Preview - A Day in the life of Darius Ralma

With a final stroke of the sword, Darius struck down the last creature. "These surprise attacks are getting more frequent.", he said as he replaced his sword and looked at the creatures lying at their feet.

Aria didn't look up from where she was searching the body of what looked like a cross between a human and a crocodile. "It's not just that, Darius, these things seem to be getting more intelligent the closer we get to the interior.", she glanced around, her blue eyes trying to pierce the darkness around them.

Had it been only two days since they had entered the maze of interlocking caverns and chambers that make up the Under-Realms? "We'd better keep moving, the noise and smell of blood will probably attract more of these things." She glanced back down at the man-beast creatures again, and shuddered as she remembered how close she had come to having her head taken off by one of them.

Two hours, and three skirmishes later, they were walking down a long narrow passageway continuing downward. Darius had continued to grow ever more irritable the further they got.

"Are you sure this is the way that the Old Man said to go?" he said grouchily.

"Tristan said that another record crystal should be found in the ruins under Jaldor's Bane."

"That Old Man probably couldn't find an Atlan Crystal if you threw it to him!"

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Aria turned to look at him, noting again his unkempt black hair and the strange silver eyes. "Why don't you like Tristan? He's never done anything to you."

Darius looked away for a moment, then said, "I just don't understand why we're risking our necks over some lunatic who thinks that whatever killed off the Atlans is coming back to take care of us too."

"How can you say that? You saw the first message, you know it's true!"

"I still think we should have stayed close to Feldon, in case there's another attack.", he grumbled.

Aria stopped again, a realization dawning. "You're still worried about your sister?" It wasn't a question.

Darius cursed himself for being so transparent. "I swore that I'd never let what happened eight years ago happen again." He shook his head to clear away the memories of the burning, rape and pillage of his village. Huddled in a corner of the basement with his sister, listening to the screams of the townspeople above. Remembering again emerging from the basement the next morning and finding the bodies of his parents and older brother, burned and twisted in death. "I swore...", he said again.

Suddenly, both of their heads shot up. For a moment they had forgotten where they were, and that could prove fatal. At the edges of the light from their flickering torches shadows moved, seeking an opening. They pair barely had time to free their weapons before the assault came.

The battle was over quickly -- too quickly. "They're testing us." Aria said grimly.

Darius didn't bother to answer as they continued their journey, trying to watch all directions as they went, wondering when the next attack would be, and if they would survive it...

Behind them, reptilian eyes dispassionately watched the Human Intruders cut down the last of the minions that had been sent after them. These two were strong, that much was certain. But in the depths of the Under-Realms, they were out of their element. Soon, the final confrontation will begin, and when that happened the Humans would surely fail. With a hissing laugh, the figure melted back into the shadows, leaving only blackness behind...