The Amulet Of Immortality

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

It was a quiet, peaceful day in the wilderness. Which wasn't surprising, as few people ever came out this far. Insects chirped in the long grasses and water birds swam gracefully across the surface of a small reedy pool. A squirrel gazed quizzically down from the branch of a silver birch tree.

Suddenly the silence was shattered as a young man appeared in the center of the pond. Water splashed around him and the birds took off in full flight, squarking and honking at this new disturbance, The squirrel ran up the tree trunk, spiralling round and round until it vanished into a hole. The young man tried to regain his balance, lost it and fell over backwards, sitting down in the muddy water.

"Ah sod it!", he cursed as he got to his feet, water dripping from his shirt and trousers. "Teleported wrong again...Edelas, you have got to remain calm when teleporting!" As there was nobody else around, it was clear that the man was talking to himself. He burhsed his wet blonde hair out of his eyes and waded through the water, scrambling up the muddy bank and sitting down on a rock.

Edelas removed his backpack and took out a map, which he unfurled and studied carefully. His wet clothes didn't seem to bother him, he was obviously more upset at having messed up a teleportation spell than having had a soaking in the pool. He traced his finger to a small town, marked on the map as a dot, with the name Srevbe next to it.

"That's where I need to be", said Edelas. He replaced his map and stood up again, looking round at his surroundings. "Srevbe's north of here and...there's north". Edelas turned round until his shodow was in front of him. North appeared to be a flattish plain, broken up by a few scrubby trees and pools. Edelas set off, hoping to reach the town before nightfall.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

Anborn perched silently, watching his prey. Then man was a complete idiot. He was drunk. A very happy drunk, but drunk nonetheless. And Anborn was going to kill him.

Anborn dropped to the ground, stealthily approaching. He had been following this man for weeks, ever since that day. The man had been foolish enough to try to rape an innkeepers daughter. And almost succeeded. At least until Anborn showed up. The man was scared badly, running away. And that should have been the end of it. But then the man turned. He turned and called in a loud voice that he would have his revenge on the bastard.

Bastard.

So Anborn had followed the man, waiting, wearing him down with his constant presence, just outside of the mans vision. Always waiting, stalking his prey.

He walked up to the man, calm as anything. But then he grabbed the man and threw him against a wooden pole hard enough to break bone. The man crumpled, looking up at Anborn with fear in his eyes.

"You should have left when you had the chance," Anborn said, his voice quiet. "We both could have gone our separate ways. But no, you had to call me a bastard. And now you will pay for what you have done."

The man chuckled quietly, rising. Obviously he was in pain, but he was still laughing. Suddenly, with blinding speed, the man's hand was at Anborn's side. Blood came forth from the dagger wound. Quick as lightning, the man withdrew his hand and stabbed again. Again. Again.

Anborn gasped as he fell back two steps, his shoulders haunched. The man looked pleased with himself. "Well, little assassin, you thought to kill me, but you're the one who is dead. Better luck next time," the man said, laughing at his own irony.

Anborn stood to his full height. The lights seemed to dim slightly. The man suddenly looked troubled, his face white. The wounds he had just inflicted healed before his very eyes. "Fool. I've challenged demons from the darkest depths of the Underworld. I've defeated immortals. I have challenged and beaten the Lord of the Underworld himself." Anborn leaned in slightly. "So what the hell makes you think that you can possibly stand a chance? Hmm?" Anborn smiled wickedly.

-------

He walked out a few minutes later, his eyes golden. He wouldn't be able to stay in this town for very much longer. Srevbe had been good to him whenever he had stayed here before. He had protected them. He had served them well before he had to go back to the Underworld. He tried to suppress a shudder and couldn't. The last time had been hard. Defeating Drevin took everything out of him. But he had won. And for the moment, that was all that mattered.

But something still seemed wrong. Anborn reasoned that he would be able to stay in this town another day, three at the most. He couldn't imagine that the villagers would be pleased by what they saw when the walked into that room and saw who was there. Or rather, what was left of him...

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

Edelas reached Srevbe as the sun was setting; the western sky ablaze with red and gold. Srevbe was a smallish town, with thick wooden walls surrounding it as its main defence. Not that much defence was needed out here in the wilderness. It was a relatively quiet and safe part of the world.

As Edelas passed through the gates, the guards nodded at him in greeting. "Just in time", said one of the guards. "These gates should have been locked for the night, but me and my mate here are running a little behind schedule tonight".

"Thanks for letting me in", said Edelas gratefully. "I've had a long journey and I didn't fancy sleeping rough for another night. Do you know of a decent inn I could stay the night at, please?"

"Well there's the Woodland Pool Inn", replied the other guard. "Just walk down the main street, straight ahead and past the blacksmiths and you'll find it".

"Big, white stone building", said the first guard. "You can't miss it".

Edelas thanked the guards and made his way to the Woodland Pool Inn. It was as the guard had described, a large square inn, made out of white stones, with a painted sign of a pool surrounded by trees swinging above the door. Edelas pushed open the door and stepped out of the chilly night air into the warmth of the inn. It was quiet inside, with just a few people sitting at corner tables drinking. A large fire blazed in a stone grate and rush mats covered the stone floor. The innkeeper was talking to a couple of farmers; the three of them discussing the recent heavy showers that had caused the flooding of the west side of town.

It was only after he had gone inside, that two hooded figured stepped out of a nearby alley. They nodded towards each other and approached the inn quietly.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

Anborn watched. Always watching, never missing anything, can't let them get him.... So Anborn had lived the past few years like this. Always watching. Waiting for when vengeance would seek him out. Anborn knew that he would be ready for it. Didn't he?

Movement caught his eye. A man walked into the inn. Nothing special about that. There were so many that walked into the inn. It was the two behind him in the alley that caught his eye. He saw them look at each other and nod, following the man in. Anborn grinned. This should be a fun night.

Drawing the hood of his tattered cloak up to hide his face, he strode into the inn like he owned the place, ordering a mug of ale, and sitting himself in a corner with a good view of the rest of the room. He would keep his eyes alert for the two men.

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

As Edelas sat in a quiet corner drinking beer and eating a bowl of mutton stew, he had a strange feeling that he couldn't shake. There was somebody in the inn that he knew. Edelas looked round at all the patrons, but he didn't recognise any of them. Yet he sensed the mind of one who he had travelled with and shared adventures with before.

Edelas put this thought from his head for the moment; he was weary from travelling all day and he longed to go to his room and fall into the bed that he knew was waiting there for him. I may be imagining things, because I am so tired, he thought. My mind doesn't work properly sometimes when I am tired. Edelas finished his beer and meal and went upstairs to his room. The room was right at the back of the inn, the roof sloping down towards the window. Inside, there was a small bed, a chest for keeping clothes in and a jug of water and a bowl on a wooden washstand. Edelas washed, undressed and climbed into bed. He gazed at the wooden beamed ceiling sleepily, his eyes beginning to close.

Meanwhile, downstairs the hooded figures had been watching Edelas carefully. As soon as he had gone upstairs, they stood up from their table and followed him. They ascended the stairs quietly,their soft boots making almost no sound at all.

Edelas was jerked out of his doze abruptly. He sat up in bed, looking around in the half darkeness, clearning his mind of all sleep. He sensed danger. He sensed the minds of enemies, they were approaching and planning to kill him. Edelas scrambled from the bed and climbed into the window, standing on the ledge and hiding himself behind the heavy woollen curtains. He then waited, holding his breath and preparing his mind for an attack.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

"Good evening," Anborn rumbled in a deep voice. The two men turned as one, their hands reaching for short swords. Hands that never completed their journey. The neck of the first man was broken before Anborn's next heartbeat. The second man had slightly better reflexes.

Instead of completing the journey to his sword, the second man turned his hand towards Anborn's chest. He caught it just a second too late, throwing him off balance. The man hurled himself at the door, snapping it like kindling. He fell into the room, rolling up with a jump, ready to attack the occupant.

That wasn't there.

Anborn was on him then, knocking them both to the ground. There was a brief struggle, Anborn wound up on top, straddling the man. Quickly, he thrust his hand through the man's chest, fingers wrapping around his heart. They were both still for a moment as Anborn gently placed his free hand on the others head, his eyes rolling back into his head. Satisfied and disgusted with what he found, Anborn squeezed his hand almost as a reflex, relishing the sound and feel of the man's still-beating heart burst around his hand.

He sat there for a moment on top of the dead man, regaining control. His sharp eyes detected movement. Withdrawing his hand, he almost casually wiped it clean on the dead man's shirt.

"So, it seems that you have a knack for getting yourself into trouble my young friend," Anborn said almost calmly. He still had an edge though. Killing a man in the manner that he just did was not an easy task, even for him. He finished cleaning his hand and drew himself up to his full height. "Do you mind explaining to me why these men are after you, Blackbridge?"

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

Edelas peered from around the curtain his eyes wide. "Anborn?", he said. "It is you...I sensed that there was somebody downstairs that I knew!" He beamed at Anborn, pleased to see his old friend again.

Edelas climbed down from the windowledge. He looked at the body of the dead man, staring at the chest wound, disgusted and yet fascinated. His eyes travelled up to the man's face, the look of shock frozen on it. Edelas answered Anborn's question about the men. "I have no idea", he said. "I don't even know who they are and I wasn't aware that I was being tailed". Edelas shook his head. "I guess when you are a mercenary, you have to expect such things though".

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

"Indeed," Anborn said, "but what amazes me is that you didn't know that you were being followed. While it's true that Mercenaries should know this, aren't they trained on how to avoid such things and how to counter them?"

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

"True", agreed Edelas. "I guess I wasn't being as careful as I should be. My mind was on...other things". Edelas sat down on the bed and scratched his chin thoughfully". He was silent for a moment, as he gazed at the dead bodies. Then Edelas looked up at Anborn again. "Have you eaten?" Edelas asked him. "If you would like, I can order some food and drink, and tell you about the quest I am on. For it makes an interesting story, and it is mainly due to thinking about my quest that I have been less careful of late". The expression on Edelas' face suggeted that this quest was one of great importance to him.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

Anborn waved a hand at Edelas, dismissing him to order the food. His mind was already on other things as he bent down to reclean his hand on the dead mans shirt. Looking up to make certain that Edelas was out of the room, Anborn closed his eyes and moved his hands over the dead men. A black fog appeared in the space around them, swallowing them up until there was nothing left.

Anborn sat back in one of the chairs contemplating the repercussions of tonights incident, awaiting Edelas' return.

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

Edelas soon returned with bread, cheese and mead. He set the food and drink down on the dressing table and gave Anborn a plate, some cutlery and a mug. “Help yourself to food and drink”, said Edelas. He then sat down on the bed and began his story.

"Since we last met, I have been travelling far and wide”, said Edelas. “I returned to thaw wood elves in Wadrium at first, but I found that after a few months I longed to travel again. The spirit of adventure had caught me and didn’t want to let go”. Edelas smiled as he thought of the pleasures of journeying; walking under wide star lit skies at night, exploring cool, leafy forests and vast grassy plains, never knowing where his next journey would take him. “But of course, I needed money to live on so I became a mercenary. It started off with me accepting small jobs from the mayors of hamlets and villages; killing wolves and goblins who were bothering the people there. As I began to get a bit of a reputation, I was then offered jobs which were both more dangerous and better paid. Which brings me up to my latest job.

I was in a town called Yomsce, I don’t know if you have heard of it before. It is far to the north east; pretty cold and they have snow for most of the year, even in the summer months. I was in a tavern there, when a strange old man approached me…I think that…”

Edelas suddenly paused and looked around the room, noticing there was something different about it. “Where have the corpses gone?”, he asked Anborn curiously.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

Anborn sniffed contemptuously. "They're in the Underworld." When Edelas just stared at him, he elaborated. "I suppose this deserves an explanation as well."

Picking a loose thread off his trousers, he sat back and began. "Shortly after you and I parted ways after what happened with Lord Blackbridge, I began to move on. I was restless, and needed something to occupy my mind. The Madness was getting worse, so I visited some old friends, hoping that this would curb the effects of what that demon, Malgren, had done to me.

"Sadly, though, it didn't help. I had to leave before I wound up killing someone. So I stayed out in the wilderness for a few weeks, trying to clear my head. Nothing worked. I woke up in anguish more than once, staring at devastation all around me. Trees uprooted and burnt to cinder, entire villages leveled, crops and farmland gone. Finally, I decided enough was enough."

Pausing, Anborn took a bite of the food sitting in front of him, considering. There was a long silence. "I finally received summons from a lady called Envy. I believe you met her. She is the daughter of Zet Sericor, the rightful ruler of the Underworld. Drevin, the usurping lord of the Underworld, was holding her sister, Malice, hostage. I had known for years that the defeat of this monster could come from my hand alone. Long story short, we met in battle and I defeated him."

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

Edelas listened to Anborn's tale with interest. "It sounds like you have had a dangerous time since we last met", the young man said. "I am sorry that you did not achive what you were hoping for". Edelas chewed on the edge of his mug, looking thoughtful. "Although", he looked up, a sudden thought occuring to him. "I am thinking that you must be feeling a little more optamistic, from having defeated Drevin".

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

"Not exactly. Defeating Drevin took everything I had. After the fight, I almost died. That kind of makes you take another look at your life as a whole. After Drevin's defeat, Zet took his rightful place and offered to let me stay there, ruling by his side. I thought about it, but decided to be alone for a little while, pursuing idiots that thought they were too good for the law. Then I met up with you."

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

Edelas looked thoughtful at Anborn's tale. Then he smiled. "Well it is good to see you again and still alive", he said. "You seem to have a knack of getting into trouble, although I suppose you could say the same about me". Edelas laughed and drank some of his ale. "Have you ever visited the town Yomsce?", he then asked Anborn. "It is a strange place. Also you may know of the old man who I spoke with. I swear, he was really a wizard, although he acted and behaved like a simple beggar.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

Anborn scoffed. "Yeah, they normally do that in order to avoid being crucified when cows start being born with two heads instead of one. Anyway, you were saying something about being approached by an old man when you got sidetracked."

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

"Oh yes", said Edelas, remembering what he had been telling Anborn. "He seemed a little nervous at first and was reluctant to be overheard. We went to a quiet corner of the tavern and he told me he has a job for me.

I was a bit suspicious at first, because to me, he looked like a drunk beggar. So I read his mind". Edelas looked a little embarassed at admitting this. "Or at least I tried to", he continued. "I met against resistence...it was as if I was looking into a fog. He didn't say anything, but I suspected he had great power then.

The old man told me that he wished for me to seek for an amulet. He said it was a family heirloom...it had been in his family for many hundreds of years. But recently, some thieves had stolen it from him and although he had tried to track them down, he had lost the trail a few days back. The last place he had seen them was the town that we are in now".

Edelas paused and looked at Anborn. "That's why I am here", he said. "I accepted his quest and now I am hunting for the thieves. I am wondering if it could have been the men who tried to kill me?" Edelas looked to the place where their bodies had lain, just a few minutes ago.

[Xandor Tik'Roth]

"I doubt they even know you exist right now. No, those two were ones that we had offended the last time you and I were together. You remember that village that I first transformed? They were members of that village. They had been tracking you for weeks. Anyway, did you get a description of the men?"

[The Cosmic Gerbil]

"Yeah, I remember that", said Edelas thoughtfully. Then he smiled a little. "There were not many orcs left after that, none at all, I am thinking. As for the men I am searching for, the old man described them quite well. He said that they were both tall and wearing heavy cloaks, that were dark grey in colour. The one kept his face hidden at all times, but he carried an unusual long sword, with a blueish blade. The other man had long, black hair and a very pale complexion. He was armed with a normal sword and carried a ebony staff". Edelas looked at Anborn, wondering if he had seen any men to match those descriptions.