Snippet #1641944

Ashi stood immobile. The heights of his mountain exile stretched Selina's broad tracts before him. Ripe for conquest Ashi could feel his victory. This was once his home, his land before the invaders arrived and took it from him. Now his desire for revenge had grown and brewed for centuries. There was no difference in his mind between the peaceful settlers who now inhabited that land and their ancestors. They would pay for what was taken. They would pay in blood. So many times he had tried before, every time they fought him over what was rightfully his. Yet he only grew in strength with every loss, his entire existence was to rule Selina once again. Now, over sixty years since his last incursion he was powerful enough to succeed and his foes had grown complacent in their peace. The land he could see burdened itself in shadow, great clouds of blackness blocked the sun's reach. The darkness pushed forward, unstoppable at his command. Protected, the beasts and creatures of shadow marched slowly into the heart of the kingdom.

Ashi feared nothing, not even the fabled prophecy that was quoted against him. It was fresh to the land compared to his considerable lifespan. He placed no power in words that young. He would snuff their prophecy out, show to the people of that land that they cannot stand before him. Reaching out his right hand, clad in a clawed gauntlet, he started intoning the monotone words of an ancient and powerful spell. Behind his full face helm the words were echoing and hollow yet still fraught with power. The ancient conjurer twisted his hand palm up curling his fingers into sharp talons, his voice continued to bring the spell forth. Blackness even darker then the shadow that encased the land began to swirl and gyrate above his hand. Growing and growing into a great sphere of rushing blackness. Ashi's voice halted and the sphere continued to drift. He snapped his fist closed and the final of the spell was released. Four shards of darkness ripped away from the whole and settled before him.

Ashi looked upon his creations with pride. Four beings of darkness at his command, each for one of the the princesses who supposedly would end him. They were some of the most powerful creatures he could create, able to take any solid form and duplicate it exactly. They were to take the forms of humans, and in so doing would take on the emotions, strengths and weakness of humans as to become the most able infiltrators. It seemed one of these four was more powerful then its brothers, its mass of shadow was larger. This meant little to the wizard, merely a curiosity. He began to command them "Hunt down the princesses, gain their trust and bring them to me. Alive and willing." With those simple words he sent the Shadow Minions on their mission. Still forms of shadow of darkness they swept away like clouds of smoke.