The Depths Of A Mind Led To Insanity

[kalimofvalmont]

It wasn't but a few days after Kalimar's metallic arm had been ripped out by the dwarves that he decided to keep it that way. Going down to the healer's ward, Kalimar waited patiently for someone who would undertake the process he needed to go through. Finally, one of the healer's came to his side. A needle was prepared with an anesthetic, and it was administered into Kalimar's vein. Moments later, he was numb all over.

Quickly, the healers went to work, undoing what those kind creatures had done for Kalimar so long ago. At the end of his lost left arm there was a metal fixture. It was used to keep that metallic arm locked in place. But since his arm had been gone, he had no use for it now.

The blades cut into Kalimar's flesh, literally sawing the piece of metal off of the skin it had been grafted onto. The other healers kept their concentration on casting healings on the wounds, to seal them up and prevent him from suffering any blood loss. Kalimar's eyes were glazed over, lost in a hallucination of a memory that the drugs brought to his attention.

The rain came down hard around the cathedral. The smell of blood had caught the Angel's nostrils, walking up the front steps. Pushing through the front doors, wings folded onto his back as he wiped the wet hair from his forehead and behind his ears. The moonlight shone into the cathedral through the stained glass windows, glinting off the blade that was carried in his left arm.

Boots left wet footprints on the aisle carpet as he walked further into the church. Fingers dipped into chalice of holy water, making the sign of the cross across his front. A trail of blood led to the altar, the angel moving cautiously forward. Icy blue hues looked terrified, but also alert.

"So you're the slayer the Order sends out to deal with my kind, hmm?" Said a sinister cackle that seemed to come from every direction of the cathedral. The voice echoed from the rafters, followed by a snarl. "Tell me slayer...do you know who the last demon you killed was?"

Kalimar squinted into the darkness of the rafters, almost able to see a figure skulking around. "It does not matter who the demons I kill are, but I assure you, you will end up like them if you hurt her,” he answered back. Kalimar had stopped walking; now talking to the shadow that continued to roam the ceiling of the building.

"You took something from me, demon slayer. Something that was precious. You killed my brother." A hiss sounded out with the words of the demon, followed by another cackle. "It only seems fitting that I take something precious away from you...."

"Where is she, you sick bastard?!" He yelled fiercely at the demon. Wings shot open, extending out to either side of him, as he took a step back into his fighting stance. The hilt of the sword was grasped in both hands.

"You'll see her soon enough. I'm sending you to join her!" The demon let out a ferocious roar and fell down to the floor of the cathedral.

It was a hideous sight, skin of a sickly green color. Several horns protruded out from its head, and it had a bulbous brow that hung over blood red eyes. The demon's body rippled in sinewy muscles, fingers claiming three inch claws at each tip. And a long tail slithered back and forth from behind the beast. Standing up, the creature loomed over Kalimar by a good three feet, but the Angel did not back down.

Instead, he let out a yell of anger and charged the beast, sword slashing down. Sparks flew as claws met the blade in a block, before the other set raked across Kalimar's neck. Blood and shreds of material flew out from his chest, wincing as he stepped back. But he charged in again for a second attack. Again he was not so lucky, the demon countering the attack with a swish of its tail.

The long appendage came hard across Kalimar's face, sending the angel off of his feet. Landing on the floor with a thud, fingers accidentally let go of the blade. That thick tail slid across the floor, moving to wrap itself around the angel's neck. It grew tighter and tighter, snake-line in its motions as the demon lifted Kalimar off the ground. Hands moved to the tail, clutching onto it to try and free it from crushing his throat. But all he could do was gasp, mouth opened wide in anguish, but no sound coming out.

"Look...demon slayer. Look at your precious lover. You'll soon end up just like her..." The demon lifted Kalimar up into the air with that massive tail so he could see towards the back of the church. On the mezzanine, but the organ, there was a giant cross. The moonlight shined brightly on the wooden structure, Kalimar's face going pale of all color.

Crucified on the cross was Kalimar's fiancé. Her body had bruises and claw marks. In some places it was downright mangled to the bone. Blood was caked on what was left of her clothing. Eyes had been gouged out of their sockets, leaving behind nothing more than empty holes with bloody tears.

Anger filled inside the angel like he had never known before. His head throbbed from the pain of his throat being crushed, but he needed to avenge her. Reaching down to his side, he pulled out that golden cross. With all his strength, he let out a furious yell. Blue energy short forth from the end of the cross, and the holy blade was swung up.

It sliced cleanly through the demon's tail, causing it to unwrap from Kalimar's neck. Falling to the ground, his eyes were blurred with tears, but his anger fueled him on. The demon let out a screeching howl of pain as its tail was sliced clean off. Letting out another growl, a hammerfist connected with Kalimar's chest sending him crashing into a few pews. But Kalimar leaped up from the mess, wings spread wide as he took to the air. Swooping down again and again, he'd hack a new cut into the demon's body and vice versa. Each time Kalimar came down, those claws raked further into his flesh.

Both combatants were a bloody mess, but neither seemed ready to give up. Finally with one last mighty charge, Kalimar swooped down at the beast.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" A war cry let loose as he thrust that blade hard into the throat of the demon. Pushing it all the way to the hilt, the demon let out another painful screech. Kalimar winced at the sound but drove the blade harder into the demon. Claws moved to grab Kalimar's left arm, digging deep into the skin. In a last ditch effort, the demon twisted itself around wildly.

That blade went with the twist, slicing around the rest of the throat of the demon. His head was cut clear from his body, landing on the floor and rolling in the aisle until it came to rest at the altar.

"Augh!!!" Kalimar fell to his knees, clutching his left side. Blood gushed out from his shoulder, the angle unable to keep writhing from pain. Although the demon had lost its head, it had managed to take Kalimar's left arm with it.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Blue eyes shot open, as Kalimar sat upright from the cot he was on. He was in a cold sweat, and it took him a few moments to realize that he was in the healer's ward. His hand groped for his shoulder, feeling the missing arm. The metal fixture was also gone, but the only thing he could think about was her. Lying back down on the bed, eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling, unable to go back to sleep.

[kalimofvalmont]

After being discharged from the healer's ward, Kalimar's mind could not let go of the dream he had. It had been so long ago, yet the pain had seemed so real, as if it had happened just yesterday. To make matters worse, he had not seen Lilith in the longest time.

A few sleepless days passed. Kalimar either spent them drowning his memories at the bar, or up in the mage tower. Syn had offered him the chance to read over the mage's spell books, and Kalimar's curious nature led him to do so.

He sat in the corner of the mage tower, reading one of the many books the Mage had on spells. Kalimar, being an alchemist, was not necessarily interested in magic. Although something did manage to catch his eye.

"Transmutation circle, hmm?" Kalimar spoke to himself as he often did when he was alone. What Kalimar had stumbled upon were ancient runes, capable of changing objects into different objects of equivalent size and value. Well, it was certainly interesting to an alchemist, as that was pretty much their life's work.

Continuing to read through the chapter, Kalimar put the book on the mage's bed. Grabbing a piece of paper, he would pry a rusty nail from the bedpost. Scraping out the insignia of the runes, eyes turned back to the book. He checked over the spell one more time, placing the nail in the middle of the transmutation circle. Closing his eyes, he concentrated.

Speaking in that ancient tongue, a white light crept out from the runes. It shined brightly, consuming the nail inside of it. And when it disappeared, the nail was still there. However, it was no longer rusted. In fact it looked brand new. A grin was upon the fallen angel's face.

"Amazing," he exclaimed, putting the nail down to search for something else he could test with. Not seeing anything he wanted to mess with in the mage's tower, he reached into his pocket. He stopped suddenly, fingers clasping what was in his pocket and taking it out.

In between his fingers was a rather large and gorgeous jewel. It shimmered in hues of green, blue, and grey and its luster rivaled that of mythril and diamonds. Moving back to sit down on a chair, Kalimar stared at the jewel in awe. He had come by it almost a week prior.

Returning home from a trip to the Wintercourts, Kalimar stumbled across a tunnel leading off the path and into the depths of the Mysty Mountains. Having spent almost ten years of his life traveling, Kalim couldn't help but journey into the tunnel. It was dark for what seemed to be miles, leading deeper into the rocky crag.

After what seemed to be almost an hour, Kalimar noticed a small glint of light in the distance. The path led straight towards it, and he moved forward cautiously. The closer he got, the brighter the light shined until he was close enough to see it. Embedded in the wall at the end of the tunnel was the most beautiful jewel he had ever seen.

Kalimar looked around for a moment, making sure the coast was clear. He didn't see anyone or anything nearby, or any passageways that led to the jewel, so he moved towards it. Carefully, metallic fingers reached out towards the jewel. He hesitated for a moment, before touching it.

"Take me...." A small voice hissed as if inside Kalimar's head.

Kalimar did not seem to notice the voice, though. His eyes were fixed on that jewel, overwhelmed by its beauty. It would make a wonderful gift for Lilith when she returned home. Metal fingers would begin to dig around the edges of the jewel, trying to pry it from the rock wall.

"Yes...take me...” came that soft hissing voice again.

Kalimar nodded as if in agreement with the voice. Fingers wrapped around the jewel and gave a mighty tug. The corners of his lips curled into a slightly sick smile as he tugged the jewel free from the wall. Watching it rest in his hand, he spoke softly.

"I will take you...."

Once more that hypnotized look had gotten into Kalimar's eyes as he looked down at the jewel resting in his hand. His mind went over the battle that occurred shortly after taking the jewel; the battle of the dwarves that ripped out his metallic arm. Then his thoughts went to the reason why that arm was missing.

With Lilith gone, and his arm missing, his mind was constantly consumed by the memory of his former fiancé. Looking at the jewel, his fingers tightened around it. Eyes became glassy as tears began to fall from his eyes. They did not blink however, still keeping an intent gaze upon the jewel. Shoulders rose and fell in silent sobs as he wept for his lost love.

"Bring her back...."

Kalimar wiped his forearm across his face, brushing those tears aside as he spoke softly.

"What?" He asked, seeming confused.

"Bring her back...” came that voice again. It was the same soft hissing voice he had heard deep inside the Dwarven tunnel where he found the jewel. "Bring her back to life..."

Eyes shifted from the jewel towards the book now. Eyes seemed to widen as he spoke to himself. "The ability to change one thing into another. I can resurrect her...."

"Yes. Bring her back and live with her forever!" The voice got louder, fiercer in persuasion.

Kalimar nodded his head again. "Of course...I will bring her back to life. And we will live together forever...." A twisted smirk found home on his lips as he stood up from the chair. He put the jewel back into his pocket, and left the mage tower.

The next whole day, Kalimar did not leave his room. What he did in there no one ever knew, but it could be assumed that he worked on perfecting transmutation. That book he had found in the mage's tower was kept with him at all times, as was that jewel he found.

It was late in the night when Kalimar finally stepped out of his room and into the hallway. Eyes had started to show signs of sleep deprivation, though nothing too bad. He moved quietly through the hallways, back towards the mage's tower. To his surprise however, Nym and Syn were back, so he did not stay long.

"I'm borrowing another book," he said to the couple, as he moved over to the shelf and thumbed over the titles. Necromancy...there it was. Taking it from the shelf, he would utter a small goodbye before disappearing back down the stairs.

Once back in his room, he closed the door. Sitting down at his desk, he took the jewel out from his pocket. Placing it on the desktop, its light shined just enough so he could read without any other lights. So he sat in the darkness, consumed by the book and the voice that grew louder.

"We'll need a skeleton..."

"Yes..."

"And a place where we won't be bothered..."

"The dungeon..."

"She will be yours again, Kalimar...forever...."

"Yes...forever..."

A bout of maniacal laughter ensued from that hissing voice. That twisted smirk still stained Kal's lips as the laughing, but in reality, his room was completely silent.

When morning broke, the sunlight was met with closed shades. Kalimar was finishing the last chapter of the necromancy book, the bags under his eyes having grown slightly larger. A knock came to his door, eyes turning towards it. They narrowed in slight annoyance.

"Who is it?" he muttered as he walked to open it slightly. Outside stood one of the maids of the castle, and Kalimar would allow her entry following a slight sneer. He needed to be alone. If there were more distractions like this, he wouldn't be able to concentrate. So grabbing those two books on necromancy, as well as his jewel, he stepped out into the main hall.

Footsteps echoed in the early silence of morning, moving down the staircase towards the lower halls. He originally intended to seek out the library, but something stopped him. He paused and turned left, looking down the other staircase.

"The dungeon....We will work in the dungeon..." hissed that voice with growing familiarity.

Kalimar changed directions and moved down the other flight of stairs. Finally, he came to the dimly lit stone stairwell that spiraled down into the dark dank depths of the dungeon. It had been a long time since Kalimar had seen use of it, so it would be relatively quiet and easy to work in.

Following the steps down into the bottom, he would move to sit at the guard's table that was positioned between the cells. Opening both books on the table, he began to mix and match formulas and spells. He was coming up with his own spell to bring back the love of his life.

The jewel remained clutched in his hand, fingers idly stroking it as he seemed to forget about its original purpose. In fact, ever since he started to hear that voice...Lilith was slowly fading from his memory. He became consumed with the idea of resurrecting is dead fiancé, and it was driving him mad...

[kalimofvalmont]

What is the mind; a box consisting of complex puzzles that lock away the deepest darkest of thoughts to which there may be no rational solution to where and why those thoughts are there.

Several days had passed and not a single one of them had been spent in the light of day. Kalimar had kept himself confined to the darkness of the castle's dungeon. Glazed over eyes stared blankly at the wall. An eerie light cast across his face from the gem that resided on the table in front of him, eyes watching the shadows that formed on the wall. But he saw no shadows. Instead, he saw the demons he'd slain throughout his life, and every moment the thought about that battle that changed his life forever.

The borrowed books of the high mage, Syn Thornheart, were laid out in front of him next to that jewel. What appeared to be a crudely formed skeleton lay on the other end of the table, eyes shifting to look at it now. The corners of lips turned upwards in a sick smile, as fingers of the only remaining hand he had reached out. They ran across the smooth bone of the skull, almost endearingly. To him, the bones represented a twisted dream brought on by the corruption of the gem he kept. The dream of raising his dead beloved from nothing more than random things he had found amongst the dungeon.

"Is it finished?" came that hissing voice.

"Not yet, master. But I promise you it will be done soon. There are only a few more ingredients necessary." Kalimar spoke softly, the worlds barely slipping from his mouth to fall on deaf walls.

"Faster Kalimar...You must revive her. You mus bring her back to life..."

The fallen angel's head nodded to the voice, as he pulled his gaze from the wall and back into the books he had. Kalimar needed to have one bone from every part of the body, and so far his excursions into the depths of the dungeon had been quite fruitful. He had found almost everything. All that was missing was a bone from the ribcage, and all his searching had turned up at a loss for the desired item. A sigh came as doubt started to fill his mind, but almost as if sensing his anxiety, that voice echoed into his mind once more.

"You have the bone, Kalimar..."

"What? I don't understand..." A puzzled look came over his face. Then as if moved by some unknown force, Kalimar's hand would slide across the table and move to rest over his own chest. Fingers began to undo the buttons of his tunic, before tossing it aside to reveal that scarred body. Then they returned once more, to rest right over his rib cage.

"You have the bone...." came that voice for a second time. A light seemed to go on in Kalimar's head, as fingers grew a bit forceful, feeling the bones in his chest. Blonde locks fluttered about as he nodded again.

"Yes, yes! Perfect...then I will only need one more thing..." He spoke it triumphantly, reaching across the table. Although the dungeon was empty most of the times, it had been used in some occasions...and guards did have to eat. Fingers fumbled with the rusted knife for a moment, before bringing it over to him. Lifting it up into the light of the gem, he turned it around in his hand. That sick smile never seemed to leave his face as he leaned towards the knife. His tongue came out to press against the corroded metal, licking the blade. A slight wince came as he cut his tongue, pulling back and tasting the blood in his mouth.

"Still sharp...." He said quietly as he turned the knife around so the blade was pointed at him. Gripping it firmly in his hand, he began to chant something. His body began to shimmer slightly, a light glow forming over it as a holy healing spell was enchanted to his form. Then with one quick motion, that knife sunk deep into the flesh of his chest. Teeth grit tightly as eyes dazed over in pain, but he did not cry out. With forceful motions, he sawed into his chest harder, opening the cut wide in his chest.

Blood spurted out across the table, teeth clenched tightly as he grunted from the pain. It did not take long before Kalimar had a gaping hole in his chest, pulling out the rusted blade and tossing it aside into the puddle of blood that pooled on the table from his wound. But he was starting to laugh. Teeth became unclenched, as fingers moved back to that cut, running over it slowly. They became soaked in blood, but that spell had kept him from dieing from bloodloss...at least temporarily. That grin continued to keep its place on his lips.

Then he did something unthinkable. Those fingers pushed into the cut, sliding into his own chest until they came to his rib cage. A harsh wince ran through his body as he wrapped his fingers around the bone. Then with a mighty yell, and strength of the angels, he gave a hard pull. A snap was heard, followed by a loud crack and that hand came out of his chest, holding the broken bone of his rib cage. Kalimar coughed violently, blood spitting out onto the table as well as trickling down his lips.

The bone was placed on the table, as eyelids started to flutter a bit. But his laughing only grew louder, as his hand took on a faint glow. He was healing himself now, or at least, healing that cut. The laughing echoed against the walls of the chamber, and soon that hissing voice joined in.

"Yes, excellent Kalimar...Now you only need the hair."

Kalimar nodded, looking down at the fresh scar that had formed on his chest from his grotesque self surgery. Wiping his fingers on his tunic, he would put it back on...the blood staining the light material almost instantly. He'd then toss the bone over to the rest of them, before looking back to his book.

"One hair...resembling that of the deceased..." He read from the page, his laughing having stopped. Yet he showed no signs of pain. In fact, he showed no signs of even realizing that he had just ripped out his own rib. Instead, he kept on talking with that voice. "She had red hair...I don't know anyone with red hair."

"Nym has red hair..."

Eyes seemed to light up again as the voice offered the solution to his dilemna. Now Kalimar simply had to ponder a way to get a strand of her hair.

[kalimofvalmont]

Kalimar spent the rest of the day thinking of ways to get one of Nym's hairs. Of course he couldn't just ask, no. That would be to easy. Not only easy, but also too weird perhaps. And if Syn was there, that could bring up even more problems. So Kalimar needed to get it when Nym wouldn't be paying attention. He sat and stared at the gem for a long time in deep thought. Either deep thought, or deep conversation. That was never too sure, as the voice in his head seemed to never leave Kalimar alone for a second.

After several hours, it had grown dark outside. The moon was high in the air, and castle was quiet except for the occasional footsteps of a patrolling guard. Slowly, Kalimar stood up from the table he sat at. Feet walked across the cold stone floor of the dungeon as he moved towards those spiral steps. His shoulder would press against the wall as he slowly made his way up, feet dragging with each step as eyes seemed to look ahead of him unfocused.

He knew the way to the mage towwer well. When Nym and Syn had gone to spend time in the Wintercourts, he had spent quite some time in the mage tower reading over the books Syn had allowed him. But the twisted thing was, that upon hearing news of their return, he had a key made for the lock. How? Well, those who knew Kalimar understood that he was gifted in many things, and this was just another one of those hidden talents he had learned long ago when working for the church.

Passing through the main hall, he squinted slightly. Even though the castle was dimly lit, the light was harsh to his eyes compared to the soft glow of the jewel. Fingers remained in his pocket, keeping a grasp on that gem. Upon reaching the mage tower, Kalimar took the steps slowly, those eyes still seeming to be unfocused on anything. As he moved up the tower, he paused at each candle that lit the way, taking the time to blow it out. His eyes had become more accustomed to the dark.

At the top of the stairs, he let go of the jewel in his pocket. Fingers moved now to the breast pocket of his tunic, pulling out a small key. Reaching out to the wooden door, he inserted the key into the lock, and with a small twist he was inside Syn's room. He became quiet now, not even footsteps or the creaking of floorboards heard as he passed through the room and into the bedroom. Standing in the doorway, he looked at the sleeping couple. Stifling a laugh, he moved to the end of their bed just continuing to watch them.

Lips once again pulled up into the dark smile, no longer perching at the foot of the bed. Now he moved around the corner, coming to stand alongside Nym as she slept. Looking down at her, eyes came into focus on her face. Everything in the room seemed to stop. The sound of his heart pounding was all that filled his ears, hand become sweaty with anticipation. Moving to his other pocket, he pulled out that rusted knife from earlier. Fingers played with it in his hand for a moment as eyes remained fixed on Nym.

His hand would slowly lower then, bringing that knife dangerously close to the skin of the rider's neck. He moved the blade close to her skin, drawing an invisible line up the side of her face until he came to a stray strand of hair. With adept dexterity, his pinky finger pulled the hair a bit tight as he used his index and middle to cut it clean from her head. Not another sound was heard, until the echo of footsteps descending into the dungeon filled the nearby hall.

[Queen Solace Rayana Klojhen]

One word... Damn!

[Mobius Shadowbane]

this is pretty good so far

[Kal too lazy to sign]

With the castle in a tizzy about Grell and Kyono's schizophrenia, Kalimar knew it was time to act. He could fly under the radar and not have to worry about getting busted for breaking any rules or regulations. They days he had spent in that dungeon were finally coming to a close, and soon he would resurrect his dead fiance...or so he thought.
Malnutrition and internal bleeding had taken their toll on Kalimar. He lay against the wall in a heap in the dungeon, staring blankly at the floor. No longer capable of speech, words ended up being nothing more than a few coughs of blood. But the voice in his head spurred him on. It controlled his will now, forcing him to live and carry out his mission. Picking himself up from the floor, he began to pack his belongings.
Actually, what he was packing was that skeleton he had formed. Every bone was wrapped neatly in a blanket before being put into that traveler's knapsack. All the ingredients he had acquired that made up the elements of the human body were placed into small jars, and also added to the knapsack. Bloodshot eyes took one look around the darkness of the dungeon to make sure nothing was left behind. That glowing gemstone was kept hidden in his pocket. Slinging the knapsack over his shoulder, he would begin to ascend those stairs out of the dungeon.

Meanwhile, deep within the Mysty Mountains, the thrane of the deep dwarves Harik awaited the report from his scout. Due to the recent conflict so close to his kingdom, Harik had sent his scouts to the castle of Goldenmyst. There they had been stationed to report any suspicious activity and keep an eye out for the thief. Of course the thief would be easy to spot. He only had one arm!
For days the main hall was quiet, no word of the thief ever reached the ears of Harik....until tonight. One of the scouts came rushing into the main hall. He hurried up to the throne, and bowed low before Harik before speaking.
"Thrane Godfist...The thief is on the move. Sir, should we ready the containment squadron to begin heading to the ruins?"
The thrane nodded. "Aye...and ready the war rams. We will ride to the ruins if we are to make it in time to stop what is going to happen."
The scout nodded, "Yes, my liege," before hurrying off to do as he was told.
Harik stood up from the throne and began to pace slowly, speaking to himself. "So Ang'nok...Has it come down to this? Using an innocent fool to break from your prison?"

[Kal still too lazy]

The halls were quiet as Kalimar mostly took the back hallways to reach the castles main gates. If he was seen by anyone who cared even the least about him, he'd have a hard time leaving the castle. So it was better to go unannounced. Reaching the main gates, he would be stopped by one of the guards.
"I'm sorry sir, but our orders are not to let anyone leave the castle unsupervised after dark. There have been grell attacks on travelers. I'm sorry, " said the sentry that stood watch at the main gates.
Dark eyes turned to look to the sentry. "Let me pass...." Kalimar was in no mood for this bullshit. He had to get to the ruins for the reincarnation before the moon was directly overhead.
The guard stood his ground. "I'm sorry sir, but orders are or----" The guard wasn't even given the time to finish before Kalimar's blade found its way into the man's throat. That dagger was shoved directly into the guard's esophagus, fingers clenching the man's neck to push it all the way through till it poked out the back of his neck. A look of satisfaction rested on Kalimar's face, but he was no longer in control. That demon now ran the entire show that was Kalimar Alexander Valmont.
Not wanting to leave anything behind to alarm the other patrols, He grabbed the man by the arm and began to drag him behind him on the ground as he started down the path. It would be a long trip, but Kalimar moved with unexplainable speed and strength. The voice in his head only kept repeating ~*Faster, faster, you must get there faster*~ And his body obeyed.
Upon reaching the Goldenmyst Ruins, Kalimar tossed the body of the dead guard into one of the dilapidated houses. Once he had disposed of the dead body, he began to search for signs of the temple.

Wait a minute...a temple? Well, unknown to most members of Goldenmyst...the deep dwarves had been there longer than anyone could expect. And their kingdom had once stretched across the entire kingdom that was now Goldenmyst. That was until a horrific demon named Ang'nok came and decimated half the dwarves population and forced them to retreat into the depths of the earth below their besieged lands.
The demon was the result of a corrupt dwarven warlock that sought to dominate the dwarves with fear and power. Unfortunately, the demon grew too strong for the warlock to control...and broke free from its master's will to run amok. It wasn't until another powerful warlock, Harik Godfist, stood up to challenge the demon.
The battle between the two was long and brutal, but after countless hours of struggling Harik triumphed over the demon. But the demon could not be fully destroyed, as its soul was the one thing Harik could not break. So instead, he trapped the soul of the demon inside a gemstone, and it became a relic of the dwarves. With their kingdom burnt completely to the ground, and more than half their people dead, the dwarves retreated into the mountains to build their new home below the surface of the earth.

Taking the gemstone out of his pocket, Kalimar looked at it and smiled that sick smile. ~*Ang'nok will live again...find the temple*~ Kalimar nodded, his mind overrun by the demon's will. But he was still under the impression that the person who would be revived was the love of his life. After an hour or so of searching, Kalimar found the temple. It was still standing, but time had taken its toll on the stone structure. Ivy climbed up almost all the walls, and many of the stone pillars had crumbled apart.
Walking up the stone steps that led to the cella of the structure, Kalimar failed to notice the patterns on the columnade that surrounded the percinium of the temple. Carved within each stone pillar were images ot demons. The demons were supposedly all ones that the dwarven warlocks could control. Disappearing into the temple, Kalimar had to walk around the fallen parts of the roof. All that was left standing inside the temple was a stone altar.
Moving to the altar, Kalimar unshouldered his knapsack. Opening the top, he took out that blanket and unrolled it across the altar. Looking down at the collection of bones, he began to reassemble the makeshit skeleton as best he could. Placing all the bones in the appropriate places, he would add the hair of Nym Evernblade to the top of the skull. Next, he took those jars of the elements that composed the human body and sprinkled them across the skeleton.
Once this was complete, Kalimar set to drawing the transmutation circle around the altar. Taking out a piece of chalk, he would begin to mark the floor with that pattern he needed for his spell. The insignias were markings he had found in Syn Thornheart's magic books. They were fir transmuting things, or...changing one object into another. Finishing the circle, Kalimar would double check it to make sure its perfect.

[Kal laziness is so great]

~*START THE SPELL*~ The voice bellowed into Kalimar's head as the fallen angel suddenly let out a pained shriek. ~*Do it now, before it is too late, or you will never see her again*~ Kalimar continued to scream in pain as if someone was pressing a scalding hot piece of iron into his skin. The pain didn't stop, but Kalimar took out that Necromancy book. Setting it upon the altar, Kalimar placed the gemstone over top of the skeleton. Then he put his hand over one of the inignias from the chalk circle and began to chant.
The spell he was chanting was a soul release spell. Kalimar intended it to release the soul of his dead fiance from the beyond...but in actuality he was chanting the spell to release that soul trapped in the soul stone. As for his hand, he concentrated on that transmutation circle. He had to create a body to house the soul...and he was trying to transmute one out of the skeleton he had formed.
His chanting grew louder and louder, as the gemstone began to glow. The temple started to darken, as the seal which bound Ang'nok's soul into the stone was breaking....

"Clop clop clop clop clop" Came the sound of several hooves across the fields of the kingdom of Goldenmyst. The dwarves had readied the containment squadron and Harik was leading the charge. There was no time to alert the castle Goldenmyst of the troubles that could befall them. Instead, Harik felt it was more important to try and reach the castle to stop what was happening before Ang'nok was released into the world once more.
Reaching the ruins, the dwarves would dismount from their battle rams and head into the destroyed city. The sky over the temple had grown black, and lightning started to crash down around it.
"Hurry lads, 'fore we're too late!" yelled Harik as he and the other dwarves began to run towards the temple. But dwarven legs were short and stubby and in Harik's mind, he was unsure if they would make it in time.

~*Concentrate harder!*~ Kalimar's chanting grew into a shout as he read the words from the text over and over. The dark tongue echoed throughout the chamber as the stone pulsated with its glow, and vibrated violently. As for the skeleton it was starting to change shape. However it was not changing into a human. Instad it looked to be more like a pile of organs growing out of a pale thick slimey mucus. But Kalimar continued with the spell and transmutation.
There was a mighty clap of thunder, and a bolt of lightning came shoot down through the roof of the temple into the gemstone. Kalimar stopped chanting and began to laugh. His laughter was purely psychotic as he had lost all traces of sanity. "LIVE!!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! LIVE!!!!!!!!" And live it did.
A feral growl as let loose, followed by a ferocious roar as the soul stone shattered into several pieces. Almost immediately after, that mutating form of the transmutation shot up in height. It grew in grotesque form as Kalimar watched it. "Yes...she's coming...back to...." Kalimar slowed his speech as he watched what was happening before him. The mucus started to congeal, but kept growing in size. It no longer appeared to be taking the form of a human, as it soon covered the entire altar of the temple.
Kalimar stumbled backwards, looking at the ooze. "What...is it? This isn't right!!! That's not her!" He screamed out in fustration, anger, and panic...trying to speak to the voice he had heard for several weeks now. But the voice did not come from inside his head. Instead, the congealed mucus started to form a head...that hissing voice coming from the newly formed mouth.
"Hahaha, you fool...Thank you for freeing me, but I require one more task of you to complete my reincarnation..."
Kalimar looked on in horror at the demonic ooze just as Harik and the dwarves came rushing into the temple.
"Crikey, we're too late! Watch out lad!!!!!" Harik screamed to Kalimar, but it was too late. Kalimar turned to look to the dwarves and then lurched forward.
"I need...a human sacrifice...." Came the voice of Ang'nok. Kalimar's hand went to his stomache as his face looked sick. Teeth begam to grit as his body trembled. Blood spurt forth from his mouth as he gagged, eyes moving down to his stomache. Then, without warning, that ooze exploded from his stomache, tearing Kalimar's body literally in half. Another ferocious roar was let loose as the demon's reincarnation was complete. That ooze began to harden as the demon took shape once more, coming to its full form.
Ang'nok stood about fifty feet tall, and was the form of a crocodile. But the crocodile has spikes down the middle of its back, and its tail was wrapped in a thick whirlwind of searing flames. Harik and the dwarves stood their ground, as the demon looked towards them.
"Not today warlock...." hiss the demon as Harik was starting to gather up energy for a spell. Ang'nok's tail whipped around, sending a wall of fire in front of the dwarves cutting them off from him entirely. The dwarves were taken aback and quickly started to put out the flames, but when they were extinguished Ang'nok was nowhere to be found. The demon was a shapeshifter, and had used the wall of fire as cover to flee from the dwarves.
Harik cursed loudly in dwarvish, as the others remained silent. Walking over to the torn body of Kalimar, the dwarf looked down at the dead man's upper half. "Gather his legs boys...we're gon' bring 'im back ta Goldenmyst. Let his own people decide what ta do wit' dem...and I'll speak to Nicho about Ang'nok..." The dwarves obeyed and gathered up the dead parts of Kalimar, before beginning to leave the ruins. Harik let out a sigh, before he began to walk with his men away from the temple ruins.

[kalimofvalmont]

To Be Continued...