Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings

He who is without is finally with

(NB: Luc's name is pronounced as Lux)

Distant female voice: "Lux! Dinner's ready!"

Luc was in the middle of chopping fire wood when he was called by Polethea, Luc's girlfriend here in this new world. He finished with the last log before resting the axe on the bark of the tree. It was cold in the north, and yet Luc doesn't need to wear warm clothing to fight the freezing temperatures. His skin couldn't feel the frigid air and his body was kept warm by the strenuous physical activities, like chopping firewood.

Some months ago, Luc was involved in a tragic accident. Their plan was entered a portal that led them here. More so their flight crashed into the sea and Luc was drifted away to the far north. Luckily a group of fishermen found him lead by Polethea's father, Trisworth. It took special magic and several weeks for him to recover from his nearly fatal injuries.

When he woke up, he wasn't treated like the other Earthlings who were caught by the Nyanqins. He was with other humans and they welcomed him with warm hearts. Their hearts were so warm that it started to take effect on Luc's icy stone ticker.

Following his recovery, Luc discovered a new set of abilities in this world. First was the ability of his eyes to change color depending on his mood. Another was his somewhat improved physique. For some unexplained reason, he felt more at home to this world that he did on Earth.

At time passed by, and events on Lunaris unfolded. Luc remained here in Skullenport, and although he didn't speak much, he was still able to integrated himself into the system of this town. He was starting to find things that he thought he had lost, things like a sense of gratitude and the ability to love. Though nightmares of his past still haunt him, he was feeling more at peace now that he was worlds away from the world that left him scarred.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

Hundreds of ships bearing red sails suddenly arrived the eastern sea. Their presence was enough to cause most the people living in Skullenport, to stop whatever it is that they were doing and go see who these visitors were.

Skullenport's ship bay is built to accommodate large ships. All in all it can hold up to 300 large vessels at a time. Back in the day, before the Undead Invasion, it used to be similar to Union City people from all over the world would come dock here to visit the northern lands.

The civilians watched as the Red-sailed ships made land on their home town. The citizens grew anxious, they were eager to see what these visitors were doing in their home, and why did they have so many ships. Ignious Silverstorm, lord of Skullenport, came to meet with their unexpected guests. The number of ships they brought meant only that this was an invasion, but Ignious did want to cause any panic. They were out numbered and out gunned, the best option is to just allow these invaders to pass on peacefully, at least that was the ideal plan.

When the first ship finally docks, its crew wasted no time staying on board. A large wooden plank was lowered into the port and a number of large bodied men started marching down from the ship. A clearer view reveals that these were not men, these were Delva'shok (the Delvan Army).


One of them met with Ignious and said to him, "We have come to find the one named Agnes Nera. Until our mission is complete, we will use this city and make it into our stronghold. If you value the lives of your people, leave."

There were approximately tens of thousands of them, Skullenport would not be able to fight them off. Ignious knew that the had to obey or else everyone in this town will be slaughtered. Furthermore, didn't say that they would stay here forever.

Ignious agrees, he had no other choice, but he will report this to the Ramoan Army just as soon as his people are safe. He gives out the order to have Skullenport evacuated right away. As the citizens leave, they are replaced by the Delvan Soldiers. More and more ships arrive at the dock, and even more ships are a float outside the bay.

In the chaos of things, Luc is unable to find Trisworth and his daughter. A group of civilians pull him away from the town for his own safety. Ignious has decided that they will go through the mountain pass and head up north to Whitbury. These Delvas were headed west and Whitbury is out of their way so it's the safest place they can go to at the moment.

He who is without is finally with

(Worrying)

When was the last time Luc felt worried about anything? Even he couldn't remember. But today of all days, he felt very concerned for his girlfriend and her father. He came back to find them, but they weren't in their homes. Also, there too many people panicking and fleeing from the Delvas, that it became nearly impossible to find two people in such a large crowd.

It was the first he had seen these horned giants with metal skin and large muscles. But he felt no fear or dislike for them, these were two emotions that Luc hasn't recovered yet. He didn't care that these invaders disturbed the peace of this village and forced it's inhabitants to leave their homes behind. The only thing he cared about was Polethea.

He didn't care if the Delvas killed him, he wouldn't leave until he found Polethea. However, the concerned villagers grabbed him and pulled him away from the village. Luc was starting to feel something else inside him, but he wasn't sure on what it was just yet.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

Ignious has his men send birds, carrying word of the Delvic invasion, to Ramoa. The Delvas were led by Borgon Garam, WAr Chief of the Delva'shok. He brought a total of 80,000 soldiers to Wrozan, after the twins failed to deliver Agnes. Their mission was to recover the stolen Legium Relics that belongs to their people. Two of them were already in Wrozan, it was too much of a coincidence to take lightly. They turned Skullenport into their primary base of operations before heading west to Arcwind, which was their stronghold here in Wrozan.

The people from Skullenport thought they were safe, after the Delvas let them flee without harm. However, a different threat waited for them on in the mountain pass. Snow Behemoths patrolled the area. The Mountain Pass stretched for several kilometers and was a perfect ambush spot for giant monsters like the Snow Behemoth. Incidentally, one of these aggressive creatures were hunting in the area.

While travelling through the Mountain Pass, Luc was finally able to locate Polethea and her father, they were located in the front of the crowd. He couldn't get to them, however, due to the tightly cramped spaces brought about by the villagers trying to squeeze through the tight and rocky road.


Suddenly, a loud and fearsome roar was heard from on top of the mountains. One of the guards looked up and saw this massive Snow Behemoth staring down at them. The monster runs down the mountain and charges towards the caravan. Fear and panic kicks in, the villagers start running back towards Skullenport. But they were cut off by another Snow Behemoth. It was extremely rare to see two Behemoths together, not unless it was mating season. During mating season, there can be as much as 8 Behemoths gathering towards one female. They will often fight with each other for the right to mate with the female. The only thing that could distract them from their mating rituals was food.

Two Behemoths would be hard to defeat by Skullenport had enough guards to do the job, the Villagers forced themselves in the middle, behind the Skullenport guards. The Two Behemoths circled around them, like they were waiting for something. Then, another roar shattered the skies. It was the larger female, and she's brought four more male Behemoth's with her. Things did not look good for the villagers of Skullenport.

He who is without is now with

(Doubt)

Luc knew little about Behemoths, whatever knowledge he hold about them is from songs and stories, told by the villagers. He had never seen one in the flesh, until now. Things took a turn for the worst, just when Luc was finally able to located Polethea and her father. Two giant Behemoths attacked the travelling villagers, trapping them from both sides of the mountain pass. The civilians were panicking, although it would seem that the soldiers have the situation under wraps. Unfortunately, more of these aggressive beasts came down from the ridge, giving the monsters the advantage.

Luc was probably the only person in the group that didn't feel any fear. His life meant nothing to him, and so did the lives of all these other people. All except for Polethea, who he desperately tries to reach. Luch pushes and pulls himself through the apprehensive crowd, just to get closer to his girlfriend.

He felt worried and now he was feeling yet another emotion, doubt. He was started to doubt several things, but none of them were as important as his doubt for the safety of his girlfriend, Polethea. He hurries to her side, fighting against the crushing weight of the crowd.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

The fight begins. The Skullenport soldiers will not be enough to fight off them Pack of Snow Behemoths on their own. Lord Ignious calls to the civilians to be brave enough to join the fight or else they will all die. His battle cry works, and soon most of the brave men and women of Skullenport rallied to the fight. They picked up whatever hard object they could find, to use as a weapon. Most of them are not trained fighters, but everyone's got a little fight in them, especially if it's a fight for their survival.

With the aid of the civilians the humans were able to fight evenly with the Behemoths. But the tide of the battle shifts over to the enemy, as soon as the large female joins the battle. She overpowers a section of the defense, breaking through the line of soldiers and making her way to the unarmed civilians. She charges straight into these people and plows them with her giants horns. With their defensive line broken, the fighters are now open for an attack coming from the rear. Hundreds of civilians were being trampled and skewered by the raging female Snow Behemoth. One of her victims was Polothea's father, who got in the way to protect his daughter. Polethea couldn't leave her father, instead she stays with him, despite being the next recipient of the Behemoth's next charge.

*CHALLENGE EVENT*

Luc cannot reach Polethea in time to save her, but he can distract the Behemoth before it charges. A spear belonging to a dead soldier is within reach of Luc, he can use it to try and distract the Large Snow Behemoth.

All attacks are an attempt, never force hit. Roll the Challenge Dice and if the result is a CHECK, then that means you've hit your target. If the roll is an X, then it would mean that you've missed. You can only roll the Challenge dice one time.

He who is without is with

(Courage)

To have courage one must first have fear. Courage is the ability to overcome fear. Luc had neither, he just saw an opportunity and a means to save the person he cares for. The Behemoth was many times stronger than he is, and there was no guarantee he could deter it from killing everyone. But Luc decide to try anyway.

He took the spear from the dead soldier and threw, with all his strength, it at Polethea. Yes, he chose to just kill his girlfriend, he knew she was going to die anyway. Luc chose to save Polethea from being ripped apart, and suffering a painful death at the hands of the Behemoth that killed her father.

It was probably the hardest thing Luc had to do in this world. Polethea was the person who made him feel emotions again. But now, Luc had just thrown a spear in her direction. Losing her will destroy everything that Luc has built to save his humanity. However, to Luc, Polethea's fate was much more important. He was willing to sacrifice the only thing that made him human, to save the person he loved from a gruesome death.

((Oops sorry I forgot the dice.))

The member '...sorry' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

---

'Challenge' :

Result :

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

*CHALLENGE COMPLETE*

500 XP awarded.

In a surprise event, Luc decided to kill Polethea with the spear instead of trying to distract the Behemoth, which could've potentially saved her. The spear skewers Polethea in the back of the neck, killing her instantly. The Behemoth doesn't stop though, it charge forwards at Polethea's direction and stomps on the girl's corpse as it made its way towards the other civilians.

One by one the soldiers fell, they were being massacred by the Pack of Behemoths. Lord Ignious manages to kill one of the beasts, but only to be struck dead moments later by another Behemoth. With Lord Ignious dead, the soldiers lose morale and their fates are now sealed.

The survivors all cramped up in one space. Their backs were against the icy mountain wall and every exit was covered by a Snow Behemoth or two. The survivors were fighting for a position at the back, furthest away from the hungry monsters. Luc was trapped within the fleeing mob, he was crushed underneath the weight of the people and fell unconscious.

Hours later, Luc regains consciousness. His body was buried under a pile of corpses, but his face was now exposed after a Snow Behemoth ate the person covering it. The Behemoths were not done feeding yet. Everyone was dead except for Luc, but that was about to change. One of the Behemoths saw that Luc was still breathing. It dug into the pile of corpses and pulled Luc out forcefully, causing him to be thrown into the open. The other Behemoths started converging on the Luc while he was still down.

Fortunately, an unknown stranger arrives from the North, shinning a blinding light at the Snow Behemoths. The light was a mere distraction, to force their attention at the mage instead of Luc. It worked, causing the Snow Behemoths to charge at the mage. The mage stood calmly, despite having numerous Behemoths charging furiously towards him/her. The mage drew a giant magic circle and then the entire field was engulfed in light.

Luc loses consciousness again after being affected by the light. When he finally wakes up, he finds himself buried underneath a thick pile of snow. It was night time, over 12 hours has passed since the attack. The Snow Behemoths were gone, most of the human remains were covered in snow as well. Whoever saved Luc, left him there on his own.

He who is without is with...

(Nothing anymore)

In one fell swoop, everything that Luc has built in this world was taken from him. He had nothing else to live for now. He didn't fight back when the Behemoths tossed him into the air like a rag doll. There was nothing left in his heart. 

"Let this end." Luc said to himself. "I want this to end. I have... nothing anymore."

Luc laid on the cold icy soil, in complete surrender, waiting for the Behemoths to end his life. But, that would not be his fate today, a bright spark of hope distracts the monsters enough to have them turn their eyes and their attention away from Luc. In his state, Luc could only speculate on what is happening. He didn't care, his thoughts were focused on his death and nothing else. 

The trauma he suffered, caused him to lose consciousness again. When he awoke, the first thing he felt was the cold. When he opened his eyes he saw nothing but darkness. "Is this it? Why do I feel like this isn't enough?"

Luc felt a sharp pain on his rib the moment he took a deep breath. The pain was enough to wake him from his insipid delusions. He strove hard to get himself out of the snow, it wasn't easy, his fingers were near to being taken by the frost. She squanders around for a bit, before his mind catches up on the current events.

His life has been turned upside down again. Everything he had was taken from him again. Luc truly felt empty now. He didn't even want to take revenge on the Delvas for forcing them into this situation and not helping. He didn't even care about his own life anymore.

But then he looked down, and saw the bracelet Polethea made for him. It reminded him, not just about his life in this world, but his life back on Earth as well. How everything he ever cared for was taken from him or twisted by fate. Luc might be empty now, but he's starting to build up a powerful emotion deep inside of him. The only reason why he survived his adopted parents, and why he's still alive till now. His anger was the only tool he could trust. He soaks himself in his own hatred for everything that made him what he was today. 

The first thing in his mind was revenge. He started looting the guards for weapons and hopefully a decent armor. After he finds what he's looking for, Luc plans to march back to Skullenport and kill every last Delva he could get his hands on.

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

Luc found the following items from looting the dead guards:

WEAPON
Gladius Lv:10 (S)
MOVES	HP	STM	STR	DEX	MAG	DEF	M.DEF
0	0	0	60	0	0	0	0
Info
EQUIPMENT
Ironhide Armor Lv: 10 (S)
MOVES	HP	STM	STR	DEX	MAG	DEF	M.DEF
0	300	0	0	0	0	60	0
Info

Luc was lucky he didn't lose any of this fingers or toes to the cold. Perhaps it was his anger that fueled the heat in his body. The path back to Skullen port is treacherous, especially in the dark. Luckily, there's a bunch of unlit torches scattered in the area. Luc can just take them and use them to light his path, but in doing so he might give away his position to the Delvas.

*CHALLENGE EVENT*

If Luc decides to go the pass in darkness, with no light, he must get 3 CHECKS out of 5 attempts. In order to make it down safely.

However, if the chooses to bring a torch, then he only needs 2 CHECKS in order to make it down safely. Failure to achieve the corresponding number of CHECKS will result in detection and injuries. 

You can roll all 5 attempts, provided that your post is 250 words long and describes how you traveled down the pass while trying to avoid detection.

He who is without is with...

(Hate)

Normally, Luc doesn't react to the negative things being thrown at him, because he felt less as compared to the normal person. But today, enough is enough. Luc felt the same rage that he felt many years ago, when he decided to kill his adoptive parents and the nuns in the orphanage. He will no longer allow fate or anyone to control him and his life.

Anger has consumed him, it is all that he thinks about now. Losing his last hope of ever building a normal life, made him lose his mind. With rage fueling the fire in his heart and mind, Luc sets his eyes on the Delva's camped in Skullenport. He took the dead soldier's sword and his armor, these were of no use to the dead anyway. The armor was a good fit, the sword had terrible balance, but then again Luc was no swordsman so it did not really matter. Unlike the people in this world, Luc isn't trained to use weapons or to fight. Most of what he knows comes from instinct and his rage.

Stealth will be his ally in this revenge mission. He decided not to take a torch with him down the dark mountain pass, to prevent being detected by the horned-men. He knows that the trek down the steep mountain will be perilous, however, he didn't care. He had no regard for his own life, his only thoughts were that of revenge.

Luc knew that he will most probably not come out alive after this mission, but he did it anyway. The anger, which fills his heart, is now the one that is driving him to do such an act suicide. However, killing just one of them won't be enough for him, Luc wants everyone not just the Delvas. He's completely lost sense of the world and all that he can think about is killing as many people as he can, as a way to get revenge on what the world has done to him.

The member '...sorry' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

---

'Challenge' :

Result :

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

*CHALLENGE EVENT COMPLETE*

500 XP awarded.

Luc took a stumble here and there, but ultimately he was able to climb down the mountain pass in one piece and avoided detection from the Skullenport guards. There was still some distance from where he is to Skullenport, but already there were some Delvas patrolling the area.

Two unsuspecting Delvas were making their rounds around outskirts of Skullenport. They were the closest ones to Luc's location. There were more of them stationed in a nearby outpost, and attacking these two might get the attention of the others. Luc has a choice, he can either fight his way through or continue sneaking around until he reaches the town.

Meanwhile, Borgon, the War Chief of the Delva'shok, was having a meeting with his generals. Their plan was to keep their troops here, while their spies search for the location of Agnes Nera. They've learned from Yazgash, one half of the twins, that Agnes had fused with the Devil's Jewel. It is unsure how they were able to learn the name of the person who has the Devil's Jewel, but the Delvas did have a lot of spies scattered in Wrozan. Furthermore, it will not take long before they learn that Agnes is in North Bridge, after the stunt her demon pulled.The Delvic forces over at Arcwind will also cooperate with Borgon and his army, in the search for Agnes.

He who is without is with...

(a target)

Without a light illuminating his path, it took Luc a while to get down the mountain. He wasn't given a lot of time to rest though, he met with the Delvas soon after making it down the pass. It didn't even matter to him that he is not trained in sword fighting, or that the enemy outnumbered him.  Luc didn't care about anything anymore, all he wanted to do was to kill them all.

No doubt, these guards will tear him to shreds in a sword fight. The Delvas are a lot bigger and a lot stronger than he is. Furthermore, he has no backup of any kind and neither does he have any training when it comes to close quarters combat or any form of combat. However, none of those things crossed Luc's mind. His heart had been torn out from him and his mind was no longer capable of making rational decisions, because it was full of hate.

Luc jumped out of the brush and, like an enraged crazy person, he swung his sword at the two patrolling Delvas. He would probably die here, but that didn't matter to him. His life is worthless now, there's nothing left for him to live for. Luc hated Destiny/Fate, or whatever it's called. Perhaps this was his destiny all along, if that's the case then Luc will do anything to defy it.

[1]
Attack (P)
Damage: 260
Target: Delva
Cost: -

[1]
Attack (P)
Damage: 260
Target: Delva
Cost: -

[1]
Attack (P)
Damage: 260
Target: Delva
Cost: -

The member '...sorry' has done the following action : FFMSL Dice

---

'Physical (P)' :

Result :

Chapter 5: Serpents and Kings
Skullenport
Despair

Luc's surprise attack was enough to startle the Delvas, but it wasn't enough to kill nor fatally wound any of them. His attacks, though with some flare, were otherwise weak and amateurish. The two Delva's countered with their own flurry of attacks. Each attack was several times stronger than anything Luc could dish out at this time, and all of them were meant to kill Luc.

It would seem that this was the end for Luc. But just as the Delva's were about to land their attacks, the mysterious person returns and casts some sort of binding spell at the Delvas. The spell knocks the Delvas out cold, saving Luc in the process.

Seeing what Luc has become, the mysterious wanderer puts Luc in a state of deep sleep using a powerful Sleep Spell. It wasn't meant to harm Luc in anyway, merely to prevent him from doing more harm to himself and others.

The other Delvas heard the commotion and headed over there to investigate. But when they arrived, all they found were their two comrades sleeping on the ground and there were no traces of Luc or the mysterious person. A search was conducted by the Delvas, but they found nothing that would lead them to whereabouts of the two.

Several hours later, Luc wakes up inside a dark cave, beside a bonfire. All his weapons were neatly placed on a flat rock. There was no sign of the mysterious person who saved him, nor did this person intend to interact with Luc. For whatever reason, this person had been looking out for Luc, ever since he arrived in Lunaris. But, this individual has always kept his distance and identity from Luc.

The warm heat of the fire, helped Luc recover from hypothermia and it also saved his fingers and toes from being taken by the frost. Apart from saving his life, this mysterious person also left Luc a some clue as to where he needs to go. A drawing, or a tall white tower, was etched on the stone cave walls. There was only one place in Wrozan that resembled that drawing, Sylvan's Tower. The giant ivory tower can be seen even from Skullenport, meaning Luc would have knowledge of this place.

Once Luc decides to come out of the cave, he will find himself on top of the Frigid Mountains, 7 km East of Sylvan's Tower. If Luc wishes to find answers, this is the place he must go. However, if he cannot escape the madness that has consumed his mind, then he can remain in this cave to live out the rest of his days.

He who is without...

(Finds acceptance)

Luc wakes up inside a cave. All that he could remember before this was a bright light being shun on his face, and then everything went dark. After a good night's rest, Luc was finally able to think much clearer. He realized that no matter what he does, nothing will ever change the past. Having a clear mind made him see past his rage, and drew him back into the light.

He also realized that he was not strong enough to fight his own fate, at least not yet. Attacking the Delva showed him how much stronger he needed to become. Sure, he could kill himself and end it all here. But he will not be able to get his revenge on the Delvas and on fate.

The marking on the cave walls were hard to miss. Luc knew what the place was, it was a cursed place located in the east. The Delvas will surely pass by here if they are to make their way farther inland. Whoever brought him here wanted for him to go to that tower, and because he's weak, he decides to follow his destiny for now.

He took his things and went outside the cave. Luc scans the area and sees that the tower was just a few kilometers from here. It made him think, if he was meant to be there, then why wasn't he taken there directly? Why was he taken to a cave several kilometers away.


Luc decides to re-enter the cave. Perhaps there was something there that he had missed. Something important that might help him in achieving his goals. He searches the fire and then the markings on the cave walls. He also searches for any hidden items that might be inside the cave.