Submitted by Khadgar
23rd of Ytrewtsu’s Rage
There was a calm in Tharel right before I fell asleep. Hardly a sound could be heard. Some would say that a pin would be taken notice of falling upon the ground that night. That is how my senses normally are being a monk and all. A flock of birds flew off the roof as I awoke several hours later yelling, “SHINIES!” Constantly, I have dreams of shadows taking away my shinies. Perhaps this was because I was soulless. People called me less of a man because I didn’t have my soul. I feared that I would never be all that I could be without one; that I would never be a fully disciplined monk. If only I did not give it away to the Dark Lord. I knew what I must do…
As I stepped outside my house I peered intently around myself surprised to see that it was still dark. I heard many cries for help and many people screaming in terror. Quickly, I put on my battle gear and headed out to see what was the matter. Rudric was fighting some sort of shadow that was going around killing people in Naerlan. I didn’t have a problem with it seeing how I could just go around picking shinies off the corpses, but I still had to pretend to be the loyal companion of that idiotic knight. Knowing that Rudric would probably defeat the shadowy figure eventually, I decided to help him defeat it so I could gain his trust and I did just that. Suddenly, Cylad appeared from the heavens above. He peered around himself and said in common, “Who here defeated this shadowy killer?” Somebody from the crowd shouted, “Rudric and Khadgar did sir.” Cylad peered at Rudric and Khadgar intently and said in common, “I shall grant you both one wish.” Rudric asked for a better sword, which he got. I asked Cylad for some god armor so that I could get my soul back from the Abyss. That was my dream…
While I was gathering supplies for the journey some would say that was impossible, I ran into Duchess Felecia of Barbades. I informed her of my upcoming excursion into the abyss and asked for something to remember her by, hoping that she would give me a lock of her shinie red hair that I so often desire. She handed me a figurine of herself that she recently whittled. Pondering what it could be used for, I stuck it into Darius’ Bag of Tricks. After I finished gathering supplies, I walked to the shadowy black gates of the Abyss that I so often use to venture into and went inside...
Proceeding further into the Abyss I started hearing voices all around me! None of them spoke with any clarity. It sounded like thousands or even millions of moaning voices all battling for attention. As soon as I had passed that particular spot the voices ceased only to begin again at a later point in the ward. Strange as it sounds that didn't scare me too much. However about five minutes later the mood began to change. A feeling that I can only describe as an oppressive darkness began to envelope me and I realized in a way that I cannot describe that I was no longer welcome - I was in some way trespassing.
Luckily, I still had some friends in the Abyss that I made over the years I spent with the Dark Lord. One took me across the burning magma of the Abyss in his vessel, but only half way for he feared the Dark Lord would find out and slay him if he preceded any further. After climbing the cliffs that overlooked the burning flames of the abyss, I battled many of his minions. None of which are worth mentioning for my discipline was far superior to theirs. Then I saw it… A creature to horrible to even describe was guarding the tortured souls of the Abyss as well as several splinters of the Rod of Destruction… It summoned many daemon wolves to attack me and kill me but none of which were successful. Using my highly skilled monk maneuvers I silenced the Underlord of Judgment. Making my hands turn into flames I ripped out its heart and kept it as a souvenir. Quickly I gathered my soul as well as my friends and picked up the three splinters that were lying there upon the ground. I started making my way back out of the Abyss.
Suddenly the Dark Lord Ytrewtsu appeared high above the flames, revealing thousands of wraths floating above the scorching inferno of the abyss, and yelled, “You shall not pass!” He summoned one of his most fearsome creatures. Suddenly the gargantuan leviathan leaped across my ship landing into the flames of the abyss. I tried to use the celestial path to take me to safety but the dark forces around me forbade me in doing so. The leviathan jumped out of the fire once again trying to take a chunk out of me. Instead, it devoured half of my ship in one bite with its humungous teeth. Seeing how my ship was sinking, there was only one thing to do. I jumped onto the leviathan’s back and pounded on its head with the unstoppable force of the spirit. Its skin was very rough and hard to penetrate. Reaching into Darius’ Bag of Tricks, I took the small figurine of Felicia and probed it into the leviathan’s eyes blinding it. A huge rock was shattered when the leviathan swam head first into it. The impact sent the leviathan’s brains and me flying into the rocks that lead up to the entrance of the Abyss.
The Dark Lord threw many lightning bolts and fireballs at me causing rockslide after rockslide as I dodged them and they hit the cliff. Quickly, I closed the shadowy black gates of the Abyss hoping to never return. As I walked away from the Abyss I could hear the Dark Lord roar with anger. Cylad was standing outside the gates. I returned the god armor to him and thanked him properly hoping one day to return the favor. Luckily, I returned home with minor scratches and bruises. Finally, I can continue my training as a monk knowing that I am whole once again. I can only hope my friends feel the same way…
