered deep down if this was the right thing to do. What if The Master was right? What if Jory was too powerful for him? To fail would mean unbearable torture for the rest of his existance, but he knew if the fates dealt him that card that he would fial knowing that he at least tried and did not submit to a mortal no matter how powerful he may be.
He wasn't all too surprised to see the necroscope and his friend's chose a secluded place in the woods to hide out from him. It was spacious but with all of the trees about it'd be hard to find anyone up here, especially at night...but not for Durius. With Jory currently being preoccupied with other matters this was the perfect time to attack the camp, especially if Zedd was busy trying to find Jory..it'd be so easy The Master would have no choice BUT to recognize Durius's greatness and keep him on the forefront.
Durius was snapped out of his thoughts when his scouts, two werewolves escorted by a warlock, approached him nearly out of breath..both werewolves were covered in blood and had their clothes shredded off...they shifted.
Durius: Report Wizard Xander.
Xander: We were scouting the woods liked you asked of us sir and were surprisingly ambushed by a few of their men.
Durius: I take it you won the fight?
Xander: Yes sir, and with luck we also managed to open up a nice pathway into the camp by killing the gaurds..whenever you command sir we can attack with surprise.
Durius: What of their magically gifted? Wouldn't they have some kind of shield around the camp?
Xander: None of their gifted is as talented as I My Lord, I have played with their shield so they think it is still up but will easily fall once we set upon them.
Durius: Xander, how is it that they were able to surprise you if you are THAT talented?
Xander lowered his head a little with a small look of surprise itself etched on his face.
Xander: I pondered that myself sir, and after the battle was over I scanned the bodies with my magic to see how it happened. I was amazed to find that they had a protective shield wrapped tightly around them made with power that even I could not fathom, my power had no chance of detecting them..neither did these two.
Hmm, this did not make any sense to him. Why heavily protect your men with powerful magic, but leave the entire base weakened with a low grade shield? He rubbed his chin in thought while staring at the dumbfounded Xander and went over a few ideas in his head.
Durius: Maybe they are trying to bait us into attacking them.
Xander: Possibly sir, but with some of them still wounded I'm not sure if they would dare such a tactic.
Durius: You never know with that damn necroscope and his friends...
Durius took a deep sigh and turned his eyes once more to the forest. Durius's only real option was to attack through this new opening, but he didn't like it one bit..then again war has never been an easy game to play.
Durius: Alright Xander, gather the troops..were going to attack.
Xander: As you command My Lord.
Xander bowed before Durius then walked off into the night to gather the remaining men on scout. Standing before his wounded werewolves he lifted his sword slowly out of the hilt to check and see if it was clear then gave a small smile.
Durius: Tonight this green forest will rain with the red blood of mortals.
It took several drinks of water for Jory's throat to finally feel like it wasn't dryer then the Mohave Desert after what The First just revealed to him. Standing before him was the very FIRST necroscope, a man who was taken in by Satan and his Daemonlords and changed into a weapon to help take down the Gates of Heaven. Jory could recall a few times when Zedd had possessed Jory a few years ago images that would pop into his mind from time to time..images of a man fitting the description of the one standing ifnront of him summoning great power against brightly lit angels who were raditing so much power that Jory's eyes hurt to gave upon the image.
Never in his imagination would he have ever guessed that these were images of the first necroscope, and by the visions these were either passed down to him through birthright or Zedd's thoughts would sometimes become his own..showing him things no person today has ever seen. So many questions were nagging to be released that after downing the whole cup of water he gently set it down then met The First's eyes.
With a better look at him, Jory could see his eyes were a deep dark brown that nearly consumed all the white surrounding his pupils. His face aged a little from the images he saw, but not as much as he would have expected. His build was very muscular, not like his or Zedd's..but built powerfully enough to definately be a wrestler in the UEF. His hair was pure white like snow and slicked back so as to show off his whole face. How this man managed to live all these years was amazing to him and it was just one of the questions he wanted to ask.
The First: The look in your eyes tells me I'm going to be in for a long night.
Jory: How is it possible that you are alive? Surely when you were made it must have been....
The First: About 2000 years ago, give or take a few hundred years.
Jory: How can you say that like its something normal?
The First: Well for me it is Jory, its something you get used to..trust me.
Jory: Why is it your alive then? Are the others that were created with you around?
The First: Oh I doubt they are around anymore, maybe one or two..but if they were they would be extremely weak and much older looking then myself. When Satan and his Daemonlords created me, they put in a lot of power and time into me..so much that I turned out to be more powerful then even they knew..so powerful that I'm basically immortal.
Jory: What happened to all of you if your immortal?
The First: Like I said, with me being the first I was given the most powerful parts of the gift. Once Satan and his Daemonlords started to make the others they experimented with them, gave them different aspects of the gift of the necroscope. While some aquired the same life length of myself others didn't..and so they died out quickly, either in battle or because of old age.
Jory: What of the others like you then?
The First: Though time doesn't have a tight grip on us like normal humans, we can still die. Think of it like say a vampire..they are immortal yet the sun or a simple stabbing thru the heart will kill them. Necroscopes are like that except we are alive, so anything ranging from a bad illness to a simple stab anywhere on the body can still kill us..many of us have met that fate.
Jory: It must have been a very hard 2000 years for you then.
The First got a hauntingly sad look in his eyes and slowly nodded.
The First: The idea of immortality is nice, but going over 2000 years without seeing your deeply cherished family or friends, seeing suffering and death at every turn and knowing you'll never be excepted by your own kind...its a fate I wish unto no one.
Jory watched The First for a moment, taking in the overwhelming pain and saddeness that was swelling in his eyes. He wondered if this was possibly a fate himself and Kerri were going to have to face..then again that have suffered as much in life he could not possibly think of a more painful fate.
Jory: Is that why you hide in here? Keep yourself locked away from the humans so you wont be hurt anymore?
The First: The hurt of not being accepted is a very dim light on true pain Jory, the life of a necroscope is more of a curse then a blessing.
Mumbling more to himself then aloud Jory replied.
Jory: Yea, no kidding.
The First: My memories of children being slaughtered for no reason other then to be slaughtered, families being wiped out, whole villages going up in flames..the spirits of the dead being forced to battle when all they want is peace..all of this and more over 2000 years has made it very hard to continue on. The evil power in my body has made it possible to destory countless lives..it is shameful.
Jory: My power too was created by Satan, but I use it against him...your power is only evil if used for evil purposes.
The First: They were Jory, I was being forced by the forces of Hell to use my power against Heaven and innocent humans.
Jory: You can change that now though, you obviously are not being guided by the powers of Hell at the moment.
The First: Oh no, my time in the battlefield has come and gone..as I hear tell you are the new necroscope everyone is talking about.
Jory: When you carry the burden of the survival of mankind on your shoulders, word travels around.
The First: Hahaha, so it seems. I bet Durius is giving you one hell of a battle.
Jory: You can say that....hes dealt me some blows I'll not soon forget.
The First: Yes, Durius always had a way of torturing his enemy better then the rest.
Jory: How do you know him?
The First: We fought a few battles together when he was trying to become a Daemonlord, the things he did to humans even when in a good mood wake me in a cold sleep to this day.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see The First was staring into his face, Jory couldn't seem to find words to express how true his was.
The First: I can see that he has made you one of his victims.
Jory: I plan to make him pay for the lives he has destroyed.
The First: Even with your power Jory he is still something you cant take lightly...a human and demon are two very different beings.
Jory shot up to The First's face and grabbed his robes in a fit of rage.
Jory: HE WILL PAY FOR RUINING THOSE LIVES AND MINE! HE WILL TASTE COLD VENGENCE AND WHEN THE TIME COMES HE WILL LEARN THAT NO MATTER WHAT BEING YOU ARE YOU DO NOT MESS WITH HUMAN LIVES!
The First stood there and stared at Jory and waited for the anger to calm in Jory. Jory slowly let go of the robes then crossed the small room and ran his fingers through his hair.
Jory: I'm sorry, this war has been very frustrating, I'm been thrust into a role I dont know how to play and at every turn it seems my decisions only lead to even worse problems.
The First: Your a necroscope only just coming into your own Jory, I understand that you are in a very difficult position.
Jory: Then help me, help me understand my powers...my purpose.
The First: As I've said...
Jory wheeled around and threw his glare to The First before he could finish.
Jory: It is in your best interest to help me, if you dont then eventually Durius and Satan will find you and force you back into a world of pain and slavery! Do you really want that?! Do you want to slaughter innocent children again!?
The First shivered at the last part then turned his head away from Jory in shame.
The First: Get some sleep Jory, I will take first watch.
Before Jory could reply The First left the room in a slight hurry to get away from the discussion. Jory, feeling the adrenaline rush of anger pounding through his veins, slumped down onto the bed and stared at the ceiling lost in his chaotic thoughts. Before he finally fell asleep..the last image to appear in Jory's mind was the haunted look in The First's eyes..and the fear that he may too end up as sad and full of pain as him.
When Scotty & Craig reached the bedroom where Kerri, Colleen and Zedd were holding their meeting they saw them sitting in a circle discussing where Jory could have gone. Judging by the looks on their faces it was a very serious problem..but Colleen seemed most worried.
Scotty: This looks bad Craig.
Craig: What do we do?
Scotty: I wish I had an idea, but I'm about as lost as Zedd & the girls look.
As they turned back to take another peek a loud boom was heard outside that shook the whole cabin and brought Craig & Scotty to their knees. Scotty & Craig shoot their eyes toward the door then back up when they see Zedd & the girls standing over them.
Craig: What the hell was that?
Kerri: We better go check.
Together, the 5 warriors ran to the door and threw it open..what met their eyes brought a short yelp out of them all. A huge battle was suddenly taking place before their eyes..the enemy with a slight advantage was trying to make their way toward the cabin. Werewolves were tearing apart anything that got in their way as were other wereanimals and vampires. The humanly gifted were trying their best to counterattack the other with blood flying everywhere.
Without hesitation Scotty & Craig pull out their swords and jump into the fray while Kerri & Colleen follow shortly after them. As Zeddicus watches the horror his eyes catch movement off to the side of the battle...there standing before him was Durius with his arms folded over his chest and a big demonic smile spread over his face.
Durius: Hello Zeddicus, wanna come out and play?
To be continued