A GLADE LOCATED IN THE FAERYLAND DIMENSION:
Her name is Springdawn.
She’s a nymph, an immortal, ever beautiful faery woman.
Her hair is chestnut brown, with long dangling locks; her eyes are lemon green; her skin is a dusky tone; her dress is a marygold-yellow, and it clung to her body perfectly, displaying every sinuous curve of her body.
And the expression on her face-
-was one of sheer terror.
For, as she ran with all her energy, hardly being able to breathe, she was being pursued by a nightmarish monstruosity- a deformed, trollish humanoid, covered only in his own foul, brown fur; a creature that laughed in glee even as it pursued her.
It was an awgwa, same as the monsters that had attacked Percival and his companions; this one was alone, but then again, it wasn’t in a mission for it’s dark master. No, its evil intentions were its own.
Whether he wanted to rape, kill, or eat Springdawn- or all three- she didn’t know, and did NOT want to find out.
She just ran, as far as her legs could carry her.
Unfortunately for her… she ran out of ground to run in.
She reached the end of the glen: a deep, dark gorge.
Imposible to jump over, or climb down.
Her heart raced in her throat, as she turned- and saw the creature standing behind her, smacking his lips, grotesquely.
She was paralyzed with terror, unable even to scream.
The awgwa approached slowly, intentionally savoring the look of fear in her face.
He came slowly closer… and closer… and closer…
TWACK!!!
Springdawn gasped!
Someone had just ran up to the awgwa, with dazzling speed, and struck him with the flat of a sword, with such force, the creature was knocked face down into the ground!
Both Springdawn and the Awgwa gazed in shock at the newcomer.
It was a young, muscular man, wearing casual, modern clothes, red and blue in color. His blonde-brown hair, however, was a virtual mane, growing all the way to his feet. his manly beauty, howevred, was marred by SEVERAL terrible scars, as if parts of him had been ripped off. Most prominently, he had a scar where one of his eyes should’ve been. In his right hand, he held a large, embossed, silvery, glowing sword.
He stared at the awgwa with scorn in his good eye.
He raised his sword again, ready to strike the moster.
But he froze in his tracks, when it SPOKE: “N-no!! Mercy!!”
-“What!? You can talk!?” he spat out. “You’re lucky I swore never to kill people again, or I would cut you into pieces, vile one! NOW BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT!!”
The awgwa lost no time scrambling off.
The warrior then turned to the young nymph. She stared, not sure if she could trust him.
-“Fear not, my lady, I will not hurt you.”
-“Who… who are you?”
He hesitated for a moment, then responded, “You may call me… Reaven. Reaven Ryelandt.”
MEANWHILE, IN XMASVILLE:
…FFFWAAASHH!!!
A explosion of green sparks appeared in the middle of the town, followed by the materialization of Martinez and his allies, Omega, Mabbatsekker and Dragon God.
-“Wow! So this is Xmasville?” Mabbat said, in awe.
-“I don’t see anybody” Omega said.
Wil and Dragon God looked around in all directions, assessing the situation.
The town was indeed deserted.
(or so it appeared; unnoticed by the heroes, several small shapes flew away.)
After a moment, DG commented: “…Wil. There’s blood in the snow.”
-“I noticed” he answered grimly. “But there’s no sign of any bodies. Let’s not lose hope yet. Let’s assume the inhabitants were captured.”
-“What about Shal and Perci? Shouldn’t they be here?” Omega asked.
-“We’re wasting time just wondering. Let’s look for answers. But, be ready for combat” WM said.
-“Don’t worry, we’re ready!!” Mabat exclaimed, confidently.
-“Should we split up?” Omega asked.
-“No! We don’t know what await us. Let’s stick together for now” Wil told the others.
The four heroes walked into the nearby houses, checking them one-by-one.
They found them to be old-style log houses, full of old-style furniture. As well as Xmas decorations, and toys in various states of production.
And more blood.
No bodies, thought.
After a short while, they stepped outside again.
-“Um, Wil, I don’t want to be a pessimist, but, what if…?” Omega began to say.
-“The monsters ate them?” Wil finished for him. “We must consider ALL possibilities” he said grimly. “But we are HEROES. We do NOT give up hope without conclusive proof.”
-“Right!” Mabat agreed.
Suddenly, however, Omega turned around.
-“Om! What is it?” Wil snapped.
-“Someone’s coming!” he shouted, holding his crystaline staff with both hands, in a battle stance.
Wil did the same with his wooden staff, and Mabat drew out a short-bladed sword, while DG unsheated a rapier. They were all magical weapons.
The heroes waited for a moment, and before long, the sounds of a crowd approaching could be heard. Another moment, and it became visible around a corner.
Its appearance surprised the heroes.
It wasn’t a band of monsters, nor was it human people.
It was a mass of mythological creatures!
Nymphs! Satyrs! Elves! Pixies! Gnomes! You name them, they were there!
And ALL of them were armed- and angry!
However, they didn’t immediately attack. They stopped, observing the heroes carefully.
-“Um, Wil? What do we do?” Mabat whispered.
-“We wait for them to make the first move” he whispered back. "Just be ready if we’re attacked.
But the fearie-folk didn’t move either. Then after a few seconds, a voice shouted, “STOP!”
Everyone looked in the direction it had come from: Behind the faeries.
It was- Jingle Belle!
“That’s my friend!! Don’t attack him!!” She cried out, and immediately, the faeries put down their weapons.
Jingle ran to WM.
-“JB! You’re OK!!” he said, receiving her hug.
-“Oh, Wil!!” she cried happily. “It’s OK! Everyone’s OK!!”
-“What? You mean the Xmasville folk?”
he asked.
-“YES!!” she continued. “Shalcar saved them all! He’s incredible!!”
-“Aww” a voice said behind her. It was Shalcar, who walked out of the crowd, alongside Percival- and a huge, white-bearded man.
-“I wouldn’t have succeded if they weren’t immortal to begin with. Anybody else would’ve died from their wounds before I got to them” he explained. He looked VERY tired.
-“You OK, Shalc?” Omega asked.
-“I exhausted myself, but it’s nothing a good night’s sleep won’t cure.”
-“What happened to you people?” DG asked.
-“We were attacked by awgwas” Jingle explained. “Evil faeries. I teleported us to safety.”
-“Yeah, and we ran into him” Shalcar said, pointing to the large man by his side.
-“Mine friends” Sir Percival said, “allow me introduce thee to Ak, Master of All Magical woods.”
-“AK!?” Wil gasped. “You’re the one who granted Nicolas his immortality! He told me so!”
-“Indeed” the Tall man said in a thunderous voice. “And who might you be?”
-“Lord Ak, these is my friend, Wilfredo Martinez, the one I told you was going to help me” Jingle explained.
Wil bowed. “An honor to meet you, Sir. These are my friends, Omegaflare, Dragon God, and Mabbatsekker” he explained, pointing to each.
-“Before I decide if I can trust you” Ak said, “I must gaze into your souls.”
-“What!?” Mabbat gasped.
-“It’s OK, folks” Shalcar explained. “Ak did it to us, as well, when we first met- and AFTER Jingle explained to him that were on the same side. It doesn’t hurt.”
-“Very well… I have nothing to hide. You guys?” Wil asked his three companions.
-“I guess it’s necessary to avoid a needless battle” DG commented. “I’m in”
Omega and Mabat consented as well.
Ak gazed at them intently for a moment. They saw or felt nothing, but the intense gaze, from the fearsome immortal, was still disturbing.
-“Ah, I see” Ak said after a moment. “You all are, heroes indeed, just as your companions, the Knight and the Cleric” he commented. “You, in particular, may be of use in this situation” he said to Wil.
-“Err, really? How so?”
-“You bear the Mark of the Outsider.”
Wil blinked. “…What? Where?”
-“In your soul.”
Everyone was silent for a moment.
And a look of shock appeared in Jingle’s face.
-“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean” Wil asked.
-“There is an order to everything” Ak explained. “Everything has its place, and its purpose. Everything, except the Outsider.”
He allowed the words to sink in, then he continued. “However, too much order leads to occassions in which there might be, no escape from terrible events. That is, then, the purpose of the Outsider: to BE outside events, so he can influence them, and prevent such tragedy. In every generation, an Outsider is born”
-“Huh” Mabat commented, “sounds kinda Matrixy to me.”
-“And… I’m supposed to BE the current Outsider?” Wil said, bushy eyebrows lifted.
-“Lord Ak, if I may ask ye something” Percival suddenly said. “Was the one known as The Green Knight, the Outsider of the Time of Camelot?”
-“Indeed. I remember him well; he was a Champion of our people.”
-“Ah, that, then, explains the vision I had, when I saw thee earlier today, Friend Martinez” the young knight concluded, “In mine daydreaming state, mine mind must’ve sensed thine- unique state, and visualized it as a more familiar image.”
-“Hum. Well, I must admit that I’ve always been something of a loner” WM mused. “Always wandering, never feeling like I truly belonged anywhere. I assume it could be possible-”
-"NO! Jingle suddenly interrupted, “NO! Lord Ak, you must be mistaken!!”
-“Eh? Why do you say that, Jingle?” Wil asked, puzzled.
-“Wil, you don’t understand” she responded, “I have heard legends of the Outsiders. And their fate is always the same” he stopped, tears in her eyes. Then she continued. “They always die… without finding love.”
Wil froze in place.
So did the others.
There was silence for a moment. Jingle cried.
-“You… you mean… I’ll never… find love?” Wil finally whispered.
-'Not necessarily" the mighty Ak spoke again, “It is indeed the fate of the Outsider, to live outside the circles of life, even that of love; however, one born an Outsider, does not always stay one. But that is entirely, in the hands of Fate to decide.”
Everyone was still silent.
Finally, Wil shook his head. “Why are we talking about this? My life has NOTHING to do with our current situation! Let’s get to business!” he snapped angrily. “Jingle! What about Nicolas?”
-“We don’t know. He’s… missing.” she said, still crying.
-“Easy, easy” Wil said to her. “If they took him, it means they want him alive. We just need to find him as soon as possible. Lord Ak, Do you know who our enemies are?”
-“Sadly, no” he answered. “But whoever it is, must possess great magic, to have brought back the foul awgwas, whom we good faerie defeated in a mighty battle, centuries ago.”
-“Yeah, I was afraid of something like that.” Wil mused, all hero business again. “Our first priority, is finding out excatly what turned Val and d evil, and more importantly, how to cure them. I think I have a clue, but I’ll have to travel to Galloway’s home universe to investigate it.”
-“But Wil” Omega protested, “You haven’t even rested yet!”
-“No matter! We HAVE to act soon; God knows what our enemies have planned next! Shalcar, are you done here?”
-“Uh, I think so” the cleric said.
-“I think you guys should return to RPGC. Weiila might need help there. Jingle, you stay with Ak- now that he’s here, you should all be safe.”
-“Hey! You’re not leaving me behind! Besides, if you’re leaving, who’ll take the guys back to the HQ?”
-"…Oh, Alright. Take them back, then" he finally agreed. “Go, guys, I’ll be back ASAP.”
Then he began to concentrate, and finally shouted, “PLANESHIFT!!”
-And vanished in a burst of blue-and-golden sparks.
No sooner had he vanished, than a voice was heard shouting, “Lord Ak! Lord Ak!!”
It was Springdawn, running thru the crowd towards him.
-“Eh? What is it, Springdawn?”
-“My Lord! I bear a message!”
-“A message? From whom?”
-“A daring and noble hero, that just saved my life!” the young nymph said, despite being winded from all her running. “My liege! I know where our enemies are!!”
TOMORROW: THE ATTACK ON THE POPE!!
