CHAPTER II

A Cause to Mourn

   The long and dreadful night began to near its end, Sekuria sat on the marshy ground meditating over his violent conflict with Tordale. Fatigue setting into his stiffening joints Sekuria's heart rate began to slow; breathing deeply, his mind began to contemplate all the possible locations his family could be desperately looking towards the positive. It was never supposed to end like this….. if only I had…… No, what's in the past doesn't matter. Where…where could they be? Engrossed in his thoughts Sekuria barely noticed as the sun peeked over the horizon; its rays reflecting off the falling rain droplets causing a golden stream of light to shimmer over Marth's End.

  Sekuria took one last deep breath of the cold, wet, morning air and released it again. He opened his eyes, once again becoming aware of the desolation that surrounded him. 

Ashes, all of it. It's not worth thinking about now. There's still a chance my family is still alive, and there isn't any time to waste. If I want any chance of saving them I need to leave.

Sekuria stood and gazed at his home. The memories contained within the smoldering ashes seemed to burn brightly before him, a tear ran down his face as if a quiet plea for the memories that could no longer be obtained.  Wiping the tear away Sekuria picked up his sword from off the marshy grass and sheathed its sparkling blade. Memories can be regained but family cannot. At the thought his face hardened as if a wave of steel had run over it's chiseled edges,  bursting suddenly with renewed energy, Sekuria stormed off down the valley in a sprint determined to find his family at any cost. 

Passing near Marth’s End, Sekuria turned towards the forest mulling over the quickest way to the Serpents’ hideout. 

     If I take my journey through Seglock it'll only be a 5 mile run from here to their hideout…. it wouldn't be safe, but I haven't any choice, I need to make up lost time.

Nearing the forest Sekuria's pace began to slow as he started making his way through the tangled mess of trees and vines. 

    Why the Blazes would Tordale have anything to do with the Serpent's?  He knows all too well who they are. They'll sooner kill their own than make a fair deal. I bet there's something larger at work; Tordale was always good at playing the pawn. Chances are I'm walking right where they want me.Well, they must have forgotten what happened last time they upset the Living Storm! Now I’ll destroy the rest of this pitiful cult!

   All sign of civilization soon faded as Sekuria plunged into the untamed forest grounds. Slashing away at the shrubbery with his trusted sword blade, Sekuria quickly became frustrated as Seglock grew thicker and closer together becoming an even greater mess of tangled trees and vines that would easily obstruct  even the most skilled ranger’s movements. His eyes darted from side to side, as the sound of each individual creature began to quickly disorient him. As the forest pressed in on him it began to quench all daylight, leaving behind only twilight. Gradually the sounds became less and less distinct until all that remained was a dull pounding buzz. Halting in his tracks everything seemed to stand still.  It was as though a wave of ice had washed over him leaving him weak and stiff. Paranoia crept into his mind as his eyes jumped from one place to another, he began to forget about everything other than self-preservation. Slowly moving forward no foot was placed, and no vine was cut, without thinking of the consequences. He doubted everything. 

“Hmmm” Sekuria growled. I've journeyed through Seglock

several times before, and none have been as foreign to me as right now. 

Annoyed with his frustrations Sekuria began to hack away at the foliage with reckless abandon quickly losing all sense of direction. 

When, suddenly, an invisible force seemed to penetrate deep into his mind. Vertigo quickly took place of sensibility Sekuria dropped to his knees as a wave of claustrophobia destroyed any sense of confidence. Confused Sekuria tried to remember what he had been doing. “Why am I here?” “The trees are moving...th, the ground is shaking.

   Strange Voices, like an echoed whisper, rattled ferociously inside Sekuria’s head. 

“Nothing is left, retreat like the empty shell of a man you are!” “Your family is gone, your livelihood destroyed.” “Go, and leave ours alone!”

Sekuria groaned under the mental onslaught. “The voices, make them stop!” 

Continuing relentlessly, Sekuria plead with the Voices as tears coursed down his face, “Leave me alone!”   

“Leave you? Leave you?”  The Voice antagonized. “We are you!.... Or are you us?” 

Bent over in utter anguish Sekuria's doubts seemed to amplify tearing away any sense of hope. 

“Your family is gone.” “There's nothing left for you anymore.” “Give in….. You've already failed!” “You never should have left!” 

Images of mutilated bodies began to fill his mind as he sunk lower and lower into despair overwhelmed with the all consuming doubt. 

“Enough!” Sekuria cried. 

The Psychic Barrage was unfailing in its efforts, and he was taking it in full force. No longer moving Sekuria slumped to the forest floor. Sweat beaded across his face, and all became silent, save for the unrelenting attack inside his head. 

“Come join us,” the Voice persuasively urged. “Come join the Abyss.”

“No!” Resist! In blazes name resist! Sekuria groaned.

“ I am more than yooouuu!”  

“You have nothing! We see your fears. Your weakness, even your regrets.” Sekuria gasped as the last word reverberated through his mind with even greater force.

In shaking tones Sekuria defended; “You lie…” What was… Why am I.” “Think… think… think what…who?”

“Hahahahaha!” The laugh was low and all consuming. 

“Justify yourself Sekuria.” “It's vain.”

“Sekuria?” “Who… I'm... Sek...u...ria…” “Focus…” 

“You… fear… Loss”  “Your… mind… is… Weak”  “You… Regret…BETRAYAL!!!” The last word seemed to shake the earth as it rattled across his mind. 

“ENOUGH!”  The plea quickly turned to desperate anger. Everything quickly became silent and dark, as the Voices leaving him in his pity. 

“Sekuria, wake up, Sekuria.” The new voice sounded feminine and was soft and distant as if a faint memory. It appeared to him as a small golden rose bud that shimmered like elegant fire. “Look at who you are, who you've become.”

This new Voice gave Sekuria enough time to breath… He formed a meditation around the bud and within seconds regained all his lost composure. 

The bud now echoed throughout his mind. “Wake up, your family needs you.” “Travel northwest, follow the course provided.” “You haven't much time.”

   Sekuria’s eyes opened, his body lay prone on green grass. What was that? He shivered at the thought.

    As he looked around he found that he was in a clearing; a grove surrounded by tall wide oak trees. The setting sun cast hues of red and orange across the serene environment. Many different and wondrous creatures roamed the serene garden, most of which were entirely new to Sekuria. Dryads hugged the most fertile parts of the grove and tended to the trees and flowers. Small pixies and sprites flew around stumps and ponds, laughing and playing games. He saw all kinds of natural wildlife such as deer, elk, rabbits, and squirrels. Unicorns danced and centaurs ran proudly as fish swam in streams and ponds. All pieces working in complete harmony and union. 

   Where am I? he thought. This isn't right.  

Suddenly out of the corner of his eye Sekuria saw a soft blue glow. The light was faint but enough to draw attention. He turned his head and found in the distance, by the edge of the grove, what looked to be an orb making a soft vibrating sound and hovering in a bobbing motion. 

The soft voice spoke again to Sekuria’s mind; “Go, there isn't much time.” 

As the Voice spoke, the grove seemed to shimmer with ethereal wonder. 

“Follow the lights.” “They will guide you to the location at which your family can be found. At the location of your family there may be a danger greater than you have previously expected.” 

“Who are you?” he said.  and where are you? He thought. 

“I am Segmin-ova.” The words came from all directions and  echoed throughout the grove. 

“As to the question posed by you; where are you,  I AM where you are.” The response filled his mind. 

“I am ancient, and wise. Rarely do I trouble with simple creatures such as yourself, but there is something that you have shown inside of you that may be of benefit to me and my Residence.”  

“Am I talking to the forest!?” Sekuria thought, slightly taken back. 

“I AM NO FOREST, MORTAL! My being is beyond your ability to comprehend.” The statement rattled the Grove and birds in the nearby trees took flight at the rebuke. “Be gone! Your time is nearly spent!”  

Stunned at the response, Sekuria hastily voiced another thought. “I have one more question before I go anywhere.” 

Slightly annoyed Segmin-ova responded; “Ask as you wish mortal, but be warned, questions take time and answers cannot be unlearned.”

Standing straight Sekuria asked, “who, or what attacked me?”

“That is of little relevance mortal. Know however, that some ‘parts’ of Seglock are more corrupt than others. They have chosen to fall victim to the evil greed and the temptation of power offered by this fallen plane of existence.”

   Satisfied enough with the vague answer, and knowing he wasn't likely to get anymore out of his host, Sekuria firmed his resolve and began down the path marked by the mysterious lights. As he turned back to look at the grove he was astonished to find that is was completely gone. In its place was a cluttered mess of wilderness as thick and gloomy as the rest of Seglock.What the blazes? This sorcery is of a new make to me. 

  Sekuria turned back towards the orbs and with unmatched endurance ran with as much speed as he could muster. He ran past each orb just to find another in the distance and to his surprise the path he was lead through was clear of all major debris and began to have a familiar feel to it again. 

   As Sekuria ran the sun's last soothing rays finally slipped behind the horizon, his only remaining source of light being the soft blue glow of each individual orb ahead, their light barely reaching to the edge of where the light of the next began. 

   The lights took Sekuria several miles into the forest over simple streams and fallen stone constructs, his footsteps disturbing several different, and foreign, species of wildlife. Emerging into a small clearing he came to a spot where the lights gathered around one another and shot a dim beam of light into the sky. Stopping in what seemed to be a dead end, the ten foot wide clearing was  enough to walk around, but was surrounded by dense, untamed, forest. 

 Where is it? Sekuria thought as he investigated the mess of trees and fallen logs surrounding him to no avail. Where in the blazes is it? 

Suddenly the orbs of light collected together and hovered over into a previously unnoticed clearing several feet from the beaten path into the forest. Ah, there it is.

   What Sekuria found was too haunting a scene for him to bear. With tears streaming down his face and horrific screams extruding from his lips that pierced the most seclusive parts of the forest, he ran to the mutilated and scorched corpses of six unrecognizable people. Scenes from his nightmares before flashed into his mind as he viewed their grotesque bodies laying on the scorched forest floor encompassed by two runic circles of blood, one within the other. Dropping to his knees in utter horror Sekuria saw four diamond shapes connecting the two circles at evenly spaced intervals. Red glowing runes pulsated around and through the ritual site with chaotic madness. 

   Staring blankly at the earth Sekuria reached over and picked up a small scorched metallic bracelet that confirmed his deepest fears. Looking around it was all that he could see that distinguished his losses from the others. Turning the bracelet over in his hands he saw the familiar shape of two intertwined leafy vines embellished with three purple gems across the top of it, its color now blackened from the fire that once was. 

   This bracelet was a gift. I remember giving this to her as an anniversary present. She was so beautiful in the moonlight. Her dark, mahogany hair caught the moon with reddish streaks. 

My love for her was manifest in the devotion and gentleness I gave her; Her's manifest by the patience and care she showed with me. It was a more beautiful thing than that of all the gems in the earth. The smile on her face, how it dimpled her cheeks and squinted her eyes, was one of the greatest gifts she ever gave back to me. I was love-struck.

I will never forget the memories of us playing with Tray, her laugh showed care and true attention for our son. He was so small then, I could toss him in the air. Heh, he thought he was so big. He so badly wanted to be like his dad.

Sekuria could only weep at the thoughts as he helplessly stared at the disfigured corpses before him. The lights seemed to mourn with him, changing between sad shades of dark blue and grey like falling tears. 

Regret and denial filled his mind as yet another wrenching sob shook his frame. This can't be real! How could I have prevented the fall of nations and not been there for those that meant the most to me! I've done this to them, I should never have left. I should have apologized!

Sekuria’s thoughts continued to stray back in time taking him back to that moment. 

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The cottage was dark except for small candles that lit the dark, oak table running the course of the dining area. Sweat formed on Sekuria’s brow as he packed, a look of worry run across his face. 

“What do you think your doing?” Serra asked chastisingly.

“I've got word that the Dwarves have a bounty for Zerúm. They are asking for several scales as proof of deed. In return they are offering 50 whole-gold pieces.”

With a look of concern Serra sturnly replied, “So is your plan to leave your wife a widow and your child fatherless?” 

“We need the money, I can't keep living like this. I'll be back within the year and with enough to retire comfortably and provide a good life for you and Tray.”

“This is about more than money Sekuria. You are worth all of the hardships and trials of life. We can get by on other means. Look at me, Sekuria!” she exclaimed raising her voice. 

Turning his brittle stone-cut face towards her, he gave a stare that was spotted with tears. “I'm sick of worrying about where the next meal is coming from. I've done this kind of thing before, I can handle it.”

“Who is going to look after us while your gone? Have you thought about that? If you thought it was hard to get bread now, just wait until you leave. We would starve!”

“I've worked it out with Bontu, he knows it's temporary. He knows I'm leaving for a while and is willing to fund you in the meantime.”

“Did you tell him where you're off to?”

“No, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides I'll be able to pay him back ten-fold and still have enough to support you.”

With tears running down her face she pleaded; “Please Sekuria, I couldn't live without you!” 

He moved to comfort her. “It'll be OK.” he said softly grabbing her by the shoulders. “Just this once. I'll never leave again.” 

With a quick and sharp movement she hugged him, startling him and nearly knocking him over. A pause of silence over hung the argument softening hearts and quenching fiery words and feelings as they embraced  for several minutes. 

“Go, kill your dragon. Remember though, I won't be able to forgive you, nor myself, if I never see you again.” 

“I'll be quick, I promise.” With those words Sekuria let go his grip from his delicate bride, grabbed his supplies, grabbed his sword, and abandoned the warmth and comfort of home for the haunting chill of the unsecure wilds. 

With a cry from an upstairs bedroom, young Tray, now three, cried out to his leaving father. Serra hurriedly climbed the stairs and grabbed the weeping toddler. 

Walking quickly back down she followed Sekuria out of the house with Tray wrapped in her arms both looking longingly towards their worried father and husband not knowing when they would next see him. 

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The heart-ache and mental agony lasted for what seemed like decades. “Tray would have been 8 next month. We had always gone down by the creek. How could I have missed the biggest adventure of my life for trinkets?” His mourning was interrupted by an unusually loud buzz coming from the orbs as their color began to change rapidly between violent shades of red and orange. The orbs began to spin around him and rise up off the ground; once the orbs were twenty or so feet in the air above Sekuria’s head they joined together creating a beam of light that shot out of the mass. 

Looking out from the spotlight, Sekuria saw something moving in the distance, like white freckles on distant trees, a horde of creatures rushed his direction, a stampede of unrecognizable terrors vaulting forward. 

With quick intensity, the sound of high pitched yelps and squeals began to overrun every other sound in the forest. 

I have no reason to resist Sekuria thought, looking at the corpses. Everything that mattered to me has been taken and destroyed 

 Eyes widening Sekuria inspected the corpses around him. Where's Tray?  He sat staring at the bodies. He would be noticeably smaller than the rest. Hope coursed through his veins as he thought about his son. Rushed by the oncoming threat, he stood, vigor renewed, and readied himself to face the coming onslaught.  I vow that if he is still alive I will find him and protect him at all costs. I still have hope! I won't abandon him to death.

Lithokance unsheathed and readied, Sekuria channeled a new emotion into his mana. Hope. His mana became less potent than last time but more enduring and more daring. This battle will end when either I die or my foes lie beneath my feet. 

Vigor coursed through every part of Sekuria’s body, everything seemed to take less of a toll on him, his weapon felt lighter, his feet quicker and his conviction everlasting. His blade glowed blue with volatile streaks of blue. 

    Nearby Seglock was dark, the only light was that which was produced by the red orbs. The small clearing gave Sekuria all but a fighting chance, yet Sekuria’s courage became as bright as it was boundless despite the futility of his situation. 

    As his foes drew closer Sekuria could make out that they moved mainly on two legs with a hunched back, and hobbled from side to side, occasionally using an arm to propel them forward. They were pale and slightly comparable to a goblin in size and shape their greatest defining characteristics being the hard carapace on their backs and long claws that glinted a gradient of very dark purple one of which was an extra inch longer than the rest and curved like a fisher's hook. 

With Tray being the only thought in his mind Sekuria swung Lithokance around his head trailing sparks of blue energy as he fed mana into its movements. Determined to live Sekuria shot the devastating energy towards the sky and filled it with angry surges of electricity. Arcs of the powerful current crossed the sky striking down on the goblins as they made there way through the forest. With a loud crack each strike hit the ground like a meteor flinging dirt and decrepit bodies in clouds of smoke and dust leaving massive craters in the earth. 

    As the unyielding torrents of raw energy continued to burst from the sky in blinding flashes of light the monsters raced, undaunted, toward Sekuria. Turning from silent patience to precise chaos Sekuria began to move as the scene rapidly turned into a race of blades and claws. Mana coursed through Sekuria as each strike lethally lacerated a foe. With little space to move, Sekuria  proceeded to dance in fluid circles between his foes weaving in and out like the wind around trees; his blade becoming nothing but an extension of his body as each foe was cut down. The glowing orbs caught hold of the lightning in the clouds and with torrential speed began to fly around Sekuria zapping any enemies that got to close. 

I cannot fall while Tray is out there. I have come to far, and had too much taken from me.

Sekuria paid no heed to the hundreds of goblins remaining, but instead put more power into his blade. Exhaustion began to show on his face but the price seemed small to pay. Lithokance surged with an unstable power that began to strike its targets in chains of lightning that arched from one foe to another. Creating a wake of devastation Sekuria’s slashes now cleared a greater area around him leaving piles of charred and lacerated bodies on either side of his small clearing. Pausing for the first time Sekuria troubled as he noticed hundreds of the sickly creatures were running right past him. 

This isn't just a pack of predators, this is an invasion force! But for what cause would they have to attack in force like this? They can't possibly be sentient enough to fight with enough unity for that, can they?

His thoughts cut off as he once again found himself being relentlessly attacked from all sides. Attacking with a ferocity yet to be matched bodies began to build up higher and higher as Sekuria seamlessly dispatched foe after foe. Exhaustion began to show in Sekuria's movements as his breathing came in desperate gasps; side pinched in pain, Sekuria struggled to stand straight as his vision swam in and out of focus. Arms turning to lead Sekuria's movements became desperate the fight testing every aspect of skill and endurance. 

I can't go… much… longer.

 “Ahhhhhhhh!” The claw cut through Sekuria’s gear leaving a shallow gash in his lower back sending him in agony as the air filled with the smell of his rotting flesh.  Dropping his sword Sekuria's vision turned black as the earth rushed up to meet him.  Like a shield the orbs began to make circles around Sekuria's fallen body killing anyone that drew too near. 

“Come to me, my precious lights. This fight is over. The man has failed, and is of no further use to me.” Segmin-ova's voice echoed in Sekuria’s head. The last sentence filled with an agonizing sense of loss and disappointment. 

At the departure of his allies the mutated creatures pounced on Sekuria  striking him several times with their poisonous claws. He faded into dark paralysis and could only watch as the seemingly untouched force ran past him with as much vigor and power as before. 

Slumping into unconsciousness Sekuria's last thoughts drifted quietly into the darkness. 

I'm sorry Tray… I've failed you. I pray for you my son, may we meet together again… whenever that may be.