Shortly after our story began, a small group of heroes first got together to rescue Rachel, a White Wizard that was kidnapped because of a specific aura that she emitted called the essence of divinity. That is why Richard, Legend, and Meg (the talking pigeon) went to a town in the desert called Salvation. There, they met Nimrod, a scoundrel who only seemed to care about money but ended up becoming an ally (or more like a Rachel supporter). Our heroes faced a powerful Dark wizard called Merlin. His goal was to bring Adramellech of destruction from the Dark Dimension to the Arkana. When he was about to kill our heroes, he was interrupted by a woman's voice, who turned out to be Demona... another high-ranking Cabal member.
Once that first ordeal was over, it was decided that they needed to find the arsenal of light to protect the world from the evil attempting to destroy it.
So far, the heroes have heard of the Sword of Light, which is in Legend's possession; Titan, Kohrr's shape-shifting weapon; and the Staff of Zoe, one called Life Bringer, according to Meg. The staff was supposedly located in Doom Temple, on Doom Mountain. And Rachel, Richard, Nimrod, and Kohrr were already at the foot of the mountain, ready to climb into the unknown.
Meg: Guys, I'll head back to Dalmacia to check on Legend. He was drafted to defend the capital from foreign invaders. I'm not entirely sure, but we may have to deal with that before the Adramellech problem.
Richard: It is hard to believe that anyone would dare defy a Kingdom as mighty and renowned as Dalmacia... Please give our best to Legend, Meg. I look forward to witnessing the skills he acquired during his training!
Meg: I'll be sure to relay the message.
Meg flew to Rachel's shoulder to tell her a few things privately.
Meg: Rachel. Getting to the top of the Mountain will be challenging, but the others will help you. On the top, only you can enter the temple. You will likely be tested, so you must be prepared for that. When the guardian of the staff appears, no matter what he asks you, tell the truth. Don't forget that.
Rachel: Alright, Meg. You can count on me!
Nimrod couldn't hear what they were saying, but since he was so curious, he walked up to Rachel, hoping to learn what was so important that the pigeon had to say for her ears alone.
Nimrod: So… what did he tell you?
Rachel: He was just giving me a few pointers... that's all.
As Meg was flying away, the party began the climb. It was a very steep path to the top.
A few minutes on the path to the top, several Imps started showing up on their way. Richard quickly took the initiative and made short work of them. They kept showing up in more significant numbers. Richard could handle them easily. But due to the abundance of them, Nimrod also started helping out. Nimrod was a pretty good fighter. Because of his flight ability (given to him thanks to his cloak), he could attack otherwise unreachable targets. The bonus was that he was much stronger than an average human and highly durable.
A few more Imps started showing up. But these were Time Imps (they could use Time magic). Richard didn't understand why he couldn't manage to hit them, but Rachel realized they had enhanced themselves with Haste (** a spell that gave the target double movement and reaction speed**)
Rachel had a way to counter that. Dispel (** White magic that canceled positive effects or buffs from a target**). There was one problem, though. Since they were so fast and agile, getting a lock on them was difficult. Richard didn't manage to hit any of the four Time Imps. Nimrod wasn't having any luck, either. These agile creatures easily evaded every attack either of them launched.
The Time Imps then started casting Slow on the party. One of the spells successfully hit Richard, leaving him afflicted with the effects of slowed reaction time and movement.
These nimble Time Imps were about to close in on Richard to attack him. They were all wielding weird-looking swords, and two of them were almost ready to slash Richard in the neck. Kohrr stepped in and grabbed both of them by the face. They struggled to free themselves, but Kohrr slammed their heads into the ground with earth-shattering force. They were both dead after that. Kohrr then put both hands on the ground, and while the remaining Time Imps kept casting their spell on him, he got hit several times, but Slow didn't seem to affect him. While the monsters kept on trying to slow him down, he shouted:
Kohrr: Magnitude 5!
The ground around the area started shaking, but it was worse where the Imps were standing. They ended up falling through the cracks in the ground and disappearing beneath the mountain ground.
Nimrod: So... the guy knows how to make himself useful. Neat.
Rachel used her magic to reverse the effect of Slow on Richard.
Richard: Thank you, Rachel. And you too, Kohrr. These monsters are not like the ones we have faced before... They even use magic...
Rachel: I've had an odd feeling ever since we started moving forward at the foot of the Mountain...
Richard: What is it?
Rachel: I'm not sure what it is... But it feels like a presence... The more we advance, the stronger it gets. I... I have never felt anything like it...
Nimrod: We've got your back, Rachel! Don't worry!
Rachel: Thanks, guys! I feel safe with all of you with me, but I just wish I knew what this odd presence was...
Richard: Fear not, sister. We shall uncover the truth of that during our journey, no doubt.
As they were encouraging Rachel and each other, suddenly, they were spooked by an echoing voice…
"ADVANCE NO FURTHER!" - a stern and echoing voice said.
Nimrod: What the... That scared the crap outta me! Look! Actually… don't look. You guys don't want to see this… heh, heh, heh.
Rachel: Nimrod, that's disgusting...
Nimrod: What? I warned you not to look!
Richard: Who spoke those words? Show yourself!
There was no other response.
Rachel: I bet that voice came from the presence I've been feeling ever since we set foot on this mountain!
Nimrod: I'm not gonna lie... That's pretty messed up. But we've still got your back, Rachel.
The party decided to ignore the voice of warning and continued to press forward.
Moving onward, they encountered a group of what looked like Black mages... With a rather ghastly appearance.
Richard: Everyone! On your guard! I have seen the likes of them before! They can use several Black magic spells...
Rachel: I'll use Shell (**defensive magic that significantly weakened the impact and damage of magic attacks**) just in case...
Rachel cast Shell on everyone in anticipation of the Phantom Mages' attacks. It was a smart move. They started attacking using area-of-effect magic (which refers to spells that hit multiple targets at once). First, it was with lightning bolts, which were impossible to dodge. Shell came in handy because that could have been the end of our heroes. Instead, they got a severe jolt of electricity over a few seconds. Thanks to Shell's protection, they could shake it off.
One of the Phantoms was preparing a big Ice elemental attack. Nimrod quickly put himself in front of the party and shielded them all with his cloak (which was able to block elemental magic). Once the third Phantom was ready to cast Fireball, Richard used his sword tech Projectile to interrupt its channeling. The thrown sword pierced through the Phantom mage, leaving it nailed to a tree trunk. Kohrr went in and punched all of them really hard, thus ending their threat. Richard and Nimrod were speechless as they witnessed his brutal strength.
Nimrod: Hey, remind me never to piss you off... - he said to Kohrr
Richard: Certainly… it is good that he is on our side.
Kohrr revealed a moderate smile while they all continued walking up the mountain.
"ADVANCE NO FURTHER!"
When the voice spoke again, Nimrod went to stand behind Kohrr. And Rachel was looking at him.
Nimrod: What? He's strong...
Kohrr: I am strong.
Nimrod: That you are, budd...
The party continued advancing despite the dreadful voice of warning. There were many other monsters on the way up. Most of them were able to use some magic. The heroes were short of being exhausted. At the very top of the Mountain, they could finally see the Temple. But before Rachel could advance, a wave of fire was headed straight for them. Nimrod again put himself before the others, expecting his cloak to block the flames.
Nimrod: Get behind me! – He yelled as his cloak covered him and the others. But the cloak didn't block this fire, and Nimrod got severely burnt. This particular fire wasn't like the one the Phantom mages used.
Rachel: Refreshing breeze from the heavens... Come forth with the power to soothe pain and repair burnt skin!
CURE!!
The Cure spell alleviated Nimrod's injuries. He felt almost as good as new, save for minor burn marks.
Nimrod: Thanks, Rachel!
Richard: I thought your cloak was magic proof...
Nimrod: You and me both... O-oh...
As Nimrod and the others saw what was responsible for that wave of fire, they heard that warning one more time:
"FOR THE LAST TIME... ADVANCE NO FURTHER, OR BE DESTROYED"
A terrifyingly loud and resounding roar was heard, frightening the entire party. None of them was expecting to find a creature like that on the mountain, and as they saw it, they wondered if it meant the end of the line for them and their quest.
A Fire Drake was waving its wings and breathing steam directly above them.