Whatever warmth the dwarves’ words lit up in Kyle’s heart was immediately snuffed out by the Demon’s cold gaze.
Kyle was about to get a change of clothes when the Demon of the Nightbloom appeared out of his shadow. Kyle immediately pulled his shirt back down as the Demon smirked.“What?!” He hissed, annoyed. Droigheann’s smirk vanished. “I think I know how to protect you from the Necronomicon’s drain.” His cold, calculating voice gave Kyle surprising confidence in the Demon’s abilities. He didn’t think the Demon of the Nightbloom was lying, nor did he believe he would take too big of a chance when it came to Kyle’s life.“How?” he asked as he fixed his clothes and sat down on the couch. The Demon didn’t sit, instead, he folded his arms and glared at Kyle. “There is an artefact that once belonged to the God of Light. It was used to protect the Temple from the demoThe road leading to the Temple of Light was often trodden. What used to be a dirt path snaking along the rocks and cliffs, then passing through the small forests around the grasslands had now become a stone paved road.Merchants travelled through here now, and as Kyle rode along the road, he came across many people, players and otherwise. Oddly enough though, there were no elves or dwarves, or any other species aside from humans.He couldn’t help but scowl. Why? The Elves didn’t have just a single grove – the group that had moved to the plateau along with Kyle were just one of the many groups of elves in this part of the world. And the same could be said for the dwarves. Sure, the group that left Prince Thornir and his new home in the Cloudrest Mountains to live with Kyle on his plateau was a large one, but it was hardly the only group of dwarves in this part of the world.“Odd,” He muttered mostly to himself. Mostly, because he was well
“So,” Droigheann turned to face Kyle as the last of the men died, leaving the road empty save for the summoner and the demon. “Care to tell me why they’re so fixated on you?”Kyle chuckled but his smile faded as he noticed the look on the Demon’s face. There was no wicked, or amused smile there, nor was the demon having fun. The dead serious look in his eyes, and his pale lips pressed together caused Kyle concern.“I killed their leader a few times.” He tried to explain. “He just kept falling into the pitfall traps I’d put up to repel undead and such.”Droigheann’s expression didn’t change. He continued glaring at Kyle.“I’m telling the truth!” He pressed in a hurry. Did Droigheann not believe him? “He decided I must be killed, that I’m a-“ He stopped himself. ‘I’m a boss’ wasn’t the best way to explain this to Droi
As soon as the Demon finished his words, the crystal shattered. Kyle was quick to reach out and snatch the chain that was contained within, before it fell to the ground.Immediately, he felt the cold rush of power run through the chain, to his fingers, then up his arms. He shuddered, and clenched his fist before he dropped the chain.“Are you sure this is broken?”He hissed through his clenched teeth. “This seems very much functioning.” He shivered. It felt as if someone had doused him in ice cold water.Droigheann scowled. His brows furrowed, and he narrowed his eyes as the chain let out a soft, white glow. “Are you certain?” He asked with a wary voice. “That should not be possible. It’s not, I saw it break – shatter, with my own eyes.” His words seemed to be directed more towards himself, so Kyle didn’t respond.It was so, so cold. He gritted his teeth as the power of the chain washed
Blinded and caught unprepared, Kyle felt his back hit the wall behind him. The taste of blood filled his mouth as pain jolted throughout his body. He then fell to the ground as the explosion subsided. His heart was racing as he tried to regain his sight.“Droigheann?!” His voice was but a whisper. A drop of blood rolled down his chin as he spat on the ground.“What happened? The Necronomicon, is it damaged?!” He shouted with a cracked voice. Had all of their effort been in vain? Were all those close brushes with death he’d gone through all in vain?His vision slowly began to return. At first everything was a blur. The colour mixed together, and he could barely make out the difference between the floor and the wall. He noticed something moving, approaching him.“What-““Calm down.” Droigheann’s voice was low, he was almost whispering. “Blood?” The Demon asked. “What happened?
The book resting on his lap was radiating with power. It was immensely powerful. It drowned out all his senses, forcing Kyle to focus on the book, and the book alone.He drew a deep breath before gently reaching for the top cover of the book. He touched it, grasped it, and slowly opened it. The neatly written first page filled his view, and he started reading, unable to resist his curiosity anymore.As the birds chirped and the sunlight entered through his windows, Kyle pried his gaze off of the book. He was exhausted, and wanted to do nothing more than sleep. He closed the Necronomicon, and as it vanished, he felt content. Almost as if the Necronomicon was content with the amount of time he dedicated to it today.Kyle smiled yawned, crawled into bed and under the sheets. There was nothing he needed to do today. It was time to sleep.“Summoner!” A knock on his door made his sleepy smile shatter. “The Dwarves are asking if y
The next morning, Kyle woke up to someone pounding on his door. “Summoner!” A Dwarf’s voice echoed across the still empty halls. “Are you awake?!”Kyle let out a tired sigh as he crawled out of bed, and opened the door. “I am now.” He grumbled. “What happened?”The dwarf looked at him with sparkling eyes. His face was red with exhaustion, and also excitement. “The forge is lit!” He declared with a victorious tone. “The Giant Erdan-Sol has begun forging, and so have most of my people!”Kyle’s eyes shot wide open. Whatever sleepiness was left in him vanished, he was wide awake now. “So soon?” He asked as the gears started turning in his head. If the forge was lit and the Giant could smith already, then it was time to let Prince Thornir of the dwarves know about the situation. He was sure to be furious, but if he wanted to use the legendary forge, then he’d need to come
“This is unacceptable!” Prince Thornir shouted at the top of his lungs. His booming voice nearly deafened Kyle as it echoed through the halls, repeating itself over and over again. “I will not be tricked like this! Bring me the Heart of the Forge, or I will get it myself!”Aoris stepped forward, between Kyle and the Dwarven Prince, her hand still resting on the hilt of her claymore. She said nothing, and made no other movement, but her sheer presence was more than enough to cause Thornir to step back a moment.“How dare you try and steal what belongs to me?!” He shouted, spitting as he spoke. His face had twisted with anger, and he was shaking in his boots, his fists clenched with such force that his knuckles had gone white.“It clearly doesn’t belong to you.” Kyle calmly replied, trying to hide his own unease. If the dwarves decided to attack him now, Aoris would probably be able to hold them back, and if it got a
Kyle paced the cathedral’s halls, the unease in his heart growing with each step. He was tired, it was the middle of the night after all. Yet, he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t rest.He was afraid. It was as simple as that.He was afraid of dying.A group of skeletons passed by him, each of them carrying buckets of oil. It was Irena’s idea. She wanted to light the path leading up to the plateau aflame.They spent the evening digging trenches and piling rocks by the path. Sentries had been posted along the cliffs. No one could sneak up by climbing the steep cliffs.Yet, Kyle felt uneasy. He knew no one could sneak inside the cathedral. He also knew the players wouldn’t try that – they’d prefer a proper fight. Yet, he continued to feel uneasy.What he needed to do was finish his preliminary study of the Necronomicon. What he wanted to do was to crawl in a dark, small spot and sleep for a few days.