Descent Into Darkness

Mort Myre

There was a sizzling noise in the sky above the swamp, as The Shadow materialized into existence. Deinoscorpio appeared out of a burrow, and bowed.

"I went into overfeed the other day. So much death, so much destruction. But Drakan remains an enemy - you will assassinate him one day. Now, to finish off those villagers. Play the shanty, using these drums, and lure them into a trap"

The Shadow dematerialized away. The Deinoscorpio used its four giant claws to bang on the drums given to it. For a giant monster, it can do a great solo.

But nearby, a head rose out of the swamp. Theristika. It watched warily before sinking back to its underwater world.

Burgh de Rott

"Do you hear that?" Dirth said.

"It sounds like the shanty!" The Wanderer said in suspicion.

"Its not the shanty! Only we Meiyerditchians know the shanty! But its not Drakan, hes too scared of the swamp" Elle replied.

"Whys he scared of the swamp?" Tamron asked.

"I remember once eavesdropping on him. It was a Myreque mission. He spoke of the swamp in fear to his family and most trusted servants. He claimed he went there before in the Third Age. He and his weaker kind were attacked by clawed beasts and tentacled swamp monsters. Then, he saw the darkness of the sky. He looked straight into the eyes of a strange phenomena watching him. Drakan went partially insane. He said he could never forget the lifeless eyes of the strange shadow in the sky."

"What a story" Dirth said awestruck.

"Vampyres can't be scared of anything!" Edward said stubbornly.

"Or so it seems. There are... things out there that even a Vampyre would fear. Strange phenomena. Shadows in the sky." The Wanderer said, like in a trance.

"What of the drums?" Dirth asked.

"I will investigate, alone. If its a trap, at least I will be the one fallen for it. I can sense the drums calling for me."

"No you won't Wanderer. Me and Tamron are coming with you, no arguments!" Dirth snapped.

"I am?" Tamron shivered.

"Yeah we need muscles!"

"Eh whatever."

"Fine, but if you two die, not my fault." Wanderer wasn't very happy about this at all.

10 minutes later

Dirth, Tamron and the Wanderer went out through the gate. They stumbled into the alien swamps.

Not too long they found some drums.

"The mysterious player played here. No doubt about that."

"But where is the player?"

They turned round, to find a creature so familiar. The snapping beast. The second party. The Deinoscorpio.

"It was a trap all along. Played by an overgrown insect!" Tamron shouted angrily.

"I told you not to come. I knew who was playing the shanty - I only came out to monitor the creature. I told you before - it wants us for a reason. But it is now revealed Deinoscorpio is working for something more powerful, something beyond your dreams, something that could turn Drakan insane."

"Enough talk!" screeched the Deinoscorpio.

It picked them up with its three stingers. It stalked off carrying them.

"The shadow in the sky...." Dirth gasped.

The Shadow faced Dirth, grew a tentacle and slapped him.

"This is the era of a descent into darkness. I feel the power sieving into me. Soon, I will be the most powerful being on Gielinor."

"Aha, but tell us, almighty shadow, how did someone of your caliber end up in a dump like this?" Wanderer asked, trying to buy time.

"I was tricked and trapped here, on this uncivilized world, especially in this swamp region. My powers deteriated, and I am stuck in this useless form. Now, stop trying to distract me and shut up!"

Dirth and the Wanderer went staring right into the lifeless eyes of the Shadow. It was like they were being hypnotized. Tamron shut his eyes, and only hanging on with willpower.

But then he opened his eyes, and he saw into the black hole. He was starting to turn mad.

Deinoscorpio released the trio. The three started to walk like zombies away, but where stopped by The Shadow.

"You three will kill every villager you encounter. And you, Wandering man, will bring me the book of Necrosis."

The three obeyed hypnotically and headed towards the village. Deinoscorpio and the Shadow disappeared.

The Shadow disappeared, and the Deinoscorpio rushed through the swamps, when ten vampyres came out of nowhere. They bore their fangs.

"There it is! I wonder what its blood will taste like!"

The Vampyres pounced on Deinoscorpio, and sunk their fangs. But the fangs broke, as it couldn't pierce the exoskeleton.

The Deinoscorpio grabbed four of them in its pincers, and squeezed. The Vampyres were chopped in half. Another 4 vampyres jumped on the stinger and tried to shut them.

The Deinoscorpio just flicked them off, and as they were on the ground, were crushed by its claws.

The remaining 2 started to run, but one was being dragged into the swamps by another predator.

"Drakan, I failed you." the Vampyre said. That Vampyre was flipped into the air, before being bitten in half.

The Wanderer suddenly snapped out of the trance. He shook Dirth and Tamron, releasing they weren't going to snap out easily.

"Come on guys, I snapped out of it! You need to summon all willpower! Who am I kidding, you idiots couldn't do that!"

Dirth and Tamron were at the gate, with the Wanderer pulling them back. But they raised knives at him and tried to stab him. The Wanderer took the knives and chucked them away. Dirth and Tamron punched the Wanderer in the face, then entering the village.

The Wanderer got up, and ran up to the duo, as they just killed some innocent villager.

"Dirth! Remember Hirtho, your brother! There's hope for you yet!"

"Hirtho?" Dirth said eerily. He was slowly coming out of the trance.

"And you Tamron! Your lust to escape Morytania and live in Misthalin!"

"Misthalin?" Tamron said eerily. He was slowly coming out of the trance.

"Yes, I stopped you from killing the villagers!" The Wanderer sighed in relief.

"We were going to kill the villagers? Why? I don't remember anything, all I remember is going into the swamps and seeing a black hole! Nothing else." Dirth said, shaking his head.

"Lets just say you were hypnotized, by literally nothing. Just strange lights in the sky." The Wanderer smiled.

The Wanderer walked into his shack, and opened up a drawer with a padlock. He then unlocked some chains, and picked up the book of Necrosis. The Wanderer flicked through it, and saw an engraving. It was of a massive titan made of shadow.

The Wanderer shut the book immediately and stored it away. He paced up and down, thinking of the darker days ahead.