Chapter 9

The Crystal Tower would never be the same again. The once-majestic tower was now standing in the middle of a wasteland that stretched far across the Northern Continent. The very same tower was now the gateway of the realm of Lore to the cursed Underworld, realm of the demons.

Supreme Commander Daemon sat uncomfortably on his throne. He was extremely displeased. He was displeased with the result of battle at the Dark Elven Stronghold in Elom. He was displeased that a sure victory had suddenly turned to a crushing defeat. And no soul in the world or even the underworld could comprehend what would happen if the Lord of Darkness' second-in-command was displeased of his subordinates.

"FOOLS!!!" He roared at the cowered Army of Darkness before him. "I want to hear no more failure from you! Begone!! Do some damage!!"

With the wave of his hand, the entire army vanished from sight and he was alone. He couldn't believe it. A small band of immature heroes had defeated his mighty horde. He knew he had to do something, or else the Lord of Darkness would definitely be displeased. He had to do something. He didn't know what, but he knew someone right for the job.

"Gareth!!" Daemon roared again. "I summon you!!"

An image of a tall human appeared before him. His form was somewhat vague due to the incomplete spell to make the perfect contact, but it was nonetheless enough. The man stood proud before the demon and gave a slight yet elegant bow.

"Greetings, Master Daemon. How may I serve you?"

"For a man of your caliber," Daemon started, "I believe you know what I want."

"Ah..." The man rubbed his chin. "You want me to neutralize those people who have been foiling your plans lately."

"Once again you've impressed me, Gareth." The dark man smiled. "Proceed."

"Just guide them to my lair." Gareth bowed. "I will deal with them personally."

The image disappeared. Daemon rose from his throne and walked toward the main room. He felt much better right now. He had his trusted man for the job. Now to make his feeling complete, he only had to release the grudge he'd been keeping caused by his incompetent subordinates.

At the center of the room another form hovered in the air. It was a beautiful woman with long golden hair. She hung limply on the air, bound spread-eagled by invisible shackles. Her eyes stared blankly into space before focusing on her dreaded enemy. Her renewed vigor entered race with her fear.

A race she knew she could not win.

"Ah ... Goddess Gaea ... Just as stunning as ever..."

Lord Daemon approached his captive. Gaea stared at him, hatred mixed with terror burning in her eyes. She twitched as his cold finger touched her naked body, yet the invisible shackles held her still. The demon lord chuckled, satisfied with her immediate reaction.

"And still as stubborn as ever ... Well, I'm in a bad mood today, so I want you to do something for me..."

"Kill you? My pleasure." The goddess replied gruffly.

"Oh, nothing much..." He smirked. "I just want to see you dance."

Fear finally gained control of her. "No..."

"Yes ... Fear me ... I love to see it in your eyes..."

With a wave of his hand, her shackles relaxed slightly, giving her more room to struggle. Then a large black hole appeared beneath her, directly facing her nether region. The dark lord sat on his chair, watching in amusement as the once-proud goddess struggled against her bonds.

"Daemon ... please ... don't do this..." She begged.

"It's been three years since you learned how to beg." Daemon sneered. "Request denied."

A pair of long, slick tentacles shot out from the hole and circled both her hips, holding her body in place. Another pair reached out and lashed around her round breasts and began massaging and molesting her breasts. Then without warning a slightly larger tentacle shot out and forced his way through her pussy and into her dry vagina. It was not the first time it did such hideous thing, but her scream came out fresh and raw.

"Lord Daemon ... p ... please..."

The tentacle began fucking her vigorously. The two tentacles held her firmly in place, but her upper body struggled and fought against the pain. And she began to perform the unwilling erotic dance for the dark lord. Her vigor had been defeated, and it would stay that way for quite some time.

"Ah..." Daemon smiled. "After 20 years, she's just as young as ever..."

Holgreb was a dwarf. He stood on top of a hill, staring at the barren land before him and let out a sigh. Casually he swung his battle-axe on his side. The thought of never carrying the weapon again sent shiver through his spine. Slowly he cursed himself for things he could do nothing about.

He was very bored. He used to think that life was an excitement. He used to think that life would be more interesting. It used to be, but things didn't go as he had planned. His dream, if he indeed had had one, had vanished.

He used to be proud as what he was, a barbarian. Not the kind of barbarian that people would enjoy having in their living rooms. He was a raider, yet he was proud of it. Or at least used to be.

Holgreb took a moment looking at himself. As a dwarf, he was quite athletic and well built. Appearance was a prime factor for a barbarian. His small, short and puffy body hid his fighting potential. The rough expression he always wore in his face was well enhanced with his small dark eyes and long, unkept beard. He still remembered how he used to strike fear to the hearts of the enemies (read: peasants) by just staring at them. He remembered how he used to storm inside houses and defeated the enemies (read: peasants) and plunder their wealth (read: peasants'). Yet those exciting moments were now memories.

He's 60 years old. My enemies might still fear me, but nobody will if they knew how old I am. Common people, even barbarians, would declare 60 years old as the 'retirement' age, when they would waste their lives sitting in pub corners and drank ale all day and tell stories to the visitors. But he was uncommon. Even in his old age, his fighting skills never ceased or deteriorated. He could swing a battle-axe as if he was swinging a flogger. He could lift a boulder and threw it as if it was nothing more than a puffy pillow. He could bore a hole on the stone with his hand as if it was a toy wax. However, barbarians were not barbarians it they were not feared.

Suddenly, at the corner of his eyes, he spotted something unusual. It looked like ... a group of birds. It was late autumn, and the sight of birds flying south was normal. But the sight of two light-green birds and a dark-blue bird flying close together in tight formation and going east toward the city was anything but normal. Moreover, the birds had tusks.

Suddenly he recalled his many experiences in his 3 years of elementary school and 45 years of barbaric profession. He suddenly realized that he was seeing ... dragons! He still remembered the number of dragons he had killed ... none. He still remembered what he used to do when he encountered a dragon ... run or hide, depending on the circumstances.

But now I will not run. He would prove the world that he was indeed the greatest barbarian of all time. As the dragons flew closer, he prepared his battle-axe and tracked his target. Then, with all her might he threw his axe toward the unwary dragons. Then he waited.

Nothing happened.

The dragons seemed to be affected. After years of practice, it was impossible that he missed his target. He never missed before. So it was either that the dragons feared him no longer, or they just ignored him, a wretched old dwarf.

The thought insulted him. He had been ignored! Those lizards have enough nerve to ignore me! He drew his breath and screamed at the top of his voice.

"DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME!! FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!!"

Suddenly he spotted something coming this way. I don't know that I can throw an axe like a boomerang ... He studied the object for a while, and finally he understood...

And his heart was flushed with joy. I am noticed! I'm not ignored! I am feared! He kept on repeating the words over and over again ... until the blue flame hit the ground and exploded a few meters before him. The explosion threw his small body a few meters off the ground. When he recovered, he was sitting on the hard ground, staring at the small crater before him. The dragons were nowhere to be seen.

"Dang!" He swore. "COWARDS!!! COME BACK HERE!!!"

But then he realized that he was not alone. When he looked back, he saw a group of dwarves armed with axes. They are all staring at him, and all wearing the suits adorned with crest he was quite familiar with. The royal guards!

He reached for his axe, and was not very surprised to find that it was not anywhere near to him. "What do you want?!"

"You're the feared Holgreb the barbarian, right?!" One of them asked.

After hearing the word 'feared', Holgreb quickly said the word he would later regret. "Yes!"

"Well, the king wants your head. You're surrounded and outnumbered. Surrender now and we'll do this the easy way!"

"I don't care how many you are!" Holgreb prepared his fighting stance. "Catch me if you can!"

And they could, after 80 dwarves charged Holgreb all at once, quickly defeating the dwarf. After some struggle, the barbarian was subdued.

"Hah!!" One of the royal guards taunted. "I'll make sure you'll understand the meaning of 'odds' by the time you're walking to the beheading table!"

Holgreb's head grew heavy. I should have listened to my math lectures in school more seriously ... Then he fainted.

Anna screamed and screamed, but nobody listened. She struggled, but the intrusion continued. She could feel the intense pain as her vagina was violated. Her invisible assailant rammed his member deep inside her, satisfied with her scream of agony. Then she felt a pair of hands held her face still and forced her mouth open. She refused to do so, and was rewarded by his fingers pinching her nose close, suffocating her. She had rather die rather than giving her rapist what he wanted, but her mouth opened up involuntarily and the thick, disgusting member entered her mouth fully, almost reaching her throat.

"LET ME GO!!!" She could her herself screaming.

"STOP IT!!!" Her assailants roared together.

She struggled wildly, yet they held her body rigid. Her mind went to panic as she could feel the member inside her vagina began to throb.

"NO!!! LET ME GO!!!"

"ANNA, STOP IT!!!"

The view exploded before her eyes, replaced by the view of the barren land ... from a few thousand meters off the ground...

"KYAAA!!!" She screamed and struggled, only to find a pair of hands tightened around her waist and drew her back up.

"ANNA, STOP IT!!!" She heard the voice from behind her and quickly calmed down.

"A ... Atrus..." Anna panted for breath. "Thank Guardian you're here..."

Atrus held her close. "You're freaking the hell out of me! You've been struggling off my grasp!"

"I'm sorry..." Anna said slowly. "I ... I didn't know what I was doing..."

"I know..." Atrus wiped the sweat off her forehead. "You're having a nightmare again?"

She nodded in silence.

"About ... uh ... it?"

Anna stared at him with her weak gaze. "Yes, I just dreamed of my ... rapists..." Tears filled her eyes. "Why, Atrus ... Why do I have to endure this humiliation?!"

Atrus stroked her hair softly as she lay her head on his chest. "But it's past, Anna. Let it go! Don't let your past control you."

"But I can't..." She replied meekly. "Forever I'll be damned to remember this..." She looked into his eyes. "I ... I still have the trauma ... Tell me, Atrus ... Tell me I'm not crazy..."

"Anna, don't say..."

"Tell me!" She cut him off. "Please, Atrus ... Just don't lie to me..."

Atrus gaze at her lovingly and kissed her cheek gently. "No, Anna. You're not crazy."

As Atrus held her shivering body close to him, he took a moment to look at his surrounding. Agar's dragons had taken them all the way from the Elven land of Elom, across the Human kingdom of Aragon and toward the barren Land of the Dwarves. The journey would have taken at least two weeks if they had decided to walk. The late autumn wind was blowing quite hard at this height that the party had worn extra thick clothes for the ride, especially Anna, whose thin satin costume would not offer protection.

Atrus took a glance at another dragons flying next to his. On the back of the nearest dragon were Roberto and Maya. Maya was sleeping peacefully against Roberto's plate armor as the young prince held her tight. At the far side, he could see Hawk and Aurelia the Elf, riding the last dragon. Neither of them was sleeping, yet they looked pretty tired. The journey had taken three days by now, only stopping at several places so Maya and Aurelia could fix some food for their meals.

They were in a rush. The demons' threat was getting worse. The demons had been brave enough to threaten the land of Elom, but the party had thwarted their plan. Yet at another part of the world, several cities in the Human and Dwarven territories had been invaded and utterly destroyed. The bad news was that no bodies were found in the ruins. Leaders from the two nations could not comprehend what had happened to those cities and their missing dwellers. What they knew for sure was that it wasn't good.

"We should be arriving in Castle Hloffeth in an hour, partner!" Roberto yelled.

"Got it!" Atrus replied. "The Dwarves know we're here, so we can expect a welcoming committee!"

"Like a flying battle-axe?!" Hawk asked jokingly as Aurelia waved her trophy, the old rusted battle-axe that she 'collected' earlier.

"Uh ... No, I don't think so..." Atrus answered.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough..."

The chamber was cold. It was supposed to be cold. It gave ... a special meaning.

The demon stood alone inside the chamber. Several figures stood in the room, their eyes fixed, staring into empty spaces. Their rigid bodies decorated the otherwise-dull chamber. The statuettes, made as the memoir of many great heroes, had lost their purpose.

"Come! I summon you!" The demon roared.

A thick mist appeared before him. The mist subsided, revealing a figure of a beautiful maid. Her slim body shivered from the chill. Her beautiful eyes found the dark man and showed great fear.

"Worry not, my dear..."

"D ... don't hurt me..." The girl pleaded.

"I won't ... In fact, I can't hurt your body ... I can only wound your soul..."

Invisible shackles seized her limbs and pulled her taut. She was soon hanging spread-eagled in the air, unable to escape. She desperately tried her restraints, only to find that they were holding her firmly. Her body shook in fear as the dark man approached, still wearing his cloak.

"What a lovely soul you are..."

With a jerk he tore her maid suit in half, revealing her slim body. Her firm breasts stood proudly, slightly hidden by the satin bra. With a rough tug, the bra was gone, and her breasts came free. She shivered and moaned in fear as the cold touch of his finger teased and tormented her sensitive skin.

"Please..."

"Ah ... how ... weak..."

Without a warning, the demon slipped his finger inside her panties and into her pussy. She jerked as the chill hit her tender skin, followed by the sensation of terrible agony. She wailed in pain as the demon tormented her. It didn't take too long until the pain became unbearable and she fainted.

The demon was extremely pleased with the reaction. The play went just as planned. Slowly he disrobed, letting his cloak fall on the floor. He grabbed the maid's small waist and quickly thrust his cock deep inside her pussy. The sudden chill sent her back to the reality and she let out a long wail of agony. He showed no mercy and the torture started immediately. He maintained a slow rhythm, pumping his member inside and outside of her, therefor maintaining her agony. He relaxed the shackles, letting her thrashing body entertain him. Every time the maid was about to faint, he twisted her nipples, sending her back to reality. The torture went on until he reached his peak and shot his load inside her.

The girl slumped back on her bondage. Her vagina muscles had turned numb from the terrible cold. Her head swung frantically in the air. The demon held her twisting head and forced her to look straight at him. For the first time she finally took a close look at her captor, and the horror came to her. She wailed and wailed as fear overcame her...

The demon waved his hand, and the girl vanished.

Yet he could hear her fear. He could feel her endless agony. The horror had been printed, and it would not be removed. It was destined to be eternal, except, of course, if he said otherwise...

He smiled...

The Dwarven Kingdom of Seraphim was the biggest Dwarven kingdom in the realm. Located east of the Kingdom of Aragon, Kastore had been Aragon's closest neighbor and ally. Unlike the Elves, the Dwarves welcomed warm relationship with the Humans. The alliance had lasted for ages and both races had been quite close to each other. The border was almost nonexistent, and both races could settle down in each other's territory.

However, the Humans would be greatly discouraged when moving to the new land. The Land of the Dwarves was almost completely barren. Rocky ground and mountainous range dominated the landscape. Unlike Humans, Dwarves rarely farmed. They found delight in staying near their beloved metal mines, where most Humans found this dull and annoying. This created a nice trading opportunity to both nations. The Humans would import ores and metals from the Dwarves and exported farming products.

Dwarves were about one-third shorter than average Humans. Their bodies were usually bigger and fatter too. The legend said that Dwarves used to stay deep beneath the ground, closer to the center of the earth. They had stayed there for ages mining their precious metals, and had suffered from gravity many times larger than the Humans, who had been staying on the earth's surface from the beginning. This theory was accepted as a valid explanation on why the Dwarves were so short. Yet inside their small bodies was power stronger than normal Humans were. A Dwarf with an axe was just as dangerous as a mountain Ogre after its winter hibernation.

They arrived at Castle Hloffeth, the capital of Seraphim an hour later. The Dwarves welcomed them warmly before the castle gate, although they looked at the dragons in annoyance. Dwarves hated dragons. They were excellent foot soldiers, but they couldn't do anything against flying enemies. During the history, Aragon had always lent the Dwarves its legions of archers if the Dwarves were under attack by dragons.

A welcoming committee waited patiently near the castle gate as the dragons landed before them. The party dismounted quickly and approached the waiting Dwarves.

"Fellow Humans!" One of the Dwarves, wearing neat, formal attire, welcomed them. "We greet you, faithful allies. My name is..."

"Omar, the minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Seraphim." Roberto smiled. "Omar ... You're still the same..."

The Dwarf's face brightened. "Prince Roberto of Aragon... ?! What a surprise! I didn't know that you're here! Look how much you've grown! And ... you're ... different... !"

"Ah, indeed." Roberto nodded and gestured at his friends. "These wonderful friends of mine changed my life." He introduced them one by one. "They are the real delegation."

"Very nice to meet you, Sir White Lion, Lady Freesland and Lady Murdock." Omar bowed slightly. "Your names have been well known even here in Seraphim."

Anna bowed. "Really, you're too kind." She said.

"And we have another surprise!" The Dwarf announced, gesturing at Aurelia. "It's been quite a long time since we had an envoy from the Elves of Elom. I hope everything is going well back home, especially with your mother."

"Thank you." The Elf-girl replied politely.

"Come, my friends. King Parson is expecting you in the throne room." Omar announced.

Castle Hloffeth was a majestic fortress built on top of a small hill, overlooking the capital city of Hloffeth. It was named after Hloffeth, the first king of the Dwarves who had merged hundreds of Dwarven tribes across the barren land into a kingdom. The majestic castle had been built from the finest material extracted from many underground mines and quarries. The design was simple, consisting of the main building and four castle wings, facing the four directions. Guard towers circled the palace complex, giving ample protection from airborne attackers.

Yet, the magnificence lay inside the castle. The party couldn't help but admire the interior of the main hall. Beautiful stone statuettes and sculptures decorated the spacious room, giving the sense of wonder to the visitors, regardless of their races. Numerous chandeliers and torches along the walls seemed to animate the statues to life. A pair of stairways was fixed on either sides of the room, leading to the palace wings. A heavy yet richly decorated stone double door led to the throne room.

Here the party separated. Maya volunteered to take care of their stuff. Hawk and Aurelia quickly offered their help. Atrus, Roberto, and Aurelia are the representatives of the three nations, so Omar insisted that they had to attend the audience. Atrus also insisted Anna to come with them for this. So far, only Anna had the necessary talent and experience in diplomacy.

The throne room was also magnificent. The half-circle meeting area dominated the room, with the throne on the middle of the half-circle. The chairs and tables were made of fine oak, probably imported from the vast forest in western Aragon. The throne itself was made of fine wood adorned with ivories. A circular glass-covered ceiling let the sunlight in, making a patch of light at the center of the room. The room was full with the royal members. The Dwarves in formal suits sat along the tables, staring at the party. King Parson, sitting on his throne, smiled at them.

"Welcome to Seraphim, my friends. I hope your journey was fine." The king announced.

"All is well, your majesty." Anna said in her best diplomatic tone.

"Ah ... You must be Lady Freesland from Aragon." The king guessed. "You are even more beautiful than tales could tell."

Anna blushed at the compliment. "You're too kind, your majesty." She drew a deep breath. "Please let me introduce my companions..."

"Yes, I've known most of them." King Parson quickly said. "Sir White Lion ... Your exploits are well known throughout our land. It's an honor to meet you."

"The honor is all mine." Atrus answered politely.

The king turned to Roberto. "I hope everything is well with your father, Prince Roberto?"

"My father is well, your majesty, thank you."

"And what do we have here?" The king gestured at Aurelia.

"My name is Aurelia, the princess and future queen of the Elves of Elom, your majesty."

"Welcome to my kingdom." King Parson smiled, then turned to the party. "I have received the word of your arrival. Do you have the scroll?"

Anna produced the alliance proposal scroll from her backpack and gave it to the king who, to everybody's surprise, refused to accept it.

"Y ... Your majesty... ?" Anna said in confusion.

"I have no need to read the contents. "The king answered flatly. "If old Edward wants an alliance, tell them that I accept!"

"What... ?!" Roberto completely forgot about the diplomatic tongue. "So fast... ?!"

"The Human and Dwarven kingdoms have been friends for many years." Omar the Dwarf explained. "After what our loyal ally has done to our people, we will accept any proposals whatever the terms are. The Dwarfs are honored to join your cause against the demons."

"But..." The king quickly added, "despite your great deeds, I have to test your ability as the envoys of the Guardian." The king stared particularly at Atrus. "I want you to do a task for me."

"What do you wish us to do?" Anna asked.

Omar approached the party. "Probably some of you are familiar with the geographical detail of our land. Our land is mostly barren ground, rocky mountains, and arid plains. Mining is our main source of living. To the west lie the fertile land of Aragon, where Humans settle down. To the east is the vast, unending Desert of Desolation, an uncharted and dangerous land. And to the north is the wild, treacherous Northern Ocean.

"For many years the desert to the east has been a haven for beasts and raiders. The Desert of Desolation has been a nightmare for our people. Ever since our founder King Hloffeth tamed the raider tribes along the perimeter of the desert, the Desert of Desolation has been proclaimed as part of the Forbidden Land. However, over the past years the desert seemed to possess more threat to our land. Just a few month ago, we discovered the source of the trouble."

Omar took a moment to regain his breath. "Many centuries ago, the desert was a part of the territory owned by an ancient civilization called Salthi. But for some odd reasons, the Salthi was wiped out. Their ancient city was the only thing left, and for many years it had been populated by beasts and many foul folks. A few years ago, a lone wizard came to the ancient city of the Salthi to put an end to the threat. Then the rest of the story is mostly myth. It is said that the wizard was overwhelmed and decided to lock himself along with all the monsters inside an impenetrable structure, so the monsters could not escape. With the rest of his magical power, he summoned a giant pyramid to rise and cover the ancient city, thus trapping the monsters inside. The wizard himself was never seen again."

The king continued the story. "Lately, the land around the pyramid, the Pyramid of Salthi it was called, has grown to the most dangerous land in Seraphim. We have many mines around the area and the workers are afraid of the pyramid. They claimed that the pyramid possesses a terrible curse to those who enter or disturb the trapped occupants. If the mining operation in that area is disturbed, our war effort will be greatly affected, and we can't devote our resource to the alliance.

"I want you to go there and investigate the matter." The king finally said. "Discover the mystery of the pyramid and do whatever you can to end the curse, if it really exists. If the area around the pyramid is secured, our mining operation can continue, and our alliance will prosper."

"Do you have any idea of the pyramid's threat?" Aurelia asked.

"We have many cases of sudden sickness and hallucinations." Omar answered. "Those are normal for miners working deep underground, but the close proximity to the pyramid enhanced the rumor of the pyramid's curse. Honestly, we don't know what you will expect inside. Be very careful."

"We have a small garrison near the area that can aid you should you need extra help." The king added. "But I really doubt the commander will agree to help unless the problem is solved. I personally can't blame him, so you're basically alone in this mission."

"We'll do whatever we can." Anna replied. "But there is one thing we must ask from you."

"Name it." King Parson said.

Atrus took over the conversation. "The Guardian ordered me to find five Warriors of the Guardian to aid me in my search for the fabled Champion of the Guardian. One of the warriors is, I believe, among the Dwarves. The chosen warrior must have had a dream, a prophecy from the Guardian himself. He should also posses special ability. Do you know somebody with these characteristics?"

"Sir White Lion..." The king sighed. "You're aware that most of our population are miners, working deep beneath the surface. Words don't travel very far in those mines. Searching one Dwarf from our many mines will definitely take time, and time is not on our side..."

"Forgive me, your majesty..." One Dwarf suddenly rose up from his seat and approached the king. They were engaged in silent conversation for a while, until the king roared in anger.

"THAT'S ABSURD!!! He's a villain!!!"

"Young man..." The Dwarf said to Atrus despite the king's anger. "I think I know the man you're looking for."

"Sir White Lion..." Omar said. "This is Avitir, our defense minister."

"Young man..." Avitir the Dwarf said. "I don't know about the dream from the Guardian, but the man I know really possesses incredible strength and fighting skill."

"B ... but ... He's a criminal!!!" The king roared again.

"Your majesty..." Atrus replied calmly. "At least please let me see him."

A few minutes later, the party was standing before the cell door, stunned at the sight before them.

"You've got to be kidding..." Anna mumbled.

There was an old Dwarf sitting on one corner of the cell. His long hair and beard covered most of his expression, yet the many lines across his face confirmed his late age. Tattered clothes around his body revealed his muscular body, a rare sight for a Dwarf of his age. The chain on his ankle was connected to an extremely large metal ball, proving that he had to be a very dangerous villain indeed.