"So you're telling that they found it? Like they physically laid hands on it? Why did I not know of this much sooner than this?!" The frantic voice echoed down the hall as the two guards walked quickly towards the chambers meant only for mages that served the king. Again the walls of the castle shook as the deafening cry erupted from whatever lay beyond the door. Both guards stumbled forward grabbing the walls fro support as the ground lurched beneath them, hands covering their ears as the sound grew louder. "We have to stop them before it's too late! The very fabric of this word can't hold such a creature at bay for very long!" The first guard yelled again as he helped his follower back up onto her feet. "We haven't much time!" With that he sprinted down the hall. It took both of them trying before the door budged, pushing aside the tables that had been pushed against it to hold out intruders. On the other side it was full chaos, books and smoke filling the small space as a heavy wind ripped through the now opened door. "Marker's breath..." the male guard cursed before a sudden explosion threw him and his follower back against the opposite wall. The blow was enough to cause him to black out for a moment, the stinging aura of magic threatening to rip his skin from his bones. When he came to again it was do to the violent shaking upon his shoulder.
"Ser are you alright?!" It was one of the apprentice mages, a young man about the age of twenty. Blood trickled down the side of the young man's face from a wound he had received from the blast. "We haven't the time to rest, it's here." Those words shook him to his very core, chilling his limbs to the point they were weak. They had failed...all was lost now.
"Warn the others, get as man people out of here as you can! I'll gather the remaining troops and we will hold it off as long as we can. What ever you do, don't step out of the light!" The guard warned as he stood. There was a sharp pain in his left leg that he dared not lay eyes upon. One could here the bones crack in it as he walked, yet he didn't let himself slow do to that. If they didn't try it wouldn't matter. Even as he charged towards the fading light, into the unknown beyond he couldn't help but stop and think about what would happen next. Even if they were to destroy the portal would it be enough to clear the world of the blight that now threatened to take it? Who would rise to stop it then? Without the mages that summoned such a foul being all hope was lost. Unless...if the stories were true then there was a sliver of hope. With darkness rose light, light sent from the heavens to purge the foul from the soil and nurture the greater good in the people. As he and the others entered the darkness he could feel his very soul being ripped from his body as he was slowly dismembered by evil itself. With the more he fought of the rising dead the weaker he became, poisoned by the blight. One by one they fell, until he only remained. But in the end he too was slain though not before he was able to reach the portal. With his dying breath he threw himself forward into the cold chilling darkness that seemed to seep from the ground. Pulling his jacket aside he pulled the crystal vile from his pocket. It gleamed with a soft light as he opened it. From outside the castle the young mage watched as the home he had grown up in was destroyed in a fit of blinding light. The explosion shook the earth, sending rocks and undead alike sailing into the air. Another scream cut through the earth as the portal was sealed. He was knocked back by the blast, again landed unpleasantly among the rocks. Groggily he watched as armies of undead flooded froward, slaying all in their path. So this was how he died? One of the first to be taken by the blight? Though as the spawn came over to him they backed away hissing at him. From his hand came a blinding light, sending them aside. Blessed be the maker...it was a sign there was hope in the future. There was a way to beat this, faith was the light that would seal away the dark.

That had been a week ago, and now more had stepped forward baring the same mark as him. An army sent from the light. There were three others for now. Amicus Curiae a mage, Zinca Thunderstryke a warrior, and Ash Winston a rouge. With their help they may just be able to help the world.

~*~

This was the first day that he had been allowed to leave his tent unaccompanied even if his wounds were still bothering him. The large cut upon his back ached with each movement, and the sling on his arm rubbed against it when he walked. But rest was not something he was able to afford at the moment. Right now he was bent over the 'war table' as some of the officers had called it waiting for the others to arrive. They had to plan their next move. So far they had been able to clear out one village that was being plagued now they needed to decide where else to go.

Ping List:
Griffinlokison,Pipps, Dracontamer

Zinca Thunderstryke
I walked out of my tent leaning heavily on the staff I was given to use as a crutch. I slowly and carefully walked towards the war tent so not to disturb the many burns I had. I drew back the entrance flaps and walked inside noticing someone else already studying the map on the table. I made my way to a chair and sat down and began to view the map.

At the sound of footsteps behind him he turned, much too sharply for his own liking as it caused him to draw a sharp breath as pain shot through his wound. It took him a good moment to recover enough to let go of the table he had been using as support. "You must be Ms. Thunderstryke, the rouge no? It's a pleasure to be able to finally meet you in person." He gave a weary smile as he offered a hand for the woman to shake. "I am Azitaz Greydam, though many now call me Light Bringer. But please just call me Taz, as all my friends do."

I reach my hand out to shake and realize its my injured one so I switch quickly to the other giving a nervous chuckle. "I am the warrior though my mother was a rouge but you can call me Zinca. Its nice to meet you Taz. I see your injuries still pain you as well."

That was right...the rouge had yet to show. There was so much on his mind right now that it was hard to keep it all straight at the moment. "Forgive me, my mind is a bit jumbled at the moment..." He shook her hand back before putting it back on the table again. "They are still fresh yes but with time they will heal, even if it is with scars."

"True but that does not make the process nor them any less painful. Especially the burns." I turn to look at the map again and I end up staring blankly at the village that was once mine now destroyed and taken over by the monsters.

Nothing hurt more than the burns. He had been spared from more sever burns, though not from all of them. With a sigh he turned to map as well. He was without a home now, no family and nothing but his name. He had nothing else to lose. "We should start heading towards the south, that would take us closer to the heart of the Darkness yet we would be able to recover many villages and towns along the way."

"Sounds good but there's always a catch. I'm pretty sure that catch is that there are more monsters that way. There would be wave after wave of them and little to no rest for us in-between each village." I shake myself out of my reverie and look closer at the map and analyze it. "We would also need food, shelter, medical supplies, weapons and other such things."

"True...though that will require many more scouts and agents than we have at our disposal." He sighed tiredly. Why was this so difficult? Why couldn't they just push through and seal the portal?