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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wraithdrit" data-source="post: 989651" data-attributes="member: 10820">The shade captain that Delorian had dumped on the ground watched in anger as his prey fled up into the air. He did not have to follow to attack though. Instead he pulled a wand from his belt and unleashed a ball of dark red fire into the air. It exploded around Amador, showering the ground below with bits of burning debris. The fiery explosion rocked Amador but with the aid of Drena’s flight spell dodged the majority of the blast.Tanerus shifted his gaze around, trying to figure out what had happened to him. Everything around him was dark, like he was looking through some sort of dark smoke. The world around him continued to move, and the battle was raging on outside his shadowy little realm, but he knew that he was disconnected from the reality he normally lived in. He twisted around to glance behind him, only to see a dark shape zip to one side, ducking behind him.The halfling spun back around, again he saw a dark shape behind him, but lost it when it spun as he did. It was quick, but he was smart, so he just looked over his shoulder without turning around. There standing behind was his own shadow, connected at his feet. Unlike his shadow in the real world, this one had teeth, and blazing red eyes. It lashed out at him, leaping forward. Tanerus screamed, ducking under the attack. The shadow flew over him, but when Tanerus turned to see where it was, there was nothing. The halfling spun around several times, seeing nothing around but shadowy fog and the filmy vision of the battle long forgotten in the real world. Just as he began to relax an explosion rocked the real world and the light from it cast new shadows throughout the shadow realm around him. Tanerus bolted away from the creatures that formed in each shadow. He could tell that they sensed him. They sensed the light in him. They hated his light. They hated him and they wanted him dead.Meanwhile, Drena was wrestling in midair with the assassin that had literally appeared on her back. She twisted this way and that, screaming for Navarr. The barbarian looked back, and growled in frustration. He did not want to leave the mage in front of him, but Drena was in trouble. The berserker flew toward his companion, but the two were fighting so close he could not get in but one good hit.Sensing that she was going to have to get out of this herself, Drena decided to unleash her spell that would allow her to hit well. It cost her a good opportunity, but she had to stay alive to be of any help. The spell guided her hands and she easily twisted out from beneath the assassin and sent her sailing towards the ground below.As one of his minions circled closer to protect him, the shade mage used the opportunity to summon a spectral hand, then turned to see who his next target would be. His thoughts were interrupted when the air around him and the other shadovar was ripped open in a vortex of holy energy. The mage shook his head, and turned to where the spell had come from, only to see Amador flying back behind some rubble.As Drena arced around to one side, the assassin beneath her pulled a curtain of shadow over her, hiding from the witch’s view. Drena looked this way and that, frowning when she couldn’t see the assassin anymore. Her displeasure was interrupted when a dark ball of fire erupted around her. She spun to see the grounded shade captain, his wand still out, looking for more targets.Tanerus never saw the assassin appear in the same realm as him. He was too busy fighting of the shadows. They seemed to be ripping at him, toying with him, tormenting him. He knew that light would not save him, light would only create more shadows. He had to find a place with no shadows. He had to get away from the shadows somehow. He screamed yet again. He never saw the small doorway that Delorian opened up in the shadowstuff.  He never saw Delorain step through it, taking to two quick steps to propel himself through the shadows in a flash to a location in front of the shade captain. He did catch a glimpse of Delorian. He saw him rip open the shadow realm and step back into the real world. He could escape the shadows, but only if he mastered them first.The shade captain fought off the monk as he appeared, but the monk was fast and was all over him. The captain had help still though, his shadow steed flew in behind Delorian and raked at the monk’s back, biting deep into him. Navarr had followed Drena, but saw that the shadow mage was about to act again. He was not going to let that happen. He flew at him again, again his short sword bounced off the hardened magical protections the shade mage had enveloped himself in.Drena saw the last bat rider angling toward Navarr. For a moment he and the captain would be lined up. She summoned the most powerful of her sonic explosions and screamed the spell at the two. It erupted, bleeding harmlessly of the resistances of the mage. His protector was not so lucky. The last bat rider disintegrated in the sound blast. He and his bat steed fell to the ground in a mangled hunk of bat and human flesh.The shade mage spun on the berserker as the spell failed to harm him. He cast his hands toward the hulking human and tried to call forth the human’s shadow just as he had done to the halfling. Nothing happened, the berserker’s will too strong to succumb to such enchantments.Amador surveyed the battlefield. The only thing he saw still standing was the shade mage that was fighting the barbarian and a pair of shades on the ground. The two shades were fighting, but they had arrived together. The elf was burnt, scraped, cut, and generally upset at the intrusion into Tethyamar so he unleashed on the two, not really seeming to care that one might be on his side. Blades streamed from his hands, slicing through the air, cutting deep through the two shades.Mytrym landed and looked at the fight between the two shades. He was not sure what to do about them. His decision was made for him when a sharp blade stuck in his back. He spun to see the assassin dancing back, her blade dripping with his blood. He growled out a prayer to Eilistraee and stepped up. Slicing downward with his bastard sword he cut through the shades thick flowing robes. The light of his blade seemed to banish the darkness she embodied. With a scream the assassin fell dead at his feet.Tanerus continued to fight to save himself and his sanity. The shadows would not let him be. They continued to harass and attack him. He knew for sure at any moment they would stop toying with him and destroy him. He had to find a way out. He just had to. He flew frantically about, hoping that one of the shades might open another doorway to the real world.Delorian slammed his fist into the shade captain’s nose. The captain’s head whipped back and blood sprayed down. But the monk knew he would return the favor and was not about to stick around to fight the captain and his trained war steed on open ground. He leapt up and away, landing yards away, crouched with his cloak whipping around him.Navarr continued to rain ineffective attacks on the mage. Though he was mostly unhurt, the mage was annoyed by the constant attacks, and knew his protections would eventually fail. Again his hands came up, and again the spell bled ineffectively off the berserkers intense willpower.Drena had seen the shades bouncing around the battlefield. She was not going to let them all get away. Knowing the mage would probably resist such attempts, she turned and cast an anchoring spell on the grounded captain. Mystic chains grew from the ground, wrapping around the captain’s legs. Mytrym spun from the dead assassin and flew up into the air. The shade mage was distracted. He never saw the paladin, nor his glowing blade. The blade sliced through the last of the mage’s protections, penetrated his heart, killing him instantly.The shade captain looked down at the glowing chains that connected him to this plane of reality. He leapt up onto his mount and pulled up into the air. It was time to flee the battlefield and report the loss to his master.Too bad Drena had other ideas. She focused her attention on the bat, its blood was obviously mixed with that of a fiend. She pulled open a small rift between planes beneath the bat and sent it back to its home realm. The dimensional anchor prevented the captain from going with his mount. Gravity took over from there. He plunged to the ground, landing for the second time atop rubble.The heroes all converged on the downed captain. As he stood up, Delorian could see that he had ripped off his bracer. A tattoo, much like the one that Delorian had only with a different symbol on it, was glowing on the captain’s arm. He had contacted Hadrhune! All would be lost if Hadrhune’s reinforcements arrived before he could conceal what happened. He fled behind a wall and ripped off his own bracer, activating the call to his master, Clariburnus. “Fight going well, but one of them has called in reinforcements.”The tattoo glowed, indicating the message had been sent. When there was no reply Delorian leapt back over the wall to join in the battle against the lone shade. He never made it into the fight.A small shadow hole opened up over the battlefield. Tanerus fell from it, the spell keeping him in shadow finally having run its course. The halfling fled into a small pile of rubble, disappearing into his cloak to hide.The heroes unleashed their abilities on the shade captain. Drena threw spells, Mytrym attacked, Delorian lashed out, but none of it was enough to take back the call the shade had already made.Ripples of darkness spread from the air above and behind the captain. A shade appeared that darkened the very sky with his presence. He carried a massive carved staff in his hand. He waved the staff toward the fight and bellowed out, “Cease!”Drena was suitable impressed with the appearance and decided staying around was not in her best interest. She cast a spell that created a small pocket dimension to hide in. She scampered up into it, grabbing the shade mage’s body as she disappeared. Navarr followed her.The shade laughed out loud and looked around. The captain called to his master, “Master Hadrhune, Delorian has betrayed us!” The new arrival narrowed his eyes and looked for the traitor. Amador saw his chance. The things were from another plane, so why not send them back. He held a hand out at the new arrival, “Back where you came from!” He flew back as the spell flew out towards the shade. It bled harmlessly off around the shade, causing a soft curse to come from the elf.The shade did not seem amused. He turned one hand toward Amador and spoke the ancient Netherese word for ‘Stun’. Amador’s muscles locked and he noise-dived into the rubble below.The air once again rippled with darkness as another shade stepped into view. Clariburnus had his long guisarme in his hands, his robes flowing back behind him. “Cease Chamberlain!”Hadrhune was not happy. “You are out of line, young prince. This is Empire business! Your father will not be happy.” “We can take that up with him. These people are none of our concern, recall your troops, or what is left of them.” Clariburnus looked over as Delorian appeared from within the shadows beside him. “This one is only following my orders.”“He raised his hand against the Empire,” bellowed the chamberlain. “He is banished from the realm!”Delorian gasped and fell to his knees. “No!”Clariburnus put one hand on the monk’s shoulder, “Easy lad. We will sort this out.” He turned back to Hadrhune. “Very well. Since you order it, it is done, for now. We will discuss this with my father. This was my concern, and my endeavor. You should have stayed out of it.”Hadrhune threw his head back and laughed. “You are out of your league. Your father will have your head for this.”Clariburnus growled, “We shall see. Return to the Empire. NOW!”Hadrhune bowed, “Yes, my Prince.” The sarcasm in the chamberlain’s voice was obvious, but Clariburnus ignored it. Hadrhune easily dispelled the chains binding the captain to this realm, grabbed up the man, and teleported away. Clariburnus turned toward Delorian, “This changes nothing. I will convince my father to lift the banishment, don’t worry. Continue your mission and I will be in touch soon.”Delorian nodded, still stunned from the events, “Yes, my Prince.” He swallowed looked off to the west. He could not see the city he had been born in, the city that floated above the desert sands. He knew it was there though, and he knew that he would very much like to return to his home one day. He also knew that the only way for that to happen would be for him to succeed in the quest Clariburnus had set out for him. Only then could he prove his worth to the Empire of Shadows.</blockquote>

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