The Lord of the Slaads-The Heart of Chaos

Chapter IV-The Lord of the Slaads

    Rickalas reached out his hand towards the stone door with his heart in his mouth and fear in his stomach. He forced his hand as hard as he could until eventually he touched the door with his fingertips. The stone is cold and rough to the touch and to his surprise nothing happened until a few moments later, as the stone door crumbled he looked into the dark tomb and saw a large tunnel leading deep into the earth. He entered into the mysterious tunnel, unknown of what will happen at the end he pushed his feet forward, fear clenched hold of his heart and while unable to walk any further he pressed on forward.
    The tunnels long and dark and he couldn't see what's around him. He walked and walked, the further he walked the more fear gripped hold of him, he eventually left the tunnel and found himself in a large room. As he walked inside torches from all around the room lit up instantly and the light burned his eyes, eventually his sight returned and he could see a large stone table with a skeleton lying flat on it, it has a long sword in its left hand and a staff in its right. He looked around and noticed the rooms covered in jewels and many forms of riches.
    He looked back at the skeleton and saw on its left hand on its index finger a ring with a large clear gem on it. It called to him. He took the ring off the skeleton and he held it in his hand, he knew he had seen the ring before but he couldn't remember where, so he just placed it inside his robes. A blinding pain shot through his body and he fell to his knees, he screamed in agony, unknown to what the pain is or where it's coming from, he tried to stand up, but unable to achieve so. He lifted his head up and stood above the skeleton is a ghost and one look at the ghost and all of his memories came back to him.
    Rickalas grabbed hold of his head, in pain with the sound of a thousand church bells ringing in his ears as his memories of his entire life flashed before his eyes one by one and it was as though a lock had been broken from inside his mind, "get away from me," screamed Rickalas. The pain stopped, he stood up and mentally he felt liberated, it felt as though chains were broken inside his mind. Rickalas looked up at the ghost and he's looking upon someone he hoped he would never see again, "hello...you seem to know," whispered the ghost while he peered inside Rickalas's mind at his memories.
    Rickalas looked behind him and thought of running but he knew he would never make it. As he regained his memories he realised that his entire life was fake, as far as he was concerned he was born in Plutopia, instead he's now remembering that he's born in Earthrealm instead. He also remembered that he's married to Lucyia, he remembered war, loss and many other things. "You are dead, I killed you, how are you here," asked Rickalas. He collapsed to his knees again because the pain had returned. He felt so confused and he didn't know what to think of it all.
    His entire life a lie, as he pondered over how his memories were taken from him the ghost began to speak, "why did you leave Earthrealm and what happened to your memories," the ghost questioned confused how a man he'd never met held memories of him. Rickalas looked up at the ghost convinced that he was responsible somehow he realised the pain had stopped but he couldn't stand up. He tried so hard to remember the face of the ghost that stood before him, he felt as though the name's there but it's just too far out of grasp and the moment he stopped forcing it the name came back to him, "the wizard, I remember you I don't remember why I left or how I lost my memories yet," explained Rickalas.
    As he screamed in agony again he could feel the wizard pushing into his mind. "Get the frig out of my head," as it now began to turn into a mental battle between them both as their conversations are now happening inside their mental bodies. Rickalas tried as hard as he could to keep the wizard out of his head, but he's too powerful for him and the wizard has Rickalas's physical body paralysed on the floor, "no, open your mind to me. Oh, what is this, they are alive when they are supposed to be dead," muttered the wizard. He is talking about Johnkal, Niklaus, Lucyia, Ja'nel, Rosarlea and Trogen.
    Rickalas looked him deep within his eyes with the most evil expression, as he could still move his physical eyes and with his third eye chakra or pineal gland as it's more commonly called he could see everything that the wizard was looking at inside his mind, "stay away from them, you have done enough wrong to them," cried Rickalas. Fear grew inside him, he feared for his friends. He felt that his head was splitting in two and his heart is being ripped from his chest as he pondered upon the dangers all of his friends and Azurdenea are now in, now the wizard is alive.
    The wizard laughed at Rickalas a sound that rang throughout his entire mind, "it does not matter, the Slaads are returning and all will come to darkness and all your friends will die, now show me what happened after you slain me in Cave Doom," snarled the wizard unable to see past that event but Rickalas can't show him what he doesn't remember his self. The wizard tried to push deeper into his mind to find the answers Rickalas just couldn't remember, but a powerful force unknown to them both pushed the wizard out of his mind. The wizard shot through his body and then vanished constantly laughing as he left and the further away he got. The more the sound became quieter.
    He fell flat on the floor screaming in agony, the pain had returned but worse than before, he called out with his mind screaming, hoping someone might hear but there was nothing, only silence. He had never been so scared in his entire life and he didn't know whether he's going to live or die. He wouldn't stop calling out hoping he might be heard. He felt a hand grab his shoulder, he looked up and saw a figure of a man in the darkness, he began to drag Rickalas out of the tomb and he noticed the pain had stopped, he felt relaxed and passed out.
                                ******
On the 17th Poseidon 1900 ABM Rickalas opened his eyes and he has no idea where he is, he's lying on a bed and he realised he must be inside someone's lair, he looked around and noticed he's inside a cave. It's covered in old books and parchments and so he looked towards the cave entrance and saw a man walk in out of the daylight, "you are awake, how do you feel," asked the man, Rickalas sat at the edge of the bed and watched the man approach him. The man has long grey hair and his robes are in rags while also he looked as if he had been in the desert for many years and he also as four arms which showed he's Plutopian.
Rickalas grabbed hold of his head with his left hand, "like I had a long night of drinking, who are you," asked Rickalas, the man slightly laughed at Rickalas's joke and he's glad his sense of humour's still intact, "my name is Caleb Thesulac and what is yours," asked Caleb, Rickalas eyed him curiously upon hearing the name Thesulac, "I am Rickalas Kay, you are a Thesulac," muttered he, his surname was also another thing he remembered and it's also something not everyone in Azurdenea as.
Caleb looked up from the floor and looked him straight in the eye, "yes and you are a Kay," Caleb paused, Rickalas face went blank wondering why Caleb thought his name was important, "excuse me," he answered. Caleb wondered why Rickalas didn't know his own name and why he was shocked to hear it had meaning, "long as the ancient bloodlines of Thesulac and Kay been side by side, there true history eludes me," he said, Rickalas's curiosity got the better of him, he had no idea his name had meaning. "So where is this Kay bloodline now then," asked Rickalas.
Caleb answered him by saying they reside in the city of Warican which is north west from the city of Sol, "I know where Sol is but this Warican, does not exist," Rickalas muttered, Caleb then told him that they must have hidden the city after what had happened. "You see Warican as the technology to make the city invisible, do not ask me how as I do not know," Rickalas is impressed and didn't know whether to believe him or not, so he just proceeded to question why Caleb said 'after what happened'.
Caleb explained that nine hundred years ago there was a war, the second great war of Azurdenea and it forced our good king of the Azzard Sharaf Thesulac and his queen Oksana Thesulac' a princess of Warican and she was of the Kay bloodline, into hiding, "I am going to tell you a story, a story that happened nine hundred years ago," Caleb whispered.
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It was a very different time nine hundred years ago, the date was the 21st Boedromion 1000 ABM, the Azzard had a king who was above all lords and answered to no one except the people, all over the Azzard evil stirred, an evil all dark and smoke like that gave of the stance of a man. Nothing could bring them down, for every one that was killed four more took its place and they eventually dubbed them the Army of Death. Anyway, a council was called in which all the lords from the Azzard came, the council was located south of Plutopua and it was a grand circular building and in the centre lay the council chamber.
Sixteen lords were all sat in a circular motion with the king stood in the middle. "What are we going to do? These attacks are out of hand," said the elven lord of Aurora, the council went up in an uproar, pleading for the king to take action. "We have had experts around the clock, trying to figure this enemy out, and they found something inside the ancient towers," said Sharaf Thesulac, Sharaf was the king of the Azzard and he was Caleb's uncle, he had short dark brown hair, grey eyes and a short brown moustache and beard, he wore long golden robes with a large golden crown with a jewel in the centre.
The lords began to question what the king had found inside the ancient towers, "we are assembling the Roughnecks and we are going to investigate these disturbances ourselves," said Allam Sabat, Allam was the lord of Utopia, he wore long white robes, he had short black hair and a short black beard and moustache and he bore a small golden crown atop his head. The council began to settle down as they heard the Roughnecks were being assembled, the Roughnecks are that eras version of the Guardians and they are trained in the same way.
The lords were in agreement over the Roughnecks being assembled and as someone began to speak they all quietened down, "so our first mission is to go to the ancient towers and learn more about this threat, do you all agree." said Antar Uzma, Antar was the lord of Dystopia, he wore long white robes, he had a small crown on his head and he had long red hair, Sharaf, Antar and Allam together are known as the three kings, they rule over the entire Azzard from the throne room of Plutopua, all three govern there respective cities but come together for matters about the Azzard.
They all agreed with the three kings as king Sharaf began to speak, "so it is settled than, we shall go to the ancient towers, Antar summon the Roughnecks and have them waiting at Plutopua for us. Council dismissed," Antar left the council chambers to carry out King Sharaf's orders and a few moments later the rest of the council began to clear out.
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    At the city of Plutopua, Sharaf was in the throne room with Antar and Allam, also all lined up in front of them was the Roughnecks, they were named: Caleb Thesulac, Scabies Thesulac, Razzak Thesulac the oldest son of Scabies, Archangel Girian and Azzur a powerful warrior. "Right Roughnecks, we need to travel to the ancient towers, there is information there to stop this Army of Death, go prepare and be back here in one hour," Sharaf said and after he had finished speaking, they all left to get ready.
Many days passed journeying to the ancient towers once inside they were all pouring over ancient tomes and parchments when Razzak discovered a powerful wizard used to live here. "I know there was son, but that wizard is long since dead, buried him myself, deep within the Embleton desert, say where is Azzur," muttered Scabies. In the other tower, which Azzur reached by crossing the skywalk, he was looking at drawings and ancient writings all on the walls, he reached out to Scabies with his mind. "Scabies come quick, I found something," Azzur said with telepathy.
    About ten minutes later Scabies arrived with the rest of the Roughnecks. "What have you found boy," Sharaf asked, they all began to look around at the drawings but couldn't make sense of it.
    "Well these drawings tell a story, a story from ancient times and the words translates to, long ago in a land infested by nothing, if you look at the picture of what a nothing, is it resembles the Army of Death, a group of courageous hero's went on a journey, a journey to assemble the six prophets, they are the key, the nothing, will be gone and the nothing, was gone, the prophets are scattered all over Azurdenea in these locations, the first is in the Azzard in a temple just outside Hydra, the second is in Earthrealm in the temple of Warwick, the third is in the Black Sage in the temple of Paradise Falls, the fourth is in Vampirica in the temple of Eden, the fifth is in Wolfvenstine in the temple of the blood moon and the last is in Fasingworld in the temple of the elves, that's all it reads," whispered Azzur,
    King Sharaf was pleased by what Azzur found, "ok good work Azzur, ok looks like we are going to Hydra," said Sharaf.
Over a week had passed since the towers and once inside the temple of Hydra, they was all in the grand hall with the large archway, "ok everyone split up, if you find anything that resembles a prophet than shout out," said Razzak, once they split up Azzur found himself in an open courtyard with plants, flowers and trees and in the centre there was a water fountain and sat atop it was a magnificent statue, of a weird alien creature sat atop a seat of stone it had webbed feet and hands, a few seconds later Sharaf walked into the courtyard. "What is this, you have found it," said Sharaf, Azzur turned to face him and looked at him funnily.
    Azzur laughed and asked King Sharaf if he was sure as it looks like a statue. Razzak walked into the courtyard, "do not get smart with me boy, Razzak bag it and tag it, Azzur send your eagle with a message to Plutopua asking them to pick this up, we are going to Earthrealm," he said, so Azzur attached a message to his eagle's foot and sent her off.
    A lot of time had passed journeying to Earthrealm since the quickest route through the pass of Azra Bilqis to the southwest of the Azzard was cut off and had been for many years so there journey took them the long way to the east of the Azzard through Vampirica then down south through the Black Sage and finally the pass close to the thunder cliffs bypassing the Embleton desert.
In the city of Warwick in Earthrealm there was a temple in the town square, the city was crawling with humans, they were all very polite, kind and all generally happy. Inside the temple they found the prophet and they sent Azzurs eagle again with the coordinates.
                                ******
     Eventually they received another three and sent messages to have them picked up and finally they are about to pick up the final prophet from Fasingworld, as they arrived the elves where at war with an unknown foe, they entered the city from the southwest gate, the battle was happening outside Tirian's front walls to the north. The Roughnecks all entered the city and went to meet the king , inside the throne room the king was sat upon a throne, his name was Tirian, after the name of the city and he was very young for an elf," my king Tirian what has happened here, who is this threat," Sharaf asked.
    The king of Fasingworld began to tell the Roughnecks what he knows, "I have no idea they attacked us from the far west, some of their generals referred themselves as Slaad lords," he answered, Scabies face dropped as he was alarmed by this, "Slaad Lord, I have heard the name before, but. But it is impossible, the wizard referred himself as a Slaad Lord, Sharaf I do not like this one but," Scabies panicked, King Sharaf told Scabies to calm himself and that they will get to the bottom of this, "Tirian we need to get pass this army, there is something at the temple to help stop this war," Sharaf spoke.
    King Tirian was very curious as to what it might be but he didn't want to slow them down, "there is a way, there is a secret tunnel behind my throne that leads straight to your destination," he said, King Sharaf thanked King Tirian and told Caleb and Azzur to remain behind to join the battle as the elves could use there help and he told the rest of the Roughnecks to follow him. Without a second delay they followed Sharaf through the tunnel and Azzur and Caleb joined the battle.