The Last Guardian

Heavy breaths were all he could hear as he sprinted through the corridors of the spirit palace. The tapestries beside him blurred into a string of shifting colours as his vision remained fixed on the path in front of him. Servants and noble alike glanced at the man. The servants annoyed at the disruption to their duties, while the nobles were affronted at the display of panic they saw. The man cared little for them; his mind was focused solely on one person. The Spirit Queen. His legs pounded the floor feeling like hammers striking an anvil. His eyes located his final destination as he careened around a corner nearly slamming into the priceless porcelain vase the rested against the wall.
He slowed his speed as he reached the ornate wooden doors and only quickly glanced at the scene depicted on the door of the first guardians swearing fealty to the queen, before he slammed his shoulder to the door and twisted the handle. The door swung more easily than the man had expected causing him to stumble and fall to the floor. The dispatch that he had held so closely to him on his journey from the Janar province, rolled casually across the floor, settling in the middle of the chamber. Without thought the man crawled rapidly in pursuit of it, grunts of pain now echoing his every movement.
Once the dispatch was in his hands he looked around him from the floor, only to see every eye in the room firmly fixed on him. He pushed his hands to the ground ready to rise but was met with the cold embrace of steel resting upon his back. He slowly lowered himself back to the floor, clutching the paper to his chest, as if it would protect him.

“Rise slowly” an iron voice commanded from behind.

The man slowly arose as quickly as he dared, his eyes sealed shut as he tried to control his breathing. He could feel the sweat rolling down his face, though whether from the running or the blade at his back, he could not tell. He weakly closed his hand, comforted by the slight crunch the paper gave off.

“State your purpose” the cold voice demanded, the tip of the blade pressing slightly harder into his back.
“I...I h-have an... an emer-emergency dispatch f-f-for Queen Talia” the man answered, his voice quavering from fear and exhaustion.

He cracked his eyes open to take in his surroundings, hoping that his explanation had brought him more time. The columns beside him seemed to be closing him in; the opulent animals carved into them seemed to eye him hungrily from the gandars to the reshawls. The shadows behind the columns seemed to creep slowly towards him, swallowing the plush red carpet in their pursuit of him. His eyes trailed along the carpet to the ornate throne that sat at the back of the room. His heart fell when he saw it was empty.
The sound of metal scraping against it sheath broke his gaze from the throne. He resisted the urge to turn around from fear that it could mean his death. He planted his eyes firmly on his shoes and held his breath in anticipation of another command. Instead he was shocked to feel the feather light touch of a hand rest on his shoulder, and gently guide him to turn.
The sight that he saw made him lose all thought. His eyes first caught the sight of the man who had pressed the sword to his back. The man had a lean figure that exaggerated his muscular arms which were bare up to his shoulder. His hair was cut short and had elaborate patterns cut into it. His face was not visible as he was kneeled down, head to the floor. This sight only held his attention for less than a second before his mind forced him towards the owner of the hand that turned him.
His vision was filled with that of true beauty. He dropped to his knees so fast, that the dispatch he prized so dearly rolled from his hand to the hem of the silk white dress that seemed to radiate light. Even though his head was firmly locked on the ground, the floor was not what he saw. His mind was gripped by the image of the unnamed woman’s face. The soft chestnut hair braided over her left shoulder, with strands of gold laced throughout. Her lips parted slightly in a full rose red, contrasting against the pearl whiteness of her teeth. Her eyes were pools of crystal glass that pierced to the very soul, releasing the spirit to the energy of the world around them.
Out of the corner of his eye, the columns that caged him before, now opened up to reveal the vast chamber that he knelt in. The shadows that tried to claw at him before shrank revealing the plush colours that encompassed the room. Tapestries were revealed that depicted scenes of great bravery and compassion. The animals that stalked him now held a protective glint in their eyes. The carpet seemed to encompass his hands, sending a warm trickle through his numb fingers. The soft breath of the elegant lady filled his ears.

“I take this is for me kind sir” the soft angelic voice sang.

He hesitantly lifted his gaze and was met with a graceful hand wrapped around the dispatch. His eyes lock on the ring the rested on her finger. The expensive worked silver held a rich blue sapphire hemmed in intricate gold lacing. The ring signified royalty.

“Yes my Queen” he whispered, overawed at the majesty of her presence.

Queen Talia removed the binding from the outside of the dispatch, slowly unrolling it the crunch of the paper echoing around the chamber. All he could hear as she read was the breaths of the people in the room. As she re-rolled the dispatch, he watched as she surveyed the room before her, her eyes taking in everyone that was present, meeting with his for a fleeting second.

“Rise young man, I never have anyone kneel to me. Havar you know better than to kneel before me” the Queen expressed to the two men before her.
“Forgive me my Queen, tradition demands it” Havar commented, as he rigidly stood.

This was the first chance that the man had to see Havar’s face. The patterns that were shaved into his head trailed down and were present throughout his beard. His eyes were hard a granite, but more prominent was the burn mark that lead from just below his left eye across the tip of his nose to the top of his lip. The markings and the burn made it evident that Havar was a fire manipulator. It was only then that his eyes caught the sword that rested at his side, the sword that was pressed into his back mere moments ago.
The jade carved handle protruded from the resplendent sheath, which was adorned with minute crystals in a line down the middle. There were stories about blades that were forged like this, only four like it were in existence. Each one held by a guardian; a master manipulator that swore fealty to the queen and would die to defend her. Havar would have been the Fire Guardian. Four Guardians, one from each element.

“Ready the troops Havar and meet me at the Gateway. You young man will come with me and tell me what you know” Talia explained as she gave the man a warm smile.

Havar marched off as soon as he got his orders his footsteps echoing loudly as the door slammed close. The Queen took some elegant steps deeper into the chamber, he closely shadowed her and spoke softly in response to every question she asked him. She led him towards a column and the queen cupped the chin of the Yeal. The stone grated slowly spiralling upwards to reveal a well light passage that lead down into the depths of the castle. The queen took an elegant step down and was five steps ahead of the man before he regained his focus after being dazzled by the mechanics of the door. He hastily took a few steps before catching up to the queen. It was then that he heard the slow grating sound of the door closing behind him. A sudden surge of fear engulfed him as he thought that he may be being led into a trap.
A soft giggle escaped the queen’s lips and bounded around the passageway before reaching the man’s ear. He let off an uneasy chuckle, thinking that the giggle confirmed his suspicions. The torches in iron bracket on the wall seemed to contribute to the sweat that trickled down the back of his neck.

“You need not fear young man. You may have save millions of lives by getting to me so quickly” Talia said as she exited the passageway into a corridor.

The man felt slightly at ease from hearing these words, but what comforted him the most was the tone of her voice, that evaporated all his fear. In his state of bliss, he was able to drink in his surroundings. The corridor was fairly dark as it was deep in the heart of the castle. The man expected there to be a coldness this deep down but was surprised that he felt a warm glow that seemed to be given off by the walls. There was a simple carpet that led down the corridor, but other than that the corridor was bare. He noticed that there were no other side passages that led down the corridor, only what appeared to be a wide set of stairs at one end and a large metal door at the other. It therefore surprised him when Queen Talia spoke aloud as if to someone else.

“Master Clise, I know you are there. There is no need to hide yourself” she spoke aloud to the room.

The man was taken aback when a man suddenly appeared next to the queen, staring at the door as she was. The first thing his eyes noted was the sword at the man’s side, the same as Havar’s. He knew this man to be a guardian, but he knew not which guardian, as the man had never heard of the ability to become invisible before. It was then that Clise look at the man and was shocked at the almost crystal clear colour of his eyes. He shrank back seeking safety in the solidity of the walls. The eyes snapped away from him once the queen handed the dispatch and the man let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding.
Just as the man began to feel calm, he got another shock as another man walked through the wall to his left, and gave the queen a quick nod in acknowledgment. Even though this man had witnessed Mandark used before, never had he seen such expert Mandark used. He watched as Clise handed the new man the dispatched and was surprised when his face did not frown in concern over the contents. The man squared off to the queen, which highlighted how slim the queen was compared to the stocky build of the new man.

“We knew this would happen eventually. How long has it been?” the new man asked.
“You had better ask this gentleman, Master Harrel” the Queen explained as she gestured towards the man.

He was taken aback by his sudden inclusion of the group of what he thought were some of the most powerful in the kingdom. As Harrel approached him, he was intimidated by the height of the man, making him feel like that of a child being approached by a parent. Like a child his attention was quickly captured by the sword at his side and he knew that he was in the presence of another guardian, and that Harrel was the Earth Guardian. He idly wandered how all the guardians knew where Queen Talia was and how they communicated their need to meet so quickly. He noticed that Harrel was lightly tapping the dispatch against his side as he slowly approached him.

“Tell me son, how long did it take you to deliver this?” Harrel’s booming voice rang around the chambers, as he gestured with the dispatch to the man.
“Just over a day, sir” he answered, his voice quite as a mouse compared to that of Harrel’s.
“That is rather impressive considering the distance” Harrel mused aloud to the world, “I take it that you have decided on a course of action my Queen.”

Queen Talia nodded and started to lead the group towards the door. The man was hesitant to follow for fear of angering these important people. But despite this he hesitantly shuffled after them, his shoes grazing softly against the carpet as he lingered a few steps behind the others. He could only hear faint whispers of the conversations that the three were having. His mind drifted to the possible action the queen would take. He knew that the news he carried was grave, that the air sages had tried to drain more power from the spirit world. He feared that the queen may punish the entire province of Janar for the actions of the few. What other reason could she have to summon the troops. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly walked straight into the Queen.

“What happens after this will be dangerous, you may leave if you wish for your duty has been fulfilled” Talia spoke softly giving a warm smile as if to comfort.
“I swore to always serve the Queen, as do all in the Janar province. I will remain by your side so as best to serve you my queen” he said giving he a deep bow.

He thought that if he stayed by her side he could influence her decision and try to alleviate the Queen’s punishment of his people. She simple smiled and turned to face the door. He only now had the opportunity to see the door up close. The door was solid metal and reached to the high vault of the ceiling. That was not what held his attention, for some reason he felt as if the door was alive. He could feel an energy pulsating from the door. He watched fascinated as the Queen raised a hand to the door, fearing that this pulsating energy may harm her. When her hand made contact with the door he felt the energy seemingly bleed from the door, to leave an ordinary door in front of him. He jumped as he heard the creak of the doors swing inwards, despite the lack of force needed to open them.
A low glow emitted from the chamber, given off by the smouldering embers of the wall torches. It was difficult to see what was in the chamber. But even in the low light the man could see the shimmer of a grand jewel in the centre of the room. Once his eyes locked with the jewel it captured his mind, he couldn’t look away had he wanted to. The light rose tint from the jewel glimmered in his eyes, mixing with his natural brown and giving them extra life. His ears beat with the rush of blood that the jewel enticed. In the depths of his mind he heard whispers of half spoken words that held familiarity to him. Had it not been for the sudden blaze of light, he would have wondered down memories path finding the origins of those whispers.
The torches roared to life, spreading light around the chamber. The majesty of the jewel was soon forgotten. The man wondered forward, drawn in by the splendour of the chamber. The light bound around the room, bouncing off mirrors that helped banish shadow from the room. His eyes followed the light as it ascended to the ceiling, shocked to find a domed roof above him. The light grey stone was bordered by jewels of many colours, flickering with new found life. For all the extravagant jewels his attention was held by something else. Dangling from the middle of the ceiling was a chandelier, but unlike any the man had seen, it was not made of glass but of living plants, the likes of which he had never seen before. As he walked deeper into the chamber the scent of the flowers bathed him and his minds relaxed as the aroma washed over him.
His respite was short lived as the distant voices burst to the forefront of his mind. Promise to save them. The voice sent a jolt of ice throughout his body. That voice had not been heard in years. He ran a hand through his hair displacing some of it. His eyes darted around the room seeking the origins of the voice, but the room held no-one else but those he entered with and held no place to hide. A flash of burning light assaulted the corner of his vision. His eyes darted towards the grand jewel that first captivated him. The glimmer inside had become more of an explosion of light constantly ebbing and weaving through the jewel. As his eyes locked on the heart of the jewel, the voice screamed louder. Do not fail them as I did.
His knees wavered in their strength and were about to give way when he heard the most angelic voice wash over his mind. He could not make out the words being sung but his whole consciousness basked in the melody. He no longer felt the pains of his journey. He lost all concern about himself and the world; he only desired to listen to the song. As he felt on the edge of eternal bliss, the song faded to silence leaving his mind empty. The sudden loss of the voiced caused him to stumble to his knees. He wildly stared around the room, unable to comprehend what had happened, only to find Queen Talia mere inches from him smiling serenely.

“You should be fine now” the Queen commented before turning to face the jewel.
“Wh...what did you... do?” he asked as he reached a hand forward to gain her attention. The sound of a sword slipping from it sheath made him rethink the wisdom of touching Queen Talia.
“You hold on to death. The Heart Stone here connects our world to the spirit world, so when it sensed you it feasted on that connection. I simple severed the connection before it killed you” Talia explained as she placed a gently hand on the Heart Stone. The jewel immediately awoke again but seemed more docile to the man than it did before.

It was then the man understood, the rumours about the queen were true, she was a spirit Mandark. No one had ever confirmed the rumours, but to feel the power Queen Talia contained awed the man. He would have pushed for more information, but a thunderous sound forced him to silence. He stood tall and faced the threatening roar that approached and saw Master Havar marching down the corridor, with scores of armoured men trailing behind. The procession marched into the chamber and filed around the room forming up in small groups around the room. The clatter of armour assaulted his ears as they settled around the room. He was so entranced by the sudden presence of troops that he almost missed the second group of people who entered. The group was a mismatch of random people, from tall to small, old to young, they proceeded to divide themselves among the groups of soldiers. Unlike the soldiers they wore soft woollen clothes of differ colours and styles. The contrast became stark when the aligned themselves with the troops. One looking cold hard and professional, the other as if they were off to the market.
He tried desperately to puzzle out who these people were. Were they lords of the land? He could think of no reason they would be needed as the Queen superseded their authority. Maybe they were there as witnesses to hear the queen proclamation concerning the Janar province. It was whilst he was in the throes of his internal debate that the queen spoke and a harsh silence fell on the room.

“Lend me your strength friends” she spoke as she placed both hands of the Heart Stone, this time the rays of lights split from the heart and connected to the queen’s hands.

The man was confused by her request. How was he meant to lend her his strength. It was then that he noticed the colourful men move about the room. Some went to sit, others walked surrounding the queen in a circle. The guardians simply bowed their heads. A silence dusted the room and all that could be heard was the light breathing of the people that filled it. The man felt that the silence was pressing in on him. He was relieved when he heard rushed footsteps gliding down the corridor to the chamber. He saw that no-one but him looked towards the noise. He saw a woman enter with slightly dishevelled hair. While she held beauty it paled in comparison to the queens. He amber locks fell down in waves and reached her lower back. Her midnight blue cloak ruffled as she approached the queen.

“I’m sorry I was delayed by a dying man” the woman explained as she reached to remove her coat. As she swung it round, he saw at her hip the blade that he had seen too much today, another guardian.
Without breaking her concentration from the Heart Stone Queen Talia said, “It is alright Mistress Derain, lend me your strength.”

Upon that request, he watched as Derain joined the other guardians and bowed her head. He was still puzzled as to what he was required to do. He settled on watching the spectacle and hoping he did not get in the way. The silence crashed over him once again pressing in on his thoughts. He almost missed the blue ember that sprang to life inside the jewel. It expanded rapidly and seemed it would soon shatter the Heart Stone. But as quickly as it came it vanished deep into the heart of the jewel. His eyes quickly darted around the room and he saw many of the people stumble and a few of them began to fall. He quickly looked towards the jewel again suspecting the burning light had somehow done this. He was shocked to see the queen stumble backwards and quickly dashed forward to aid her, as everyone else seemed to be dazed.
Just as the Queen was about to hit the floor he flung his arms out to catch her. The dress felt like liquid silk trickling over his arm and her weight felt slight as if he lifted a feather. He gently lowered her to the floor. Her face was serene, but he could not focus on that. He feared that the jewel had hurt her more because she was touching it. He felt relief when he saw the slight twinge of her eyelids before she opened them. There was a moment of shock displayed in her eyes before they regained their serene disposition. It was then that he felt the cold tang of steel pressed against his back, similar to earlier, only with four blade tips pressed firmly against him now.

“Raise your blades, if not for him I would have been hurt. Closing the other gateways took more than I thought it would” she explained, then looked straight at the young man, “I’m lucky that I severed the spirit connection otherwise I could have been seriously hurt.”
“I only did my duty” he explained as he rose offering a hand to the queen.

The queen took his hand and rose gracefully, brushing her dress of the slight dirt it had acquired. He watched as she turned to face the centre of the room, drinking in her beauty. He felt the rush of air as the four guardians brushed passed him to join the queen’s side. The sight of the five of them, standing side by side, over awed the man. He could scarcely begin to imagine the feats that these five could undertake, and yet he was already witness to such great feats. He tried to discern the actions that these five would now take.

“We will attempt to negotiate, but the spirits are bringing great fury with them. Be prepared for the worst” the Queen commanded to the room. At her command the troops stood taller, sending a loud clatter of metal echoing around the room.

The room stood as still as statues waiting in heavy anticipation of the meeting that would soon occur. The man simply scanned the faces around the room and was amazed by the lack of fear showing on everyone’s face. He was raised to know that spirits could be dangerous more so than any beast that roamed the living world. But he was hit by the sudden realisation that he held no fear in him. He knew the source of his calm stood firmly in front of him.
But then his confidence wavered as the air around him began to buzz. The Heart Stone erupted in light, blinding the man temporarily. When his vision returned in front of him stood a woman, but unlike any he had ever seen. The woman stood as tall as the queen, but unlike the queen’s soft and warm skin, this woman’s skin was a bluish grey. Her hair was a ghost like white, her lips a harsh green. Her eyes were swimming pools of an untainted black and a pure white.

“You world has committed a serious atrocity against ours” The woman shrieked a piercing voice that abolished all the man’s thoughts. He flinched as he heard the voice and made to cover his ears, but hesitated when he noticed that everyone else in the room stood firm and to attention, so he straightened and followed their example.
“Please do not punish our world for the actions of a few” Queen Talia pleaded with the spirit woman.
“You have slaughtered an ancient spirit, there can be no leniency” the spirit lady sanctioned.

When the spirit woman finished her sentence, her hair began to stand on end. The white of her hair started to bleed into the air around her. The whiteness was swimming with strand of grey blue and soft green. The colours expanded until they formed a perfect circle above the lady. The man watched the woman the entire time, her head had been turned to the high vaults of the ceiling as the circle grew, when it finished expanding her head snapped forward and her eyes locked with the queens. The portal began to bulge and random points, then through the bulges shapes forced their way through. A similar colour to the woman these spirits were random shapes, although the man thought they did resemble so of the creatures he had seen on his travels.
The few spirits that had already broken through headed straight in the direction of the queen. Before the man could even think to take a step, the spirits were engulfed in flame. Havar had taken place in front of the queen and watched with a determined expression as the spirits burned. So entranced was he by the spectacle that he failed to notice as more spirits flooded the chamber. This time though they flew all around the chamber circling the room before diving in to attack anyone. The spirits that had come through so far were small and many would fall in flame, earth, water or air before reaching their target. But still being small, the spirits would move with agility that none in this world possessed. The spirit fell in between the armoured men. The blades fell and rose around the spirits. The man noticed that the blades seemed not to bother the spirits as they continued to attack.
Men fell in loud clashes of armour, and blades clattered to the floor to be raised no more. The man dove on floor as he saw a spirit dive towards him. The floor beat at his body, sending pain throughout him. He looked at where the spirit was only to see it hurtling towards the floor wrapped in a layer of ice. He looked around and saw one of the strangely dressed people perched near to him. Her attention was already drawn by a group of other spirits circling the room. The man felt great gratitude towards the woman, but knew that he had to look out for himself if he was to survive. He noticed a sword lying absently on the floor and crawled towards it. Even if he knew that the sword would not do much damage, it was better than nothing.
Just as he pushed himself upright, another spirit dove towards him. He thought back to the little training he had received and widened his stance. His mind raced as he planned his inevitable death. He had witnessed trained soldiers fall to these spirits as if they were nothing but dry leaves. In his sheer terror his mind fixated on the image of the spirit. It was similar to that of the Balklar, it one eye predominate on the front of its face. It green skeletal shell encasing a small diamond shaped body. It’s delicate, almost transparent wings, protruding from its back. His thoughts skipped back and forth between the spirit he saw and the creature it resembled. From the teachings his father gave him, he recalled that its one weakness was its large eye.
As the creature neared its target, the man thrust his sword with all the might towards the eye of the creature, shutting his eyes and hoping for the best. He felt not resistance as the blade sailed forward, but neither did he feel his body being thrown to the floor. He peeked out of his eyes and saw nothing but empty air in front of him. His arm started to shake as the fear took over him again. The blade clattered to the floor as his hand shook violently, and he sank to his knees. Tears fell down his face as he gave in to his emotions, his body rocked severely.
After a few seconds of this, his mind kicked in saying the danger had not passed. He looked up only to see a large arm raking across the wall. The large curved claws were sunk deep into the wall, the arm were very muscular with solid white skeletal features outlining the muscles. Rubble rained down, crashing towards the floor below. He only had seconds to move before the large arm collided with a column. The centre of the column went flying across the room and slammed into the wall, burying itself deep. The top of the column tumbled down on top of the lower section of the column sending debris everywhere. The man tried shielding his face with his arm, but the pain he expected never came. The chunks of rock had ceased flying through the air and hung dead in the air. Suddenly the rocks shrunk in size seemingly becoming denser. The stones flew towards the large arm, peppering the arm with holes and sending it careening towards the floor. But before it hit the floor the arm dissipated into green tendrils that withdrew back threw the portal. The man’s eyes were drawn towards Harrel who stood to the right of the queen, his posture sagged a clear sign that he had just used a large amount of Mandark.
He viewed the room again and saw that the smaller spirits seemed to have disappeared from the room, but the evidence of their presence led strewn across the floor. The soldier’s bodies were scattered around the room, occasional groans emitting from the armour husks, if any noise could be heard at all. He noticed many of the Mandark users leaning or kneeling in exhaustion. He even noticed a few lying dead on the floor. He knew that the danger had not passed, if the arm was any indication, then only larger stronger spirits were on their way. As if on cue, spirits the shapes of Grefalls, Crenars and Kralls came rushing through the portal. Their green tinged bodies similar to those of their counterparts in this world. They stood two feet taller than any man in the room and energy seemed to ebb from their bodies, disorientating the eyes and making it hard to follow the spirits movement.
The Crenar spirits had blue tinged scales covering their body. The first few through the portal went from standing to crawling on the floor, their claws cracking the ground as they slithered forwards, advancing on the remaining troops and Mandark users. The Crenar spirit’s tails lashed around, the spiked ends gouging out chunks of bodies and sending them flying around the room. The Grefall spirits were covered in a shimmering body of fur that shifted from a pale white to a soft green and then a ashen blue. Their form was similar to that of a large ape, but with sharper teeth and spiked knuckles. Their arms were taunt with muscles and the immediately used them to climb the columns that still stood around the room. As their fingers dug into the stone of the columns, their fingers went from a pasty white to a strong, bold green. The Krall spirits were large armoured creatures that had four arms, each ending with large pincers. Their faces also had pincers and beady eyes, which remained a solid green, protrudes from antenna atop their heads.
One of the Krall spirits made the way towards the man. He backed up, shuffling his feet in wild terror at having no weapon to defend himself. His foot caught on the armour hand of a fallen soldier causing him to stumble. His eyes momentarily left the Krall spirit and gazed at the plant chandelier, which was now burdened with many Grefall spirits. The Grefalls weight was too much for the chandelier and the ceiling began to crack. There was a great crack as the chandelier broke free of the ceiling and came careening down toward the floor. It passed through many of the smaller flying spirits, but the man noted idly that they seemed to slow after they passed through the chandelier. As he followed the path of the falling decoration, he recoiled in horror as he saw that it was about to crush the Queen and the four Guardians. He was forced to shift his gaze back to the advancing Krall spirit as it was nearly on top of him, he bowed his head in acceptance of his death. His ears picked up the slight whisper of air being draw through the room.
Just then a large ringing sound deafened him , like the sound of metal being struck, and once again he was shocked not to feel immense pain. Instead he started choking on a cloud of pollen that was now plastering the room. The chandelier lay resting against the wall instead of in the middle of the room as he expected. He then noticed that the spirit in front of him was gone and a slumped Clise in the centre of the room and bubble of air surrounding him holding off the pollen. He witnessed, from his vantage point, a Crenar spirit approaching him fast. With the others in the room distracted by the fallen chandelier and ever more fevered attacks of the other spirits, no-one noticed the imminent threat. He pushed himself of the floor, clambering over the dead soldier and sprinted with all the energy he could muster, but his best efforts were not enough. Before he even reached the half way point the beast had struck Clise through the heart. The claw moved up the body as if it was nothing but air. As the claw ripped out of the body it dragged the bluish, green spirit of Clise out with it. As the spirit left Clise’s body, the man noticed that the other Guardians and Queen Talia stumble and keel over in pain. As Clise’s spirit evaporated the three guardians and the Queen let out heart wrenching scream of pure suffering.
He watched in fascination as Mistress Derain started to slowly crawl towards the body of Master Clise. She bowed over the body, the sweat from her brow flew into the air above the body and started to circulate at high. She lowered it towards the corpse, he had seen healing before and he knew that the circle of water was suppose to enter the body, but he watched in horrid fascination as the water refused to enter the body. Derain let out a heart breaking cry as she flung herself on top of the body, her cries louder than the battle around her. Suddenly the cries stopped and the man tried to breath in but the air tasted dry to him. Every breath he took seemed to suffocate him. Derain stood up, but his vision blurred through the lack of oxygen. He swore he saw a sphere of water beginning to collect around her, but his vision blackened and he collapsed on the floor. He was still conscious and aware of his surroundings, but his eyes refused to open he listened intently to his surroundings. He heard splashed of water to begin with hitting wall and floor alike, until the sounds began to change slightly. From the change in sound he knew that the water was now frozen and the ice was flying everywhere around the room. A few splinters of ice fell on his head and the cool feel of the ice helped him stir more towards consciousness. He then heard shouts coming from around the room.

“Derain... too much... let it...” a voice shouted. He only heard snippets but even he knew that Mandark had limits.

“We feel... bad lose... can’t lose you too” a different voice shouted.

“They will pay” came a dark, harsh response.

The temperature in the room dropped dramatically, bringing the man to full consciousness. He bolted into a sitting position, only to be knocked backed by a full blast of icy wind. He forced himself of the ground, hearing his clothes crack with the ice that had hardened them. He brushed an arm off sending ice falling to the floor. The room’s appearance had change, an icy landscape now filled the room, light bouncing off the frosty coating. He stumbled over the slick floor an forced his way towards the centre of the room, knowing that the queen and the remaining guardians were there and hoping that they survived the icy blast. He saw the room devoid of the spirits that has infested it before, marvelling at the power that Derain had used to destroy them. His marvel was short lived when his eyes fell on the frozen form of Derain. Her blue corpse clutching the hand of Clise with a crystalline tear in the corner of her eye. He wandered to her side and put two fingers to his lips and then pressed them against his heart in prayer that her soul finds the peace it deserved.
He allowed only a moment of peace before he trekked towards the Queen. Picking up a frosted sword on his way. The queen and the remaining guardians had regained their footing now. They looked over at the bodies of their fallen comrades and echoed the gesture he had just done himself. A sudden crunching caused all of them to turn and face the source of the noise. Icicles were thrown everywhere as a figure emerged from a pile of ice.

“You dare strike a second elder spirit! You will pay for your insolence!” the elder spirit screamed. Her hair this time did not simply spread out but struck the floor in several places. Where each tendril of hair struck the floor a portal began to spread out. Before any of the portals connected they ceased growing. Many of the spirit animals that they saw before started to clamber out of the portals in the floor. Before any of them made it more than half way out they were tossed aside as large tentacles shoot through the portal.
The man watched in wonder as the tentacles flew towards the ceiling. As the tentacles flew higher his attention was drawn away from the spirit as he heard a short breath escape someone next to him. He turned in time to watch as Queen Talia went rigid. Her dress was pressed tight against her body, her loose flowing hair was pinned against her back, and her arms were trapped against her sides. Her tried to rush to her aid only to have a large tentacle slam in between him and Talia. He was sent reeling backwards.

“You shall not interfere with me this time Queen of the blasphemers!” the elder spirit roared.

Just as the man planned to hack at the tentacle until he could reach the queen, a tendril of flame began to wrap itself around the spirit, circling it until it reached the portal. The flames suddenly burned a bright blue and the tentacle withdrew in pain, emanating a reverberating screech that shook the room. The tentacle smashed against the wall sending more debris into the already rubble covered room. The chucks of rock sent ice showering around the room. Ignoring the rain of ice the man sprinted towards the Queen. He hesitantly touched her arm and felt a hum spread throughout his body. He retracted his hand in shock, but immediately grasped the arm again and tried to pry it away from her body. It did not budge.
He caught movement in the corner of his eye and shifted his head to gain a better look. Hurtling towards him was an arrow made of pure spirit. It shimmered between white, blue and green. The shaft was moving too fast for him to block and the arrow pierced his body. Unlike a normal arrow it passed through his body a continued on to the wall, where upon impact it vanished. He saw the horror on the elder spirits face as he stood there unfazed by the attack. He too was surprised that the arrow had no effect on him, he pressed a hand to where the arrow had pierced him and felt nothing unusual about the spot. He noticed a feral look take over the elder spirit and an ominous glow began to surround her. Several shafts of light formed in front of her and morphed into the shape of arrows, too numerous to count. They began to hurtle towards him, but as before not a single one hurt him as they passed through.
He checked his body again and found no difference. He noticed a shift in the Queen beside him, and looked towards her, noticing her eyes shining as if they tried to speak to him. He tried to puzzle out the intention of story. He thought as quickly as he could, his mind raced but began to fixate on one point. I simply severed the connection. Maybe that severance had served to protect him now. With the hope that his deductions were correct he raced forward towards the spirit elder. He moved forward with confidence that had abandoned him before, raising his blade in preparation to attack. Just as he felt his plan was about to reach fruition another tentacle came rushing towards him. He stumbled, almost falling to the floor, but regained his composure in time to see flames wrap around the tip of the tentacle and drag it away from him. He watched as several tentacles shifted towards him, all to be lassoed with flames and dragged away.
Now knowing that his path was clear, he resumed his charge towards the elder spirit. The eyes of the spirit elder turned a pure black with just a tinge of green at the edges. He knew how to kill a human, cut of the head or a blade through the heart. As he was mere inches from her, he pointed his blade at her heart and was satisfied when the blade met resistance. His heart skipped a beat as he heard a soul crushing laugh emanate from in front of him.
“You think you puny metal can hurt me, insect” the Spirit Elder barked at him.

She raised her hands and pulled the blade free from her, causing him to stumble backwards. She bent towards him and was looming over him, her claw like hand stretched out towards his heart. Just as the claws were about to reach his flesh, a spirit arrow, similar to those that pierced him, struck her in the head. She stumbled backwards towards the fallen chandelier. The man turned his eyes from the ceiling towards the origin of the arrow and saw the spirit queen crash to the floor in a heap. He dragged himself in the direction of the Queen, only to hear a terrifying bellow shake the room. The tentacles thrashed around, snapping the cords that bound it and crashing towards Master Havar. The tentacles piled on top of him each phasing into each other to form a mixture of each tentacle. Havar’s spirit was visible for mere seconds before it was lost in the mass of spirit tentacles.
The Queen’s body jerked where it lay but no more movement came from her body. He was now by her side and cradled her in his arms, he knew not whether she lived or died, but simply rocked her body back and forth. He heard a clatter from behind him and witnessed Master Harrel kneeling besides Master Clise and Mistress Derain, pulling the fabled blades from their bodies. By this time the tentacle spirit and the elder spirit had regained their composure and were advancing on the queen and him. Harrel was besides them before he could think of anything to do. Harrel embedded the swords in the ground in a circle around them. As one of the tentacles rushed towards them it rebounded off an invisible barrier. He looked at Master Harrel and saw him kneeling and concentrating on something.

“We have to get the Queen out of here. She is the only one capable of fighting this.” Master Harrel explained to him.
“But how there’s no way of getting out without being attacked?” he asked.
“I’ll distract it you get her out of here” he instructed him.
“No!” he yelled, “you are the only one strong enough to protect her now. I’m capable of drawing the attacks.”

He had fear in his heart, but knew that nothing but this would work. The guardians were the only ones capable of protecting the queen, not a messenger like himself. He shifted the Queen and rested her head in Harrel’s lap. He shifted his blade between his hands and licked his lips as he tried to formulate a plan.

“Before you go, I must know your name” Harrel asked.
“It’s Grendar Asar” Grendar replied.

Just as Grendar was preparing to attack, a tentacle slammed violently against the barrier. As before it bounced off and was sent flying to the floor. The tentacle slammed against the Heart Stone and a small slither broke off and flew through the barrier and penetrated Harrel’s skin. Grendar rushed to his aid, but Harrel held up a hand and shook his head. Grendar firmed the grip on his blade and prepared to attack. He passed through the barrier and felt a warm glow pass through his body and it felt like he was rejuvenated. He sprinted towards a broken column for cover. He peaked up to see what Harrel was doing, only to be forced to cover as a tentacle shot towards him.
In his brief glance he saw that Harrel had formed a stone stretcher to carry the Queen. A Guardian’s sword rested in each corner as a form of protection from any attacks. With the knowledge of her safety firmly in his head, he leapt over the column and charged towards the Elder spirit. He rolled under a sweeping tentacle and sprung over the bodies that littered the floor. If he was going to die he would make it a memorable last stand. As he got within attacking distance of the Elder Spirit, she swept her arm forward, sending him flying back. He spat the blood that streamed into his mouth and forced himself to stand.

“I will protect Queen Talia till the end. Prepare to die dark spirit” he yelled across the room, “FOR QUEEN TALIA”.
“For Queen Talia” he heard echoed to his left. He looked to see a fallen soldier struggling to stand. Then he heard a creak of wood to his right, as a soldier used a spear shaft to support himself. There were clatters around the room as fallen soldiers struggled to stand and protect their Queen. He looked at the battle beaten men trying to form ranks on him. He looked at them and raised his sword high above his head.
“Protect the Queen!” he yelled as he sprinted forwards, prepared to meet his father once more. The ring of armour his final song.