Prologue

Out of the south he came, from deep in the Great Southern Deserts of Siaba, a seasoned and experienced fighter, a warrior mage, his cruel red-veined eyes gleaming brightly in the pale orange moonlight, a fine sheen of sweat coating his skin beneath his full suite of heavy Shad’o armour.
He jogged north slowly but relentlessly, purposefully, just as he had been doing for three straight days and nights without pause or rest. The rhythmic tapping of the powerful war bow slung across his shoulder against the back of his dull grey metallic leg armour acting as a metronome to maintain his pace as he moved effortlessly forwards towards his goal.
He registered the noises of the desert as he ran, the quiet sounds of unseen creatures fearfully scurrying out of his way, the occasional metallic clicking of hunting giant scorpions from the darkness, the cry of a Wamp Beast away off to the west as it called to its mate, all serving to assure him that he was alone and that no direct dangers threatened to delay his progress. To the east he could faintly hear the surf of the Eastern Ocean lapping softly on the shore.
Ahead he could just make out the vague outline of the high cliffs which marked the eastern end of the vast central mountains range that crossed the middle of the great desert. He would skirt them to the east, moving nearer to the ocean to avoid making contact with any of the bands of raiders that lived all along the cliffs. They were an evil lot, they held no fear for him, but he could not afford to let a chance encounter with one of these groups delay his progress.
The presence of the cliffs forced him closer to the ocean and he felt a little vulnerable so out in the open in the full light of the moon and he increased his pace a little. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by dozens of two feet long scorpion whelps scurrying around his feet – a nest must have hatched that very night he realised and he had strayed into it! Whilst the whelps were fairly harmless in themselves, they hampered his movement and, where there are children, their much more dangerous parents would not be far behind…
Moving even closer to the ocean to skirt around them, he found himself running almost in the water, the firm wet sand a welcome relief from the loose sands of the desert he had been running through until now, allowing him to increase his speed. Then they were gone and the way was clear once more. He slowed back down to his original pace and, moving back slightly westwards to resume his original path, he pressed on.
As the moon set and the first early morning light out over the ocean began to illuminate the horizon, a lone stig flew low across the bay and the dawn crept away. He slowed and settled into a steady walk. Thrusting his hand into his cloak pocket he pulled out a chunk of Leocro jerky and began to eat as he walked. By his estimation he was only two hours from the unclimbable Great Barrier Wall that marked the boundary between the deserts of Siaba and the lush green lands of Millenium. Once at the Wall he needed to locate the magical portal that would enable him to pass through it and to gain entry into the realm of Millennium – the final stage of his journey.
Towering a thousand feet straight up above him, the Great Barrier Wall stretched up into the clouds and disappeared off to right and to left as far as the eye could see, a vast brown monolith of rock that blocked his way.
His back exploded in a wave of pain that staggered him and took his breath away. He recovered rapidly, his nose smelling the familiar acrid stench of magic – a Crystalline Lifeform he was sure. His well-honed battle instincts clicked in, his heavy red staff leapt into his right hand from beneath his cloak of its own accord as he spun around in a smooth flowing turn to face the attack.
As he began to summon a spell of weakening a second blast of the Lifeform’s magic smashed into him, but he was ready for it now and steeled his mind to meet the impact.
The spell struck him hard, encasing his upper body in a throbbing red-tinged white haze of pure magical energy that sought to tear his very being apart – he absorbed it, his intellect channelling it into a confined package and throwing it from him, causing almost no injury to him. He cast the weakening spell and immediately began to cast the powerful Soul Sword attack spell in retaliation as he took the initiative and attacked. Fire rose up from the ground surrounding him and flowed into his body as the powerful black spell ripped raw magical energy from the very ground that he stood on, making the ground seem to moan and then to howl in protest and pain and this power rapidly built up within him, fast reaching a crescendo of violence that reverberated in his very soul, finally bursting forth from him, channelled and amplified through the red staff in a maelstrom of dark energy of such power that few others could achieve. The ball of black magic leapt towards the Crystalline Lifeform – an animated face of pure evil on its leading surface that grinned malevolently at the Crystalline Lifeform, anticipating the life force it was soon to consume. If the Crystalline Lifeform had ever known fear, it was now.
Impact! The magical fireball encased the Crystalline Lifeform even as it was preparing to launch its own next strike. The fireball shimmered and pulsed as it tore into the Crystalline Lifeform’s life force, consuming it and then, sated, faded into oblivion. Milliseconds later a second fireball crashed into the Crystalline Lifeform and rapidly consumed the little remaining life force that the first had failed to consume. With a soft contented sigh, the red staff returned itself to its place beneath his cloak. The grey husk of the Crystalline Lifeform slumped to the ground, its previously bright red life-crystal a burnt dark purple shade of nothingness. He kicked it carelessly with his boot and picked up a small pile of golden coins that fell from it, carefully placing them in to a pocket in his belt.
The portal through the Great Barrier Wall he found in a recess cut in to the rocks not far from the ocean shore. Standing twelve feet high, the portal had been fashioned by a long-dead race called the Masters, who had employed a powerful red magic now long forgotten to construct it, in the form of a large stone arch frame that stood rooted and immovable in the soft sand. Within the frame was a liquid surface that resembled mercury but that was endlessly shifting and changing as though alive.
The portals impressed him – they always did – despite his great skill in the black magic arts, its magic was far beyond him, but it held no fear for him. Without hesitation Hala-uT-Wat stepped into the centre of the portal and vanished.
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[quote="MICKYC"] [b]Prologue[/b] Out of the south he came, from deep in the Great Southern Deserts of Siaba, a seasoned and experienced fighter, a warrior mage, his cruel red-veined eyes gleaming brightly in the pale orange moonlight, a fine sheen of sweat coating his skin beneath his full suite of heavy Shad’o armour. He jogged north slowly but relentlessly, purposefully, just as he had been doing for three straight days and nights without pause or rest. The rhythmic tapping of the powerful war bow slung across his shoulder against the back of his dull grey metallic leg armour acting as a metronome to maintain his pace as he moved effortlessly forwards towards his goal. He registered the noises of the desert as he ran, the quiet sounds of unseen creatures fearfully scurrying out of his way, the occasional metallic clicking of hunting giant scorpions from the darkness, the cry of a Wamp Beast away off to the west as it called to its mate, all serving to assure him that he was alone and that no direct dangers threatened to delay his progress. To the east he could faintly hear the surf of the Eastern Ocean lapping softly on the shore. Ahead he could just make out the vague outline of the high cliffs which marked the eastern end of the vast central mountains range that crossed the middle of the great desert. He would skirt them to the east, moving nearer to the ocean to avoid making contact with any of the bands of raiders that lived all along the cliffs. They were an evil lot, they held no fear for him, but he could not afford to let a chance encounter with one of these groups delay his progress. The presence of the cliffs forced him closer to the ocean and he felt a little vulnerable so out in the open in the full light of the moon and he increased his pace a little. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by dozens of two feet long scorpion whelps scurrying around his feet – a nest must have hatched that very night he realised and he had strayed into it! Whilst the whelps were fairly harmless in themselves, they hampered his movement and, where there are children, their much more dangerous parents would not be far behind… Moving even closer to the ocean to skirt around them, he found himself running almost in the water, the firm wet sand a welcome relief from the loose sands of the desert he had been running through until now, allowing him to increase his speed. Then they were gone and the way was clear once more. He slowed back down to his original pace and, moving back slightly westwards to resume his original path, he pressed on. As the moon set and the first early morning light out over the ocean began to illuminate the horizon, a lone stig flew low across the bay and the dawn crept away. He slowed and settled into a steady walk. Thrusting his hand into his cloak pocket he pulled out a chunk of Leocro jerky and began to eat as he walked. By his estimation he was only two hours from the unclimbable Great Barrier Wall that marked the boundary between the deserts of Siaba and the lush green lands of Millenium. Once at the Wall he needed to locate the magical portal that would enable him to pass through it and to gain entry into the realm of Millennium – the final stage of his journey. Towering a thousand feet straight up above him, the Great Barrier Wall stretched up into the clouds and disappeared off to right and to left as far as the eye could see, a vast brown monolith of rock that blocked his way. His back exploded in a wave of pain that staggered him and took his breath away. He recovered rapidly, his nose smelling the familiar acrid stench of magic – a Crystalline Lifeform he was sure. His well-honed battle instincts clicked in, his heavy red staff leapt into his right hand from beneath his cloak of its own accord as he spun around in a smooth flowing turn to face the attack. As he began to summon a spell of weakening a second blast of the Lifeform’s magic smashed into him, but he was ready for it now and steeled his mind to meet the impact. The spell struck him hard, encasing his upper body in a throbbing red-tinged white haze of pure magical energy that sought to tear his very being apart – he absorbed it, his intellect channelling it into a confined package and throwing it from him, causing almost no injury to him. He cast the weakening spell and immediately began to cast the powerful Soul Sword attack spell in retaliation as he took the initiative and attacked. Fire rose up from the ground surrounding him and flowed into his body as the powerful black spell ripped raw magical energy from the very ground that he stood on, making the ground seem to moan and then to howl in protest and pain and this power rapidly built up within him, fast reaching a crescendo of violence that reverberated in his very soul, finally bursting forth from him, channelled and amplified through the red staff in a maelstrom of dark energy of such power that few others could achieve. The ball of black magic leapt towards the Crystalline Lifeform – an animated face of pure evil on its leading surface that grinned malevolently at the Crystalline Lifeform, anticipating the life force it was soon to consume. If the Crystalline Lifeform had ever known fear, it was now. Impact! The magical fireball encased the Crystalline Lifeform even as it was preparing to launch its own next strike. The fireball shimmered and pulsed as it tore into the Crystalline Lifeform’s life force, consuming it and then, sated, faded into oblivion. Milliseconds later a second fireball crashed into the Crystalline Lifeform and rapidly consumed the little remaining life force that the first had failed to consume. With a soft contented sigh, the red staff returned itself to its place beneath his cloak. The grey husk of the Crystalline Lifeform slumped to the ground, its previously bright red life-crystal a burnt dark purple shade of nothingness. He kicked it carelessly with his boot and picked up a small pile of golden coins that fell from it, carefully placing them in to a pocket in his belt. The portal through the Great Barrier Wall he found in a recess cut in to the rocks not far from the ocean shore. Standing twelve feet high, the portal had been fashioned by a long-dead race called the Masters, who had employed a powerful red magic now long forgotten to construct it, in the form of a large stone arch frame that stood rooted and immovable in the soft sand. Within the frame was a liquid surface that resembled mercury but that was endlessly shifting and changing as though alive. The portals impressed him – they always did – despite his great skill in the black magic arts, its magic was far beyond him, but it held no fear for him. Without hesitation Hala-uT-Wat stepped into the centre of the portal and vanished. [/quote]