Outside the sun is shining.
A wonderful Spring has already begun, birds are singing and many flowers in warm and shimmering colors can be admired.
It’s a perfect world....
But for these people, for those few individuals who have chosen to live this adventure, all light will soon disappear, all notion of time that fades away will eventually vanish.
This group is united in its diversity and perfectly trained, each member has been carefully selected for this new endeavor and for the skirmishes that will inevitably take place until the final battle, until the final moment when they either triumph or are slain.
Others have tried before them, they have related their fears, their sufferings, their wounds and their final debacle. Some could not describe anything, they did not even have time to understand what was happening to them, or dread totally inhibited their memory.
As for these reckless, the ‘Faction of the Rising Sun’, among all the fighters and all the squads they appear to be the best, the boldest and also the ones who can use the most suitable equipment.
Yet today their supreme leader, Walderm the elder, has doubts because until that fateful day everyone here has failed... and now it’s up to him to do the tough task of guiding his friends to victory.
The episode has already begun. As usual, roundup at the entrance of the cave, final meeting, inspection of weapons and shields, repetition of instructions and strategy, then finally the discovery of this unknown place.
Their eyes are not yet accustomed to the deep darkness that reigns down here, so they move step by step, slowly and methodically, through the gloom of this cold and humid maze.
For the time being, everything seems to be going according to the plan, the group is well organized, everyone remains at his post and moves as expected. Words are rather scarce, limited to what is strictly necessary, and agreed signs or glances are permanently used as messages.
The cave seems to stretch endlessly, in a succession of passes, which are sometimes cramped, sometimes sloping or with bends that nobody knows if they will stop going around, in order to allow the group to benefit from a better visibility.
In some places, a foul-smelling liquid of indefinable color drips from the ceiling of this filthy place and fills the mudflows that cover the ground.
From time to time, hoarse yells, repeated howls, dull and violent bumps can be heard, and some apparently reddish and strange shaped stones or fine and diffuse dust occasionally fall on the headgears and hair of these warriors.
But the fighters don’t care, they tirelessly keep moving, as they have explored so many caverns like this one and have always been victorious, certainly exhausted and wounded, but succesfull !
This very day, they are determined to carry on and achieve their mission, nothing and no one will ever force them to turn back or escape...
Of course the awful Ehcks, the elder's first fighting companion, is always running in the lead in order to flush out and lure the first opponents. He is closely followed by Saedra and Zaynax, who will certainly support him and heal him if necessary.
Cautious and meticulous, Walderm keeps himself at a safe distance from the first ones. Inflexible, he moves with his group, consisted of Salragath, Dorahh, Valhalo, and then Ashenrune, the most aggressive among all, whose strength is only equal to his animosity.
Ehcks, like a cutthroat, moves fast, he goes away and he comes back, he knows how to make himself invisible, he manages to fool the vigilance of the first guards and the hideous beasts that populate these fetid places. He passes behind those who watch, those who prohibit the entrance to this labyrinth, those who protect their absolute master, who hides somewhere in the depths of this strange universe... then he turns around suddenly and stabs them savagely with his sharp daggers, but immediately the other villains come running and he has to turn back, whereupon Saedra reduces them to nothing with a single throw of her projectiles, while Zaynax, still slightly behind, watches over his protégés, observes them and tries to ease their many wounds.
Inside this endless cavern, they sometimes have the choice between several paths, probably very different courses... so, which one to choose in order not to get lost or exceed the remaining time? Actually, in this world and for this quest, time as well as space, doubt or madness are also their intraitable opponents.
Ehcks the cutthroat has just died.... The putrid ground is strewn with his silver daggers, objects that are now useless. Saedra the archer, also defeated, could only shoot a few poisoned arrows before joining him in the kingdom of shadows, and Zaynax the priestess who was trying to heal them with her diamond scepter has been also killed.
Walderm is telling the others to stop, he’s evaluating the situation...
—Ashenrune, go ahead, it’s all yours, tear them to pieces! Valhalo is replacing Zaynax and keeps you alive. As for the others, you must protect our second priest... if he dies, everything is over for us!
Then, in obedience to the old warrior’s orders, the tigerman wearing his sumptuous white fur and with his eyes reddened by hatred is rushing toward those who dared to slay Ehcks.
He is tough and sturdy, it seems he’s living an endless life, he manages to withstand almost everything, the hardest blows, the spells that some foes cast on him, and in addition, the priest helps him tirelessly and at any second provides him the good energy necessary for his survival.
Hecks, Saedra and Zaynax have been resuscitated by Valhalo, and now the group do little more than follow the white tiger, because the enemies encountered can only be faced by him.
At last they reach a vast room with a arched ceiling and adorned with phosphorescent stalactites. This is where the all powerfull Master reigns, the Lord of abominations, Thomb, the huge winged bull with the most hideous face.
Untiringly, he wanders around a lake of purple water, armed with his heavy granite hammer and accompanied by his best minions. His walk is heavy, with every step he takes, the whole great stone vault begins to tremble.
—Don’t touch the water of this lake, it’s probably a kind of acid... Dorahh?
—Yes, Walderm the elder....
—Send your frost giant to the servants of this monster, then make him disappear and reappear in order to lure them back and they come to us. Your Collossus will kill them one by one while Salgarath will use his magic against them.
Repeatedly, Dorahh the tamer draws the monster’s guards in and immediately her frost giant fights them, while Salgarath sends hornet swarms to them. Finally Thomb the mighty finds himself alone, he continues to wander in this way without worrying about the latest events, then the final battle can begin...
The White Tiger, with the help of Walderm, directly attacks the master of the place, Zaynax has managed to include them in his blue bubble of invincibility and all the others contribute to weaken the monster, Saedra, Hecks, Salgarath with his many spells, as well as Dorahh and her colossus. Only Valhalo remains far away because from now on he is the only one who can resuscitate his friends should they be killed.
The struggle is raging but now their worst enemy, time, is running much too fast....
Then suddenly, a few seconds away from the final moment, in a deafening crash, Thomb the damned soul collapse.
The Rising Sun facrion is victorious !
—Oh my god, I'm exhausted, but can you play tomorrow? In our Guild we must help others to carry out this quest...
—Sorry James, tomorrow I have to study for my next math test, I won’t be able to come.
—And what about the others? Wendy, Jack, Charlie, Angela...
—What’s the point of trying if William, our tank, doesn’t come?
—You’re right Wendy, so, see you Saturday night!
From now on, in the depths of the cave it reigns like a smell of blood.
Outside the sun is still shining.
It’s a perfect world....
A wonderful Spring has already begun, birds are singing and many flowers in warm and shimmering colors can be admired.
It’s a perfect world....
But for these people, for those few individuals who have chosen to live this adventure, all light will soon disappear, all notion of time that fades away will eventually vanish.
This group is united in its diversity and perfectly trained, each member has been carefully selected for this new endeavor and for the skirmishes that will inevitably take place until the final battle, until the final moment when they either triumph or are slain.
Others have tried before them, they have related their fears, their sufferings, their wounds and their final debacle. Some could not describe anything, they did not even have time to understand what was happening to them, or dread totally inhibited their memory.
As for these reckless, the ‘Faction of the Rising Sun’, among all the fighters and all the squads they appear to be the best, the boldest and also the ones who can use the most suitable equipment.
Yet today their supreme leader, Walderm the elder, has doubts because until that fateful day everyone here has failed... and now it’s up to him to do the tough task of guiding his friends to victory.
The episode has already begun. As usual, roundup at the entrance of the cave, final meeting, inspection of weapons and shields, repetition of instructions and strategy, then finally the discovery of this unknown place.
Their eyes are not yet accustomed to the deep darkness that reigns down here, so they move step by step, slowly and methodically, through the gloom of this cold and humid maze.
For the time being, everything seems to be going according to the plan, the group is well organized, everyone remains at his post and moves as expected. Words are rather scarce, limited to what is strictly necessary, and agreed signs or glances are permanently used as messages.
The cave seems to stretch endlessly, in a succession of passes, which are sometimes cramped, sometimes sloping or with bends that nobody knows if they will stop going around, in order to allow the group to benefit from a better visibility.
In some places, a foul-smelling liquid of indefinable color drips from the ceiling of this filthy place and fills the mudflows that cover the ground.
From time to time, hoarse yells, repeated howls, dull and violent bumps can be heard, and some apparently reddish and strange shaped stones or fine and diffuse dust occasionally fall on the headgears and hair of these warriors.
But the fighters don’t care, they tirelessly keep moving, as they have explored so many caverns like this one and have always been victorious, certainly exhausted and wounded, but succesfull !
This very day, they are determined to carry on and achieve their mission, nothing and no one will ever force them to turn back or escape...
Of course the awful Ehcks, the elder's first fighting companion, is always running in the lead in order to flush out and lure the first opponents. He is closely followed by Saedra and Zaynax, who will certainly support him and heal him if necessary.
Cautious and meticulous, Walderm keeps himself at a safe distance from the first ones. Inflexible, he moves with his group, consisted of Salragath, Dorahh, Valhalo, and then Ashenrune, the most aggressive among all, whose strength is only equal to his animosity.
Ehcks, like a cutthroat, moves fast, he goes away and he comes back, he knows how to make himself invisible, he manages to fool the vigilance of the first guards and the hideous beasts that populate these fetid places. He passes behind those who watch, those who prohibit the entrance to this labyrinth, those who protect their absolute master, who hides somewhere in the depths of this strange universe... then he turns around suddenly and stabs them savagely with his sharp daggers, but immediately the other villains come running and he has to turn back, whereupon Saedra reduces them to nothing with a single throw of her projectiles, while Zaynax, still slightly behind, watches over his protégés, observes them and tries to ease their many wounds.
Inside this endless cavern, they sometimes have the choice between several paths, probably very different courses... so, which one to choose in order not to get lost or exceed the remaining time? Actually, in this world and for this quest, time as well as space, doubt or madness are also their intraitable opponents.
Ehcks the cutthroat has just died.... The putrid ground is strewn with his silver daggers, objects that are now useless. Saedra the archer, also defeated, could only shoot a few poisoned arrows before joining him in the kingdom of shadows, and Zaynax the priestess who was trying to heal them with her diamond scepter has been also killed.
Walderm is telling the others to stop, he’s evaluating the situation...
—Ashenrune, go ahead, it’s all yours, tear them to pieces! Valhalo is replacing Zaynax and keeps you alive. As for the others, you must protect our second priest... if he dies, everything is over for us!
Then, in obedience to the old warrior’s orders, the tigerman wearing his sumptuous white fur and with his eyes reddened by hatred is rushing toward those who dared to slay Ehcks.
He is tough and sturdy, it seems he’s living an endless life, he manages to withstand almost everything, the hardest blows, the spells that some foes cast on him, and in addition, the priest helps him tirelessly and at any second provides him the good energy necessary for his survival.
Hecks, Saedra and Zaynax have been resuscitated by Valhalo, and now the group do little more than follow the white tiger, because the enemies encountered can only be faced by him.
At last they reach a vast room with a arched ceiling and adorned with phosphorescent stalactites. This is where the all powerfull Master reigns, the Lord of abominations, Thomb, the huge winged bull with the most hideous face.
Untiringly, he wanders around a lake of purple water, armed with his heavy granite hammer and accompanied by his best minions. His walk is heavy, with every step he takes, the whole great stone vault begins to tremble.
—Don’t touch the water of this lake, it’s probably a kind of acid... Dorahh?
—Yes, Walderm the elder....
—Send your frost giant to the servants of this monster, then make him disappear and reappear in order to lure them back and they come to us. Your Collossus will kill them one by one while Salgarath will use his magic against them.
Repeatedly, Dorahh the tamer draws the monster’s guards in and immediately her frost giant fights them, while Salgarath sends hornet swarms to them. Finally Thomb the mighty finds himself alone, he continues to wander in this way without worrying about the latest events, then the final battle can begin...
The White Tiger, with the help of Walderm, directly attacks the master of the place, Zaynax has managed to include them in his blue bubble of invincibility and all the others contribute to weaken the monster, Saedra, Hecks, Salgarath with his many spells, as well as Dorahh and her colossus. Only Valhalo remains far away because from now on he is the only one who can resuscitate his friends should they be killed.
The struggle is raging but now their worst enemy, time, is running much too fast....
Then suddenly, a few seconds away from the final moment, in a deafening crash, Thomb the damned soul collapse.
The Rising Sun facrion is victorious !
—Oh my god, I'm exhausted, but can you play tomorrow? In our Guild we must help others to carry out this quest...
—Sorry James, tomorrow I have to study for my next math test, I won’t be able to come.
—And what about the others? Wendy, Jack, Charlie, Angela...
—What’s the point of trying if William, our tank, doesn’t come?
—You’re right Wendy, so, see you Saturday night!
From now on, in the depths of the cave it reigns like a smell of blood.
Outside the sun is still shining.
It’s a perfect world....