Heia's Story

The vast room was always one of Heia's favorite places to go. He was three levels underground in one of the private training facilities of the Giha Tower. He spent much of his little free time training. He flipped on a switch which turned on the many large screens that made up the walls of the room. At first they were just plain white screens but as Heia entered and took off a high-tech vest from the coat rack and put it on his person the screens came alive. Charts and graphs littered the scene, displaying vital signs and other physical information about the vest-wearer.

Heia was at the middle of the room when a loud automated, robotic voice called out. "Welcome to the computer facilitated hologram training center. Scanning vitals... Heia, welcome back."

"Thanks Janace," said the man as he tied back his golden locks. He was wearing loose sweat pants and a tight muscle shirt. His hands were delicately wrapped with athletic tape, and his feet were bare against the padded floor. “Janace, can you run simulation 47 for me?” Suddenly the room began to change; hologram scenery came up from the floor, what was once a large empty room was now a barren desert.
“Initiating battle protocol” said the abrupt female voice. Heia was now swiftly moving around, doing jumping jacks, running in place, getting his blood pumping. A countdown appeared on one of the screens. 3.2.1. When the timer hit “0” large figures appeared further in the room. They looked like humans from afar, but once up close their distinct features were noticeable. They had grey skin and red eyes. Their hair was black or a muddy brown. They had the same body parts as a human, but in a weird way were different. There weren’t many differences between a Castradellian and a Rizgarian, usually one would have to refer to their eye color or skin. Castradellians always had colored eyes, while the others had red.

Heia, unaffected by the sudden change was now in a fighting stance, one leg was in front of the other, and his fists were swaying above his chest, his feet digging into the fake sand. He let out a large yell as he leaped several feet into the air. He could feel the air rush past him. He fixated his eyes on one of the practice dummies and clapped his hands together.

SLAM! Two giant rocks arose from either side of the dummy and crushed it together like two hands clapping. Heia then landed on the ground, he spun as he heard a faint buzz from behind. A yellow streak of light flew towards him and just as it was about to hit Heia moved his arm to shield his face, and as he did sand formed a small shield, and when struck by the lightning turned to glass. Air Heia thought, he was now rolling on his side quickly like a ball, and when he landed back on his feet he yelled “Air blast.”

A blast of air came from his arm, smashing the glass shield into tiny pieces, which were then carried into one of the dummies, ripping through its fabricated flesh. There were still many more dummies left, and they were all now hurling attacks at him. The sand began to rise as Heia manipulated his surroundings to form a protective bubble around him, the sand combined tightly together, blocking and resisting against the onslaught of enemy attacks. Just as Heia was about to execute a counter the lights went dim, the sand disappeared, and the attacks dissipated. Heia was slightly confused but then heard a familiar voice coming from the door.

“Sir, you wanted me to alert you when we finished putting up the posters.” A tall dark skinned fellow started to walk towards Heia. This man was dressed in a dark blue long sleeve shirt, ankle length tan slacks and dirty combat boots. His face was quite charming, his smile showed love and compassion, but his eyes were stern and forceful. When he met with Heia they gave each other a hug and then quickly parted.

“Excellent Commander Grady, I knew I could count on you.” Heia showed excitement in his face and put his arm around his friend’s shoulder. They began to joke and talk as they exited the room. They had much to plan for.

The feed from camera in the waiting room was displayed far away on another floor. Two women were sitting down, talking to each other. One was an elf, with long silver hair, the other, a young human girl with short curly hair. Heia watched the screen as he pondered if he was on the correct channel. He was watching the feed from the waiting room, of which served as his interview room, an interview for his prime fighters of the nation. He needed the strongest and best warriors and minds on his personal side, they would fight beside him, some of the strongest enemies in the world. He needed to make sure he picked the right people, he didn't want to put people in danger if he could avoid it.

He looked around and at the time. I should wait a bit before going down, maybe more people will show up. Heia was eager to get this started but he knew that more would show up, and thus he should wait. He reclined back in his chair reviewing his plan to test these brave individuals.

Heia looked up from his book to the screen and saw what was happening. There were two men, one dressed in a formal suit and a blindfold, and the other in a long brown coat. Then, one of them men abruptly flew to the ceiling, creating an explosion of tentacles, while the other pulled out a large staff. Heia, after seeing what was just about to happen closed his eyes and imagined being in the waiting room on the twelfth floor. Without warning the King disappeared into the air and then just as quickly, reappeared in the corner of the waiting room. Heia saw that these two men were in the midst of beginning a battle and the rest of the people, which included the elf, Alex, and the small girl stood off to the side.

"That is enough." Heia yelled as well as telepathically said into everyone's mind. As he did his hand slapped against the wall, hitting a small unnoticeable green button. This button, once pressed caused their to be a strange light emitted from the walls leaving the room to shine a faint blue color. "Do not be alarmed, it's just a magick blocker. Some of you may have been contained in one before." Heia looked over to the man with the staff, "please put away your weapon, if you want to fight there are dedicated rooms for that on the sub-levels." By this time the magick blocking room was at full energy and would now cease all future magick from being used in the room, thus having the man on the ceiling fall.

"Amazing what magic technology can do, huh?" Heia was looking around the room, the faces of each individual was quite different from the next. It was not the kind of entrance Heia wanted to make, but he did not want these fools going around and destroying the room and hurting each other before they had a chance to show their strength in a true test.

"Now since that has ended shall we get started?" the King was now walking towards the front of the room and when he arrived he turned to face the crowd. "Please do take a seat."

Lucius was about to have his illusion take flight when it dissipated into the air, and he stepped out once again from where he had been hiding. Magitech that could nullify magic? He wondered if it could be calibrated to stop all but one person's magic... Thankfully, his true sight hadn't been affected, but this only raised more questions for him. Were his eyes beyond the magical spectrum? Or did they simply not even classify as "magic"? He put these thought aside for later thought when the king spoke again. "Now since that has ended shall we get started? Please do take a seat." Lucius amicably nodded, and went over to his seat, politely and patiently waiting.

Samson fell as his form was forced back to its original state. He landed less elegantly than he wished but his pride was not hurt. After the explanation Samson still tried to change to no avail.

He walked over and had a sear. Apparently there were many things he still did not no about.

As Samson flew up into the air and the blind man drew his weapon Alex formed a fist, ready to break up the fight. However the fight ended before it even began. The room filled with blue light and the air suddenly became cold, and in the back a voice arose. Alex could feel the blocking of his magick, it felt like a small headache. A headache that ceased the rocks from forming around Alex's fist, a headache that dispelled all magick. It was a strange technology indeed.

"Amazing what magic technology can do, huh?" The voice of the King filled the room, causing Alex to turn away from the two heated men. Heia was no stranger to MagiBlock, in fact Alex recalled his first time meeting Heia. It was several years ago, Heia was just a teenager of eighteen. He had come to Castradell to change, to return to the way he was born, to rid himself of the Rizgarian magic his body then held. It was no accident that Heia had turned on the MagiBlock just now. No, Alex had a strange feeling it was some sort of tool, to help those who are old enough to remember what Heia had to go through when he first came to Castradell.

"Please do take a seat." Heia insisted.

Alex looked to make sure everything was ok, and it was. He watched the blind man sit, and thus Alex sat down as well. This was his king anyways, giving an order.

Irada was taken a-back as Alex stepped in front of her, taking a defensive stance before the burly man with the uncontrollable tongue.
As if I could not handle one such as he! Hmph.

But Irada sat down, allowing Alex to confront the man. As she sat down in her chair though, she could sense Alex's magicka spike up in activity and noticed his nod towards Jill. He must have done or said something to calm the frail girl because she went from looking frightened and frantic to peaceful and serene. Irada gave a slight grin at this.
Someone of such pure intentions...definitely noble and worthy of being trusted.

But as charming, bold and kind as Alex was, the man-Samson, was not so easily won over. He looked as if his temper was beginning to rise as another appeared in the room.
A tall and thin man with a blindfold on appeared, immediately challenging Samson. As the smaller man bowed before Samson, Samson began to shape-shift, jumping to the ceiling and lashing tentacles out in every direction. But no sooner than he attacked did another man appear.
This one, being handsome and strong, brave and full of light, telepathically shouted, shutting everyone up. He then threw his palm against the wall next to him and within a split second, Irada could feel her connection to the Mother and darkness wisped away and soon enough she felt cold and alone.
She wanted to stand, to protest, but the golden man demanded everyone to be seated. She complied, watching and analyzing the man until she realized who he was.

That...that is our King...

Immediately upon recognizing the man for who he was, Irada dropped down from her seat onto one knee, her hands held together on top of the other and her head resting on her hands.

"Irish'va, your Highness. We meant not for any disruptions. Thank you for gracing us with your presence."

"Irish'va, your Highness. We meant not for any disruptions. Thank you for gracing us with your presence."

Heia look upon the elf as she bowed out of respect. "Thank you my friend. Your kind has always been known for their great respect and kindness. You may be seated." Heia then watched as the people took to their seats. He glanced around the room, looking into each person's eyes. He started with the young girl. She seemed nervous, but yet determined to show something. Next was the elf. A calm aura seemed to flow from her, she was tough, Heia could tell. Alex, Heia's friend sat next to her. He was bold looking, stern, yet lovable. Heia was not surprised to find him here. Off to the side was the man named Samson, Heia looked at him. This man looked like a predator, Heia could tell he had the energy of an animal, the ferocity of a beast. Lastly the blinded man. Heia knew, just by looking at him that he was not fully "blind". Something enabled him to see differently, but not magic. After making these quick judgments Heia stood in front of the group.

"It is getting rather cold in here, is it not?" Heia said as if he knew exactly how everyone was feeling. Then he placed his hand on the wall again and the blue light began to fade, signifying that the technology has been deactivated. "I hope, now that we are more tranquil, we can begin." The heat was returning to Heia's body, he could feel the warmth of his magick once again flowing through his body. Heia then walked behind a desk that was in the room and placed his hand on a metallic pad. Suddenly the wall behind him came alive. What was once a light blue wall became a spectacle of changing colors, and then it became apparent that it was a large computer screen.

"As you may know, you are here for a specific job. I am putting together a strike-force team that will plunge into battle with some of the deadliest creatures and enemies. Our mission: Find a way to defeat Armageddon." The screen flashed and a picture appeared. The picture showcased a large figure dressed in devilish armor. "This is Armageddon, King of Rizgar. As some of you may know he has immense power, and is practically immortal. No amount of magic, weapons, and parlor tricks can kill him. Trust me I tried." The king's voice became soft and slow over those last words. Heia continued. "I along with others on my council believe that there is a way to defeat him, but it is a long shot and there are many things that will need to be done before we even get a chance."

Heia paused, realizing that he just gave a lot of information that may be overwhelming. "Any questions?"

Lucius took this opportunity to raise his hand.
"Two, actually. One, how can you be so absolutely sure of his invincibility in battle? And two, what's this mission? I like a bit of knowledge about my commander's wishes before I reach an agreement with them."
Lucius actually had all the knowledge he needed on the Rizgarian king, the man had hired him for previous missions, and had even given him the gift of a one-on-one fight against him, which Lucius had lost rather quickly, but not before leaving a scar across the king's chest, to which he was granted a five-day head start and twice what he had been commissioned. He was a good man, insane, no doubt, but Lucius' favorite type of man: the kind that paid his debts. He was only doing this for the sake of his appearing like he knew nothing. After all, if word got out that he played for both teams, his head would be on a pike before the day's end. No... For now, he'd let everyone think him just a man with a large rod. And a metal staff.

"Two, actually. One, how can you be so absolutely sure of his invincibility in battle? And two, what's this mission? I like a bit of knowledge about my commander's wishes before I reach an agreement with them."

Heia stopped dead in his tracks. Does he not know? Heia thought. Perhaps not all the people in Castradell were as up to date as he thought.

"I assume you are a little behind in history sir." Heia looked around the room and took a deep sigh. The king hated this part, he hated having to bring up the dark past.

"I lived with him, worked for him, and was taught by him. When I was a child he had me kidnapped, altered, and then raised under his wing." Heia's eyes became sharper and more focused, he recalled the memories of those days. He had no choice, he was altered. Altered was a term used to describe individuals who had their magic transformed from one form to another. It was a difficult and painful process, a process that only few people knew how to complete.

"I spent ten years training under him, he raised me to become the deadliest warrior in any of the two nations. When I was but a teen I terrorized our very own Castradell. I have first hand experience with Armageddon, and believe me, there is a reason why he has been around for the last three hundred years. If you bring your mind back twelve years, the death of the old king Suprah Jovia, then you might recall the battle that led to that death. It was Jovia, myself and one other there battling against Armageddon and all we could accomplish was banishing his magick for short time." Heia purposely left out the name of the other person there. He did not want anyone to know it was Heia's brother, Zera.

"If you really want to know, Armageddon is a demon lord. For those of you that don't know a demon lord is the equivalent of our Castradellian gods. I hope that makes it obvious enough to you of how immortal he CAN be." Heia stressed the word "Can" he knew that there was a way.

"As for the mission, there will be a series of tasks that we will need to accomplish. The main goal is to defeat Armageddon once and for all."

Samson didn't care much for the history lesson, but the thought of battling with unknown monsters and in the end a demon. His instincts were getting riled up again.

Samson's attention snapped back to the one with the label of king.
'Tasks,' he had said. To Samson that meant opportunities to do battle.

"When do we begin?" Samson asked out loud as he eyed the King with eagerness in his feral eyes.

"Samson, calm." Lucius spoke, not trying to use a spell so much as settle him down. He turned back to Heia.
"I believe the better question is WHERE do we begin? You've given us information about who and what he is, but you haven't even begun to explain what we will be doing past trying to kill him. If only so we can segment our job down into pieces, may we know what the process of this particular regicide involves?"

Heia listened as the two impatient men spoke.

"WHERE do we begin?"

"If you would just honor me with a couple more minutes of your precious time then thou shall understand. Since Armageddon is a demon lord, we must slay his demons in order to weaken him. I believe there are six of these such demons spread across Rizgar and the wild lands of Morguul. Each one weilding an ancient talisman. It is these talismans that we are after. Collecting and combing their power will allow us to disrupt the Rizgar king's connection to his immortal self, thus giving us an opportunity to defeat him in battle and bring about safety in the land."

"We do not know where every demon is and how to reach them but we do have a start with one." Heia stopped hoping this information would suffice to these men. It was important that he did not give all the information to these people because not all of them might be accepted, and this mission was critical in secrecy.

"But before we begin any demon chasing we have to establish a team, which you all are applying for. So let us get started. I would like you all to follow me, if of course there are no more questions?" The king looked around the room giving anyone a chance for some last questions about the job.


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Alex Grady:

Alex had a difficult time taking in all this information. How could Heia be so serious about going after Armageddon? However there was hope. If Armageddon could really be killed, well, that would change everything. Armageddon was as evil as can be. He has raised an army that easily outnumbers that of Castradell, the only down side was that most of the ordinary soldiers in Rizgar were mere orcs, whom had little advanced training in magick. Castradell had far fewer soldiers but the soldiers they did have were a lot more powerful when it came to magick. But these demons? Alex never fought a demon before, he had only heard rumors. Dark beasts and humanoids conjured from the darkest ancient magick, spawn from hell itself. Alex heard once of the Old King battling a demon when Armageddon returned from rest. The reports were horrifying.

Not only were demons extremely powerful, but they were also protected by numbers of Rizgarians, and not just the normal orcs and goblins, but they were protected by some of the strongest soldiers under Armageddon's command. Alex knew this was going to be tough.

Find the demons, slay them, take their talisman, do some weird magick stuff. Kill Armageddon. Alex repeated the process over and over. It seemed simple in words but he was very aware of the difficulties that would lay ahead, even with their King by their side.

"No questions from me Your Grace."

Lucius furrowed his brow in thought, letting his mind go back to his own time in Rizgar. If this demon was who Lucius thought he was, tracking down the rest would be quite simple for him. He slipped his hand into his pocket, smiling as he let his fingers glide over the small artifact inside. Of course it would be easy for him to find them... After all, his payment had been one of these talismans. Still, best to let his own plans lay quiet for now. The chess player should never let his moves be seen before he plays them.
"Nor from I, lord."

Jill shook her head. The boy with the blindfold had already asked the question she had. She didn't know if she could even picture herself fighting Armaeddon's forces, slaying them with powerful magic. It seemed as if the king was asking so much of them, Jill was overwhelmed. However, Jill had a gut feeling that the other people in the room were capable of taking down such a violent source of evil. They each had their own skills, their own powers. There was a light in the pit of darkness, a light that could not be slayed. That light was hope.

This was it, this was the time Jill had been waiting for. She shifted her eyes towards Samson and Irada, knowing that after their responses, it was time for Jill to fight in the biggest battle of her life; the king's approval.

"Well then, if there are none follow me." Heia lead the group out the door and past the guards. He walked down the long hall which was decorated with portraits of respected individuals such as the King's council and all past leaders. They finally arrived at the elevator and Heia pressed the button with an arrow pointing down on it. A few moments later the doors opened, revealing a large elevator room.

"Are you ready?" He asked as he looked about the people he was leading. He then pressed another button: "S-4" The elevator speed down to the selected underground floor and suddenly came to a halt. A bell rang and the doors opened. Heia smiled as they walked out into a small hallway and took a few steps forward down the hall and reached the only door.

The large steel door was locked by a retinal scanner, of which Heia placed his eyes on and then the door slid open, thus revealing a giant empty training facility. Heia lead the crew into the room and turned to face them.

"Now what is all your names?"

"Darius Zagar, at your service." Lucius spoke with an exaggerated bow, letting the name he always used slip off his tongue as if it had always been his. Names have power, and he NEVER let anyone know how much of him was real and what was fake. Only the very king they were going to kill had ever earned the right to his real name. He had seen Heia in action, more than once, actually, but he still wasn't going to give the man any ammo.[code][/code]

Alex looked around the group. "For those of you who don't know me I am Alex Grady." Alex looked about the strange faces eager to meet and get to know the others in the group. He somewhat already knew Irada and Jill, and of course Heia, but the other two men, Darius and Samson seemed strange.

"Welcome and thank you Darius." said Heia in a polite manner. As Alex introduced himself he watched as the other reacted, and waited for their turn to introduce themselves. Heia could not wait to see what this group was capable of, would they amaze him, or would they be a disappointment?

Jill swallowed hard. She didn't feel like saying her name, but she knew she would have to say it anyway. She desperately wanted to be the last one to speak, but seeing that nobody was responding to Heia, she decided to kill the silence.
"Jill....Jill Chrysanthema your highness," she said, giving a small curtsey. "You may have known my father.....General Chrysanthema. He was a Castradell soldier himself..."