"This is it people! The final door! Beyond this, only Xarxigias remains! Rally behind me!" Shouted the hero, plated in golden armor and a blue, decorated cape to some 20 adventurers: hunters, fighters, shamans, mages and clerics… heroes that come to the aid when the realm is in danger. They were in great fatigue, fighting trough the undead and monsters under the great tyrant of the depts, that named himself Xarxigias.
This great evil, beyond the feet of the common folk had rallied up the most hideous creaturesone could imagine, and with the aid of some power liches that decided to help his evil cause, he raised the unfortunate who were buried to turn against their own kin after the grave. Whit this army, he had built a great castle right atop of the great mountain that rests on the middle of the kingdom, in order to garrison his followers that help him conquer the surface.
"I can't do this anymore! It's too much!" Shouted one of the rogues. "My blade became dull, our mages are out of mana, clerics and paladins had run out of light, our sole warrior had tossed his cracked helmet on the ground five rooms ago"
"If we stop here now, Xarxigias will regain its forces! We can't wait!" answered the golden hero
"We should hold here and call for reinforcements, the rogue can sneak out to call for aid" said one of the shamans, thinking about a compromise between fighting an unwinnable fight, and turning tales defeated…
"There is no time for that you fools" joined in a paladin. "Beyond that door, there is a great evil power brewing. There are at least five liches in that room, all about to power their master, if we let them finish, the realm is defeated for good"
"The paladin is right!" followed up a cleric. "There are liches in that room"
"Shoot! Then we have to give our best!" looked concerned the golden hero, then he straightened up, and mustered all his remaining courage. "Heroes! We fought our way in we dealt with the worst creatures our gods had created. We defeated so many enemies! We sure deserve a good rest, but you all heard the agents of the light. If we le Xarxigias be powered by power liches, the realm we know will have no chance of survival!"
"I think we have other problems before that, I'm afraid!" shouted one of the hunters "HYDRA BEHIND US!"
"Mages, hunters! Behind the paladins! Warrior! Try to subdue it! Clerics and Paladins, focus on healing the warrior! Those who deal damage, aim for the heath, don't touch the head! We don't want this thing growing 5 more of them!"
And with that, the fight begun. A hunter, disobeying the commands of the golden hero , shot out the eyes of the beast, rendering it blind, and enraging it, making the warriors task harder by a factor of a four ton giant lizard wailing its head on the enormous neck left and right. But the blindness helped the rogues do their thing. They cut up the hydra's the hydra's legs, having no better target for the time being, thus slowing down the great beast. It started to scream in agony, like any living being that had been created by the gods, who is under pain.
The warrior finally managed to get a hold on the Hydra's neck and pushed it to the ground. But a hydra is a great beast, boasting immense strength. Mustering its power, it lashed its head, flinging the warrior onto a wall of the dark castle. Victorious over the warrior, the hydra raised its head, and let out a deafening scream.
Then a spark. Then a flash. Then a cracking explosion. And the hydra laid down on the floors, its head turning into a grotesque mess of flesh.
"Who was that?!" Yelled the golden hero "I told you not to hit the head!"
"You were all in my way, I had no other target…" Said calmly a figure, standing in the door of the previous room. "Sorry for catching up this late, I overslept…"
"You did what?! Who are you anyway?!"
"The names Io, and would you guys kindly step out the way so I can zap this worm before it bites of the head of that cleric?" Said the figure as the hydra, who previously laid on the floor, head missing by the blast of the mage, had risen up with two new heads in perfect conditions.
The team of adventurers realizing the danger they're in quickly dashed away from the risen beast. Io, noticing the opportunity of the newly created free path, raised her hand, pointing at the hydra, and let out an enormous thunder. Struck by it, the hydra once again, plunged on the floor, rattled a bit by the shock it received, and finally passed away.
The adventurers were amazed. Some of them lost hope when the hunter spotted the mythical beast, the same beast that right now was nothing more than a lifeless lizard laying on the cold pavements of the dark castle. The golden hero, amazed, and confused, turned to the figure that so casually took out a mythical beast.
"Who are you?" He asked confused
"I said already, my name is Io, why do you ask again"
"That Io? Arch mage Io? The harbinger of elements? Savior of Kdach?"
"Yep"
"We're saved!" Yelled out one of the mages!
"Yeah, yeah, save the flattery for later, we got a tyrant do deal with"
"Yes, of course. We're just… three minutes ago most of us were thinking about out last prayers… But now… now we have a chance…" said the golden hero as hope had shown up on his face
"Maybe we do, but I need all of your help. After all, there isn't anything more powerful, than friendship. Come let us gather in a circle and hold each other's hand to say a prayer!"
And so they did. The adventurers gathered around Io, who raised his hand in the middle of the circle, so everyone can reach it.
Io began her prayer. "Oh merciful gods and stuff… uhm… help us… Hip! Hip! Hurray!" and whit that she thrown her had in the air. The adventurers looked confused… "Is that supposed to be a" tried to ask one of the clerics when suddenly, Io snapped her fingers, and with that, the 20 or some tired adventurers disappeared from the room.
"Well, I hope they find their way home…" Thought Io. "Now, about that tyrant." She looked at the closed door beyond the lifeless corpse of the hydra. She slowly made her way in, and opened it.
Beyond the door, Io was met by a large throne room. On the throne, an enormous human looking shape sat, surrounded by 5 dark purple orbs circling around it.
"You must be Xarxigias" greeted Io her enemy.
"Aye, I am, though I don't know your name, mage. Present yourself!"
"The name's Io. The pleasure its mine."
"Of course, of course. Welcome, mage Io, to my humble throne room. I must say, I underestimated your kind. I had ordered all my beasts and monsters to guard my castle while my liches empower me. Yet your kind killed almost all of them. It's a great loss, it is. But they served their purpose. I'm sure many of you fell, since you're facing me alone, courageous I have to say. But you have no chance. I had been subdued to their curse. I became something a mere human cannot defeat"
"Yeah… I can see that…"
"Turn back now mage, and spread my word. Xarxigias will grant a painless passing to all that does not wish to suffer. Just lay down your weapons and accept your fate"
"Uh, yeah, not going to do that, sorry."
"There is no need to be sorry about anything. I am the great tyrant, and you are the hero whose task is to defeat the great tyrant. One shall not feel remorse for not trying to carry out its duty."
Xarxigias stood up from his throne. His great black sword and armor began to emit a dark force as the orbs around him began to circle him faster and faster.
"Come mage. Let us battle to death, and fulfill our sacred duties!"