Out with the PostNuke. In with the WordPress.

I have too many pieces of software to maintain and PostNuke bit the farm in the last round of cleanups. I had just barely managed to tweak it into behaving and the last software upgrade just ate many of my customizations and broke a whole ton of things. I had it. I’m maintaining a WordPress BLOG on another site already and its just so much easier now that I’m used to it. WordPress is just plain BLOG software. PostNuke was overkill. I don’t have time to waste on overkill.
Therefore, PostNuke dies. WordPress lives.

Its pretty vanilla at the moment, but I’m sure I’ll be able to revive some of my graphics under WordPress.

I’m sure y’all can deal with it.

-chris

I know everybody is so surprised to see me finishing it up around 2:30am in the morning.

This story is another City of Heroes based fan fiction story. Totally different characters, though. I’m probably going to be dabbling in several different fan fiction settings, including EverQuest and EverQuest II while I work on my general skills. I have fun fleshing these stories out and they make playing the characters even more fun. I do have some longer story ideas in mind, but those are a bit further down the road.

Anyway, I’m hoping to move through some rough drafts and have something ready for people before the end of the month. Hopefully I won’t set it aside for a couple months after this draft like I did the last draft, but life has been hectic. I’m going to try to set aside more time for writing. I really do enjoy it too much to give it up!

This story and website are free, but I do have one request. Feedback. Preferably constructive feedback. Posting only positive or negative feedback is much less useful than a constructive mix. I’m looking for:

What was strong? funny? doing its job.
What wasn’t doing its job? weak? confusing? boring?
Where did I make assumptions that you had trouble following?
Where was the story thin, lacking context?
Where was the story thick, too wordy?
Did anything seem inconsistent in the story line?

You’re not obligated to do any of that, of course. It’d help me tremendously, however. The whole purpose of this website is to help me work through this, after all.

Ok, without further ado I present the story itself.

I: Kaladim calls

   ”Why didn’t you tell me it was the king who sent for me?” said Rizok.

   Kashmyr giggled. “Didn’t I? Must have slipped my mind.”

   Rizok sighed. He wanted to be annoyed, but he couldn’t. He loved this girl like a daughter; a mischievous daughter who refused to grow up, mind you, but a daughter nonetheless. One day the people protecting her will falter and she’ll grow up. Quickly. All at once. If she doesn’t, it’ll be the death of her. Rizok shook himself out of this train of thought. Stop trying to be the girl’s father! The king is waiting for you. Rizok slowed down and entered the king’s chambers.

   This was only the second time Rizok had ever been in the king’s audience chambers. He was every bit as awed this time as he had been the first time, so many years ago. The room itself was carved from an immense block of the finest marble in Norrath. The presence of this block of marble was, in many ways, why the palace had been built here in the first place. There were no seams in the walls, floor, or ceiling. Intricate magical obsidian runes were inlaid in every wall, as well as the floor and ceiling. No one besides the king knew exactly what they did, but they were supposed to be powerful magical wards.

   Rizok glanced over at the king’s desk, near the western wall. It had been crafted from an immense block of pure brellium. It was then inlaid with gold, platinum, and rubies blessed by Kaladim’s priests of Brell. Rizok remembered it well. Not every priest was summoned to bless a ruby for the king’s desk. It had been quite a privilege for the young cleric. One he had never forgotten.

   It was even more unusual for the king to summon adventurers, but something was happening in the old tunnels deep beneath Kaladim. The king explained that the Storm Guard had sent several patrols through the area. Those that returned had found nothing, yet they were convinced that something was down there. Two patrols had never returned. The king wanted the matter settled once and for all.

   ”Gather a small strike force and get me some answers, Rizok.” commanded the king.

   ”At once, my king.” How could he refuse?

   Rizok sighed after they left the audience chamber.

   ”Well you got me into this so you can help me gather the people I need.”

   ”Can I go too?” asked Kashmyr.

   ”Fine.” said Rizok. “Come back in an hour and I’ll have a few letters for you to deliver. Try to not get lost this time. Time is of the essence.”

   Kashmyr stuck her tongue out. Rizok smiled beneath his great beard as the elf left.

II: Two priests are better than one

   As luck would have it, three of the seven people Rizok wanted were already in Kaladim. Rizok set out to gather them up. The other four would be Kashmyr’s responsibility.

   ”I don’t know what’s going on down there. We may have already lost four Storm Guard. I need another healer down there, a healer I can trust.”

   The dwarven woman pondered the situation. She was older than Rizok and, he knew, far wiser. Rizok had great respect for her wisdom and her healing abilities even though she had entered the church much later than he and was, technically at least, his junior. She looked up and Rizok knew at once she had made a decision.

   ”If you need me, I’ll go.” said Kaylina.

   Now that Kaylina had agreed to go, Rizok knew that he’d have no trouble convincing Ronian or Gunnie to accompany him. Gunnie had always been a loyal follower of Brell. How could he possibly turn down two priests of his own god? Ronian, of course, would jump at any chance of bloodshed.

III: Allies in Ak’Anon

   ”Don’t get lost this time.. Smart ass dwarf!”

   Kashmyr was muttering to no one in particular. She covered the miles between Kaladim and the woods surrounding Kelethin in a matter of minutes. The wind sang with Kashmyr as Selo’s Accelerando propelled her at speeds no one but a bard could ever hope to match. The ancient woods of the Greater Faydark passed in the blink of an eye. Still muttering to herself, Kashmyr sped through the small passage that took her into the Lesser Faydark and sped off to the west..

   The gnomes appeared very concerned as they looked over Kashmyr.

   ”What happened to you anyway?” asked one of the gnomes.

   ”I missed a note in my song near one of the Tier’Dal camps.” said Kashmyr.

   ”What were you doing way over there?” asked the other gnome.

   ”I wasn’t lost!” said Kashmyr.

   Kashmyr turned around in a huff and stomped slowly out of the tower. I hate these underground cities. The acoustics are all wrong. Selo would abhor it. Kashmyr left Ak’Anon slowly. Very slowly.

   ”What did we say?” said the first gnome.

   ”Couldn’t have been us.” said the second gnome.

   The two gnomes opened the letter addressed to them. They read the message and smiled.

   ”Rizok needs gnome powah!” said Cislabik.

   ”How could he possibly not?” asked Ryxx.

   ”Let’s go!” they said in unison.

   Just outside Ak’Anon, Kashmyr finally had a spot of good luck. She ran into an old friend, a wizard, that happened to be passing through. The old gnome smiled at Kashmyr.

   ”West Karana? No problem!”

   The old gnome began to weave a complicated spell. Kashmyr beamed a smile at him as he did so. Powerful transportation magic enclosed Kashmyr and she slowly faded away.

   ”Thanks, Uncle Molnik!” said Kashmyr. Then she was gone.

IV: Great warriors come in small packages

   The halfling needed some convincing.

   ”Brell’s Sacred Tunnels, huh? How come I’ve never heard of ‘em before?”

   ”They’re not a tourist attraction, Gunnie. Only the most trusted priests of Brell know of them. Even fewer have ever been down there.” said Rizok. “Maybe the legend is true. Maybe its just a legend. Either way, if there’s something down there Kaladim needs to know.”

   ”You don’t need an army to find a couple lost guards, Riz.”

   ”We’re not talking about some farmers who got conscripted into service, Gunnie. These are Storm Guard veterans. They’ve done tours in those tunnels for the past 50 years. They didn’t suddenly get lost.”

   ”Don’t get me wrong, Riz. I don’t mind helping out, but this seems like overkill. They don’t call you the Grapen Warrior for nothing. How much help do you need to search some tunnels?”

   Gunnie looked at Kaylina.

   ”Are you going too, Kay?”

   Kaylina nodded.

   ”Peh. How can I say no then?”

V: Have Fists, Will Travel

   Even after porting all the way over to the Western Plains of Karana, Kashmyr was still a fair distance from the city of Qeynos. Just two more stops. Yet again, Selo’s Accelerando floated on the wind. Soon enough she was speeding through the foothills outside of Qeynos.

   Finally she arrived at the Qeynos monastery. So spartan.. This place could really use some livening up. Still moving at speeds only a bard could match, she was a little startled when a monk suddenly blocked her way forward.

   ”I’m here to see Alabob.” she said.

   ”Sensei Sansveritus is in meditation.” said the monk.

   ”But I have to see him!”

   The monk seemed unimpressed.

   ”Sensei Sansveritus is in meditation.”

   ”You already told me that. He’ll want to talk to me. Just go get him!”

   ”Patience, bard. Not everything moves at Selo’s pace. The Sensei will emerge when he is ready.”

   Kashmyr fumed. She hated waiting.

   An hour later, Alabob emerged from meditation wearing his characteristic bright orange robes. He was tall and lean for a human. His head and face were shaved clean. He could be 30 years old. He could be 80. Some monks just didn’t seem to age at all. Alabob was one of those monks. He looked at the letter, absorbing its meaning in one gulp of his calculating mind.

   ”Let’s go.” said Alabob.

   ”Don’t you need to get your stuff?” asked Kashmyr.

   ”I have my robe, my fists, and my wits about me. That’s all I need.”

   Kashmyr shrugged as she dug a drum out of one of her myriad backpacks.

   ”I’ll see you in Kaladim, then. I’ve got one more delivery to make first.”

   Kashmyr knew what she had to do next, she just didn’t want to. She sped out of Qeynos to a large book atop a white marble pedestal. I hate those things. I’m always dizzy after I use it and they really ruined the mail routes we used to run.. The elf would be up there, though. He had practically abandoned Norrath since the Plane of Knowledge made contact. He’ll be up there studying in the library or digging around somewhere for jewelry components. Kashmyr sighed. She opened the book and placed her hands on the pages. Then she vanished.

VI: A rogue’s gotta have his priorities

   Rizok had known exactly where to find Ronian. He stood in the bar, one of Kaladim’s finest, and saw Ronian sitting in his usual spot at the bar. Typical Ronian. One hand on his ale, the other on a weapon, with his mind working overtime on the barmaid. Rizok chuckled. Winking at the barmaid, Rizok pointed at Ronian and smiled. Suddenly, the barmaid seemed a whole lot more interested in Ronian. Rizok waited. Finally, Ronian’s hand came off his weapon and gestured for the barmaid to come a little closer. Rizok smiled. He knew Ronian well.

   ”A good rogue never takes his hands off his weapons.” said Rizok, standing next to Ronian.

   Ronian spun fast, never spilling a drop from the ale in his left hand. His right hand suddenly held a very dangerous looking weapon. It looked like it had been recently poisoned.

   ”Dammit Riz! Don’t do that!” said Ronian.

   ”A good dwarf never drops his drink either.” Rizok grinned.

   ”Bah. If I gotta choose between ale and steel, the booze is gonna win every time.”

   ”Well I can respect that.”

   ”So what are you doing here besides trying to get killed, Riz?”

   Rizok laughed. “I don’t die all that easy.”

   Ronian grunted. He knew it was true.

   ”Kaladim needs yer stealth.. and yer blades.” said Rizok.

   Ronian looked thoughtful. “Any chance of bloodshed?”

   Same old Ronian.. “Of course. Would I be here otherwise?”

   Ronian laughed. “You got me pegged, don’t you? OK. I’m in.”

VII: Seeking a seeker of knowledge

   She’d been dizzy, of course, but the feeling soon wore off and Kashmyr ran to the Great Library of the Plane of Knowledge. Although she wasn’t too fond of the trip, she had discovered a great many wonderful songs here and the library itself was breathtaking. She found him on the third floor, studying a tome detailing the discovery and subsequent study of some esoteric gemstone.

   ”Hi Saab!”

   Saabmaj didn’t seem to notice her. He was engrossed in his studies. Kashmyr poked him.

   ”Hmm? What? Oh! Hi Kash. Sorry. This is a fascinating book!”

   ”Uh huh. Sure. Riz sent me to find you.”

   Kashmyr handed the letter over. He didn’t so much read the letter as study it.

   ”Are you going?” asked Kashmyr. “I’m going!”

   ”Well.. If he thinks he needs me, of course I’ll go. Still, this could be an awful lot of people going out to search for a couple lost guards. You never know what you’ll find in a dwarven mine, though. They have some really beautiful mines. Maybe I’ll discover a new type of gemstone!” Saabmaj smiled at this last thought. “OK. I’ll go.”

   Kashmyr rolled her eyes. “You could have just said yes you know.”

VIII: A gathering of heroes

   ”Thank you, my friends, for coming so quickly. I know this seems excessive, but I’m a big fan of overkill. If there’s nothing to be found, then all is well. We’ll drink of ale and share a tale or two.” Rizok stroked his beard thoughtfully as he continued. “Otherwise, we’ll find out what’s going on down there and we will prevail. I’m not about to walk into the unknown unless I’m ready to win the battle.”

   ”The entrance to the tunnels is normally well concealed. The Storm Guard will lead us in. From there..”

   Rizok noticed that several people weren’t paying any attention to him whatsoever. Ryxx was gesturing wildly. Cislabik was nodding excitedly. Saabmaj, now in gnomish form, seemed lost in thought, slowly nodding as he pondered whatever it was the other two gnomes were talking about. Gunnie was trying to stifle his laughter, but failing.

   ”Guys? Would you maybe like to know a little bit about what’s going to happen before we march off to our doom? What’s going on over there?”

   ”By combining the power of an earth elemental..” began Ryxx.

   ”..and adding the fluidity of a water elemental..” continued Cislabik.

   ”..we could create an even stronger pet to do our bidding!” concluded Ryxx and Cislabik.

   ”A mud elemental is a fascinating possibility..” said Saabmaj.

   ”Imagine the power!” said Cislabik.

   ”Imagine the uniqueness!” said Ryxx.

   ”Imagine the mess!” added Gunnie as he burst into laughter.

   ”No!” said Rizok. “No experimenting underneath Kaladim! Don’t you remember when you tried to combine a fire elemental with Jeaorb’s warder?”

   ”Well how was I supposed to know the darn cat would catch fire?” said Ryxx.

   ”..and then the water elemental?”

   ”Hey! He didn’t drown!” protested Cislabik.

   ”Yet you wonder why he retired.. The last time you two tried to merge elementals you nearly blew up the moon.” said Rizok.

   ”How were we supposed to know that merging an earth and fire elemental would cause a volcanic reaction?” said Ryxx.

   ”What’s one more crater on the moon anyway?” added Cislabik.

   ”No experimentation under Kaladim and that’s final!”

   ”Party pooper.” said Cislabik.

   Rizok sighed. “Kay, yer in charge of Saab and the gnome patrol when we go down. The rest of you are with me.”

   ”I’ll keep ‘em in line.” said Kaylina.

   ”Gunnie. Yer my right hand man in this. Anything that comes at us you lock down until I decide what to do about it.”

   ”You got it, boss.” said Gunnie.

   ”Roni, yer on point. Scouting only. Nothing dies unless it attacks you first or I tell you to make it dead. Got it?”

   Ronian grumbled. “OK, but something better attack me or I’m not gonna be happy.”

   ”Anything that looks too dicey to properly scout belongs to Alabob.”

   Alabob nodded once.

   ”You two keep yer pets under control at all times and no experimentation!”

   ”Yeah yeah.” said Ryxx.

   ”Sure sure.” said Cislabik.

   ”Saab.. Um.. You do all that enchanter type stuff. You know yer job better than I do.”

   Saabmaj smiled. “Of course.” was all he said.

   ”Kash.. No music until I OK it unless we’re in a fight.” said Rizok.

   ”OK” said Kashmyr.

   ”Oh and don’t get lost.” added Rizok.

   Kashmyr stuck her tongue out as laughter filled the room.

   ”OK. Gather up yer stuff and let’s head out.” said Rizok.

   The room filled with noise as the small strike force made ready to meet the unknown.

   Rizok had one more thing to do. He began his prayer to Brell. Kaylina followed suit. The room was soon filled with the sounds of the ancient and powerful prayer, a prayer for armament. At the end of the prayer, Rizok and Kaylina threw their weapon hands high into the air. In them appeared holy hammers, covered in ornate runes and crackling with divine power.

   ”Now we’re ready..” began Rizok.

   ”Ready for battle!” concluded Kaylina.

   ”Let’s go.” said Rizok.

IX: Exploring the maze beneath Kaladim

   Days of searching miles of rough-hewn tunnels had produced nothing. There was no sign of the lost guards. It was as if they had simply vanished. The strike force was growing weary of the monotonous search, but Rizok drove them forward with grim determination.

   ”Its been two days, Riz. There’s nothing down here.” said Gunnie.

   ”Then where are the four guards who disappeared?” said Rizok.

   ”For all you know they’ve returned to Kaladim.” said Ronian.

   ”They know these tunnels well enough to find us if that had happened. I’m not returning until I know they’re safe or I have four dwarven corpses to take back to Kaladim.” said Rizok. “Besides. Something’s not right here. Don’t you feel it?”

   ”Well we’ve covered all the tunnels, Riz. Do they go deeper?” asked Ronian.

   ”Into the very bowels of Norrath.” said Rizok.

   ”You mean this maze gets even bigger?” said Gunnie.

   ”No. This maze was added to confuse people and keep them from the original tunnel. No one enters the holy tunnel without good reason. I guess this is good reason. Follow me and none of you are to ever speak of this tunnel to anyone or Brell himself might strike you down.”

   Rizok reached into a small crevice next to a towering boulder. There was an audible click and the boulder swung towards the group slightly. Rizok grabbed the edge of the boulder and it swung out from the wall, revealing the hidden tunnel.

   ”Dammit, Riz. When were you going to tell us about this?” said Gunnie.

   ”When two days had passed with no sign of the lost guards. No sooner, no later.”

   Gunnie sighed. The group moved into the tunnel and stopped almost immediately. Otherworldly chanting drifted up from below. It was faint, but they heard it clearly in the deathly silence of the holy tunnel.

   All signs of weariness and doubt disappeared in a flash. Every one of them was an expert at what they did and this showed plainly in the next several seconds. Gear stowed. Lights extinguished. Spells prepared. Weapons readied. Kaylina focused her holy powers and uttered a powerful spell of protection. Immediately the entire strike force was filled with the Virtue of the gods. Saabmaj recited several spells in quick succession. Minds expanded as magical power began to flow very rapidly. A second spell and their resistance to many forms of magic was increased. A final spell strengthened the weapons skills of the group.

   When the preparations were completed, Rizok said only one thing, “Silence”, then he gestured at Ronian and pointed down the tunnel. Ronian grinned, weapons in hand.

   ”Element of surprise, baby!” said Ronian.

   ”Shhh! Don’t do anything stupid.” said Rizok.

   Ronian grinned again. Then he vanished, wrapping the shadows around himself so completely that even the experienced adventurers could not see him without magic.

   ”Never fear.. Roni’s here!”

X: Reconnaissance, Ronian Style

   Ronian’s shroud of stealth was in place. It would be nearly impossible to detect him like this. So complete was his mastery of the shadows that even the gods would have difficulty tracking him in this state. Thus protected from prying eyes, Ronian crept ever closer to the source of the chanting. Soon he was able to overhear a conversation. The voice sounded vaguely dwarven, but sinister and corrupted. The second voice was not of this world.

   ”This rock is imbued with the power of the god Brell himself!” said the dwarven voice.

   ”Gods”, began the otherworldly voice, “are merely beings who have evolved to the next level of power. Beings like we are. I fear not this so-called god of your former life. Only his power do I covet. It shall belong to the Circle in due time, as shall this world.”

   Peering around a corner, he got his first look at what they were facing. The first thing he saw was the dwarf. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The dwarf wore an ornate green robe laced with golden runes of a sort he didn’t recognize. Then there were the eyes. Glowing green with wispy tendrils of green smoke leaking from them. If this was one of the guards, he was now totally in the power of these beings.

   Ronian edged a little further around the corner and caught sight of the creature possessing the otherworldly voice. Fifteen feet tall if its an inch. What is that.. thing? The creature was easily fifteen feet tall. Its head was that of a bull, complete with horns. Its hands were clawed and fearsome looking and it stood on cloven hoofs. Red skin covered the creature from head to hoof and it was burning… BURNING! Ronian knew, instinctively, that this creature could pierce even his stealthy shroud and backed away. Slowly. The otherworldly being began to speak again.

   ”Prepare the ceremony, Atrexus. The Circle of Thorns will soon rule here.”

   ”At once, my lord.” said Atrexus, the former dwarf.

   Ronian crept away from the Circle as quietly as he had approached.

   ”Yer sure it was a dwarf?” said Rizok. “Absolutely sure?”

   ”I know, Riz, but I swear it was a dwarf and he was wearing a robe!” said Ronian.

   Rizok pondered the situation silently.

   ”Then there were the eyes, Riz. I swear they were..” began Ronian.

   ”Yeah I heard you before, Roni. I’m just having trouble with the whole robe thing..”

   ”What’s wrong with robes?” asked Cislabik, straightening his robe.

   ”Dwarves don’t wear robes.” said Rizok.

   ”Its unheard of.” said Kaylina.

   ”Not even after bathing?” said Ryxx.

   Rizok looked at Ryxx and said “Well no. We just..”

   ”Stop! Wait! I just got a visual of that. I’m sorry I asked.” said Ryxx.

   Rizok grinned. “Yer up, Alabob. I need to know what’s in there. You know the drill.”

   ”And I have the scars to prove it.” said Alabob, walking quickly and quietly.

XI: Reconnaissance, Alabob Style

   There was only a single guard in the hallway as Alabob approached. Roni probably didn’t even notice the guard. Lucky he’s so stealthy. Alabob quickly found the weakness in the guard’s mind and exploited it.

   ”The hallway is empty.” said Alabob.

   The guard blinked twice rapidly and looked momentarily confused. Then his features settled back into calmness. Alabob stepped out of the shadows and strode past the guard. The guard stared straight ahead, never seeming to actually see Alabob. Smiling, the orange garbed monk continued down the passage, his destination in sight.

   Alabob approached the corner cautiously, then peered around the corner. Exactly as Ronian described it. This is going to hurt. Alabob sighed, stood up, and strode into the room. His mind absorbed every detail, almost instantly. Twelve robed figures in a circle, weaving some sort of cooperative magic. A large rough-hewn portal filled with swirling energy in the corner that wasn’t visible from the hallway. At least six other robed figures armed with crossbows around the room, plus the dwarf and the giant burning bull creature.

   ”You guys shouldn’t be here, you know.” said Alabob.

   The ensuing battle was loud enough to be heard clearly by the rest of the strike force. It was as brief as it was loud. As the battle ended there was only the thunderous roar of demonic laughter. “FOOL!” echoed down the hallway.

   The group held their breath, but they heard nothing more. Rizok seemed to be waiting, biding his time. Finally he turned towards the gnomes.

   ”Now.” said Rizok.

   ”I got him.” said Cislabik.

   Cislabik began to weave a complex spell. Powerful magic coalesced in front of the gnome. His brow furrowed in concentration, the magic began to solidify. From the center of it came a voice, as powerful as it was quiet.

   ”Speak the name of your hero and pay the price.” said the magical entity.

   ”Alabob” said Cislabik, tossing a gleaming white pearl into the center of the magic.

   The magic caught the pearl in its center and shrank around it. There was a flash of light and both the pearl and the magical force were gone. On the ground was Alabob, motionless. His robe was smoldering slightly.

   ”You think they bought it?” said Ronian.

   Alabob took one deep breath. Then slowly released it.

   ”Of course they did.” said Alabob, standing up slowly.

   ”Fill us in.” said Rizok.

   In his usual concise manner, Alabob outlined the room and its occupants. One demon, obviously in charge. The used-to-be-a-dwarf acting as its lieutenant. The dwarf hadn’t had time to act before Alabob fell, so he wasn’t sure what, if any, unusual abilities the dwarf might possess.. To one side were a dozen mages of some sort. Half of them had hit him with fire magic. The other half seemed possessed of earth magic. Three of them had turned into creatures of solid stone as they charged him, almost like earth elementals. The other three had hit even harder, rocking the very ground beneath him. Then there were the six beings armed only with crossbows. They were magical crossbows to be sure, but they seemed to be the least dangerous of the creatures, as well as being the most scattered. The ensuing planning was quick and to the point. There was little debate as Rizok charted their course of action. The plan seemed logical enough, but their were certain unknowns that simply could not be planned for. One was the former dwarf. The other was the portal. They’d just have to be dealt with when the time came.

   ”Yer up, Roni.” said Rizok. “Don’t miss or we’re all dead.”

   Ronian grinned. “Now yer talking, Riz.”

XII: Battle beneath Kaladim

   Alabob was right. Ronian had completely overlooked this guard. He had never noticed Ronian, of course, but it was a potentially dangerous oversight. It was one he meant to atone for right now. With all the stealth of death itself, Ronian crept behind the robed figure. Twin blades found their mark, precise as they were deadly. Only a soft sigh escaped the guard as he slumped forward to the ground. Two light taps of his dagger’s pommel on the ground signaled his mission as complete. The strike force edged ever closer to the intruders in the tunnel.

   They were at the corner, near the point of no return and everybody knew it. The time for doubts had passed. This was the time for action. This was why the king had sent for him in the first place.

   ”Everybody ready?” Rizok asked quietly.

   Everybody nodded.

   ”Let’s do it then.” said Rizok.

   Saabmaj dismissed his gnome illusion. The high elf was momentarily cramped in the tight space as he began his next illusion spell. His form wavered and then reshaped into that of an earth elemental.

   ”Vantik..” said Ryxx.

   ”Jabartik..” said Cislabik.

   ”..follow Saabmaj.” they said in unison.

   The two earth elementals, bound to their masters as they were, obeyed without question. Saabmaj paused for a moment, then walked into the room. The earth elementals followed silently. No one seemed to immediately notice them as they made their way to the circle of mages. Two of the mages were still covered in stone. Saabmaj and the earth elementals were nearly identical in appearance. The ruse was working.

   In the hallway, the silence that followed Saabmaj and the earth elementals entrance into the room made Rizok smile grimly. It was a good plan. This was the end of the subtlety, though. It was all or nothing from the sounds of it. Win now or Kaladim was certain to face an unknown enemy from deep inside her own borders. No more options.

   ”Yer up, gnome patrol.” said Rizok.

   Ryxx and Cislabik smiled and walked into the room.

   ”More intruders!” roared the demon. “Slay them!”

   ”Temper temper..” said Ryxx.

   The demon roared, hurling a ball of hellish flame at the gnomes. The flames found their target and exploded, enveloping them. The flames quickly fell away, revealing the unscathed gnomes, still smiling.

   ”You’ve gone and made Jabartik mad.” said Cislabik.

   ”Did you really think Vantik would stand for that?” said Ryxx.

   The demon looked slightly perplexed. It didn’t know that the gnomes were masters of the elements. They had prepared for the fires and were thus able to casually shrug off the effects. The demon, however, was not prepared for the earth elementals. It realized too late that these were not Circle mages running towards the demon. It roared as the earth elementals willed the earth to life. Its cloven feet were immediately entangled in rock leaving the demon unable to move. Then the earth elementals were upon the demon.

   The demon roared in anger. The gnomes smiled.

   ”Now!” shouted Rizok.

   The strike force charged the room, Gunnie in the lead howling a cry of pure battle lust.

   ”Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!” shouted Atrexus.

   The Circle mages didn’t move. In fact only one figure seemed to be moving amongst them. Pure shock waves of force radiated from him and the mages were stunned senseless. The shock waves were relentless, Saabmaj saw to that. He paused for only one short instant; just long enough to weave a transformation spell on Gunnie. Then he resumed stunning the Circle mages.

   The transformation spell hit Gunnie as he charged the line of crossbow wielding guardians. His face stretched and twisted and the halfling was gone, replaced with a cackling scarecrow. The guardians froze just long enough for Gunnie to close the distance. Realizing they were cornered, the guardians dropped their crossbows and drew swords.

   Ronian took advantage of the chaos to mask himself in shadows and creep behind the line of guardians. Once Gunnie got their attention, Ronian dropped his shroud of stealth and attacked with deadly precision, grinning like a madman.

   Meanwhile, Alabob had closed on the demon. Payback time. Ignoring the minor burns, Alabob began his devastating attack on the demon. Finally, the demon managed to break the earth’s hold. In one mighty stomp of its cloven hoof, Jabartik was no more. Vantik was next. The demon whirled, unleashing fiery blast after fiery blast and Vantik fell, a smoldering mass of lifeless rock. The demon then turned on Alabob.

   ”Oh poor Jabartik.” said Cislabik.

   ”Poor old Vantik.” said Ryxx.

   ”You really shouldn’t have done that.” they said in unison.

   ”They say you should fight fire with fire.” said Ryxx.

   ”That seems kind of silly.” said Cislabik.

   ”Awaken Voner!” said Ryxx.

   ”Awaken Gaber!” said Cislabik.

   ”Attack!” they said in unison.

   The water elementals crashed against the demon. The gnomes smiled.

   Then the music started. Kashmyr began to weave the music that was hers to command. One melody shielded Alabob from the burns of the demon. Another seemed to inspire her comrades, speeding their attacks and increasing their precision. The guardians began to fall. The mages remained stunned and unable to act. The demon began to falter before the combined onslaught of the two water elementals and the monk. What little damage the defenders of Kaladim took was almost instantly healed by either Kaylina or Rizok. The battle was going perfectly according to Rizok’s plans.

   ”Atrexus you fool! Get reinforcements! NOW!” screamed the demon.

   ”Yes, my lord!” Atrexus sprinted for the portal.

   ”Riz, he’s making a break for it!” said Kaylina.

   Saabmaj saw the dwarf break for the portal as well and took his attention off the Circle mages long enough to attempt to stop the dwarf. Twice he cast powerful stuns. Twice the dwarf resisted his spells. Skillful as Saabmaj was, the two spells took valuable time to cast. Enough time for the Circle mages to shake off the stunning effects that had held them motionless. So powerful was the ensuing attack by the twelve mages that two of Saabmaj’s magical runes of protection were instantly shattered. The third and final rune fell quickly afterwards. Saabmaj was seared three times by flame before he could resume his waves of stunning force. Only Kaylina’s quick reactions kept the enchanter standing.

   ”That was close.” said Saabmaj.

   ”Stop trying to do everything at once, Saab.” said Kaylina.

   ”Can’t blame me for trying..”

   Rizok realized that there was no one else close enough to stop Atrexus. Alabob and the gnomes were busy with the demon. Gunnie and Ronian had nearly finished off the guardians, but they were still quite busy. Saabmaj was holding a dozen Circle mages in check. Kashmyr was weaving several powerful melodies. Kaylina and he were healing. I’m glad I convinced Kay to come.. Rizok hefted his divine hammer. Into the fray once more..

   ”Take over, Kay.” said Rizok.

   ”Go get him, Grapen Warrior.” said Kaylina.

   Rizok charged the portal, mighty battle hammer in his right hand and shield in his left. It was the shield that impacted first. With one mighty bash, the dwarven battle cleric intercepted Atrexus and blocked him from reaching the portal.

   ”Not so fast, Atrexus.” said Rizok.

   Rizok uttered a quick prayer to Brell and let forth a mighty yaulp. He looked every bit the nickname he had earned so many times over, Grapen Warrior. Atrexus slowly climbed back to his feet. He looked up and hate dripped from his voice.

   ”Fool”, said Atrexus. “Are you ready to die for the fate of this world? I am. I have died a thousand times. What’s one more death to remove you from the Circle’s plans.”

   Green smoke began to pour from Atrexus’s robes.

   ”Time to die, Grapen Warrior.” said Atrexus.

   ”No, Atrexus! The portal!” shouted the demon, but it was too late.

   Rizok raised his shield to protect himself as Atrexus exploded in a mighty flash of energy. The force of the explosion shattered Rizok’s shield. Rizok, standing as he was between Atrexus and the portal, was hurled backwards into the portal itself. His hammer struck the portal as he passed through. The divine hammer shattered and the portal cracked.

   ”No!” shouted Kashmyr, but there was nothing anyone could do.

   Rizok vanished through the portal. Moments later the cracks in the portal spread and the left side collapsed. A shock wave of energy from the still standing right side of the portal completed the destruction. The portal shattered into thousands of pieces.

   ”Trapped..” moaned the demon.

   ”Not for long.” said Alabob.

   As the demon’s flames succumbed to the onslaught of the water elementals, Alabob continued his attacks. Finally the demon could withstand no more and collapsed in a lifeless heap. Almost simultaneously, Gunnie and Ronian defeated the last of the guardians.

   For a moment there was only stunned silence.

   ”Hey.. little help over here?” said Saabmaj.

   ”Don’t call me little.” said Gunnie, but the joke rang hollow.

   The Circle had been defeated. Kaladim, and perhaps all of Norrath had been saved from this heretofore unknown enemy. At what cost, though.

   Rizok was gone.

XIII: By the power of Brell.. and faith

   Falling. Falling through formless, shapeless energy.

   The pain was terrible, nearly unbearable. Rizok was confused. The energies tore at his very mind itself. It was all he could do to grab hold of his holy symbol. The rock Atrexus had been holding was now embedded in it. The energies seemed to bring it to life, at least that’s how it seemed to Rizok. He could feel the power of living Underfoot flowing through it. The energy flowed into him, protecting him. Rizok clutched his holy symbol tightly and began reciting the ancient prayers. He could feel himself armoring his mind and his soul. Then he felt nothing.

XIV: A cold reception in Paragon City

   She looked at her contact, clearly disappointed. She knew she was still establishing herself in Paragon City, but how many patrols was she going to have to make before they trusted her with something a little bit more important?

   ”We need a visible superhero presence in the neighborhoods. It makes people feel secure.”

   Same old line. Inwardly she sighed, but forced a smile. Accept the assignment. They’ll realize soon enough that I’m more useful than this. Be seen in six locations checking for gang activity. Easy enough. I might as well get this over with.

   Prometheus Park always looked serene this time of day, except for the telltale signs of gang activity. Funny how easy it is for gangs to scare off good people. Actually, I guess it isn’t funny at all. The sun was setting slowly behind the war walls. The breeze blew gently across the water, making small waves and caressing the grass on the shores. Something was out of place, though. A figure on the ground. At first she thought it might be a civilian, but as she approached she noticed the figure was clad in heavy purple plating. The figure didn’t appear to be moving, but he was definitely breathing slowly. She approached him cautiously.

   ”Hey. Are you alright?”

   No answer.

   He looked like he might be a superhero, but why wouldn’t he transport to the hospital if he was hurt? These transponders weren’t for show after all. When you were seriously hurt the transponder allowed you to be automatically transported to the nearest hospital for emergency medical attention. Paragon City had lost too many heroes in the war and they could ill afford to lose any of the young heroes who were volunteering now.

   She looked at him closely. He’s definitely warm; definitely alive. Trusting her judgment, she laid a single hand on his purple plating. A light frost quickly formed around her hand and spread across the metal. She felt him take a sudden, startled breath as his muscles tensed. She leapt back as he sprang to his feet.

   His eyes locked on her as she eyed him warily. He seemed to be reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there. Slowly his eyes widened.

   ”What manner of demon are you?” he said.

   Involuntarily, she giggled. “Demon? No no not me. I’m one of the good guys!”

   He relaxed slightly. Slowly he surveyed his surroundings. First he took in the park. Then he noticed the city buildings. His eyes widened a little. Then he noticed the war walls.

   ”Where.. Where am I?” he said.

   ”You’re in Paragon City, silly.”

   ”Who are you?”

   ”You can call me Ice Princess. Who are you?”

   His mouth opened, but no sound came out. He looked confused.

   ”I… I don’t know! How could this be?”

   ”Well,” said Ice Princess, “you look like some kind of armor clad grape.”

   ”Are you making fun of me?”

   ”No no. I like purple! See?”

   Ice Princess spun around once, quickly. He noticed that her blue body was in fact covered in some sort of purple metal in various places, although it hardly seemed to be much protection. Her hair and eyes seemed to be purple as well. Obviously she was comfortable with purple.

   ”A grape, eh?” he said.

   ”An armor clad grape!”

   He looked down at himself. I guess I do look sort of like a grape. Somehow, though, the armor seemed to be right. It was the natural color choice. A grape indeed.

   ”Well what am I going to call you?”, said Ice Princess.

   The purple clad figure was silent.

   ”The Great Grape? The Grape of Wrath? The Grape Warrior?”

   ”What did you say?” he asked.

   ”The Grape of Wrath? Sounds catchy to me!” she said.

   ”No. Grape Warrior. That sounds familiar. Almost right.”

   ”Well its definitely you.”

   ”Grape..” said the dwarf, pondering. “No, not grape.. Grapen.. That’s it. I seem to remember being called Grapen Warrior by.. well.. somebody.”

   ”Works for me. What kind of powers do you have?”

   ”Powers?”

   ”Yeah powers.. What do you do? I mean besides look sharp in purple?”

   ”I’m.. a healer.”

   ”That’s great! Is that thing in your hand a magic focus?”

   ”A what?”

   ”You know. A focus. How you channel your powers.”

   Grapen looked at his left hand. He was holding onto a symbol of some sort. Just looking at it brought a sense of calm determination to his troubled mind. He could feel the healing power in his soul. He was definitely connected to this symbol. He couldn’t afford to lose it.

   ”I guess so. It feels like its a part of me.”

   He tied the symbol around his neck and tucked it away into his purple armor. Should be safe enough there. He looked at Ice Princess. The all too familiar feeling of confusion washed over him.

   ”Where do you keep yer focus?” asked Grapen.

   Ice Princess giggled. “I’m a mutant, silly.”

   ”A mutant?”

   Ice Princess nodded. “A mutant. I was born like this. My skin turned blue before I was 6 months old and I must have broken countless bottles of milk. Mom said I froze them solid in minutes. Ice is my thing, in case you hadn’t guessed.”

   Grapen shivered slightly. “I noticed.”

   ”You don’t have a superhero license do you?” said Ice Princess.

   ”A what?”

   ”A license. They get kind of picky about that around here.”

   ”You mean I have to get permission to help people?” asked Grapen.

   ”That’s the law.” said Ice Princess.

   Ice Princess could tell he was annoyed by the way he sighed. At first she had thought it was crazy too, but she had seen some pretty reckless superheroes recently. City Hall is right. They need to be sure the superhero candidate isn’t dangerous. It all made sense to her now. Grapen looked up at her and pointed at something behind her.

   ”What’s that?” said Grapen.

   She heard the shotgun too late. The blast caught her full in the back, knocking her to the ground and stunning her. She heard Grapen shout something and decided he sounded very commanding, but the Hellion gang member wasn’t impressed. He got ready to take a second shot. Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The second shot was less accurate, but Grapen caught part of the force of the blast anyway. He staggered backwards, clutching his head.

   The expression on his face was half pain, half anger. He lashed out, but not with his fists. It was his mind that somehow struck back. The Hellion staggered, briefly stunned. Grapen reached out to Ice Princess. She felt her wounds close as his healing power coursed through her body. She was whole again, no longer surprised, and mad as hell.

   Ice Princess stood back up just in time to see the Hellion swing his shotgun back up and point it at Grapen. Oh no you don’t. This time I’m ready. How many years did I practice for this? Chill your hands. Reach back. Pretend you’re throwing a ball. Pull the water vapor out of the air and freeze it. Release. Again. Again. Again.

   The balls of super-cooled ice found their target over and over. The Hellion slowed with each hit. It didn’t take long until large portions of his body were covered by frost. Shivering under the icy onslaught, the Hellion quickly succumbed to the cold and collapsed.

   Ice Princess smiled. Everything had gone according to plan. Well maybe it wasn’t quite the way she had planned, but she was nonetheless very pleased with herself.

   ”My first arrest!” said Ice Princess.

   ”You didn’t kill him?” said Grapen.

   ”No! I know what I’m doing here. I’m a licensed superhero after all.”

   Ice Princess pressed a button on her transponder, indicating that she needed a police drone to complete the arrest. She smiled again. This ought to convince them that I’m ready for something a little more important. Her smile faded a bit, though, as she realized that she probably would have landed in the hospital if it weren’t for Grapen.

   ”You know.. You really should get licensed.”

   Grapen snorted. “I seemed to do just fine without one.”

   ”I know, but I ‘d really like your help in the future and the only way we can work together is if you’re licensed.”

   Grapen pondered the situation. He didn’t know very much about Ice Princess, but then he didn’t know much about where he was or even who he was at this point. His gut said trust her. He did know that he was prone to trust his gut.

   ”So what does getting a license involve?” said Grapen.

   ”Oh its easy! A couple days of class, a couple quizzes.You’ll be licensed in no time!”

   ”I never was any good at quizzes.”

   ”Oh come on. I know a great tutor.”

   Grapen sighed. “OK. How do I get started?”

   Ice Princess smiled. “Let’s go down to city hall and start the paperwork!”

   ”You didn’t say anything about paperwork..”

   ”Didn’t I? Must have slipped my mind.”

   Grapen looked at Ice Princess. He could tell by the way she said “slipped my mind” that this wouldn’t be the last time she’d forget details that might otherwise change his mind.

   ”Let’s go. Anything else you forgot to tell me?”

   ”Paperwork. Class. Quizzes. A quick run through an overrun neighborhood. That’s all!”

   ”Overrun neighborhood? Hey you never mentioned that!”

   ”Didn’t I? Must have slipped my mind.”

   Maybe I’ll fail the quiz, thought Grapen.

The third and, I believe, final draft is nearly complete. I’ve run through it a couple times and fixed the most horrible parts as best I can. I’m actually stuck o­n two title chapters at the moment, believe it or not.

I know it all sounds silly and trivial, but once I decided to actually name the sections I felt the need to do it properly. Two chapter titles. That’s pretty much all that’s holding the story back. If they come to me tomorrow, then chances are the story will be posted the same day.

The biggest hold up will be figuring out how to properly format it for the website. Yes, the details matter to me.

I’m also going to be counting on feedback. Preferably, not just praise to make me feel good about the whole thing. Of course that doesn’t mean trash me either. The wife actually did a pretty good job looking at things and identifying confusing sections or repetitive areas. That’s great stuff. I’ve discovered that when you write it, even bad stuff sounds good in the excitement of creation. Once someone else looks at it, though, you realize how much it sucked. Then you get to fix it and that’s really cool.

So keep an eye out. One thing I think I’ve learned is that a story is never truly finished, but at some point you have to let it see some daylight.

The current working title is: Once a hero. Always a hero.

The previous working title was: One world’s loss…

-chris

Its true, though. The first draft tried to accomplish too little. I realized that after I read it. I liked it, more or less, but it didn’t do enough. It tried too hard to support a mystery that wasn’t worth supporting as well. In the end I realized I didn’t want to hide this little secret. I wanted background. I wanted characters. I wanted more. Well you certainly got more. I’m anticipating that the third draft will not take very long. A fourth draft may not even be necessary. At this point I’m hoping that all I need is a little fine tuning and then my story will not be too horrible to share. I hope. Of course its 4am. It could be total trash. I guess I’ll know tomorrow when I look it over.

Next part contains big spoilers

I have asked for and received permission to use Alabob, Gunnie, Kashmyr, Cislabik, Ryxx, and Ronian in my story. I’ve also asked for permission from two other people, but I haven’t heard back from them yet. I’ve written the story so I’m a bit torn on how to proceed before I hear from them, but I’d like to think they’re going to give me their permission. Hrm..

I’ve also cameo’d 1 person and used another in a historical reference. I haven’t actually asked either of them for permission, but their use is so minor to the story I think I can get away with it. I don’t think either of them would mind. I’m not going to say who, though, because I want their brief mentions to be a pleasant surprise for those who remember them. Not knowing who they are shouldn’t detract from the story, though.

The story opens with Rizok and Kashmyr, then proceeds to the tracking down of all the involved characters. The story alternates initially back and forth mostly between Rizok’s and Kashmyr’s point of view. Later on I dabble with some other PoV’s, but Rizok’s is the majority of the story.

Tomorrow I’ll analyze the details, fill in the blanks, and trim the fat. Who knows. Maybe I will make the end of the year deadline I set for myself after all.

The original story was, in my word processor, a solid 4 pages long. The first third of a page, the intro if you will, sucked. It didn’t just suck a little, either. It sucked a lot. If your gonna do it, do it in a big way I always say and boy did that opening scene suck in a big way.

I’m writing a new intro. One with a lot more characters and some actual story. Gone is the cloudy “what the hell is going on” mystery of it all. It didn’t work. So far I’m several lines into the third page and the cast of characters isn’t even assembled.

I think this backstory is going to have a lot more substance than the “hey it happened” paragraphs it replaced. At least I sure hope it will. Lot of typing and mind stirring to just get to this point.

If I had to guess, I’d guess this draft might end up at 5,000 words. Maybe even longer. Draft #3 will probably be the major cutting board of the initial project. I’m still aiming for a final at Draft #4 and a posting before the end of the year. It wouldn’t be the first (or, I’m sure, the last) time I produced with my back against the wall.

edit: um, did i say 15k? I meant 5k. lol. oopsie. hey it was late and I was tired.

Overall, I’m satisfied with the tone of the story, but it very obviously needs a good deal of work. There’s a major shortage of scenery making the story feel a little bit transparent to me.

Still, I’m anticipating that the second draft will not focus on that shortcoming, but rather on ironing out the story. The pacing jumps up and down and feels much too fast during the final sequence; perhaps I was getting too tired by that point, but I felt the need to drive through to the finish line. The third draft will almost certainly focus on the environment and fleshing out the not quite descriptive enough parts of the story. Hopefully without overburdening people with meaningless imagery.

I’m hoping the fourth draft will be the final draft. That will be the draft that, while not necessarily perfect, I intend to submit for public perusal.

So some of you may be wondering.. You mean you took over 2 weeks to even begin a story, and then you banged out 1700+ words in 3 marathon hours? What the heck were you thinking? What are you, some kind of crazy procrastinator?

Well yes, I am a procrastinator. That’s not what happened here, though. Well maybe a couple days worth, but that’s it! Honest!

I sat down several nights in a row and went blank. I knew what I wanted to write, but it wouldn’t flow. I even got 2 sentences written down once, but it died suddenly right there. It just wasn’t working. I didn’t understand. I had a nice quiet, serene environment. Dark office. Computer humbly awaiting my keystrokes. Nothing.

Finally I set it down and walked away for a couple days. Something wasn’t right. I was uptight about the lack of progress and that made it worse, night by night. So I pushed it aside and went away to do other things. Consulting work. Games. Family stuff.

Three nights ago I started playing online. The mood wasn’t right, though. I needed some music. Not just music, loud music. Yep, that worked. I sank right into the game and had a grand time. I started talking to people in character and had more fun than I’d had in a good long time.

While I was playing, story ideas and lines began floating into my head. Mind you, I was busy doing something else. I mentally filed them away and went back to playing. Still, I knew I’d made some writing progress without writing a single line.

The next night was a repeat of the previous night. I threw on my headphones so as to not annoy the family this time and the isolation was complete. I immersed into the game and had a grand time. Once again, story resolutions floated around in my mind. I began to suspect I had a solution.

Last night I donned the headphones once again. The loud music washed away the outside world and raised my creative energy level. I pulled out a somewhat neglected character to play on EverQuest II and he came back to life in my mind. This time I had a plan, though. I played. I quested. I let my mind soak his back up. Then I left the game for the night and opened up the word processor.

A minute of hesitation turned into 5, then 10. I knew I would lose the focus if I didn’t start something. A half dozen authors of books on the art of writing chose that moment to speak out in unison. “Just write it. You can fix it in the next draft.”

I started slowly. By the time I had finished the first (brief and terrible) scene I knew I had conquered the initial fear. I turned the music up one more notch, refocused on the story, and typed out a bit over 1700 words. I looked at the clock. It was 3 hours later, but mission accomplished. The first draft was complete. Its a short short story, mind you, but its the first step in the journey.

The rest of this page is spoilers
Stop reading here if you don’t want any inside information

This is, essentially, the origin story for my City of Heroes character, Grapen Warrior. Grapen Warrior is, in fact, a transition of an EverQuest cleric named Rizok. There is also what I feel is a better story that transitions Rizok back to EverQuest II that I very much intend to write. In fact, that story is one of the ones I have shared with people who have personally encouraged me so much that I am now at this point; an aspiring writer.

In many ways, Rizok is serving as a warmup for my Kilvari stories. I intend for the Kilvari stories to possibly lead into a short train of much older fan fiction type work. Afterwards I already have some ideas for original works that I’ve shared with no one. At least I hope they’re original. I guess we’ll just have to see if I can stick to this long enough for everybody to find out.

It’s somewhat gratifying that people who have heard bits and pieces are actively curious, but I’m trying to walk into this as prepared as a novice possibly could be.
So what am I doing? I am:

• reading fiction novels with my daughter
• reading books about the art/craft of writing
• preparing for the holidays
• catching up on a few political books I haven’t finished
• trying to find time for more mature fiction

Its a long list and I still have to squeeze all that in to the time left after all the basic responsibilities of being a father, husband, and good employee. Oh, and playing video games. I can’t forget about video games. After all, my first several stories will almost certainly be fan fiction. Kilvari has a 25 year history in games and stories, dating back from the old AD&D days through EQ1 and now EQ2. Rizok is only a few years old and still maturing in my mind. His stories are still evolving, revolving mostly around EQ1, City of Heroes, and now EQ2. Several short stories, mostly origin stories, concerning other City of Heroes characters are partially evolved in my mind as well.These are what I will use to practice my skills. From there I hope to spring into more original works. A few of those ideas are loosely formed in my mind, but they need time to mature and practice to be told well. Once I get to that point, I hope there will be more than a few people interested in seeing what I can produce.