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Ascerane and Devygon were quickly put to a five man team, working together for nearly a year on covert missions before receiving their first big assignment.

  “We have to do what!?” Devygon exclaimed

  “That’s what the order said, straight from the King.” Ascerane replied, “But we will be backed by auxiliary forces.”

  Azeric, leaning against the wall with his arms folding in front of him, chuckled. Devygon turned to him.

  “What’s so funny you?” Devygon asked

  “You’re quite scared aren’t you?” Azeric mocked

  “Of course not,” Vygon replied, giving him an angry look, “I’m merely diffident to the success of such a mission.”

  “Cut it out you two, you’re always at it.” Shiiza said, before turning, in a whisper to Naroka, “Don’t be scared okay?”

  Naroka nodded her head and looked up at Ascerane, who had just cleared his throat to speak.

  “We set out tonight,” he stated. “It will take us some time to get there, but we are in no hurry, the target isn’t going anywhere. Let’s get ready.”

  As the team got up to leave, Devygon took Ascerane to the side, wanting to speak on his concern.

  “It’s just, you don’t really go into work and expect to get an order that will start a war,” he said.

  “Well we did,” Ascerane replied, “We must kill the Dominu.”

  Falador, Adreark

  “From the Queendom of Vitreus, gifts to the Lord Dominu!”

  The Dominu sat atop his throne in the front of the room as his subordinate Councilmen were seated on both sides against the far walls in smaller and less ornate, but just as similar thrones. Beside each of the Councilmen stood a Council Guard at attention, each cloaked in robes of grays and blues. The Dominu himself had a Veldt to his left and a long haired guardsman to his right. The Dominu seemed bored as he received his guests and presents from foreign lands, a show of friendship from the leaders of Elemark. The guardsman on the right leaned over to the Dominu as the female dancers from Vitreus began to perform.

  “Quite a site eh my lord?”

  “Kokazai once you’ve been to all the places I have, and done the things I’ve done, these women are nothing compared to what you have to search to find,” the Dominu said.

  Kokazai eyed the Veldt on the Dominu’s left, “Is he..?”

  “Yes, I’ve already done that, he can’t hear us,” the Dominu answered. “But like I was saying, perhaps travel to some place like the Serere, now those girls are something.”

  Kokazai grinned, “I’ll take your word on it my lord, though my place is here at your side.”

  They turned their attention back to the entertainment, watching the mesmerizing fluid motions of the Vitri women. Kokazai frowns, and looked at the Dominu. For his part, he gives no indication that he felt anything, but Kokazai is sure he sensed it too. As the Vitri finished, the next presentation stepped forward.

  “To the Lord Dominu, we bring to you—

  The shattering of glass interrupted the presentation. Glass shards rained down from the ceiling, followed by five figures, one after the other, as they dropped from the ceiling. The last of them landed down in front of the other four, and rose slowly.

  “Greetings from the Kingdom of Fire, Lord Dominu.” he proclaimed

  The guests began to clap, showing their appreciation for what they believe is some sort of performing arts show.

  Ascerane stepped forward, but as soon as he does, a bluish-gray blur comes from behind—the light catching the steel—Ascerane ducked. Kokazai missed with the levid sword, and does not turn in time to avoid a kick to the face from Devygon. Kokazai was knocked back a few feet, sliding on the floor. This all happened in a matter of seconds, little time for anyone to really register what was actually transpiring before them. Though unlike the onlookers, the Council Guard quickly rushed into action, while a team of Veldt came from out of hiding to protect the Dominu. The guests, finally realizing that this wasn’t a show, began to rush out of the exits, the traffic blocking any of the other Veldt or Council Guards from rushing in to help.

  “This was suicide!” called Devygon, ducking a kick from a guardsman before grabbing his leg and swinging him into another.

  “We have to complete the mission!” Ascer yelled back.

  He rushes forward to the Dominu, still seated upon the throne, with a half dozen Veldt surrounding him. Running to block his way, a trio of guardsmen formed in front of a speeding Ascernane. Continuing onward, he leapt into the air, and dropkicks the middle guardsman in the chest. Now completely horizontal, he kicked one leg forward and the other back, taking out the other two. Ascerane falls to the floor, but quickly scrambles to his feet only to meet the white mask of a Veldt whose wand was pointed directly at him. Before he could make a move, Devygon rushed forward, jumped off of Ascerane’s back, and drove his sword into the Veldt’s chest. Ascerane got to his feet as Devygon bent over to pull the sword out. Ascerane rolled across Devygon’s back and shot a series of flaming blasts at the Veldt guarding the Dominu. They deflected his shots and return with spells of their own, which Ascerane, and then Devygon, dodged as they continued trying to move forward.

  The guests had gone now as more guardsmen and Veldt are pouring into the Hall. The outnumbered team continued fighting them off. Shiiza and Naroka were back to back, constantly turning in place, fighting back the magikos with a consistent fiery flurry. Some ways away, holding his own against a group of Veldt, Azeric swung his sword and sent another of what he called the Fire’s Edge attack, channeling his fire ability through his sword to strike against the mass of Veldt. Flipping backwards to gain some space, he turned in the direction of Ascerane and Devygon.

  “Call in the damn reinforcement’s wouldja!” he yelled

  Ascerane nodded, rolled out of the way of another shot before reaching into his pocket to pull out a flare, and tossed it up through the broken glass ceiling. As he turned his attention back to the fight, he was shot in the chest from a Veldt and sent flying.

  “Won’t do you any good.”

  Azeric spun around, and was met with a hard punch to the face from Kokazai, who floored him. He fell on his face and tried to quickly get to his feet, but Kokazai leapt forward, slamming Azeric’s face back down into the floor with a vicious stomp to the back of the head. Azeric tried once more, to rise, but Kokazai brought his leg up, and came down hard on Azeric’s back.

  “AAHHH!”

  Azeric cried out in pain yet again as Kokazai’s foot was driven into his back for a second time. A smirk played across the face of Kokazai as he took a step back, pointing his wand at Azeric. It began to emit a purplish glow…

  “Avi—Ugghh!”

  Ascerane came from Kokazai’s right and blindsided him with a flaming fist shot to the side of the face. Kokazai stumbled sidewayss as Ascerane rushed forward, leapt into the air, and brought his knee up, striking hard into Kokazai’s chin.

  “Move! Move! Move!”

  Fire Kingdom reinforcement fought their way into the room and finally relieved the tired team who had been holding off two dozen magikos. The Dominu is finally ushered out of the Hall as more Veldt rushed in to help combat the increased threat. Ascerane’s face expressed his agitation at this obviously failed mission. He turned back to Kokazai, and swung another punch at him, but this time Kokazai sidestepped him and brings his knee up, slamming it into Ascerane’s gut. Ascerane took the shot and held onto Kokazai’s leg, while striking him with a fiery shot to the jaw. Kokazai took a few steps back, and wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth; his eyes go wide for a second before turning back to Ascerane, a grin upon his face.

  “You really thought you could kill the Dominu?” He said in a mocking tone, “Even if you’d gotten past me, he surely would have killed you. Though I must say…You’re the first opponent to make me bleed. I’m impressed.”

  Ascerane remained silent. The two men began circling each other as the fighting ensued around them. As they did this, Kokaz
ai tapped his wand against his thigh, humming to himself. After a few rotations around, Ascerane stopped and suddenly charged at Kokazai whose eyes grow wide in alarm at the rate of his speed.

  “Ah..Ah..Uhh…”

  Kokazai looked down and put his hands on the blade of the sword, now lodged in his midsection. Ascerane let out a sigh of relief and began to pull the sword out.

  “Perhaps you should have held that breath a little longer.”

  Ascerane’s eyes go wide as a wand is pressed against the back of his head. He slowly stood back upright, dropping his sword as the apparition disappeared in front of him.

  “Pity,” he says. “You were a good oppo—naah!!”

  A blast from Devygon sent him flying head over heels before flipping back upright and landing on his feet, an angry scowl upon his face.

  “I just want to kill one of you without being interrupted!”

  Devygon glanced at Azeric, “Is he okay?”

  “I haven’t been able to check,” Ascerane replied, moving to stand beside Devygon. “From the look of him, doubt it.”

  “We’re in pretty close,” Devygon called to Kokazai. “Unless you’re certain in your aim and ability to shoot us, I’d advise you not use that wand here. Hand to Hand Combat.”

  “His energy level just kicked up,” Devygon whispered. “He must have tapped into his life essence.”

  “Ready?” Ascerane asked, Devygon nodded in answer.

  The duo rushed forward, one behind the other, then split in two separate directions, appearing in the air on both sides of Kokazai, who remained still, making no motion to avoid them. They both put their hands together and fired out one of their most powerful attacks, a final blast that was sure to envelope Kokazai. Ascerane smirked, ‘pointblank range’ he thought to himself. Faster than the eye could see, Kokazai swiftly extended his arms and opened his hands in the direction of both incoming visarts.

  “I’m certain. AFLATUS!”

  Ascerane’s vision was blinded as an orangish-white energy shot violently and uncontrolled from Kokazai’s hands, while Ascerane and Devygon simultaneously struck out with their own attacks. Kokazai coulc hear Devygon through the damaging blast, as he yelled out.

  “This---will---get---THROOOUUUGHHH!”

  They both continued their Final Blast attacks even as Kokazai’s attack enveloped them. All the while, Ascerane could only think, ‘Too fast…Impossible’.

  The young man closed the book, “And that’s the end.”

  His friend blinked a few times before speaking, “First off, you didn’t read from that book one time, you just picked it up half way through the story so you could close it when you got done.”

  He narrowed his eyes, a humored look about him, “Perhaps.”

  “What d’ya mean perhaps? I just saw you do it,” his friend replied. “Anyways, why’d you stop? That can’t be the end of the story. I want to know what happened. Did Ascerane and Devygon’s attacks get through to Kokazai? Or did they die?”

  The young man got to his feet and walked to the door. With a last look back at his friend, he pushed it open.

  “Let’s find out.”

  The darkness surrounded them; though void of light as it was, Kokazai and Ascerane were able to see each other as if it was the brightest day. The crown upon Ascerane’s gray haired head shone against an unseen light as he turned, while Kokazai’s wrinkled hands tightened around his wand, both men reacting to a distant, yet distinct noise. Out of the darkness, a rectangular hole appeared, the white light shone against the silhouette of someone standing in the doorway. It walked forward.

 
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