It turns out that when Ander said "we have to go" he had a good reason. The king's hunters were already searching for them. Flyte expected to be found within a week.

"We should pack up camp," Flyte said. Just as he said that the horn of borigan sounded. Dang, they sent Borigan after us, Flyte thought. Borigan was the lead hunter of the king. He is as ruthless as a dessert lion, and hits twice as hard.

Ander pulled out his sword and said "come on let's go." While running Flyte saw a large clump of trees. That's our best shot Flyte reasoned. As he changed direction an arrow whizzed right past his head. He heard the clatter of horse hooves behind him. He sped to his limits, but being a slow runner the horseman quickly passed him.

Ander sped up and threw the horseman off his stead and got on. He rode it to Flyte and told him to get on which Flyte happily did. As Flyte jumped on the pair of run-aways dashed off into the woods.

* * *

Will Karnford was a ghost. Sentries and hunters looked for him, but couldn't find him unless he wanted them to. Will was at the city of Tebes. He had been walking and hiding for days and was sick of it. His inner voice said to make the world his because to not do so would be a waste of power.

This was his chance, his opportunity. Tebes was made for holding the king's soldiers. Thinking of all he lost he finally said "Forslo."

Panic was quick to come to Tebes, with metal twisting, stone turning to ash, and the dark of night becoming bright as day. Soldiers walked out to confront Will as their town burned.

Seeing this Will silently vanished. He snuck behind the army and said "Foulos", causing lighting to strike in a chain reaction.

Archers shot at him, but couldn't hit, swordsmen swung, but when they hit they would be cut instead of him. Will had become a bringer of death. It would be nearly impossible to kill him, which was a fact he relished. Will grabbed a nearby soldier and dragged him to a close farm. Will quickly grabbed a sickle and imbedded it into the man's chest.

This was the part that took the most concentration. Using every bit of his mind he bound the dying soldier's soul to the sickle.

The only reason he needed the man was because otherwise Will would have to take his own soul. As Will recently found out, to make a weapon with magical properties, have have to bind a soul to it.

When Will's dark deed was done he pulled the sickle out of the now dead man's chest. As he inspected it he noticed that the blade was entirely blood red,yet completely dry, and the handle was pleasantly cool to the touch. Will couldn't muster the desire to let go of it, because it appealed to him too well. Carrying the empowered sickle he started off into the night.

* * *

Honorious, the king's high guard, heard the news about Tebes first. "Bring me the survivors" he said to Elliot Longbow, his second in command.

Elliot was off in a shot. He was used to the castle, and had a place there, so he had found out where everything was very quickly. Now that he had been living here for several years, he was able to cross over to the castle entrance in a matter of minutes. He soon came found the soldiers of Tebes. "Come with me" Elliot said quickly.

When Elliot had brought them back to Honorious, due to Elliot's quickness Honorious thanked him, which was scariest to Elliot because Honorious was rarely ever glad. "What happened?" Honorious asked the nearest survivor.

The soldier quickly replied "all I know is that some man came up, used magic, and destroyed the most fortified city this side of the mountains." The other survivors muttered in agreement.

"How is this possible?" Elliot whispered. It had never happened before.

"I have no idea," Honorious said. "Get the dark circle"

An ominous feeling entered Elliot. The dark circle was very powerful and very mysterious. Elliot walked through the forbidding halls with a heightened awareness.

As Elliot entered the chamber of the dead he noticed that something was off. The chamber had been magically silenced so no one could hear outside sounds, but Elliot could hear birds chirping and animals running around. What was happening Elliot couldn't stop thinking. He charged out of the room and the instant he had gotten out the room melted.

Elliot heard screaming so he ran towards the sound. A thing like a shadow jumped into Elliot's way. A shade, it all made sense. A shade is a beast that was killed by a mage but was then woven into shadows. They are unable to talk and the only sound they can make is a blood curtling scream from their old life.

He reached for his sword, but it was too late. The shade pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. It screamed at him, mouth wide open with sharp teeth displayed as spit slowly dripped from its disfigured mouth. Elliot did what no sane person would. He bit its hand. Something dark, though controllable, small, but powerful welled within him. While the shade was curled on the floor Elliot unsheathed his blade and stabbed the miserable beast.

Elliot pressed onward, bothered by the emptiness. He got to the armory. Three shades resided within. One leaped as Elliot grabbed a torch. He swung the torch and the thing disentegrated at the touch of flame.

The remaining two shades eyed him carefully. They quickly grabbed weapons of their own and came for Elliot.

The first reached Elliot almost immediately and tried a clumsy swing. Elliot hit the sword out of the shade's hand and promptly stabbed it. He through a helmet at the second. It recoiled and then flew across the room in a single stride. It punched Elliot who in return head butted it. As it fell back Elliot kicked down a brazier in a path that directly hit it.

As the shade turned to dust, Elliot grabbed a shield, filled his sheath with flammable oil, lit a torch, and grabbed three unlit torches. Suddenly drained of energy Elliot could only walk to the room Honorious was in. Honorious! If Elliot could find him they could form a plan and destroy this hoard. He reached the main hall of Ithiles and saw the worst possible thing. He watched as his clearly demarcated life started to fall apart all around him.

The king was surrounded by shades and his only support was one minor mage, ten members of the honor guard, and a beat up looking Honorious. Elliot dipped his sword in his sheath, lit it, raised it in the air, and yelled. As all the shade's turned towards him he charged. Flying from shade to shade, he chopped them down left to right. He only barely noticed that he was counting. "March forward to life of death, for we serve our great king," shouted Honorious as he threw his spear into the nearest shade . He then unsheathed his great sword, pulled out the spear, and used the falling shade as a jump to the next shade.

Then a man entered the room and uttered a simple phrase. All the shade's grew armor and stronger weapons on themselves. The honor guard was pushed back and then soon after silenced. Honorious stayed up a while longer, then fell just as the others before him.

"Honorious, no" Elliot screamed. His blade stopped burning but that didn't matter. He swung his sheath around dousing shades. In sheer anger he threw a torch at one, burning many. Sheathing his sword he pulled out a torch instead. Using his shield to block, Elliot charged out. Whenever he struck a shade sparks would fly out killing many more shades.

Then rose Honorious bold as ever. Elliot was furious, seeing his former friend a slave of the dark magic which his soul was bound to. Elliot threw a torch at Honorious, who easily blocked it. Elliot redrew his blade and started hacking at any and all shades in his way. One grabbed his blade and turned it's hand until the blade was twisted and disfigured.

Elliot twisted his sword cutting the shade's hand badly. It let go and Elliot stabbed it with quick painful force. He flung his blade to the side knowing it could only be a danger to him.

Honorious walked over to Elliot, dark features glistening in the light coming through the cold bared windows. Elliot immediately wished had a sword and one apeared in his hand in exactly the same style and weight as his old sword. Elliot was ready.

"For honor," Elliot shouted as he charged. Running through his opponents he finally got to Honorious. Honorious with two blades looked forbidding and horrible. Honorious the mentor and only family Elliot had. He was going down. Elliot would not stand for his long-time friend to be defiled in death.

Honorious swung a blade just too slow to hit. Elliot then charged with his shield straight into Honorious. As Honorious tried to get up a fireball hit him in the back. "That minor mage," Elliot said in disbelief. "Thank you," Elliot yelled akwardly to the mage. Elliot charged in a warpath to the mage. Upon reaching him Elliot asked what the plan was.

"We get out and bring the king" the mage said. Before Elliot could say anything a roar louder than a thousand drums sounded. Immediately the earth shook and a wall got demolished. Inside crept a dragon-like shade.

"Maybe the king's not worth the trouble," Elliot said quietly, terrified. The dragon shot black flames, and though Elliot tried he could not shield himself completely.

"I can get you out, but I don't think I can get myself away," the mage said sadly.

"Then we'll keep going," Elliot proclaimed.

"No," the mage whispered. "we won't." The mage then sent Elliot into the twisting turning void of a portal.