"And the Tower of Fire is in your possession once more." Marquise, the robed necromancer stated in a delighted tone.
"What will be the first on the agenda? Will we be diving into the plane of fire once more? To toy with the elemental lord, surely, should be on the top of your list?" His words were directed to the only other robed figure within the room: Jesse. News of victory in the challenge for the Tower of Fire, which only happened hours ago, had already been circulating about the isle.
The smaller magi had been focused, almost too focused on the scene which laid out in the distance. The small isle which had formed so close to the one that had become more of a home to their dysfunctional cult.
"None of that matters right now." Jesse said. Her voice giving way to tell tale signs of thoughts lingering far from the conversation at hand.
"Is it the new isle, m'lady?" Marquise loomed closer to look out the same window Jesse had currently been staring through. "An ominous sign indeed, but one that could very well herald the change we seek to Twilight Isle.. it is a sign, m'lady - a sign that connects to your own victory this very night."
"There's a strange energy coming from there. I cannot put my finger on just what, but the essance that is drawn from the isle is nothing more than destructive.." Jesse warned with a quiet voice.
"Is that not good? Truly, a sign from X'guth himself that the end times could very well be upon us!" Marquise rubbed his bony hands together as he relished the idea of death and destruction. Being of the Cult of Shadows, they wanted nothing more than the destruction of this world, of all worlds. Jesse had not been its originator, but she had become a high ranking member within its fanatic halls.
"We've already lost more than half of our forces due to the catacomb collapse from the quakes.. Many of which have been under my care since the beginning." Jesse turned from the window. Her attention turned to the center of the room. On it the Keepers Key to the Tower of Fire had been resting. Jesse took it within her hands.
"In undeath they served, m'lady. Their loss will not be forgotten. Once the land is ripe for taking, we will honor their memory by striking terror into the living." Marquise almost hissed in delight.
"I've grown to like this island. Mayhaps I have grown to like some of those who frequent it. Not many, but some. I would not like it if something dreadful were to happen. Not unless, of course, I am the one doing it." Jesse looked to the necromancer. The key of the Tower of Fire, now held within her hands, would be gripped upon.
"I've already decided to command a small expedition to the new island. I will see that you are among the ranks. Once there, we will do nothing but research. There will be no corruption. Not until we know for sure what it is we are dealing with."
"But, m'lady.. The land is ripe for us. Yes, or forces have taken heavy losses, but we could easily overtake the isle. If only with effort.. With DeAngelo leaving.."
Jesse continued. "The energy", her words coming to a pause at the strange way she pronounced the word. "So raw and untapped.." She looked to the now confused necromancer with a dull expression.
"You won't understand."
Marquise had been about to speak, but he found that his throat had been bound by some unseen force. The image before him had been of Jesse with her hand outstretched. The greenish aura which surrounded the woman's arm had been the very same aura that now burnt about his neck. The squeeze had choked him, but it was not why he could no longer breath; that had come from the air itself being pulled from his now tightening lungs. His eyes swam and a vision of black filled his eyes.
For a man who dreamed for the destruction of the world, the cold embrace of death lingering by had been a frightening experience.
"In undeath you serve. For the good of Twilight Isle, for now."
The body of the necromancer fell to the stone floor in a heap of pale flesh and robes. Crimson dribbled past his lips and began to pool about his head while blank, white eyes looked to nothing.
Jesse lowered the arm back to her side and sighed out. "The things I do for love!" She exclaimed out loud. "Lem, you owe me."
"Gobbi?" The goblin had never been out of speaking distance from Jesse. The green head poked out from the corner of the room. The expression on Gobbi's face had been a mixture of fear and excitement due to what had just transpired.
"Y.. Yes? Greatest Archage Jesse, the greatest and most powerful of the Archmages of all Twilight Isle..??" Gobbi said whilst peeking from his hiding spot.
"Pack up." Jesse began with a somber smile. The key of fire now hanging from her neck. "We're going on a trip."
Energy Crisis
The ride across the sea, even though only taking a short amount of time, had not been a pleasant one. The idea had been to circle about small landmass dubbed Ragnarok Isle before landing, yet there had been some complications. Wind had been the first to cause trouble, which had caused the crew to take quick action to lower royal purple sails; or else they would surely be sent off course. Labored rowing had come next, but then the water itself seemed to object their speedy cut through it. In the end the expedition had been forced to turn back and use the route that had been deemed safest by the goblins currently working on the rail way.
Jesse cursed quietly to herself. She had wanted to see the whole of Ragnarok Isle by sea, and perhaps by air, at a later date; once the goblins she had hired finished one of their flying machines. Sadly, she had to think of the possibility that the same wind which harassed their sails would do much of the same to any who dared arrive to Ragnarok Isle by any means other than the safe passage. Hopefully it wouldn't be the same on land compared to sea and air, or else this trip would be a short one.
"LANDFALL!" Called out a goblin mere seconds before the craft itself shook. It had met with the sands of the smaller isle and quickly dropped the pointed, front metal panel; something which protruded from the front of the ship like a sore thumb. With access to the isle before them, the expedition force that had been held up in the ships hold quickly funneled out. Jesse looked down from her perch at the edge of the ships deck. All while Gobbi spied out at the strange isle through his spyglass.
"Something's strange.." Jesse murmured out. Her nostrils expanded to suck in air; not to breathe, but to take in the strange scent. From the corner of her eye she spotted something that caused her a short moment of panic. "DON'T!" She called out to the freshly risen necromancer. His task had been to check if any other life forms had been on the isle, but his spell visibly had started to do more than it should. Jesse felt the disturbance within the necromancers fel-corrupted energies and reached out with her arm. The counter-spell she had rehearsed so many times within her hand did nothing to stop what soon followed. The air about the necromancer had begun to pop and shudder with a strange force. Each pop begot another, and another, and another, which soon caused sparks of flames that surrounded the caster. His spell backfired in that instant and all that had been left of the man was a small smoldering crater.
The air where the explosion had taken place continued to dance. The sparks took a more gassy shape and the slight dim color of red could not hide itself from Jesse's eyes, though that too dissipated after more time passed. Jesse let out a grunt of distaste then. "Gobbi, instruct the others not to cast any spells until we figure out what's going on.. and send a missive back to the main island about this." Her words fell to Gobbi, who seemed more shocked than listening at the moment. "Gobbi," She started, but the goblin quickly began to nod his head. "Yes, yes! I will do just that!"
"What do you think happened?" Came another voice. It had been from the armored corpse that stood opposite from Gobbi; though Gobbi quickly retreated to do as he was told. Jesse shook her head at the question and began to ponder just that. "My counter-spell couldn't even reach him, there's something strange about thie isle. From the looks of it, the energy might have fueled him a little too much, and the backfire of being unprepared resulted in the explosion."
"Not being allowed to weave spells will make this trip more difficult." The corpse began, but soon would nod its own head. "But I see no other option as well. We will follow your advice, mage." Cold, dead eyes swept over Jesse — who, in turn, looked back to them. " Never fear, Plaguetrest! I will do my best." Jesse chuckled while rubbing her hands together. This was, not at all, a sight that the risen knight had wanted to see. Plaguetrest clicked upper and lower rows of teeth together in distaste. This surprising union between her faction and the strange mage already began to tense. Plaguetrest spotted and turned to look over at a small band of risen warriors, among others, that gathered to the foliage leading to the forest. "What are they doing?" She asked Jesse, who seemed a little confused as well.
Their answers came as one of the bodies splintered from the group, then another, and another. They all seemed to be heading back toward the ship for something. Jesse called down while the woman, Plaguetrest, beside her did nothing more than sweep a cold look across the landing zone. "What are you all doing over there?!" Jesse called out in a curious tone. One of the goblins, who had been grouped with the mix-match risen humans, a few wild elves, and an orc or two, called back to Jesse. "We're setting posts for a church!"
"A church?! Why?" Jesse couldn't figure out just why they would do this. The goblin responded. "So St. Sadie can protect DeAngelo's landing!" This is what Jesse gets for converting most of her crew, as it seemed having a unified belief in something higher not only helped morale, but it gave them more of a drive to continue on into the unknown. Though she did find herself amused that the patron saint of the voyage had been a still alive, mortal woman. If they wished to dub her a saint, Jesse didn't see the harm in it. There had been something else in the goblins choice of words that mattered more to Jesse...
She looked out toward the sea, then back to the land. Plaguetrest grunted lightly and seemed to not share the same sentimental feelings that the mage now had written all over her face. "DeAngelo's Landing," the knight said while looking down at Jesse. Cold eyes then closed while shoulders rose and fell. "A fitting name."
Jesse gave a nod of her head in silence, a silence broken a few seconds later after pause. "A fitting name indeed.."
Jesse cursed quietly to herself. She had wanted to see the whole of Ragnarok Isle by sea, and perhaps by air, at a later date; once the goblins she had hired finished one of their flying machines. Sadly, she had to think of the possibility that the same wind which harassed their sails would do much of the same to any who dared arrive to Ragnarok Isle by any means other than the safe passage. Hopefully it wouldn't be the same on land compared to sea and air, or else this trip would be a short one.
"LANDFALL!" Called out a goblin mere seconds before the craft itself shook. It had met with the sands of the smaller isle and quickly dropped the pointed, front metal panel; something which protruded from the front of the ship like a sore thumb. With access to the isle before them, the expedition force that had been held up in the ships hold quickly funneled out. Jesse looked down from her perch at the edge of the ships deck. All while Gobbi spied out at the strange isle through his spyglass.
"Something's strange.." Jesse murmured out. Her nostrils expanded to suck in air; not to breathe, but to take in the strange scent. From the corner of her eye she spotted something that caused her a short moment of panic. "DON'T!" She called out to the freshly risen necromancer. His task had been to check if any other life forms had been on the isle, but his spell visibly had started to do more than it should. Jesse felt the disturbance within the necromancers fel-corrupted energies and reached out with her arm. The counter-spell she had rehearsed so many times within her hand did nothing to stop what soon followed. The air about the necromancer had begun to pop and shudder with a strange force. Each pop begot another, and another, and another, which soon caused sparks of flames that surrounded the caster. His spell backfired in that instant and all that had been left of the man was a small smoldering crater.
The air where the explosion had taken place continued to dance. The sparks took a more gassy shape and the slight dim color of red could not hide itself from Jesse's eyes, though that too dissipated after more time passed. Jesse let out a grunt of distaste then. "Gobbi, instruct the others not to cast any spells until we figure out what's going on.. and send a missive back to the main island about this." Her words fell to Gobbi, who seemed more shocked than listening at the moment. "Gobbi," She started, but the goblin quickly began to nod his head. "Yes, yes! I will do just that!"
"What do you think happened?" Came another voice. It had been from the armored corpse that stood opposite from Gobbi; though Gobbi quickly retreated to do as he was told. Jesse shook her head at the question and began to ponder just that. "My counter-spell couldn't even reach him, there's something strange about thie isle. From the looks of it, the energy might have fueled him a little too much, and the backfire of being unprepared resulted in the explosion."
"Not being allowed to weave spells will make this trip more difficult." The corpse began, but soon would nod its own head. "But I see no other option as well. We will follow your advice, mage." Cold, dead eyes swept over Jesse — who, in turn, looked back to them. " Never fear, Plaguetrest! I will do my best." Jesse chuckled while rubbing her hands together. This was, not at all, a sight that the risen knight had wanted to see. Plaguetrest clicked upper and lower rows of teeth together in distaste. This surprising union between her faction and the strange mage already began to tense. Plaguetrest spotted and turned to look over at a small band of risen warriors, among others, that gathered to the foliage leading to the forest. "What are they doing?" She asked Jesse, who seemed a little confused as well.
Their answers came as one of the bodies splintered from the group, then another, and another. They all seemed to be heading back toward the ship for something. Jesse called down while the woman, Plaguetrest, beside her did nothing more than sweep a cold look across the landing zone. "What are you all doing over there?!" Jesse called out in a curious tone. One of the goblins, who had been grouped with the mix-match risen humans, a few wild elves, and an orc or two, called back to Jesse. "We're setting posts for a church!"
"A church?! Why?" Jesse couldn't figure out just why they would do this. The goblin responded. "So St. Sadie can protect DeAngelo's landing!" This is what Jesse gets for converting most of her crew, as it seemed having a unified belief in something higher not only helped morale, but it gave them more of a drive to continue on into the unknown. Though she did find herself amused that the patron saint of the voyage had been a still alive, mortal woman. If they wished to dub her a saint, Jesse didn't see the harm in it. There had been something else in the goblins choice of words that mattered more to Jesse...
She looked out toward the sea, then back to the land. Plaguetrest grunted lightly and seemed to not share the same sentimental feelings that the mage now had written all over her face. "DeAngelo's Landing," the knight said while looking down at Jesse. Cold eyes then closed while shoulders rose and fell. "A fitting name."
Jesse gave a nod of her head in silence, a silence broken a few seconds later after pause. "A fitting name indeed.."
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