Time of Darkness

Arcan was.... almost nervous at this point.
To go on meant to move through that village, and with that many minions in tow, there wouldn't be much doubt about... what he was.
He shrugged, and kept going.

Nara continued to write then closed her diary and put it away.
"This is boring" She said.

"Open, the stupid door!" Arcan shouted at the gatemaster.
"No! Leave us alone!"
Arcan facepalmed.
"It I wanted to kill you, you'd already by dead!" He insisted. "Plus, I can just blow the door down! Open it!"
"No!" The gatemaster said again.
Arcan muttered something and pawed the ground.
"Such a bad career choice..." He sighed, then ended the gate's existence.

Nara walked over to the door and tried to open it, it was locked.
"How do I get out of this place...?"

The short trip through the village was largely uneventful, aside from the spitting, cursing, stone-throwing and general abuse.
Still, the villager Arcan had threatened to explode then and there gave him the information he needed.
It wasn't absurdly long to he got to the place f his adversary, but with this many minons, he supposed they already knew he was there.

Tale looked up and saw the counciller.
"Counciller, where is the next Artifact?" He asked.
"It is in Nathan, in the Cave of Terror" He replied.
"I see..."Tale Muttered darkly.

"Hello!?" Arcan called, closer to the place now. "It's not nice to not answer the door," He muttered.

A black robed figure appeared outside the door.
"We have been expecting you, Arcan" He said, opening the door.
"Come, we have much to talk about"

Arcan waved for his minions to wait there.
"Any chance of poisoning, or stabbing? Me?"

"That would not be honourable" He replied, walking though the door.
"I assume you are here for Naralda, or Nara as she calls herself" Tale asked, taking off his hood.

Arcan removed his own, revealing his over-detonated jaw and a smile, his large, sharp teeth showing.
He put a claw on his chest.
"Am I? I wasn't sure of her location..." He glanced at the sky.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot, shes in Nathan" He lied.
"Would you like to come in?"

Arcan dropped his smile.
"Really, now..." He raised an eyebrow at him. "Why have you tolerated my presence? You could have easily killed me."

"A excellent point, however... killing you would not be in my best interests" He said.
"Now, would you like to see some of my sons experiments while you are here?"

"But of course." Arcan said.
He didn't trust Tale- no, no. But the very nature of his being determined his response.

"Right, follow me" Tale said, and passed a door.
"Oh, don't enter that room, dangerous experiment..." He lied.
He whispered ' Nara ' under his breath, thinking Arcan didn't hear it.

"I see." Arcan said, brushing the door with his claw. He couldn't tell idf the tiny scroll made it to the other side, but still.
He turned back and moved after Tale, but glanced at the door again.

"Yes, here, very interesting one" He opened the door and walked in.
Inside was a giant creature made out of the bodies of Animals.
"Marvellous, right?"

Nara noticed something come through under the door.
"A scroll?" She picked it up and opened it.

Arcan nodded slowly, with interest.

What the scroll said was a bit scribbled, but showed the stylized 'M' insignia of the Mathica.
Then it said that there was a fair amount of undead outside.
Control was surrendered to her, if she wanted it.

"Arcan..." She muttered, then went up to the door.
"Hope this works, right, I demand you destroy this door!"

A sword rammed through the door.
It caught fire.

"Eh..." She said cautiously.
She waited for the door to burn to ashes.

The creature on the other side looked at her, sort of - that he had no eyes was not a bonus.
It held it's sword out to her.

She took the sword.
"Thanks" She said, "We better get Arcan out"

The undead bowed it's head.

Arcan glanced at Tale.
"So... what if your... 'dangerous experiment' was to... say, escape?"

"Eh... good point" Tale replied.
"No idea"