Apocalypse III: Chapters 5 & 6

Raven was detained in an isolated cell of the Kayintas dungeon. On his first day there, Aloquin brought Lakai to his cell and made the boy psychically examine the prisoner. It did not take long for Lakai to hit upon the immense force of the Warrior Spirit that possessed Raven. Aloquin realized that this vast power reserve could be tapped to help with his plans, and he ordered his minions not to kill Raven. The lower ranks still made sure to torture and ridicule him on a regular basis – particularly Kranti, who still bore a deep grudge for his defeat and the death of Seinga. Aloquin would check in from time to time to gather blood and hair, ingredients for an energy drain spell.

Raven was tended to by a woman named Aurora, held captive by Aloquin with the aid of an enchanted choker. He recognized her to be none other than the spirit of the forest itself, to whom he had come for solace and support all those years ago. But the half-elf did not forget about Jason, and when he saw his loyal raven in the barred window, he told her to find the King and lead him out of the forest. The bird did find Jason, and on the way back to the Open Field they met up with Keramis, Lianna, and Karaci, who informed the King that Raven had been imprisoned.

Armed with this new information, Jason marched towards the Crystal Castle to alert Lynn and Dinictis. Halfway across the Open Field, he ran into the Acora, who told him he already knew everything Jason had to say. Lynn advised the King to return to the Crystal Castle and let him handle this on his own. The bird led Lynn to Keramis’ cave, and there the dark elf laid out his plan to recover both Raven and Lakai before Keramis, Lianna, and Karaci. He proposed that the presence of four high ranks would intimidate the no-rank army and disorient them long enough to complete the rescue mission. The plan was hardly foolproof, but there was no other choice.

Meanwhile, Aloquin’s preparation for the energy drain spell was complete, and he held a banquet in Kayintas to celebrate the affair. Raven was placed in a wooden cage and hung over the table for the no-ranks to taunt and pelt food at as the last humiliation before his death. In the midst of the feast, Keramis snuck through a hole in the ceiling of the cave and cut the rope upon which the cage was suspended. It broke as it fell onto the table, setting Raven free to wreak havoc on his tormentors. The crowd of no-ranks panicked and fled in fear as Lianna and Karaci dropped in from above, joined by the legendary Acora Lynn.

In the ensuing chaos, Keramis, Lianna, and Karaci disappeared into the rear corridors to search for Lakai. They bumped into Kranti, Kentabri, and Beyati, who were escorting Lakai out of the premises. Karaci took care of Beyati and Keramis distracted Kranti with his flawless defensive skills while Lianna attempted to snatch Lakai away from Kentabri. Things were under control until Kranti prodded Keramis’ ego by calling him “dogboy,” which caused the elf to switch to offensive attack. Kranti effortlessly caught Keramis and thrashed him around until Karaci intervened by locking the half-were in a chokehold. But Kranti threw Karaci off using brute strength, pinned him against a wall, and disemboweled him with his claws. Kentabri didn’t approve of his partner’s brutal tactics, and let go of Lakai. Lianna grabbed the boy, took Keramis’ hand, and hurled a fireball into the room to cover their escape.

Lynn met up with Raven and tried to persuade him to escape, but the half-elf refused to leave until he had freed Aurora. He ran for the back tunnels and Lynn was forced to follow. When they finally found Aurora, she told them that it was hopeless to try and save her, for the choker that bound her could only be removed by a god. Nevertheless, Lynn told Raven to remove the choker, and to the half-elf’s amazement it came off without struggle. Quickly the three of them ran back to the exit of Kayintas, but were met by an armed and organized army of no-ranks. Lynn and Raven plowed through them with phenomenal martial skill while Aurora, her powers returned, beckoned coiling vines to rise through the floor and entangle their enemies.

Just as they could see the way out, Aloquin stormed into the hall and blasted everyone in the room with a mighty wind spell. He stalked over to Raven, drew a circle around them with the half-elf’s blood and hair, and proceeded to drain his life force within the safety of this magic sphere. But as he fed off this power, he hit upon a great resistance which caused his barrier to waver. This momentary break was enough time for Aurora to push Aloquin off of Raven and drag the unconscious half-elf out of Kayintas while Lynn distracted the bewildered god with rapid kicks and punches.

Apocalypse IV: Chapters 7 & 8.5

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