"The Quest of the Defender"

Part Four


She waited in her room and was helped by her handmaidens to prepare for her celebration. The sonsof noblemen were coming from far and wide to impress her with their countenance. Her parents were ofthe hope that she would find one among them that would make a suitable prince. Long had they watched in dismay as she spent time with a common boy who could never amount to anything. What cheek theythought, and who does he think that he is to distract her from her future. The son of poor fisher folk, indeed! Her parents had planned this gathering to give her the option they knew that she needed. Theyhad sent couriers to the far reaches of the kingdom bidding all of their vassals to bring their oldest sonsfor the inspection of the princess. The noblemen were kept in constant competition by the king so as tokeep them divided, in this way he felt that his safety and that of his kingdom were insured. The nobles all had sons which would be of the right age for marriage to the princess and all of them were certain that the merging of their houses with that of the royal family would bring them wealth, power and fame. That is the way men of this nature thought, it has always been so. The princess was aware of this and could not begin to care less about these false suitors. She felt that they all were inherently evil and if she were to choose one she would give up all happiness. In this group of young men was one more evil than the rest. His very soul was rotting and putrid, stale and barren. He was the spawn of master manipulators and ashe grew he learned how to be a secret destroyer, holding others he bore malice towards up to the flames.


His name was Kuy and to look upon him you would have thought him a noble person, which is how he was able to work his manipulations so well. He was crafty and sly, he dabbled in what were known at one time as the black arts. Machines and engines of despair were his specialty. Always calling to some dark power that seemed to speak to him the secrets of some dark technology. This dark power goaded him with visions. The visions were of power over others and control of the very fabric of the universe. Working in the dank recesses of the fortress that housed his family he attempted to make contact with this voice of evil. As he continued to ply his craft certain things were revealed to him. He had concieved an energy source that generated a type of small focused storm. Whatever he put into it disappeared with a blinding flash of light, never to be seen again. He delighted in throwing small animals into the eye of this storm and watching the others who were next, cringe in fear of the powerful device that had taken the last one away. He enjoyed watching the pain of others and would cause it to occur as often as he couldfor his own pleasure. Even his own family was afraid of him as he doubled in evil with every year that passed.


He sought to enhance the power of this dark device of evil. In his quest he had his metal workers forge large straps which he had them attach to the outside of the fortress in the hopes of harnessing more of this unknown energy force. He had them focus the center of this strange architecture to his device in the lower catacombs. He was longing to send a human soul into this abyss. He knew how he would orchestrate theperson's fear. He would allow them to see what it could do to a smaller creature first and then he would force this person in after he had seen what was to happen to him. It brought a wicked smile to his face ashe imagined the look of terror on the face of this unfortunate one. Kuy had no love for anyone but himself and was as evil a predator as time had ever given rise to.


It came to pass on one stormy night as he was testing his device that the forces of nature which are neither good nor evil played an important role in what was to follow. Generating the storm in his dark alcove he worked to enlarge the effect. As he was manipulating the device a large clap of thunderheard up above, at the same time the small captured storm grew in size to the height of the ceiling.
With a loud crackle and a small explosion a figure lurched from the center of the device. He looked at the man who had arrived in his presence from nowhere and fell back to the floor. This man was clad in blue from his head to his foot and on his tunic was the symbol of the lidless eye. He was carrying something that shot out a thunderclap and vaporized the corner of the room and all that had been in it. The man stood before him and said in a loud voice: "What is this place?" The man brought his weapon to bear upon Kuy. Unable to answer, Kuy simply sat there and shook. The man in blue surveyed his surroundings and took in the device that had called him from another universe. "Primitive...." He said, and he looked the device over. "Are you responsible for this!?" Said the man in blue to Kuy. "Y-Y-Yes...." said Kuy with a look of fear on his face. "Remarkable work for this age." said the man. "Stand up and face me!" Kuy stood up and looked the man over as he did the same to Kuy. They knew as they looked at each other that they were both of the same nature and completely evil to the core. It is something in the eyes that only others that are evil can see. "You have opened a passageway into a larger world, my name is Rog, what are you called?" "I am known as Kuy, this is my home and I welcome you." said Kuy. "Well, Mr. Kuy, tell me about this world and it's inhabitants." Kuy and Rog talked for hours and as they did they shared information that could help each of them reach new heights of evil. Rog told Kuy of the Order of The Lidless Eye and their conquests and how Kuy had unlocked the secrets of slipgate technology on his own in a backwater world in an unimportant universe. He told Kuy of the wonders that lay beyond the gates and the booty from pillage and murder that was to be had there. Kuy began to envision a plan where he could take control of this world with the help ot these sons of evil. He laid out his plans to Rog who had trouble holding back an evil grin. Rog learned that all who are in power here would soon be at one place at one time. With weapons so advanced that none here could best them it would be a complete slaughter. It might be done with as little as thirty men. Kuy offered his help to Rog and together they hatched a plan of doom for this world.


Kuy had long watched Lisbeth from afar and had designs of his own for her hand. This was timing at it's most perfect. All of his competitors would be dead and he would be the new King with her at his side. With this kind of control he could wield his power as he saw fit. If there was a larger universe out there, he wanted to see it and take his place among the mighty. He envisioned himself as the new conquering ruler of this place too. He was evil and delusional, but it seemed to him that destiny was calling. Rog was willing to feed this ego and put it to good use.


Rog Listened intently as Kuy described this world an his plans for it. He had his own agenda but that could wait. Together they would muster a small force and infiltrate the palace. Killing all before them they would take the royal family hostage and eliminate all of kuy's competitors in one quick stroke. Rog told Kuy of the unnamed evil that controlled each of their destinies, it seemed to Kuy that what he had always been dreaming of was coming true. It was an old story, the strong opressing the weak and conspiring always to do great evil for evil's sake alone. This behavior fed this unnamed one who watched and waited in anticipation of the final domination of all that is good and living. They discussed strategy and Kuy gave away important information about the defenses of the palace. On the day of the gathering they would strike with enough force to conquer quickly. Kuy felt that it would be easier for people to make the transition from one Governing body to another. He had no idea what was really in store for him.


Rog knew better the power of the unnamed one. No gifts were given freely by this evil. Long had it lain waiting in the dark recesses of the universe until the time was ripe for it to return. It had been put down but not destroyed long ago, in another age of heroes. Known only to the defenders was the truth about their ancestry. These brave men and women were the descendants of that race from the dawn of time. The ancestors of the defenders had been taken in with promises of glory, enough to last all through the ages if only they would share their secret of lasting youth. The promiser came in the form of a harmless young man bearing magical gifts and good, simple advice. At first he wanted little or no compensation for his gifts.He seemed to help everyone he met and delight in their joys. The evil lurking underneath was hidden from view, and none mistrusted him but one man. Always serious and never loose with his words, the leader of the family of Alton was not impressed by this fair stranger. "Nothing good comes without work, much hard work" He said to himself. "No good will come of this." Yet still the young gift giver continued to build new bonds between himself and the others he was near. All the while he slyly learned the secrets of the Defenders and their kind. He probed their weaknesses and their strengths. He learned how they were able to maintian perfect health and seeming immortality by the use of the slipgate which allowed interdimensional travel. With these devices they were able to slow their aging by a thousand fold. They were able to use this technology to protect their interests which were simply defending that which was good and pure. One trip through the dimensional shift was all it took to preseve a being in that same state forever as the devices reassembled you in your original state at the time of your first trip. The evil one spent much time with the technicians that maintained the gates and complemented them on their intelligence and wizardry. Over time they revealed secrets to this evil that allowed him to use the technology to extend his own years. While using this new knowledge he found that there was a danger of focusing several gates into the same location at the same time. This is how the early
defenders were undone. After he had learned all of the secrets he felt that he needed, the evil one went from gate to gate one dark night, resetting all of them to the main hall of meeting. At this hall the defenders met to discuss current events and share ideas. This evening was one of those meetings and as the group of defenders came to order the evil one hatched his vile plan. He activated all of the devices
remotely and sent a burst of energy into the hall. All of the lines of the defenders were ended that night except one. The leader of the family Alton had been watching this usurper with a keen eye and was not at the meeting that night. He had arrived too late to stop him and caught him in the act of treachery. With a mighty blow of his axe he damaged the evil one's mortal body and cast him into a gate with no destination. For eons the evil one resided nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Long had he waited for the call.... Then it happened, a band of men with designs on the control of all that exists searched for the lost destination codes that would bring back this evil. With the help of this spectre they would be able to conquer all of the known universes.

Rog was one of the descendants of these men, he had kept the knowledge passed down over time from generation to generation. The evil one still lived and controlled the destinies of these evil men. Always they were looking for opportunities to slay the weak and steal what was to be had. Kuy was unaware of this history and was only interested in his own ends. These men of the lidless eye who could not speak the name of their master would be able to help him tip the odds of fate in his favor. With the help of Rog, Kuy modified his device to new specifications. Now he was able to enter the shift and return to his original location. As they planned, new men of Rog's group began to appear and continue the upgrading of the device and they dressed themselves in the customary garb of a nearby kingdom. In this way they were able to work unnoticed among the population. They brought weapons with them under their cloaks that Kuy had never seen before. When enough of them had arrived to insure victory, they were briefed on the gathering of the nobles. They would stay behind as if servants and wait outside the palace for the signal. Rog would enter with Kuy and play the part of his squire. When all had been assembled into the great hall they would strike. After killing all that were there except the royal family they would use a
portable slipgate and leave for Kuy's catacombs. From there they would travel to a meeting of the orderof the lidless eye and then Kuy would learn his true purpose among these new evil friends.

Lisbeth was unaware of the fate that was about to befall her and her family. She was not interested in any other man than Corin. Try as they might, her family would not convince her to give up her beloved. She prepared for the celebration and wondered whether she would see Corin in the crowd at the gate or in the courtyard. As the noblemen's families began to arrive she looked out the window to see their entrance into the palace. They had been filing in for about a half hour when she saw Corin standing in the shadows watching the arrival of the sons of the noblemen. She tried to wave but was unable to attract his attention. After all of the guests had arrived she watched him pull his hood of green over his head and leave by the main gate. She wished he would be at the feast, but she knew it was
not possible.

Lisbeth came down the stairs in a long flowing gown of pure white satin. Her bodice bore a lace of silk and small meadow flowers had been positioned among the garments to add color. These were not the only flowers she had, in her clothing near her breast were the flowers Corin had put behind her ear so long ago. Dried and pressed, she looked at them every night before bed as they made her feel closer to him. She walked up pn the dias and stood with her parents to greet the guests. One by one they filed into the hall. She bowed and acted politely as she was a true lady. Then Kuy entered the room and marched over to the dias for his greeting. She detested Kuy, she knew evil when she saw it and this man oozed it from every pore. She cast him a glance as cold as ice, but she bowed to him none the less. Kuy was so unaware of her hatred for him that he took her glance for an all knowing smile. He was foolish enough to delude himself as he had been alone so long that he had no idea how kind and good people act. All of the guests took their places and the herald sounded the note for the festivities to begin. As they sat, Kuy's squire leaned over and whispered in his ear: "It is time." Kuy nodded and stood. The squire sent the signal to the others waiting outside the wall. Kuy began a distraction by addressing the royal family and thanking them for the invitation. A loud noise was heard outside the hall and many of the guests stood up. At this point Kuy and his squire pulled from underneath their cloaks the weapons that they had hid there. Not swords but unusual weapons that Lisbeth had not seen before. These weapons could deal death from a distance like an arrow of lightning. At once they set upon the others that had come into the hall in good faith, unarmed. The guests died quickly as one blast from these weapons could vaporize an entire group.
Kuy marched over to the royal family as many men in blue entered the room and raised weapons similar to the ones that Kuy and his apparent squire were wielding. He said to the King: "You are now my servant, and this kngdom is no longer yours. The king replied: "You will die for this treachery!" And with that, Kuy sent the butt of his weapon into the king's face rendering him unconcious. Lisbeth flew at Kuy to tear out his eyes and he grabbed her and picked her up under one arm. Kuy turned to the men and said:
"Take these people to the tower and set up the transfer gate." Rog sent another hard blow to the king and then he hit the queen in the head with the butt of his weapon. "They will be easier to carry this way." Helaughed. Lisbeth screamed out for Corin but he was not near yet as he was still coming up the road back to the palace to find out what the noise was.

They carried the royal family to the tower room with Lisbeth kicking and screaming all the way. She reached up and tore at Kuy's face causing a great gash on his right cheek. With his blood dripping on her white dress he slapped her in the face with the back of his hand. This only made her fight all the more. At this time Corin entered the hall and surveyed the carnage. He called out for Lisbeth and she heard him, but as she tried to cry out Kuy cupped his hand over her mouth. They reached the room and Lisbeth heard one of the men say: "The gate is ready, Mr. Kuy!" Her parents went first as she was turning out to be quite a handful to Kuy. He beat her again and then prepared for the gate. At this point Corin entered the room.Lisbeth's last view of him before she entered the dimensional shift was him falling to the ground after being hit in the head from behind with a large battle axe. She felt sure that he was dead. Her heart had sunk to it's lowest depths.


To be Continued...........