Knightmare Interactive Story #3
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The face was harsh red, the eyes pale yellow with blazing pupils.
"You are a firelord!" growled Treguard. "One of the ruling dictators of the volcano-zone of the West."
"How did he get here?" cried Pickle. "Those creatures can't survive away from the heat of their homeland!"
"My name is Tellemachi," murmured the firelord, shaking against the cold. "I am here to beg for your aid, Treguard..."
-
"Well then, I'm affraid you have had a wasted trip. I am no longer a mercenery who sides with anyone for the right price irespective of there belives and actions."
"My Loyalte is to The Powers That Be, I now serve only the side of truth and light. I do not aid, dictators and tyrants."
"So if you would be so kind as to remove your self from my castle and return to were you came from."
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Tellemachi raised an eyebrow. "Truth and light, Dungeon Master?" he scoffed. "What truth and light is there in a man of means and power who will not give aid to those in need?"
"And your race of butchers and bullies is in need, is it?"
"Yes!" cried Tellemachi. "I don't offer you terms as a mercenary as we have no money to give. We are here to beg for mercy, not hire an assassin."
Treguard looked grave. "Talk then, firelord. What do you wish of me?"
"Our realm may be paranoid and hostile," murmured the firelord hesitantly, "but we are never conquerors. We only protect our borders. But others have violated those borders, and attacked us with our greatest weakness... the cold!"
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Winteria! It had to be.
The witches had threatened to expand their borders for years, nearly always being foiled by the young adventurers he had sent out so long ago. Since the loss of Merlin, the phase portals to bring them here had slowly fallen into decay before being lost completely. The witches had plotted, unchecked, since then...
Treguard wouldn't be able to stay by the fire THIS time. Winteria lay deep in level 3 and the dungeon had become an altogether more dangerous place since the days of the Cup, Crown, Sword and Shield.
A simple stroll this would not be...
-
"Your enemies..." murmured Treguard slowly, still unsure how far he could trust his uninvited visitor, "the name of their leader is Aesandre, n'est-ce pas?"
The firelord nodded slowly. "May I come inside the castle properly, Dungeon Master? There is a blizzard setting in, and I feel the draught from outside most strongly in my current position..."
"Very well," agreed Treguard with a frown. "Come and warm yourself by the fire, while we discuss what has befallen your homeland."
-
Tellemachi, rose up and walked in to the anti-chamber in a dignified and some what arragont walk.
"Hmmm, dictators. There all alike, even when faceing death. They still retain there alofness."
Treguard thought to himself.
"So then Tellemachi. Just how did Aesandre, gain accses to your relm? I thought that the heat of the Volcano-zones was fatle to Winterans?"
-
"Fear not," Treguard soothed, although with a detectable air of sarcasm. "Just a little movement of soot in the channel above the fire. Why are you disturbed by that?"
Tellemachi bristled, but then went to the fire and warmed his hands... by holding them INSIDE the flames. "It sounded like the rumble of a falling snowdrift," he muttered in embarrassment. "Many of my people have already died through the Ice Queen's invasion. She even triggered an avalanche of snow down the side of one volcano when the inhabitants were slow to DIE!"
"Your reaction was a reflex then," noted Pickle with a marked lack of sympathy.
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'Pickle....' Treguard admonished the elf only slightly.
'The Firelords may be no friends of ours, but no death should be taken lightly. In any case, we have never been in direct conflict with Tellemachi's people, wheras Aesandre allied herself with our greatest enemy.'
Tellemachi smirked slightly, even as he balks at the memory, but Pickle detected the tone of his master's voice. Treguard was saying this more to convince himself than Pickle.
'So much simpler when the villains wore skulls' muttered Treguard to himself
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"Quite right dungeon Master we Fire lords NEVER sideied with Lord Fear and His Opposition minnions."
"In ansrew to your previous question, How Aesandre and her forces were able to invade the Volcano-Zones. She didn't at first. At least not in person. The intical attack was not made by Winterian forces. But by a Mercenery known as Leytan. Who in the pay of Aesandre enterd or lands and useing magic granted to him by the Ice Queen, froze just enough of our territory to give the Winterians a foot hold in our lands."
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"Interesting," grunted Treguard. "It sounds unlikely, for it is not in Aesandre's nature to be so aggressive. Conquest is not in her nature, only securing the borders of her realm..."
"The firelord's story has the ring of truth though, Master," interjected Pickle. "He speaks honestly, beyond question." The elf paused, and gave the firelord an unfriendly look. "But that doesn't necessarily meant that he deserves our help."
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"We throw our selves on your Mecry Dungeon Master."
"When I left Aesandre's troops were massing for what could be a final attack against the last remaining setalments."
"Her allie Leytan was seen in the area scouting out possiable points of attack. But all atempts to catch him failed."
"We even tried to buy his srevesis as a double agent but he flatly refused saying it would violate his code of loyalty."
"We need your help Sir Treguard."
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"Code of loyalty?" scoffed Pickle. "Do you hear that, Master? A mercenary with a code of loyalty!"
Treguard silenced the elf with a dark look, then turned to Tellemachi. "Very well, firelord. Let's say that I believe you for now. What do you wish from me?"
"Very little but intrinsically very much, Dungeon Master. We must hold the advance and maintain the balance of Power in this realm."
Tellamachi looked up at the Dungeon Master expectantly, having to be so humble to one that he considered inferior to himself was an insufferable state of affairs but... a means to an end.
Treguard thought deeply for a few moments before rising to speak,
"Tellamachi, a pitched battle in the Dungeon will cost many lives and cause untold damage. However, they may be another way..."
Tellamachi blinked at this, is this man of legend a coward? Why does he choose not to fight? The realms of fire knew little else and to hold back from an enemy was the ultimate shame.
"Calm your mind, fire lord." Continued Treguard calmly but coldly.
"We must travel to the ruins of what was once Marblehead. An old 'friend' of mine will not wish the witches encroaching on his own ambitions"
He stood up and threw another log on the fire...
"Whats say you? He who risks death only to face it head on..."
"Mark my words Dungeon Master. I am ready..."
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Treguard nodded mildly, but his eyes looked so cold they sent exactly the worst kind of snesation up the firelord's spine... a cold sensation. "Pickle," Treguard murmured, not taking his eyes off his visitor, "make ready the mirror. We shall have to open communication with the technosorcerer."
"At once, master," nodded Pickle, gesturing to the large expanse of the magic mirror that adorned the wall. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, show the foulest of them all."
"'Lord Fear, can you hear me?' would've sufficed," Treguard admonished gently.
"Even one word from your pet imp," came a familiar jeering voice from the mirror, "is too many."
"Lord Fear," grunted Treguard politely. "We have business to discuss, and it will have to be in person. Anyone could listen in on us when we communicate remotely."
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"Take it from me... Dungeon... Master, you get used to it after a while. You and your little 'Dungeoneers' should be quite usd to the concept of spying on others!"
The fuzzy image on the mirror appeared to stabilise slightly and a fireball was becoming visible in the background.
"Hold your sorcery" countered Treguard, "We have more pressing business at hand than the re-opening of old wounds."
A flick of the wrist and the fireball was gone but not destroyed. Treguard couldn't help but wonder when and where he may see it again...
"As you wish old fool. The old bell tower at Marble head still stands. Our re-union will be there."
The image flickered and was gone...
-
The snow was already thick and heaping on the ground by the time Treguard, Pickle and Tellemachi had set off. The firelord had been given several extra layers of clothing to protect himself from the harsh winter, but after a few hours' journey they'd caught fire as they brushed against his burning skin.
This proved to be a good thing in one sense, as the renewed exposure to the cold motivated Tellemachi to move faster just to keep himself warm enough to stay alive.
Following elf paths and hidden portals, it was a mere two days later that the ill-grouped party reached the mighty fortress of Marblehead...
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Here lies what should be my overlong post that was my conclusion to this story. I say overlong not because I felt it was too long, no I enjoyed the 2 and a bit hours writing it. It was too long for this forum apparently and when I pressed 'back' the page had frustratingly expired.
Now before my rant gets too long and suffers the same fate here is a very condensed summary of events.
Treguard, Tellemachi and Pickle wait around for Fear to arrive who eventually does looking like the white witch from Narnia.
He is now Viscount Fear and listens to whats happened and agrees to help after hinting at a slight past with Aesandre. They pool their powers and summon Hordriss.
Hordriss, cranky and senile but younger than Denis Norden, is now remarried to Phyliss and has Motley as his son-in-law. Together they bring Aesandre to them and attempt to overpower her.
These attempts are no good at all in fact so pathetic that Aesandre laughs long and loud at them. She laughs so much that she wets her infamous knickers which promptly freeze and incapacitate her.
They then send her to the firecaves where Tellemachi will work out a peace deal. Hordriss goes off absent mindedly, Fear returns to plot and scheme and Treguard and Pickle go back to Knightmare Castle hoping to have more guests over for tea in the near future...
THE END
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