A Final Encounter

arly in the morning the Elder Lord KugelBlitz woke up and started to walk around through the sleeping Virtue Village. The birds were greeting a promising new day. He walked to the smithy to see how the sales are going as he heard a noise behind the building. Some footsteps in the grass were leading into the house of enlightenment, so he followed. He went to the house, opened the door and after his eyes got used to the dim light inside he saw a cloaked figure with a mask standing in front of the stone, chanting mantras in a language he couldn't understand. After a while the mantras stopped, and the figure turned around.
"Finally ... we meet each other" the old man with the mask said. "Aye", the Lord answered, " ... finally."
"It is written in ancient books that we shall not meet each other, the day never will meet the night. In darkness there is no place for light, and in the light, there is no dark."
KugelBlitz eyed the other man through the dusty air like he knew him for ages. "Be it accident or fate, here we stand now ... dark brother ... and this should not be."
Krys nodded. Somehow he pulled out a golden dagger out of his cloak, while the Lord folded his hands and stared at his fingers. Slowly Krys approached the tall knight with the long white hair. If KugelBlitz wanted to move - he couldn't. He knew that this couldn't be what was happening now, he felt like in a bad dream, but it wasn't.
Krys raised the golden dagger, and quickly hit it into the Lords belly, cutting his armor like it was leather. The blade instantly disappeared, leaving a severe wound and a green substance which ran through the Lords veins. He fell to his knees, and then the former Elder Lord fell to the ground ... whispering "I ... shall ... one day ...".<> Later, a gray shadow was seen slowly leaving the house of enlightenment, towards nowhere. The birds were still singing as if nothing had happened.

Scratching his long hair McBykar stepped through the grass. He shoved aside the cold rotting coals of the campfire, and watched the yellowish sign of the Tavern of the Eight Virtues swinging with a soft creak in the wind.

He pondered about the Virtues. What did they mean to him? Not so much anymore. Meaningless titles, useless rules and false pride were what he now associated with them. Only few had proved to carry the Virtues within their heart, truly and passionate, and for whatever reason these people seemed to fade away one by one. Where was his old friend? He hadn't seen him for a long time.

Somehow an odd feeling was creeping into his heart, and this feeling drew him irresistably to the small wooden hut in the village. McBykar approached the wooden door, into which the sign of an ankh was engraved. A musty scent seemed to diffuse through the loose boards of the door, and the smell became more intense as he opened it slowly. The dim glow of candelabras enlightened a strange scene: On the floor lay a pile of white bones. With horror McBykar recognized the helm, viking sword and shield of his friend KugelBlitz, reflecting faintly the yellowish flicker of the candles.

He was frozen with shock for a while, before he turned around and slowly walked away into the dark night. After a short walk he reached the coast. Far away in the distance he could see the faint lights of Vesper shimmering across the dark water. Memories from the past flickered through his brain. He remembered the time when he had fought side by side with KugelBlitz and the Lords of the Eight Virtues against the evil in this world. He had made his decision. A ship was what he needed!

06/99

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