Gardevoiran

The Narrow Path

You punch the paladin directly in the chest to no avail, the paladin standing in front of you unmoving. Gobbo takes the opportunity given to him and he rushes off behind a large rock, watching the battle. Brock, however, did not follow you out of the crypt yet, although you don't know why.

The paladin in front of you, armed with a large shield and a hefty mace, scratched from years upon years of damage, speaks to you in a gruff voice. "So you are the man that Yashar had hired to obtain that tome... my men said you were a lot more than you seem." From just beyond the gaps in their helmet, you can see the eyes of the paladin staring into you, analyzing your physique and soul as if you were nothing but prey to them. "... I am not sure if they knew what they were talking about," they say as their shield is brought up, preparing to fight you.

For some reason, you feel like you know who this person really is. Although, that may just be a side effect of touching the necromantic tome.

Worm - The Malfesant Throne

Decisions, decisions... should Anomaly follow orders and get out of the area, or should she stay and help fight Sickle and try to end what she started...

I'll probably post later. Gotta do a concert then I'm back home.

The Narrow Path

"Brock Sinclair. Master swordsman, and forefather of both modern necromancy and chloromancy. Nice to me--" Brock went silent at the sound of a shrieking goblin and some other voice neither himself or you recognize.

_"AIIIEEEE!"^{"Keep your voice down, goblin!"}

Sounds like a paladin meddling in your quest.

The Narrow Path

"Trust me. It will... damn," Brock swore as he took his other tome back, putting that... under his shirt. He carried a lot under there, it would seem. "I never got your name. That goblin said Tobias... so... I'm gonna assume that's your first name."

The Narrow Path

"I've got nothing better to do. Besides, that book was obtained by you, and I was sworn by Death to protect it. I'd probably come with to protect it anyways," Brock bluntly says as he walks over to the locked door in his throne room, stabbing his sword into it and revealing what's behind it.

A dark green tome, not sealed unlike the necromantic tome you are holding. Brock lifts it up as he goes through the rest of his things, mainly consisting of really old liquor and a series of ordinary swords. A lot of swords.

Brock returns to your side, extending his hand at you. "I'm carrying that tome, too. I don't want you messing with shit you don't know."

The Narrow Path

"Y-Yesh Tobiash!" Gobbo says as he runs off towards the entrance, carefully stepping to make sure he doesn't trip and bust his lip on any spare stones.

Brock sighs as he sheathes his blade, reaching under his shirt and pulling a very old bottle from under it. "Protecting that book won't bring anything but trouble. It was my greatest creation and my worst nightmare together," Brock explained, uncapping his bottle and looking at you again. "You ask me, that damn tome should've been thrown into the next plane a century ago." Brock tips the bottle over his open jaw, pouring out some odd brown liquid onto his jaw as if he was drinking it. He tips the bottle back down and looks back at you.

"... you're alive, though. Guess Death's cards were right for once."

The Narrow Path

Before your hand could even make it halfway to Brock's head, a large vine shot out of the ceiling and smashed into it's path, blocking the strike and sending your arm into a heavy vibration, shaking it all around and causing it to falter temporarily. It was an easy fix, but it was still quite uncomfortable.

"No. The talking skeleton in front of you is definitely not the all-powerful necromancer who could destroy the world -- YES IT IS MINE!" Brock shouts as he lifts the book from behind him in a rather uncaring way. "And this 'Hikado' you speak of? Never existed. He was a Believer... book person, if you want to be crude."

The Narrow Path

"He was a damn Believer, that's what he was."

The new figure turns to you and points his sword at your chest, his skull locking sight on your head. Behind him, the corpse of Hikado explodes into a cloud of dust, revealing a small children's book in it's place. "The Pumpkin Boy", it was titled. How quaint.

The figure speaks again, his voice in a clearly peeved tone. "I am Brock Sinclair. Why have you claimed my work?"

Gobbo stands behind you, silent and quivering. The goblin opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is a soft noise. Like a screech but more... catlike. Like he wanted to say something but quickly decided against it, leaving an awkward noise in the air.

The Narrow Path

"I shall answer three of your questions," The figure said calmly, a large purple scythe appearing at his side. "You will be guarding the tome for the time being until your true destiny with that book is resolved. Yashar does not want to destroy the world, but thousands will die under his rule. As for who you'll be meeting, well, let's just say he's quite the bonehead."

The figure prepares his scythe for a swing as he speaks another sentence to you. "If you die, I will have your back at least once. Don't take this for granted."

You feel a sharp pain as you are sent back to the land of the living, fallen over onto the ground and incredibly dizzy. A rather bony figure stands over the corpse of Hikado, the pumpkin child reduced to mush in front of you, and Gobbo (who was hiding behind the throne as he watched what just happened). The tome you were sent to retrieve is on the ground beside you, sealed by an ancient wooden crest.

A male voice booms from the figure in front of you. "Believers. Better dead than possessing my life's work."

The Narrow Path

"The purpose for your arrival matters not, Tobias," the figure started, the tome floating beside him closing shut.

"By picking up this book, you have set a series of unstoppable events in motion. The wizard Yashar who has sent you on this quest is seeking the power to take control of Brock Sinclair, the old necromancer of legend, and use his mastery to control the world. By returning that tome to him, you will spell the disaster for every living being on your planet, and more importantly, task me with far too much overtime." The figure chuckled with his raspy voice before continuing his explanation.

"When you return to the land of the living, you will be greeted by a new face. What you choose to do is entirely dependent upon your choice. The cards have faith in you, so I trust you to make the right choice."

"Do you have any questions you would like to ask before you return to the land of the living?" The figure asked, turning to you and revealing a skeletal jaw underneath his large hood.