The Crystals of Narlkant

Okay, I admit it. There haven't been any cameos yet. There've been a few quotes though, mostly from games.

And Cat? How do you know that they're not invincible warriors that use thier last breath to kill all evil? You haven't seen all evil yet, nor have you seen their last breath. I can attest that they are definarely human. Probably. At least one of them is anyway. Half human at least.

Because Shade has been almost killed already. If he had the power to kill all evil he would have already.... probably. And anyway, you just don't seem like the type who will write a happily ever after story.

No, Shade has been killed already. He got ressurected though, so that's all right. Also, I'll be giving away no secrets about the ending other than this: By reading this, you agree to become my slave for all eternity. Suckers!

This posts serves no purpose other than ensuring moar chapters.

Yay, moar chapters!

Chapter 5

Holding the blade in his hand, Mathew felt its perfect balance. Never having held a sword before, he had no idea just how well made this one was, but he could sense the power locked within. After a few moments, he glanced at the body of the executioner. The flames had caused it to all but burn away, and he could now see that the blade of Shade?s second sword had snapped when Max fell on it.
?This blade is not evil. It has merely been infused with the power of Earth. This was Dragon?s weapon, and I believe that if I take the time to do it properly, I can use it to discover his location. In any case, it will make a good replacement weapon for the ones that Dragon and Max broke. Is that okay??
Most of the people had wandered off, so one of those who remained stepped forwards. ?Sir, we apologise for almost hanging you, but we still don?t trust you. Your friend for example; what did he mean when he said that in his job, having totally black skin is an advantage??
Mathew looked over the man?s shoulder to where Shade was getting to his feet. A smile flickered across his face. ?Why don?t you ask him yourself? I?m sure that he?d be more than happy to explain the finer points of his trade with you.? The scholar walked past the man and handed Shade the katana. ?Here, the people thought you should have this as compensation for your other weapons. Max broke your other sword when he landed on it, but you still seem to have your crossbow. Come on, there?s still a whole day left and we should be getting after Dragon.?
Shade swung the blade a few times, sending streams of sand flying in al directions. ?Heh, I like it! You got any ideas about? what the?? A grinding sound from behind him caused Shade to look around. At first he spotted nothing unusual, but then something caught his attention.
?Mathew? You might want to see this?? The old man turned around, and gasped with shock. The statue in the centre of the square was moving, waving its stone sword in the air. Once everyone had noticed it, the statue jumped down from its pedestal and began to walk slowly towards the biggest group of people ? Shade, Mathew and four others. One person stood in the statue?s path, and was crushed by a single blow from the sword.
Shade readied his new sword and prepared to distract the stone figure while Mathew could blast it with magic. The remaining three people pulled weapons from various pockets. One had a shortbow, one had a selection of knives and the third had a rapier. As the rapier armed one dodged around the statue?s feet, the other two pelted it with projectiles. There was no obvious effect, and when the man who was distracting the statue was crushed by one giant foot, Shade leapt into the melee.
The sand katana had as little effect as the knives or arrows, but the statue seemed to feel the blows from it. As Shade hacked at its legs, the statue staggered slightly, although the damage was no more than a slight chip. The assassin barely dodged a swipe from the sword, and darted behind his enemy as it smashed its weapon into the ground, snapping it in two.
Mathew watched through half closed eyes as Shade avoided strike after strike from his adversary. As the spell neared completion, the scholar felt the thrill of power rushing through his body, and then out of his hands as he shouted the command. ?Light! Solar Flare!? A beam of white light about three feet wide burst out of Mathew?s outstretched hands and sped towards the animated statue. The force of the attack sent the wizard flying backwards through one of the empty market stalls.
Shade dived to the ground and rolled out of the way as the spell smashed into the statue with an explosion of light. As his vision cleared, the assassin saw what had happened to Mathew. Rushing over to the stall, he saw that the scholar had been knocked out by the force of the impact. Turning to survey the damage to the statue, Shade was shocked to find it still standing. It took two steps forwards, and then its arm fell off and shattered on the ground. Then its other arm fell. Then the head cracked down the centre and exploded in a spray of fragments. Then it fell over. First its right leg crumbled at the knee, followed by the left. As the body of the statue hit the ground, it split in two. The two men who had been attacking from range rushed over to their defeated foe, and Shade heard gasps of amazement. Clearly there was something inside the statue?s torso. He walked over to them.
Sitting in the remains of the statue was a large gem. It was about the size of a fist and sparkled with some inner light. As they watched, the glow faded out of the gem, leaving it looking highly valuable but totally non-magical. Then he remembered Mathew, and rushed back to the broken stall. The scholar was breathing steadily, as if he was asleep, though Shade suspected that this was actually the effect of using too much magic.
Careful not to wake him, the assassin lifted the old man and carried him to a patch of ground that was free from rubble. As Mathew lay there, Shade thought about what he knew of the man. He knew that he could use healing magic to the point of saving someone from mortal wounds. He could dispel magic barriers, and use powerful light-based attacks. He was also a dedicated researcher, or so he said, but then why was he so concerned that no-one would believe his theory if he was able to produce the evidence for it? Unless it was a forbidden source, or the high priest deemed that it was heretical. Shade sighed. There was no use speculating, he would ask Mathew when he woke up.
He stood up. Looking around, he was glad to see that The Soldier?s Arms was still intact and, even better, open. The inn had a reputation for being a lively place, and it was Shade?s primary choice of lodgings because of this. It made it easy to find work. Plus the barmaid had a crush on him. He chuckled. Would she still feel the same once she saw what had happened to him? He glanced down at his black hands. They would make it hard to be inconspicuous, but not impossible. He turned back to Mathew.
Five minutes later ? about noon ? Shade carried Mathew in through the door of The Soldier?s Arms. The bar room was full as usual, and when they entered the customers began cheering. Evidently they saw Shade and Mathew as the saviours of them. It was true that they had stopped both Max and the statue, and usually Shade would have taken up one of the offers of a beer, but his first priority was to get Mathew to somewhere he could rest. He carried the scholar over to the bar and called over Amy, the barmaid. When she saw him, her first reaction was one of happiness, then shock as she saw what had happened to him, and finally concern as she noticed the state that Mathew was in.
?What happened to you? From what I heard, you two beat a couple of evil daemons using only your fists. Now I?m guessing that that?s an exaggeration, but I know that whatever you did saved this part of the city. The least I can do is to offer you rooms for the next few days. You can have your usual room, and I?ll set up the next one along for your friend. Follow me.? Amy walked out from behind the bar and lead Shade up to the rooms. It took her only a few seconds to set up the bed in Mathew?s room, and Shade put him on it. Then he followed Amy back down to the bar room. As soon as he entered, the people began cheering again. This time he laughed and accepted the offered beer.
?Shade, I want you to tell me what happened out there. I saw enough through the window to know that a lot of people died, and that something happened to the statue of Magnus, but the windows are dirty, and I couldn?t really go out and leave the place empty, could I?? Amy?s parents were the owners of The Soldier?s Arms, and also another tavern in the noble?s quarters called The King?s Head. This was where they worked most of the time, but they lived in the house above The Soldier?s Arms because they felt less like nobles and more like people if they did. Amy ran one pub while they ran the other, though she usually worked in The Soldier?s Arms because the rich people made her feel uncomfortable. Her brother had left home to be taken into service by a man who said that he could make use of the boy?s talents for swordplay. He hadn?t been seen since, and word had come back that he had died in a duel.
Shade sipped his beer. ?Well, where should I start? I got Mathew down from the gallows because he?s my friend. I don?t mind about having black skin, and if he hadn?t even attempted the spell I would have died.?
Amy rolled her eyes and sighed. ?Start at the beginning you idiot. Why were you dying? What happened out there? And what spell? Is that old geezer a wizard? Will he show me some magic??
The assassin laughed. Amy had always been fascinated by magic, but she was right, he should have started at the beginning. ?Okay, Okay, when he wakes up I?ll ask him. I don?t really know much about him, so I don?t know what he can do. Anyway, back to the story. It started when I was approached with a job by a smelly little man in a hood. He asked me to find Lord Chalzan and to retrieve from him a certain orange gem. I succeeded. When I gave the gem back to the man, well, that?s when the trouble started??

And Shade spend the next chapter explaining the previous three.

We can tick off "living statue" from the list of enemies. I'm fairly confident that Shade will have fought literally everything by the end of this fic.

I must admit, I do hope a bit of the explanation is skipped. I'm not completely fond of the idea of reading about what we've just read about.

But anyways, great chapter. So far we've got Earth golems, living statues, Earth mages, and Lord Chalzan. And it's only been that many chapters. I'm predicting a lot of fighting, which wins.

Looking forward to more.

More fight scenes deserve my personal thumbs up, which means a lot in the long run. And all we've seen is the power of Earth. Tom predicts more Elements with even harder buggers to beat.
You'll get another thumbs up (Which really does count for a lot) if they all have a fight in the bar soon.

And here's a recap of the story so far... Just kidding. In fact, here's no recap of the story.

Chapter 6

The next morning, after going to bed early and getting up late, Shade went to check on Mathew. To his surprise, the old scholar was sitting up in bed reading a book. He looked up as the assassin entered the room.
?Ah, Shade. Glad you?re awake. I?ve been reading some of Amy's books on magic; it?s amazing just how wrong some of the theory is in them. Here for example, it says that there are four elements and all magic stems from them. Now, the part about the elements is right ? as you know, there are four of them ? but not all magic is based on them. Light magic is totally separate, as is Dark magic. Do you want me to explain the theories, or do you have more pressing things to attend to? I think we should stay here for a few days; there?s so much useful information in these books, despite the rubbish.? He turned over the page and continued reading.
Shade pulled up a chair and sat on it. Looking at some of the books beside him on the floor he saw that they had titles like ?The history of magic usage in Narlkant? and ?Magicians of the past.? There were at least seven of them; Amy really was a dedicated collector.
?Can you explain some more theories? And then there?s something I need to ask you, but it?s not vital, so take your time.?
?Right, magic. As you know, it is possible to use the crystal of Earth to control Earth. Well, it is possible to do Earth magic without the crystal, but it takes a lot of energy, so most wizards don?t bother. The same applies to Air, Fire and Water. Also, it is not possible to do magic of the opposite type to one that you already know. Earth and Air, Fire and water, Light and Dark. There are also two other kinds of magic which are more specialised but easier to learn. They are Healing and Strike magic. Healing you know of, but Strike magic is the art of non-elemental influence on the surroundings. For example, levitating an object or causing a door to shatter for no apparent reason. It?s the opposite of Healing, so naturally it is impossible to learn both.? He paused as if considering whether to continue, then did so.
?It is said that the ancient wizards of the past could perform amazing feats of magic and could even learn opposite types of magic. However, the magic strength of the human race is waning; someday soon it will disappear completely. Unless there is some way to restore this magic, the future looks very mundane. Now what was this question you wanted to ask me??
?Who are you?? Shade stood up as he asked the question, banged his head on the low ceiling, and sat down again. ?Who are you? I don?t believe that you are simply a scholar who studies magic, how would you be able to learn such advanced healing techniques, or that massive light attack? The theory of those spells must be unimaginably complicated. I doubt you could learn them from books. No, it would take years of training under a skilled teacher to achieve such results. Where did you learn, and who are you?? Shade stopped ranting and looked at Mathew. To his surprise, the man was smiling.
?Are you done? Good. Now, in answer to your question, I am me, Mathew, just as I told you. What I didn?t tell you was that I am a member of an organisation known as the Ordos Magi. We are a small group of dedicated scholars and wizards who study and learn magic. However, we recently learned of a man who also sought magic, but on a much larger scale and for his own evil purposes. We did not have time to learn any more about him, as he had discovered where we met. He ambushed us, leaving only three of us alive. As he left, one of our information gatherers ? a mercenary, I believe ? ambushed him. He was battered to within an inch of his life by the man?s dark magic, and I was only just able to save him. He told us of this man?s plans.
?Apparently, he is attempting to acquire the four crystals of power and has sent one of his underlings after each one. We decided that we would split up, each of us going after a different underling, with intentions to stop them at all costs. I was sent after Dragon, the self proclaimed Servant of Earth, and the Earth Crystal. I traced it to Lord Chalzan, but you got there first. I found you just after you handed over the crystal, and after seeing you deal with the Golem I decided that you had the right to help.
?There, is that explanation good enough for you? I can use Light and Healing magic, before you ask.? He yawned, closed his book and looked at the open mouthed assassin.
Shade shut his mouth. Then he opened it again to speak. ?Okay, so the Ordos Magi are after this guy who wants to control the world, and Dragon is his underling. Right then, I?m going to get something to eat. See you downstairs.? He turned and left the room.
In the bar, Amy brought Shade some fried eggs and strips of fried bacon. He ate them in silence, thinking over all that he had been told. Eventually he reached a conclusion. He would go with Mathew, hunt down and kill Dragon, and with luck take out the leader of this operation. Of course, Mathew could have been lying to him, but he seemed trustworthy enough.
Amy came over from the bar and sat opposite him. She was carrying a bundle of black cloth under her arm. ?Shade, what?s up with you this morning? Your face looks like a thundercloud! And I don?t mean because of the colour, what?s troubling you??
Shade looked up from his food. He had decided not to bother staying another night; there was no time to lose if they were going to catch Dragon. He sighed. ?I?m going to be travelling on later, and I might not come back. If I don?t return in six months, then I want you to have my stuff. You know where it is. I should be back soon enough though, so don?t sweat okay? I?ll get Mathew to show you some magic before we go if you like.?
Amy smiled at him, and presented him with the bundle of black cloth she had been holding. ?I knew you?d say that. I want you to have this. I made it for you. It?s black camouflage, it should make your job easier. I put in a few extra pockets for you, and it?ll cover your whole skin except for a slit for your eyes. There?s also a few knives built into it, in sheaths naturally, so you have some emergency weapons for throwing or fighting with. And I made a proper black scabbard for that sand sword thing. It should attach in the same way as your current ones.? She stopped speaking and looked down at the table.
?Why the long face? Don?t worry, I?ll protect him and he?ll be back before you know it!? Mathew said, walking in. ?Now, I hear you?re interested in seeing some magic. Amy looked up and nodded eagerly, her troubles instantly forgotten.
?Well, supposing I start off with a glowing sphere?? A sphere of white light winked into existence in front of him. It elongated and took the form of a snake which slithered through the air before changing colour and becoming an incredibly lifelike rabbit. ?Light magic,? Mathew chuckled, ?The magic of illusion.?
For the next half hour, Mathew entertained them with illusions, including a particularly convincing one involving two drunkards having a fight. They only saw through that one when one of the men walked through a table. Eventually, the wizard created a miniature re-enactment of Shade?s fight with the golem, ending it just as the building collapsed. ?That?s enough for now. I?ll show you more when we come back. Now, we?d better get going. I think Dragon has probably left the city, and as I haven?t had time to work on that sword we?ll need to ask the watchman which way he went.?
Shade stood up and went up to his room to get his things. When he came down again, he was wearing the new outfit which Amy had made, complete with scabbard and concealed knives. As usual, Amy?s skill was perfect. She smiled when she saw him, and produced another bundle of cloth from under the bar. This one was a hooded cloak, and Shade put it on over his gear. He grinned, and thanked Amy. Then he and Mathew left the tavern.
As they walked towards the gate of the city, Shade couldn?t resist the urge to look back. He saw Amy standing at the door of the pub, waving him goodbye. He raised his hand in reply, then they turned the corner and she was lost from sight.
When they reached the main gate, Shade was surprised to find it still shut. Usually the gate opened at sunrise every day, but it was over an hour late already. Peering into the gatehouse to find out what was keeping the guards from opening it, he got a huge shock. There were two statues in there. Both of them were wearing guard uniforms. Shade remembered the peasant who Chalzan had so mercilessly killed, and knew that Dragon had discovered the same trick. He entered the room and pulled the leaver which opened the gates himself.
Nothing happened. Upon closer inspection, he found that the chains had been turned to stone as well. Mathew called from outside.
?What?s the hold up? We don?t have forever you know! Get those gates open!? The wizard stepped into the gatehouse and froze. He had spotted the statues, and the stone chains. ?What happened here??
Shade gave up on the chains and shook his head. ?It was Dragon. The crystal allowed him to do this. There should be a small gate in the main one. Let?s use that, they won?t object, poor guys.? He left the gatehouse and Mathew followed him. The small gate was, unsurprisingly, unlocked and unbarred. Dragon had come this way. As there was no hope of asking the guards for information, they tried a more traditional approach and followed the direction of the road south and hopefully in the direction of their enemy. Dragon would pay for the deaths of all those people who did no more than get in his way.

What? No combat? That's a first.

Yay, Shade obtained Ninja Garb +2.

"He entered the room and pulled the leaver which opened the gates himself." It's a lever, without an A.

Moarplz.

Ask, and thou shalt recieve... later. When more post.

Don't worry, more combat later. Besides, there was an illusion of a pub fight.

Thanks for the typo spotting.

The illusion of a bar fight doesn't get a thumbs up. Real ones are better and bloodier to read about.

But, the fact that no combat was involved is countered by Uber plot development and plot twist. Huzzah!

There was a plot twist? The main point of that chapter was to explain how magic works in this world. Before I forget though, here's the next one!

Chapter 7

The road was long and dusty. As Shade and Mathew trudged wearily along it, they were silent. Each one was wrapped up in his own thoughts. Shade thought of his master, the great assassin Keshena. He had been killed last year by a knife through the heart. Shade remembered it well.
He was practicing sparring with his master outside the city. Keshena?s preferred weapon was a wide-bladed and curved eastern scimitar with only a small hand guard. He used it as only an expert could, spinning it around in wide arcs, yet always able to block anything that Shade could throw at him. However, over many years of training with his preferred weapons, Shade was almost his equal in skill and agility.
On this particular night, they were practicing when Keshena suddenly stopped. Shade hung back wary of a trick, but then his master spoke.
?You have reached an unusually high standard of skill. I believe that it is time for you to undergo the trial now. Follow me.? So saying, the master assassin began walking towards the wall of the city. When they reached it he spoke again. ?I have heard rumours of a man ? a noble ? who believes that he has the right to the throne. I was going to ignore it, but the king is one of my best customers and I don?t want this particular man to replace him. I hear he has obtained an object of power and intends to use it to overthrow the king. I want you to infiltrate his home and take care of him for me. Any questions??
?Just one,? Shade replied, making sure he had everything, ?Who is it??
?Lord Chalzan, governor of this city.?
Shade shook his head to get rid of the memories, and cursed himself for being such a fool. Why had he not remembered his master?s words? I hear he has obtained an object of power? It was so obvious now that that was the Earth Crystal. They were walking through a deep forest now, and the birds were oddly silent. He glanced across at Mathew, and saw that the scholar was still lost in thought.
Mathew was remembering the day when he had first joined the Ordos Magi. It had been so long ago, and he had only known a little healing magic at the time. The founder, Lord Yakima had heard of his impressive knowledge of ancient magic and languages, and had approached him one day asking if he was interested in sharing the knowledge he had acquired with other like-minded people. He had agreed. His mind went back to the initiation?
The room was dark. There were nine people in hooded robes standing in a semicircle around him. The one in the centre was Lord Yakima, the founder of this organisation. The others he did not know, as they kept their faces covered by their hoods, as did he. Yakima spoke the words of introduction.
?Brothers, before us stands a scholar of great reputation. He has gathered knowledge on ancient magic and has learned a little himself already. However, I believe that we could help him expand his knowledge and ability, and at the same time he could help us. What do you say?? Every hooded figure nodded once. ?Well then, a unanimous vote means automatic entry. Brother, welcome to the Ordos Magi.?
Mathew could not help smiling as he heard these words and the hooded men came forward to welcome him personally. They explained the theories of magic to him, in far greater detail than he had read in any of his books, and in return he explained his findings on ancient magic. Things progressed well. After only a few months he was able to cure most injuries and create basic illusions.
One day he arrived at the headquarters with startling news. He was given a drink of water and allowed to get his breath back, then asked to speak. ?Brothers, I have come across evidence of as yet unknown magic, used by the ancients. I believe that they, for some reason, sealed some of the world?s magic into four crystals. They sealed one element into each one, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. If we could find even one of these crystals, just think how it would help our research!? There was muttering throughout the room, then Yakima spoke.
?What you say is interesting, to say the least. I will look into this and send out scouts to see what they can discover. In the meantime see what you can do. But first, I wish to unlock the full power I sensed within you. Leave us!?
This last command was directed at the other members. They nodded and walked out of the room. Mathew looked at Yakima nervously. He was a powerful wizard, able to control Light and Strike magic, and he delighted in releasing the power of others. ?Right, this is how it?s done??
The scholar smiled to himself. The unlocking of his true potential had been exhilarating, if not a little scary. He looked up at the road ahead, started and began to run.
Shade saw the wizard?s reaction and started running towards the obvious cause of his alarm. A cart had been pulled off the road and was steadily burning.
As they reached the cart, there was an explosion which sent them both flying to the ground. As Shade picked himself up, he saw a man in a black tunic a few meters away doing the same. The man caught his eye and motioned for him to get away. With a jolt, Shade realised that he couldn?t have been more than seventeen years old.
The boy grabbed a chained weapon from the ground and dashed to the other side of the cart. Glancing over, Shade saw a man in a red cloak and hood facing the boy. With a laugh, the man raised his hand and muttered a command. A jet of flame burst from his hand, heading straight for the boy. He barely dodged it, but tripped and fell to the ground. The cloaked man laughed again, and vanished in a flash of fire. The boy groaned, got to his feet and, with a last regretful look at the burning cart, plunged off into the forest.
Shade located Mathew nearby. The scholar had seen everything, and was sitting on a rock looking thoughtful. Shade approached him. ?What was that all about?? he said, sitting down next to the scholar.
?That was the mercenary who was assigned to gather information for us, and is now searching for the man looking for the Fire Crystal. He looks to be having a little trouble, but no more than can be expected. I don?t know his name, but he?s really good at what he does. None of us knew each others names either, so nobody could betray us? we?d better press on if we want to get out of these woods by nightfall.? They stood and began walking down the road again.
As they walked, Mathew's mind went back to that day when the unknown man had attacked the Ordos Magi, reducing them to a mere three members?
They were listening to a report by one of their informers when it happened. The door of the room exploded inwards, and a man stepped through. He was dressed in colours representative of three of the four elements, and his hair completed the fourth. As he stepped in, beams of dark energy fired from his hands, instantly killing the nearest two members. The informer spun around just in time to take a blast full to the face. He collapsed with a faint moan.
Lord Yakima stood and blasted a beam of pure light at the man. He simply stepped to the side and the beam swept past him. By this time Mathew and the other six members had risen, and began to blast the man with all they had. There were a few projected spheres of force, which pushed the man back, some beams of light, which he avoided or deflected with a shield of dark energy, and one beam of darkness, which the man simply absorbed. After seeing this, the man who had fired it started using his healing abilities to restore the power of his comrades.
The assault did not last long. Within a few minutes, only Yakima and Mathew were still standing. Then Mathew took a blast to the shoulder which knocked him to the ground. The stranger fired a massive blast of dark energy at Yakima, throwing him backwards into the wall. He fell to the ground, dead. Mathew was sure that the same would happen to him, but to his surprise the man simply turned and left. The scholar slipped into blackness?
Mathew sighed. There was no feasible way to hurt this man, not without the crystals. This journey would not last long if he caught them now.

Wild Seth appeared!

I approve of this chapter due to flashbacks and explosions. Moarplz.

Er... *Agrees with post above*

I guess the memories of Uber fights make up for the absence of Shade and Mathew rampaging around. Nice job, and wanting more.

Waiting impatiently for moar chapters. Continue!

Certainly. Right as soon as you solve this riddle.

"What goes up the chimney down, but not down the chimney up?"

Now be patient!

Already heard it before, it's an Umbrella. Now I demand more chapters!

Crap.

Chapter 8

The road wound on through the forest. Nothing else interesting happened, and they set up camp by a small stream on the forest?s edge. Shade tried to forget about his master, but for some reason the thoughts kept on coming. He sighed. He didn?t like remembering that night.
?The governor? He?s found an object of power? Okay, I?ll do my best to take him out before he can use it.? Shade prepared to walk towards the main gate, but Keshena stopped him.
?Wait. We have company.? As he spoke he drew his large weapon, and Shade drew his two smaller blades. He looked around, and noticed a stealthy figure dressed in green creeping towards them. ?There. The governor?s men. They always work in fives, so watch out.? The man sensed that he had been spotted, stopped trying to be stealthy and charged at them. A slash from Keshena?s scimitar slew him in one stroke. Two more dropped from the wall behind them and Shade turned to face them, while his master stopped another who had followed the first. Shade stabbed the first man through the face while parrying a strike from the other one with his other weapon. The man looked surprised and attacked again. This time, Shade stepped towards the man and to his left. The strike missed, and the assassin stabbed both of his weapons through his enemy?s chest. He turned to see his master watching him thoughtfully.
?Well done, my apprentice. Now where?? he gave a short gasp and fell to his knees, revealing the man behind him. ?I? I?ve been stabbed! And there was me thinking? that I would die in? my sleep?? He fell forwards and lay still.
?No! Master Keshena!? Shade stood still, looking in disbelief at the body of his teacher and the man who had killed him. He pulled out a throwing knife and flung it with all his strength. While it was still in the air, he unclipped his crossbow, pulled back the string, spun around so that he was sighting down it, and saw the knife hit the man in the chest. Before the man could cry out in surprise, Shade fired the crossbow bolt right into the back of his throat. He gurgled and fell to the ground. The assassin ran over to his master.
Keshena stirred. ?Shade? you are my apprentice no more? you are the assassin destined to take my place. Don?t worry? about me? I was bored of this world? already?? He let out his last breath and died smiling, watched over by the best apprentice he had ever taught.
Shade sighed again, and focussed on his weapons. The sand katana was intriguing, and he wanted to know how it worked. However, Mathew was asleep already, so he couldn?t ask him. His crossbow, now the only weapon which he really thought of as his own, only had a few bolts left; he would have to find some more when they reached the next town. The knives which Amy had concealed in his clothing were in the perfect positions to be drawn with speed, and there were three which would not be possible to find if he was searched. It was well made.
Amy? The assassin?s thoughts drifted back to her. Evidently the crush she had once had on him was still as strong as ever, which was nice to know. He wondered vaguely whether anything would ever come of it. Still, he could worry about that when he got back. He went back to examining his gear and keeping lookout.
Midnight arrived. Shade stood and went to rouse Mathew. The scholar groaned a bit, but after a little encouragement got up and took his turn at being sentry. He sat on an old log and thought about the other people who were out to stop the man from gaining total power. There was himself, two other members of the Ordos Magi, and that young mercenary who they had seen earlier. None of them knew the identities of any of the others, and yet they had all agreed to work together to stop the end of the world. That had been only two months ago, but it felt like an eternity.
Mathew woke up with a sore head. There were two figures standing over him ? all that was left of the Ordos Magi. They managed to get him standing, and then led him over to the door. A boy of about seventeen years old was lying in the doorway, his left arm was broken and the right still clutched the handle of a strange chained weapon. He had burn marks on his face and his black tunic was ripped.
In silence, Mathew prepared and released the spell of healing. The boy stirred as his arm fixed itself, and eventually woke up. He looked in amazement at the three wizards standing over him, and then hurriedly got to his feet.
?Sorry, I failed.? He looked down at his feet. ?I was supposed to find out more about the crystals, but all I found was what you already know. But I did find out about this man, although not his name, and I learned that he is also seeking the crystals. He has sent men out to locate and claim them, and I was on my way back to tell you. But I was too slow. I met him coming out of this room and attacked him, but he moved too fast and blasted me with a beam of darkness. And then I woke up here.?
One of the other wizards spoke. ?I believe that we should go after the crystals. They would help us to gain power enough to defeat this man, and having then in our possession would also stall his own plans for their use. Do you agree?? Mathew and the others nodded and the man continued.
?Excellent. I will go after the Water crystal; you in the brown robe go after Earth; you go after the Air crystal; and you, I hope you?re up to this, will go after the Fire crystal. Agreed?? Once again they all nodded, and walked out of the chamber. ?Good luck!?
Mathew stifled a yawn. It was almost dawn, time to get going. He went and roused Shade, and after breaking camp they set off.
The road left the forest and continued through neatly sowed fields. After an hour or so, they came across a small village. As they entered it they saw that all was not well.
There were flames in one of the houses, and most of the others were lying in ruins. The village square was a mess of broken cobbles and smashed rock. There were three people staining in a small group with swords, and they were facing a single figure in a brown hooded cloak. Shade drew his sword and ran towards the figure.
?Dragon! What have you done here? Why have you destroyed this village? What did they ever do to you?? As he ran forwards, he saw movement to his side. Pillars of spiky rock had burst from the earth and impaled the three men with swords. The assassin took a wild swipe at Dragon and was surprised to find it blocked on a sword identical to the one he was holding, only this one was not infused with the power of earth. His opponent snarled.
?I am acting on orders from Lord Warsate, master of all elements. You have proved a nuisance to him for too long! Now I shall kill you and your pathetic wizard friend. And the best thing about it is that if I am killed, Master Warsate will instantly be given the Earth crystal. You can?t win! However, I am loath to fight you for no good reason. I think you should fight my little friend first. I took the liberty of hiring a soldier to take care of you. You may recognise him. Fagan, fulfil your contract!?
A man holding a long thin rapier stepped out from behind one of the ruined buildings. He wore a red uniform with white decoration, and had blond hair. He looked at Mathew and Shade with contempt. ?Assassin! I challenge you to a duel!?
Mathew ran up to his friend. ?Don?t be stupid, just shoot him and be done with it. Why are you looking at him like that?? Shade was looking at Fagan with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. Before Mathew could stop him, he stepped forward.
?I accept your challenge. But first tell me why you?re working for this idiot, and why you told your own family that you had died. Your sister was devastated, and so were your parents. So tell me, why is Amy?s brother working for the man who wants to destroy this world? Explain yourself Fagan!?

Another wild Seth appeared!

"I? I?ve been stabbed!" Best last words ever.

Yay, a traitor. Fagan is about to get completely pwnt.