The Castle (Rebma, for the heck of it, but don't hesitate!)

[Gareeku]

Unable to turn away from the statue's gaze, Gareeku could feel his heart beat faster, before he jumped at the flash of lightning and thunder, looking out the window for a few moments, before turning back to the statue.
Come on Gareeku! Pull yourself together! he though to himself with self anger as he turned back, his hand  now on the hilt of his katana.

Looking at the statue's eyes, he could see that the orbs of darkness were fading away. Hearing the voice again, the wolf narrowed his eyes and, pushing his fear aside, made his way towards the altar and looking behind it.

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog felt time slow down for a moment. He grimaced, watching the Reaper fly at him and Jeremiah, and despite himself, felt the rush of excitement. It had been a long while since he'd had the chance to match blades with anyone, and it had been long since anyone had possessed the skill to match him. This creature looked promising. The dust scattered about his feet suddenly blew away from him, as if blown by a indoor wind, and as the shape descended farther towards him, Cog flicked his thumb against the guard on his sword. Many things happened in that moment. He heard Jeremiah scuttle back and scream, right after the sound of metal rang out from his sword. The sound of scraping metal was suddenly heard as Cog drew his sword, the inside of the scabbard slightly touching the metal.
   It took Cog less than an instant, less than a second to fully draw the sword, light pouring from out the scabbard. The blade was iridescent, blindingly bright, and in that same second that he drew he aimed the sword. From out the scabbard, the blade lept forward in a seemingly horizontal strike. At the last moment, right before the tip exited the sheath, Cog angled the sword and the sheath together to invert the blade. Instead of slashing across the creature, it slashed upwards, coming under the guard and through the Reaper's body, whatever that was made of. As he did so, he moved forward, almost running, doing so in half-steps.
   This all happened in an eyeblink. The shade screamed, a ribbon of light traveling up its torso, an unearthly sound. Cog turned and held his sword out in front of him, getting something between him and that shadow. First blood was his, but he doubted that the creature would be so easily defeated. It  had been a solid shot, but again, this place was old. It was likely that many clerics and paladins, genuine warriors of light, had fallen in this darkness. The werewolf snarled and raised his sword to a high guard.
   In the corner of his mind, he heard someone calling out for help, but it almost seemed at a distance. Cog shut it out and focused on the reaper. He could only save someone if he could save himself first.

[Stygian]

Then the werewolf realized... something was wrong. That mask had looked very solid up close. And he had not heard a clatter. A short, sickling sound was all he heard to confirm his mistake, before he had to dodge the creature's scythe, as it cut the air with vicious speed. The creature came at him again, its previously cleft shape now mended. Nonexistent lips parted and offered up a distant, echoing, wailing sound, almost like laughter... And from behind, through the wall, another shape, very nearly similar but this one with claws like knives instead of a scythe, began to emerge, fixing its unreal eyes on Jeremiah...

The behind of the altar was inlaid with an inscription.
   Dedi cruor vesco obscurum, lavo is in incendia video vidi visum is, quod scindo subjectio per a mucro scio is.
   The alabaster stone was pure white and smooth, the red flecks of what had to be blood somehow dried up. They ran down into what looked like the tiniest, hair-thin crack in the single block of stone.
   The voice came again.
   Offer blood to feed the darkness, bathe it in fire to see it, and split open the falsehood with a sword to know it... it seemed to recite, a whispering chant of many voices that echoed silently around them. Offer it up and see... we are... no hope...!

[Mel Dragonkitty]

The hallway emptied into a chapel truly fit for a castle. Once Mel was assured that Gareeku and Aisha were in front of her she took a minute to catch her breath. It was hard, the magic was almost crushing in it's intensity. She looked around as she steadied herself. "What is going on?" she finally managed to ask.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha took slow, gradual steps towards the altar after having made the first, trying with her willpower to shake away the fear that threatened to take over her mind, as it was doing with Gareeku.  The flash of lightning outside made her almost jump out of her skin, fur standing on end before she shook her head and paused.  Looking up at the statue again, it seemed to be returning to normal, and the rain outside was a sound filling the void of silence, though the voices were also doing that just as well.

The panther let the wolf past again, coming out of her pause to follow him up to the altar and stepping up carefully behind it where the voices were converging.  The blood was there too, but only little of it.  Comprehending the inscription, Aisha closed her eyes as the voices came again.  She cringed, but by now they were used to them...somewhat.  She mouthed silently in concentration a repeat of what they were saying, and then snapped out of it at the ominous riddle.

The voices seemed to come from somewhere below it...she considered the inscription again before lifting her head, hearing a voice...a living one cutting through the ethereal ones.  "Oh, Mel," Aisha breathed, looking around for a second.  "We're following voices, is what's going on.  I think we've found something under the altar."  She looked up at Gareeku then.  "...What should we do?"

[Boog]

"Oh come on!" Jeremiah cried in exasperation, darting back and forth for a way out, "You're freaking kidding me!" He attempted to duck around the new creature and sprint away, and got a nasty scratch across his back that sent him tumbling for his trouble. DAMN!
Through a haze of bloodloss and pain, Jeremiah felt additional magic flooding through him; not that it was magic he had any control over. Merely the sensation of his curse making itself known, DAMN AGAIN!
In a flash of light, a faint female figure made of blue flames stood between the other creature and Jeremiah, her stance like that of a soldier at ease. Her eyes, twin white glows like coals from the heart of the sun, gave a similar impression of a soldier awaiting orders. Or possibly a snake waiting to strike.
"You must let us aid you. Beings are so frail." the voice was barely above a whisper, but Jeremiah could hear it clearly. He couldn't remember why. He couldn't remember many things, at the moment. And he was so tired. Not from blood loss; there was pain, although the pain from the beasts attack was already dulling. A thought floated up to him. Nex. That was which one it was. Which of what he couldn't recall, nor could he recall why it was so good that it was Nex in this situation and not a different one. So tired... But he couldn't sleep. He remembered there being a good reason a few seconds ago, and assumed it was still in effect. And the pounding on that door was making his head hurt. It's a girls voice. You don't hurt girls. 'S not gentlemanly. Grandma says that's not gentlemanly... Clutching his head with one hand and staggering toward the door, Jeremiah turned his back on the beast and Nex. Nex'll take care of it. But after she does I should make sure she doesn't take care of anything else. I know I knew why a minute ago...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel pushed herself deeper into the chapel. The magic was so very heavy in here it felt like she was ripping through spiderwebs, thick clinging ones. "Are you sure that is something to tamper with? This whole chapel is dark and it's centered on the altar." She looked closer and corrected herself, "Under the altar. Something very dark is under there." She crept a nervous step closer. "Big and strong and dark, it's struggling against the seal." Another step, less nervous as the puzzle steadied her mind. "Interesting. The altar pushes down, what it contains pushes up. A delicately balanced system." For some reason her eyes were drawn up to the figures in the stained glass window.

[Cogidubnus]

Cog tumbled away from the thing and rolled to his knees. Well, there went one plan. he thought. The creature was turning, and apparently attacks to the mass of shadow did little to nothing. Jeremiah didn't look good either. Someone new had joined the fray, something with wicked-sharp claws. He had a few moments to think before the reaper would be able to take another shot. He gazed at it for a moment and took a chance.
The only part of the creature that had not seemed to flow and bend had been its mask. Indeed, it looked more solid than the rest of it. Perhaps the target was a little obvious, but it's all he had to go on.
He approached the shade and continued to run at it even as it reared back with it's scythe to strike. At the last moment, he struck into it, catching the descending scythe very neatly and pushing it back. The creature was ethereal, and thus didn't get pushed off balance, but the momentum of his swipe was shot. It was all Cog needed. He pushed the scythe forward and down, slamming the weapon into the ground. It was stuck there, and while the ghost tried to pull it back out, Cog struck. He brought the sword back up and over his head, and brought it down in front of him in a spiral motion, the blade slicing in a perfect angled stroke. It cleft the mask in two. The wraith screamed and dropped the scythe. Cog grinned, and brought the sword up. The tip ripped through the creatures now-solid robes, and Cog brought it down again quickly, slicing it in half. The screaming halted rather fast.
One foe dealt with, Cog turned and looked over at Jeremiah, who now seemed to be joined by a blue-burning woman...

[Stygian]

The other wraith seemed only a bit confused at the blue apparition, before it dove into action, swinging its claws through the air with a cold and sweeping sound...
   Behind Cogidubnus, the door at the far end of the room stopped pounding, yet the woman kept calling out. She seemed to be going back...
   "Someone!? Please! I know someone is here...! Help..."
   Her voice had not faded, before another spectre made itself visible behind Jeremiah, this one with a large, rusty blade in its illusory hand. Yet that was not what caught Cogidubnus' attention, for he heard a low and terrible growl from behind.
   Thunder struck outside, and the light and sound together with the darkness of the room wove together, crafting itself into a four-legged shape, with horribly cold eyes of red flame that stared straight at Cogidubnus. The creature took form at the centre of the floor. It was the size of a pony, so dark-furred that it was hard to make out its features, in between the blood-red scars that parted its coat, and held the distinct shape of a large, ragged wolf. Its eyes were still locked on Cog, on the light of his sword, as it paced slowly to the side, studying him as if waiting for him to make a move for the door...

   The voice had fallen almost silent now, but it still echoed through their minds and through the chapel at the same time in a way. Another peel of thunder came, and they remembered its words.
   No hope... no hope... release me... there... is no hope... if... not... hope...
   It was almost as if the figures in the stained glass were watching them...

[Boog]

As the wraith attacked the blue woman, she seemed to shift. Not move, because moving implied that you saw it in the process of moving. One second she was standing still, and the next she had one arm raised, covered in slightly more solid looking blue light, and blocking the attack. Jeremiah was in no condition to notice much of anything, but the blue woman did and shifted again to place herself between this new apparation, the prior one, and the frog, who was staggering his way past Cog and the new beastie. Gotta get to the door...

[e_voyager]

Eypon checked his map. the deeper he when into this place the worse his bad feeling got. now he was at the point of fearing that he was hearing voices. he paced away his map sheets and decided that for he time being he would rely on his memory in case he need to run in a hurry. what ever happened he did not want a repeat of  4 years ago. with caution he approached the sounds before him. " hello" he called less he be mistaken for and aggressor her on nerves on edge.

[Gareeku]

Thinking about the instructions the whispering voice seem to give, Gareeku was about to speak when he heard Mel. Listening to her and Aisha speak, the wolf frowned, not taking his eyes off of the slab of stone with the crack in it.
"I know there is, but I need to see this for myself." he replied.

Unsheathing his katana, Gareeku then took one of his gloves off, before creating a cut on his hand, breathing in sharply from the stinging pain it created. Letting his blood spill onto the stone, Gareeku then created a white flame in his hand, before allowing it to drop on to the stone also. Finally, the wolf then took his sword and drove it into the stone, awaiting to see what would happen...

[Stygian]

As the blade thrust into the crack in the great alabaster slab, there was a rumbling sound. Thunder cracked outside, and the altar split open with a burst of flames, pieces of rock being flung about and the two halves parting. Dust and flames billowed out before settling and dissappearing.
   Underneath where the altar had been was some sort of stone seal or plate that had been cracked and smashed in too, along with the altar itself. And beneath that was... a pathway. Steep stairs led down into blackness below, and you could just hint walls on either side that faded into darkness further down. It was much too dark to tell anything, but the opening smelled of ash, blood and something slick, yet caustic and poisonous.
   We... are... in the dark... seek... free... hope... yes, hope... release... guardian... seek...

   Something... chirped above Epyon. A cautious, yet curious sound. He was standing in a tall-roofed chamber now, where the ceiling dissappeared into shadows as the structure climbed above. And he was vaguely aware of movement above, even though he couldn't see anything. The chamber was empty, probably just some sort of intersection, and he could hint at a grated window up above. There were some metallic clinks from above, which hinted that perhaps some chains or lamps hung above, and might have made that squeak in the wind.
   Another chirp came. And then, something fluttered. And something... dripped onto his shoulder, red and wet...
   In the dark above him, something hissed.

[Aisha deCabre]

The voices seemed more pressing by now...anxious, calling out.  Listening to Mel describe the gathered darkness beneath the altar, beneath their own feet...she was starting to have a few second thoughts.  The presence of the room was closing on them, and even the figures on the windows were watching to see what the intruding adventurers would do.

It was Gareeku who of course decided it with finality.  She stepped back a little, watching him fulfill the altar's inscription with concern.  Aisha tried not to look at the windows, her concentration along with Mel's fixated on that little point at the head of a large chapel, especially as the sword was driven straight into the slab.

"Holy...!" Aisha yelped when it split open, holding an arm up over her head to fend away the debris, split open with a noise as thundrous as the weather outside.  She opened one eye when all became silent again, only to hear the voices calling up from the hole in the floor.  She thought that the room draped only in the light of the candles was frightening enough...this went into, according to the smells and the sight, a pitch-black pit.

The panthress stood straight and unsheathed her own sword, staring into the gloom, the voices still unnerving.  She cast a slight grin at Mel, and then at Gareeku.  "Well.  We came this far," she said, stepping downward with everyone, after pausing to look for a torch.

[Cogidubnus]

Cog stopped. Three opponents, one of which was guarding whoever was trapped behind the door: perhaps she was important, Cog thought. He would have rescued her anyway, if he could, but perhaps she was more important than he had thought...but that wolf there was doing a good job barring his path. He snarled at the other wolf. The damn thing was too big to be a dire wolf, his larger cousins to the north. Those didn't come in horse size. Whatever this thing was, it had fangs as long as his hand, and the darkness almost smoked off it. Cog also didn't want to get any closer to it than he had to.
   Cog's snarl faded, and he took a deep breath. The light on his sword was fading – the charm was running out of power, and it took at least a few hours for the thing to recharge. Cog quickly sheathed the fading blade and brought both hands forward together, and then down to his sides.
   The charm had done more than infuse his sword with light energies. The Broken Moon had a specific purpose – to inundate everything that it touched with holy properties. That included himself, and his abilities worked in direct conjunction with his own internal energies. He grinned, exhaled, and clenched his fist. Dust from the carpet jumped up and clouded the air around his feet. He wound up, and shot his hand forward, palm out. The air warped in front of it, a wave of force emitting from it and slamming into the wolf. It was a strong as he could make it, capable of crushing bones and pulping flesh, and infused with the light energies the charm lent it: the wolf was struck to the ground, and he could hear it howl wetly. He ran towards it, feeling the last of the holy energies fade from his charm, and placed a hand on his sword. If it wasn't dead, he would need to finish it quickly...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked unhappily at the newfound pathway. If the chapel was a web of magic, this was a pool. Her scales ruffled at the mere thought of going down there, causing the fur of her illusionary form to puff up. She scowled when she realized her tail looked like a feather boa and swished it behind herself and out of view. She poured more magic into the crystal in her wand, increasing the white light it gave off. The lightening cracked again and the figures in the stained glass seemed to loom over them.

Mel took a deep breath and prepared to follow the adventurers.

[Stygian]

The force had slammed into the Fenris, for that was the creature's name, and taken much more of a toll on it than expected. But the creature was far from defeated. Even with a crippled lower body, it was still monstrous in strength and in speed, and its head shot out. The fangs caught Cogidubnus' sword at the back of the beast's head, and the sharp blade cut its tongue and cheeks, but it held it tight, shaking the werewolf around with its strength and throwing him away. He hit the stone railing before one of the raised sections hard, and the beast threw itself at him, snarling with a ruined throat and dragging blood after it. One could actually see the wounds beginning to close up. If the werewolf was to win this, he'd need to kill the creature fast. Fortunately, steel seemed very adequate. And with its body mangled, the beast was much too slow for the swordmaster. It had knocked the wind from him, but given him the space he needed...
   Instinctively, Cog spaced his legs and swung his bloodstained, gleaming katana down to the side in a perfect arc, landing the handle correctly in his hands and spaced far between to gain maximum leverage. He leapt, and the silvery blade flashed in an instant.
   The Fenris flew through the air. It was not until it tumbled into the ground that its upper jaw and most above and attatched to it fell off in a spray of blood. The monster's body hit the railing, and started crumbling into smoke and ash.

   Guardian... beware... guardian... The whispers called to them again. My... jailor... entwined... wyrm... guardian...
   The blackness down there was not empty. Whatever had been held down there wasn't just imprisoned, but guarded too. And now, that guardian was awake and aware. And enraged...
   There was a horrid growl that very nearly made the floor shake, and then something shot out of the darkness at them with dreadful speed, lashing out and knocking them aside as most of the lights in the room went out, and another sort of burning light filled it. The dark shape crawled and snaked out, up behind the podium and then down on the other side near the columns, slowly moving to get some space to strike at them.
   It looked like a dragon in a way, but it certainly was not. It had a humanoid upper body set with a long-snouted head on a muscular neck and with enormous clawed hands, and a long, muscular tail like that of a snake but frilled and spined snaking after it. A pair of forward-pointed and sharp horns sat atop its head, followed by rows of smaller and smaller ones that trailed down like a crown of sorts. Its entire skin was black and crusted, and cracks that glowed red and seeped heat and fumes were all over it. Its eyes burned with furious fire, and were fixed straight at the adventurers as it growled and hissed like a furnace at them, breathing fumes and cinders.
   "Awake not the Darkness!" it roared, its voice like roiling flames.

[Aisha deCabre]

As soon as Aisha had stepped toward the dark recess, she paused, trying to comprehend what the voices were saying again.  The growling that erupted from the floor seemed to make the very stone foundation shake beneath their feet...or perhaps, it was due to the fact that she was still more than a little uneasy...she hadn't time to think about it when the monster shot from the darkness, nearly making the panthress's feet fall from under her.

Righting herself, she stared at the thing with a sudden surprise when the lights in the chapel went out...there was something a little symbolic about that moment.  But despite the fearsome look it gave the adventurers, Aisha took her sword up and started circling around with a slow smirk forming on her face.  Finally, something shows itself.  One can only stand suspense for so long...

[Gareeku]

Shielding himself with his cloak from the reaction the actions had made, Gareeku then looked down into the darkness with a grim expression. Following Aisha down, the wolf was then nearly knocked off of his feet from the violent appearance of the wyrm.

Holding his blade in a defensive stance, Gareeku kept his eyes locked on it with a slight grimace, saying nothing as white flames engulfed his hands and sword as he began to slowly circle the beast.

[Stygian]

The seventy-foot monster coiled slightly, and then launched itself at them without hesitation or warning, breathing flames as it did. The statue of Iustitia was nearly knocked over as it slid around it and over the podium, aiming for the closest target, in this case being Aisha, fangs and claws flashing as it leapt for her.
   Blood... boils... angel... cursed... fire...! the voice hissed, now louder, seemingly wanting to tell them something. Chill...! Move... if... cold...

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel found herself knocked backwards by the explosive arrival of the wyrm. She still had the wand in her hand but the crystal providing the light had been shocked out and had rolled away somewhere, creating even more visual confusion. She continued to scurry backwards and away from the horrid beast as it slithered around the statue. She managed to suppress a startled squeak as the monster lunged, but it was aiming for the warriors.  Steadying herself Mel did what she could to help the Aisha and Gareeku. She blasted the snaky back end of it with ice, hoping to freeze it to the floor so that it at least couldn't chase anyone.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha had continued to encircle the snake-like creature in the opposite direction that Gareeku was, waiting for it to strike.  Whomever it went against, she would be ready...but the huntress wasn't too ready for the fact that it went after her first in a shimmering flash of teeth and claws.  With a yelp, she leaped back and to the side, sword held up to block and parry whatever blows she could.

The voices she barely caught, but the panther could sense the urgency itself rising through the air and trying to command their attention.  She felt the heat rising from the body of the beast as it kept trying to close in, the panther leaping around the obstacles in the chapel and using them to her advantage as shields while swiping back at it.  Then for a brief moment, she caught sight of Mel...the ice didn't look to slow the creature down much, but it hopefully offered enough of a quick distraction.

Aisha in a quick maneuver rushed from the side, her blade's magic-resistant edge hoping to slice across the monster's right flank while she jumped over the gargantuan tail and landed hard on one of the benches, reaching for her boomerang so that at least there was one light-enchanted weapon in the other hand...

[Stygian]

The blade took, even though the monster reached after the panthress to try and snag her from behind with a colossal hand, but semeed to have little effect at all. The thing was horribly muscled, and its skin tough and blood strong. The sword cut open the skin, but the wound was almost immediately cauterized, sealing up with flowing fire. The monster then turned, and lashed out with its huge tail against Mel, aiming to sweep her aside and then catch her and coil up around her. All the while, the thing spat more fire and embers around. The floor rumbled under its movements, and truly shook as it slammed one of its huge fists down.

[Gareeku]

As the others made their moves against the creature, Gareeku seemed to go unoticed. Taking advatage of this, The suddenly dashed forward, using one of the benches as a platform.

Leaping into the air, Gareeku then brought his sword down in a powerful strike aimed at the wrym's neck, his blade burning fiercely with powerful light magic.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha growled with frustration as she turned around and leapt from the bench, noticing how her sword had little effect.  She barely dodged as the hand reached out for her, the flames threatening to singe her tail and clothes.  Rolling under another bench, constantly dodging the embers, Aisha looked out to see Gareeku leaping for it's neck.

That'll keep it busy, she smirked and took that moment to leap out, trying to keep out of thrashing distance of the tail.  "Mel!  Look out!" she shouted, noting how it aimed to coil around the felid, and let the bladed boomerang fly toward the muscle-bound appendage, the steel flashing of its own light.

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog landed softly on his knees and instantly fell on his hands. "Sweet mother of God..." he murmured, placing a hand behind him on his aching back. "That's gonna smart for awhile..." he said, brushing off some of the stone dust that had been ground into his jacket. In the back of his mind, he knew that he needed to get up now, but still. It took him a moment to lurch back to his feet, and fight through the pain. He hoped something wasn't broken...he really, really didn't want to be spending his days paralyzed from anywhere down.
He ignored the other two phantoms fighting Jeremiah and walked towards the doors that the voice had been coming from, his feet squishing wetly into the bloodstained carpet. He brought the sword over his head and to a rest behind his shoulder, ready to swing. He unlocked the latch on the old oak doors, and twisted the handle, swinging them open.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel jumped. She was reluctant to reveal her wings while disguised but she had legs designed to launch her into flight so she could jump very well. As she moved she set off another spell, daggers of ice aiming for the monster's face. Her aim was sloppy because she was moving but if she couldn't take out an eye maybe she could distract it from seeing her land and delay a second strike until she could prepare herself.

[Stygian]

The doors easily swung up, admitting the werewolf into a dark, empty corridor. More paintings were in it, some statues, some doors... and nothing else. It reeked of darkness, even worse than the ballroom because of the lack of windows, and felt very much as if some dark presence had made its way past just recently. There was even a lingering chill, and an icy scent, still in there.
   Then, there was a scream from somwhere off down the hallway and around the corner, and probably far off after that. Cogidubnus recognized the woman's voice.

   The abyssal wyrm roared in fury as Gareeku's attack took it in the neck. However, the creature's skin and muscle was much too tough to cause substantial damage, and while he managed to cut some tendons and flesh, the wolf could not get the sword to truly bite, even if it sizzled the monster's flesh on contact. The beast shook him off with a slap, and then sent a humongous fist after him that surely would have hit. But before it could complete the move, it jerked back in pain, and brought its hands to its face as the veritable hailstorm of sharp icicles pierced its skin, and stung out one eye. Burning blood flowed, and it howled in pain.
   Yet still, the monster was much to furious to let something like that stop it for long. It smashed a hand down, crushing some benches, and then glared at Mel with one good eye, the icicles in its hide melting. It roared like an exploding engine, and spewed flames at her, and then smashed benches and flung them up toward the sides as it rushed against the masked dragoness.
   "I WILL DEVOUR YOU! RHAAAARH!"

[Gareeku]

"Argh!" Gareeku cried out and he was swept aside by the creature. Quickly composing himself, the wolf flipped and landed on his feet, before seeing that the wyrm had now turned its attention towards Mel, roaring furiously as it began to make its way towards her.

"Mel!" Gareeku called out, before sprinting towards her. Seeing that his blade had done little effect, but ice magic had been somewhat effective, the wolf sheathed his katana as ice magic began to form in his hand.
"Get away from her!" Gareeku growled, managing to leap inbetween the wyrm and Mel, before firing off a blast of ice magic, hoping that his aim was good enough for the blast to strike the wyrm's other eye.

[Cogidubnus]

"Of course. Now she's whisked away." Cog said, shuffling forward. He couldn't all-out run, but he made pretty good time limping as he was. He reached inside his jacket to pull out the third of his five charms, a coin emblazoned with a cloud and a lightning bolt, and held it out in front of him. He rubbed it between his fingers, and a golden light poured from it, with all the warmth of sunlight on a summer day. He made his way through the room and down the hallway, resting his sword on his shoulder and turning the corner. As he did so, he cursed. He just remembered he'd left his hat back in the other room...