chapters 7-11

**7**
**The Third Pool**

The third and final pool of dispair came quicker then we thought it would, steppin out of the second pools chamber and into the third pools. destynie once again went straight to the runes carved in the wall, glowly as faintly as the runes we first saw in the door frame of the entrance to the ruins. Malinik and I went to the pool and looked inside. like the other two the water was once again a different colour. no souls swam in this pool though, as we looked in we saw they were chained to the bottom. millions of chains holding millions of souls in place, never letting them know freedom.

"this pool is for those that were lost and forgotten, loss of freedom chaining them to the floor of the pools, never letting them go" destynie read this, a small quiver in her voice betraying her feelings. she felt for these souls as i did, knowing full well what it was like to lose your freedom. Malinik continued to stare into the pool, a queer smile forming on his lips.

"why are you smiling at thier pain?" i asked him, growing angry as his smile widend on his face.

"you feel for thier pain" he said "i do not, they let thier dispair get the better of them... that is why they are in the pools and we are not. we have a higher purpose"

"how do you figure?" this time it was Destynie asking the question.

"To see, if you will, is to believe... we are here, not in the pools with them" his answer made his smile grow even wider.

"drop the smile..." anger growing to a breakin point inside me "or so help me i'll knock it off your face"

"you were chained weren't you Debraxi" those words coming out of his mouth through me off my guard. " i can see it in your eyes as you look into the pools, you were chained, beaten and no offense meant, to either of you, but my guess would be raped."

"enough!" Destynie yelled, her voice booming in the empty chamber. "we were, alright?, are you happy now?"

"no" he said "but you must not get angry at me, i never meant offense... these souls are like us. but unlike us, these poor souls fell into thier dispair, there is nothing we can do to make it better for them... the gods played thier game and they won. these souls are lost"

with a quick move of my right arm Malinik was down on the ground, holding his chin. "I told you i would knock it off your face" i said, turning and walking out the door..Destynie following quickly, Malinik, after picking himself up, brought up the rear.

**8**
**The Gates To Hell**

Another mile or so into the ruins we saw light, dimly, at the end of the corridor. picking up our pace we found the source of the light, and opening leading to the outside world again. slowly peeking around the openings corner for anything that might be standing waiting we crept outside. breathing the air hurt our lungs, after what seemed like days in the dark and dust. As i took a look at our surroundings i noticed a trail leading to the south, trees growing around it, thier branches making a canopy around the trail.

"looks like thats the only way out of here" i told the others as i headed over to the tree line "to the east looks like a cliff, maybe a river, to the north and west the woods we seem to have by passed by going into those ruins"

"so Hell leads the way for us, eh" Malinik said "so much for the choice..."

"the choice?" Destynie asked him

"Yea, it was told in my village that if you die you get the choice of where you belong, heaven or hell" he said

"what about your past expierences?" destynie asked him again "don't they have anything to do with it?"

"apparently so" Malinik said "but... if we are to choose to serve in this army hell seems to want us for, as Debrazi said, then what happens?"

"I don't know..."

"neither do i" malinik said, a giggle in his voice.

we walked on the trial, through the last portion of the Forgotten Woods. At the end of the trail was a great gate, demons adorned it from side to side. the colour like blood, like the gate was painted in it before being erected. as we approached the gate one of the demons adoring it's sides awoke and raised it's eyes to us. with a wicked smile it opened it's mouth as if to speak.

"Debraxssi.....Desstynie.... and Malinikss, Hell has played your roll, the dice have been cast against the walls of fate. You have vengful hearts. you have vengful deaths. Hell has a place for you...." it said, it's voice slurring and like a snakes hiss. "welcomesss... Home"

At this the gates opened and the fires of hell could be seem in the distance. screams from those that refuse to fight for the demon's king rang out loud and rattled the tree branches. ever so slowly i took the lead and walked through the gate, followed closely by destynie and malinik. as we stepped through our skin began to burn, i looked down at my hands and saw the flesh slowly burn away reavealing a layer of muscle and finally bone. looking back at destynie and malinik i saw that the same was happening to them. we collapsed into a heap of our own bones and the lights went out...

Awoken by a scream off in the distance, i opened my eyes and saw the through the darkness as if it were day. i sat up on the edge of the bed i was lying in, looked around and noticed that there was two other people lying in similar beds across the room. i tried to get up and walk to the door, but quickly fell, my legs not able to carry my weight. suddenly the door opened and in walk a demon, in his hands i could see a try of food. He walked into the room, looked around, saw the other two were still knocked out or sleeping then noticed me sitting up in my bed. he walked over to me and sat the tray down on the table next to where my head would be if i layed back down, pulled a chair out from under a desk a few feet away and sat down.

"good morning, Debraxi of the human alliances." he said "you have travelled a long way, and have brought us two more that we thought were lost to us"

`"wh.. whe... where am i?" i asked "where is Destynie and Malinik?"

"why they are right over there" he said, pointing to the other two bodies in the room.

"are they ok?" i asked him, still dazed and not fully aware.

"of course, hell takes care of thier own" he said with a laugh "now eat, your king awaits to greet you, you must be strong"

saying what he needed and doing as he was order he got up, returned the chair to it's original position and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

**9**
**The Dead Born Again, Body Born Anew**

i slowly ate the food the demon brought in, although it looked as if it had come from those that the screams belonged to. As i ate i thought about the walk through the Forgotten lands, the Ruins, finding Destynie and Malinik. all of it seemed a little too destined, like i was supposed to go through this. a movement in the corner of my eye broke my train of thought, i looked over and saw Malinik waking up, his body no longer bones but born again with white skin, adorned by tattooes all over. next to him Destynie was sitting up, how long she had been awake was unknown to me. Her skin too was born again in a dead white colour. the tattooes on her skin more like runes drawn by a patient hand all over her body. her eyes had a slight glow to them, like the runes we found carved into the ruins walls. I motioned them to come over, if they could, so we could talk a little before heading to see the king of the lands of Hell. but before they could manage to even say a word, once again the door swung open. two demons dressed in elegant armor marched in, followed by three others bearing clothing and armor.

"Destynie, you will wear these" the first of the two bearing our new clothing said as he handed Destynie her clothing.

"Malinik, you will wear these" the second said handing the clothing to him.

"Debraxi, You will wear this" the first said to me, he then turned and walked out of the room, returning with a set of armor.

"your places have been set, the king awaits" the second said and retreated out of the room followed by the first demon.

we changed from our death clothes into our new clothing. Destynie adorned in leather, barely covering her body. spikes and runes adorned her clothing, with it came a book.

"whats the book for?" i asked her

"i don't know" she said " if i'm reading these runes right, it's a spell book for Necro'trulic's... whatever those are"

Malinik walked out and looked us over. i looked at his armor, it seemd to be made of human flesh. scars could be seen torn into it, stitches tieing it together. clipped to his side and back were a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, the quiver itself looked as if it were made from the same material as his armor. held in the crook of his arm was his helmet, designed to strike fear into his opponents. the helmet, made from living tissue, remebled the demons that came in the room and gave us our clothing. strapped to his right side was a sword.

"and just what are you supposed to be?" i asked him, looking him up and down, for the first time letting my attraction show

"i don't know" he answered me "but maybe we should find out"

"i think you're right" i said and moved toward the door, but before i could reach the handle and turn it, once again it swung open, almost knocking me flat on my ass. in through the opening came a demon woman dressed in an elegant statin dress. the colour shone bright, blood red, almost blinding us through the darkness.

"you will follow me" she said and turned to leave out the door she has just walked through, we followed...

**10**
**The Demon King**

we walked behind the mysterious demon woman, through crowded corridors and chambers, finally coming to a stop before a great door.

"through this door is the demon king" she told us, turning to face us as she motioned for the doors to be opened "be careful what you say. you're places have been set"
with that said she bowed and walked away.

we walked through the doors and into a the biggest chamber we've seen in the castle so far. far ahead of us and dead in the middle of the room rose a great chair. skeleton bones seemingly crawling all over the chair itself, it's ocupant smiling cruely as we walked closer to it. once we had walked a fair distance our knees began to buckle underneath of our weight, we each in turn fell to one knee and bowed our heads down.

"these walls pay tribute to me" the demon sitting on the throne said "you have been played, tested, desserted and still you come forward, you're places have been set in this army of mine, the army of hell. I am Luferius, king of the seventh gate of hell and your new master. Destynie, come forward" she did as told without hesitation, "you have transformed yourself from huntress, misunderstood by your own people, letting your rage and hatred for this wrong doing feed your vengence, hell has made you a Necro-Trulic, you can raise any dead to fight your battles for you. that book you carry will teach you how, i suggest you read it. it can teach you more then i can, Malinik, step forward" as did Destynie, Malinik too stood and stepped forward, "diseased blood elf, hunted by your own kind, betrayer to your old king, you are now a Rang'tuk, the screams you hear adorn your skin in the form of your human flesh armor. your bow and sword make you quicker. you will be an asset to us here in hell. Debraxi, Step forward." i stood, looked about and stepped up beside my companions "You, of the three of you, you have had the most punishment for your crime against yourself, your family and your king. YOU alone torture yourself for what happen in your past life. in doing this you have Transformed yourself into one of the highest honored soldiers of Hell's High army. You are a Demon High Templar night. as far as i know the only one. you're armor, made from the scales of a hell dragon will protect you, your sword will feed on your victims souls, feeding them in turn into your heart. you will live with your pain for the rest of your life. although you travelled here together, this is where you part. Hell has a design for you, good bye for now"

as he said his good byes light came down, forming circles around us and we fell to the floor again.

**11**
**The Passing Of Years**