Another quiet afternoon in Norwick, sunny until the rain started, was being commented on about the fire. An elf and a few humans sat about the fire, each far different from the other.
The elf was hooded and cowled, his face hidden from sight, a bow on his back. One human was toothless and grinning, wearing bright colors that he liked to call "Sunny!" The other, a large-framed Illuskan fellow with a great Halberd on his back, jagged and mean looking, with a surprisingly friendly smile on him. The third was wearing leathers, also with a bow.
They spoke for a while of random things, until the conversation turned to that of the night to come. Attacks had come, recently, of all kinds. A Wandering Temposan came by offering blessings for a fee, and possibly his aid for the same, which got cecil to comment something along the lines of "If you're such a Temposan, shouldn't you be coming to the fight anyhow?"
He was rewarded with remarks about how the vigil at the gate was useless, and the drow would get by anyhow, and that they were wasting their time, but Cecil knew better. This fellow was no better than the others who were content to either underestimate the Drow, or overestimate them and give up before they started, claiming that they would be better off guarding inside, to keep the townsfolk safe.
Cecil, Yngdir the elf, Metusalem the "Sunny" one, and Caelian went to the gates, and lit a fire right before them, to keep those that would hide in the dark at bay, and settled in to wait to see what would happen.
Sure enough, a dark shape materialized out of the shadows!
It was not what anyone expected.
A Black Lion, sleek and large and powerful looking growled softly at them, as if in greeting and in warning of it's presence at the same time, should any try to attack it.
Cecil stepped forward immediately, and bowed before it, dropping trophies on the ground as if he had been expecting the creature, it's fur midnight and shimmering in an almost ethereal fashion.
An Umberhulk shell, pierced by Cecil's halberd. Goblin charms from their better fighters. A horrid looking belt made of goblinskin from the looks of it, taken from a powerful goblin who appeared to take on Cecil last time he had seen the Lion.
All trophies, all taken by the creature, who seemed well pleased. Cecil spoke then, after staring at the lion for a long moment, and declared that they must go south.
"The Black Sun eats our axe, in the cave by the lake. You must save it."
That was enough for Cecil, and he readied himself, while Yngdir expressed concern about the gate. Confidently, Cecil replied "The Lion would not take us away if it would cause harm to innocents. " and left, Caelian and Metusalem in tow.
They were met early on by goblins, after avoiding the pigs and spirits in the ruins. "We need not waste our strength on such petty foes" he had said, intending to save his strength and self for the task at hand, not knowing what lay ahead, and not caring, knowing full well he would need to complete this task above all else.
Then the attack happened. A large force of goblins swarmed over them, and the air itself turned red. Cecil was in front, and bellowed out a challenge, making the first goblin falter in his steps, and he was unable to meet Cecil's hammer as it swung to block it. His face dissolved into a fine spray into the face of the goblin behind him, who only had a moment to register what happened before the hammer continued, not even slowing.
Cecil's arms were like tree-branches in a storm, whipping violently back and forth, his hammer a blur of metal and red, the sickening sound of crunching bone become a never-ending staccato like a macabre drummer on the march. As soon as one goblin died, another was there to take it's place, only to meet the same fate. Caelian and Metusalem took any that came to Cecil's side, or around him in the press of bodies, but anything that came near Cecil was destroyed, the trees they stood by becoming cakes in discarded flesh, gore, and viscera, with tattered scraps of clothing hanging on bits of splintered bone that had hit the tree with enough force to act like nails, the effect a grotesque pennant of sorts.
Silence… the forest itself seemed stunned, the whole thing over in about a minute, Cecil standing atop a true hill of bodies that would have been nearly as tall as him had he fallen into it, but instead he had climbed his foes as he hewed them down, to gain the high ground advantage with his long arms and hammer, and he stepped down with a laugh, while Caelian and Metusalem looked at him with slightly surprised expressions.
"Well done..." was said, and Cecil replied with a simple "Thanks..." panting slightly from the rush of battle, and they strode forward to seek more.
More fights like this one were found on the way to the cave, and again the ground was painted for yards as if with buckets of it thrown haphazardly about, or grenades filled with it were tossed by dozens of artists of a vile sort.
The Black Lion appeared, and charged into battle, only to vanish, followed immediately by Cecil who screamed a blood-chilling battle cry, and struck with even more ferocity than before, bodies that weren't turned to a fine mist of vascular ruin flung yards away to crumple, dead before they hit the ground, bystanders could have made a game of how many times they bounced.
Then, the cave. They went in together, and were immediately set upon by men, not goblins. Men in purple and black, men who sneaked about in shadows before flinging themselves at Cecil's party, men who died like the goblins, but with far more screaming, and a couple more hits to dispatch them. Their cries alerted their friends and soon the halls were filled with the clang of steel on steel, daggers stabbing from darkness, bones breaking and screams rending the air once more, and arrows zipping towards the uniforms of those who infested the cave.
Caelian was nearly struck down by a sneak, Cecil hemmed in away from him next to Metusalem, who was otherwise engaged too, when ominous chanting that had merely been background before rose to fever pitch. The altar in the center of the room glowed malignantly, filling the room with a sickening purple light that glinted macabre of of the blooksoaked armor and bodies in the room as the floor became slick with death.
Caelian returned to the fray, dealing death with arrows and blade, even as Metusalem's fists seared flesh with electricity and pummeled bones, all the while Cecil's hammer kept up it's grisly work, until there was a break in the press of bodies. "You will fall!" he bellowed, the priest at the altar screaming back defiantly "Kill them! I'll kill you! Diieee!" even as he was charged.
The hammer rained down, the Kukri's flashed, the fist struck, and the man fell, a last spell that had just begun to light his fingers, flashing out of existence along with the life that fueled it. Once more... it was quiet.
The altar pulsed Malavolently, and the various gear and prizes to be taken were moved, while Cecil picked up the priest, the leader of these Dark Sun followers, and threw him unceremoniously onto his own altar. He then hefted the Axe Caelian handed him, the Lion's Axe that he was sent to recover, lifting it high. "You will be destroyed with your thing of evil!" he cried out, and brought the axe crashing down.
The axe split the altar in twain, the body not slowing it in the least as it cut through, and there was a deafening explosion as the negative energy in the room was released upwards, consuming the figure and itself, leaving a scorch mark on the ground instead of remains... and it was done.
The Lion appeared again, and Cecil presented the axe, only to be told that it was his now, and he would use it in the coming tests, for there would be more. Then, the sounds of mining could be heard in the quiet.
The Lion was gone once again, and Cecil and his new friends went to the room on the other side of the two doors, to find Cyricist slaves mining, with goblins there to help. They were attacked immediately, before the slaves realized they were outmatched, and they ran while the goblins were cut down. None of them made it very far... each one was consumed in a purple flash of light, and fell down dead as if their very soul had been ripped from them.
It seemed their master, even though perhaps only a master by force, did not care for cowards. Cecil returned with his friends to find Yngdir had come to check on them at first light outside the cave, where another goblin awaited. He wore finer garments than goblins were usually prone to, and shrieked "You killed my minions! All of them! You killed them all! Now I kill you!" and he charged!
Cecil and Caelian and Metusalem fought the goblin though they were already wounded, and found renewed strength as they did, knowing this had to be the last hurdle before they could return triumphant. The goblin died indeed like the rest, though with a good deal more effort, and Yngdir showed up to tell them that the town was indeed still safe, and he had come to make sure they made it back safely.
The Temposan was nowhere to be found it town, and Cecil spared a small thought as to whether he had even stayed to see if the battle would come to the town at all, but he doubted it. Those who speak with actions are better heard than talkers, and this one seemed a talker.
They had won the day, resoundingly, and Cecil's spirit was high indeed. This was another test, perhaps the first true test, and he had passed. Now, he couldn't wait for the next, especially if there was another item in these lands that belonged to the Lion.
Time will tell, and Cecil will be waiting.
===============Writing below the last writing in the book =====
Gott back Lions Axe. Moar chalenges to com.
