The ride to the palace was long. But it felt that way with the weather. Outside the carriage was a murmur of the generals, Azoth dropped back to the window. "My lord, we feared for your life. It does me, our, all your subjects' souls great relief to see you weren't killed on the way to Roid. One of my personal spies oversaw the killing of your men. I told you not to act so rash, I wanted to come along."

Aldarite replied with a slight grin, "You would have been a great help. From now on, I'm going to trust your advice. But, these are my guests. Blaze, Zira, and Alni."

The general smiled and nodded to them. His head whipped back towards the road for a moment and then he looked back at them. Azoth added, "No doubt, you now know me as General Azoth. It is a pleasure to meet you all. I hope this island's bad reputation doesn't scare you off, it's actually a very pleasant place. Thanks to our careful eye and trust between the Lord and people, there is no crime, no civil strife, no racial fighting. It's odd even to me, I was used to being ridiculed, but I found peace here."

Blaze spoke up, "Yes...but what about Dragonkin? Are they welcome?"

Azoth looked perplexed, "Dragonkin? I've not heard of a living Dragonkin before. But, most assuredly, you are welcome here. But, for being a dragon, you yourself may be promoted to General. I'd look forward to another General to talk to. As for these two lovely ladies, you add to the beauty of this realm."

Aldarite chuckled, "Heh, it seems my General has made friends with you already. I told you my people were nice." He lowered his voice. "Even the Dwarves are nice, instead of their usual proud selves.

Methis looked back with a small grin. "We ARE still proud. We've just come to understand that we all need to learn to live together and no one is truly greater than the other."

Blaze nodded, "How true, I believe he might be able to share some very good stories with me. I'm into trading. Information for information."

Alni listened quietly as they rode. After hearing so much about racial equality, she reached up and took the blue band off her head, revealing her ears. She looked down at the band in her hands, then shoved it into the pocket of her cloak. She looked over at Zira who was smiling broadly at her.

Aldarite sighed. "Hmmm...what a dreary day. I hate the rain ever so much, but it looks like we've arrived at my palace." The palace was massive, almost twice the size of Roid, it looked very similar too. Except the stones were a dark blackish color and there was gold trimming the very rock lines. The towns themselves were very rich looking. The peasants all were happy. They didn't need to fear of crime. At the end of each street was a little hut at the corner where a guard with heavy armor stood, it wasn't a specific race, there were guards of all three races.

Blaze spoke as he studied the village, "I'm amazed, your words held true and more. I am very impressed with your realm. I shall not disbelieve your words."

Azoth replied to Blaze, "His Grace tries never to lie."

Methis quiped, "Tries is the key word youngins'."

Matt finally spoke up, "I've not said a word to the guests yet, I apologize for that. I am Matt Lighthood, the only general you haven't talked to yet. There aren't really classes like peasants, nobles, and such... Well, you'll see."

Aldarite spoke up wearing a grin, "Please...you're embarrassing me." Aldarite was smiling like a young boy who'd just become a knight. Blaze watched the people rushing through the rain to gather from the market places and talking pleasantly with the guards. He couldn't help but smile himself, something he rarely did, and he looked at Zira and Alni.

Blaze spoke softly, "Perhaps we'll find peace here. Mayhaps equality wasn't a dream for fools. So far, I’m seeing a reality."

Zira smiled back at Blaze. "Raiden was a place of equality as well, but not nearly as safe as it is here," she replied, looking out the window. "I never knew such a thing could exist on Marmo." She then looked over at Alni, "So when do you want to start training?"

Alni had been looking out the window next to Zira. She smiled shyly and nodded in reply. As she did, the earth beneath them began to shake. She leaned back against the wall, gasping in surprise. And as the trembling ceased, the storm clouds began to darken, as if night had fallen, but it was still rather early. She looked over at Blaze and Zira, "What....?" she started and looked out the window again at villagers just as surprised as she by the quake.

Aldarite looked in horror to see the graveyard in the church ground erupt with undead. He rushed from the carriage into his courtyard yelling orders at the top of his lungs. Blaze's face turned into a grim frown as he unsheathed one of his swords.

Aldarite cried out orders to his soldiers, "ARM THE BATTLEMENTS! PROTECT THE PEOPLE!!! MATT, AZOTH, METHIS, ready the army! Repel the undead hoards! We'll not lose our home!"

Villagers came from their houses with their own armor and weapons ready to fight for what they loved. He was moving to Blaze who watched in awe. He knew where his place was now. Blaze turned to the generals, "Matt, Azoth, Methis, I need armor, but until then, I'll fight using two blades. It should give me untold advantages over these dead."

Matt ignored Blaze though, his eyes fixed on the upcoming battle. "It's time I throw off my cloak of shadows and reveal my true self! I am Altaris, the Divine Knight! Zira, it's been a while. Don't worry, I'll handle them too. Azoth, get the people to safety or at least organize them into a force."

Azoth looked awed. "Understood, I never knew you were Altaris. Are you really the one who was fabled to have joined Ashram and went into hell, killing a god?" †

Altaris unsheathed the sword he had wrapped in cloth. He unsheathed it and looked back, he once again was wielding the Ragnorik. Blaze stood next to him and looked at the sword, Aldarite came out of the castle in full armor with the DoomBringer sword, Ultima.

Aldarite growled fiercly, "No one attacks my realm! I don't want dead reaching my realm! Why is the sky dark again? Methis, alert the wizards and have them use the ancient magicks to cast a shield barrier and reflecting walls around the kingdom! I want no enemy spells cast!"

Blaze sniffed, "I smell magic in the air. Something ancient as well. VERY powerful, probably from the times when Dragons were ally to the humans."

Altaris nods, "I can remember the hoards from the depths and outside the entrance to hell. It wasn't a good sight. Too much blood. HOLD TIGHT! KEEP FORMATION AND FALL BACK TO HILLS! ZOMBIES CAN'T HANDLE THE SLOPES! BUT THE GARGOYLES AND OTHERS CAN!"

Blaze thought to himself, It's too early. The enemy doesn't know what I am. I'll leave them stupefied when I show my true self. He then spoke aloud, turning to Alni and Zira. "LADIES! GET IN THE CASTLE NOW!!! LEAVE THIS RABBLE TO US! ZIRA, ALNI! NOW!"

Methis sped off into the castle, he was VERY fast for a Dwarf. Azoth was up the street, with a group off soldiers and towns people. He was holding the enemy back with elven archers and keeping the one stilling coming back with the swordsmen covered by the pikemen.

Zira smiled at her old friend Altaris and began to draw her sword. Then Blaze told Zira to stay into the castle. "LIKE HELL I'M STAYING IN THE CASTLE!" she yelled back at Blaze. She glanced back at the girl "Alni, stay here," she ordered, then ran off with the men. Zira was quickly leapt into battle with the army, joining with her brethren dark elves. She attacked the closest undead with her sword, barely registering much else as she fought. As a large group approached, she turned to a dark elven man, "Help me out here, will you?" she asked him. Together, they summoned several wind spirits and unleashed them on the approaching force. They succeeding in pushing them back several hundred feet and knocking quite a few apart. Between them, they saved more energy than they would have conjuring the spirits alone. Zira advanced again with several other elves and repeated the same tactic. She felt her strength dwindling, but more elves joined her, their strength making the assault more effective.

Alni did as Zira asked, with her gold eyes wide in surprise. They locked the doors and Alni sat inside on a soft chair with her knees drawn up to her chest. What she saw what was rising out of the graveyard frightened her. She shuddered at the thought. How could Zira just run out there into that? She sat quietly in her chair and waited.

* * *

Spark looked at his messenger and frowned. This could not be worse he thought, just when things on Marmo where beginning to settle down. Now, word comes, that the undead are attacking people all over the Island.

Spark knew he would have to send messenger pigeons to all the rulers on Lodoss requesting aid. He knew his soldiers were already overextended keeping order here and cleaning up the miscreants and cast-offs of the last war on Marmo. But the undead rising up, in such reported numbers, could easily destroy the war tired population of Marmo or at least the inroads made by the forces of good on this Island.

"Tell the stable hands to prepare my mount, I will ride out with my best men, towards the source of this quake. Perhaps Cecil will know more about this awakening of Undead. If he's not dead himself. He and his fellow wizards have some explaining to do!

Neese shall see to matters here while I am gone!" With that said, Spark went out of the chamber, putting on his armor as he went, his page trying to keep up.

The Messenger went to get the scribes, to send the call to help, out to the other rulers of Lodoss.

* * *

Azoth rushed past the formation off his horse now, wielding a huge sword. He rushes past Zira and starts slashing through the demons like a reaper to the wheat fields. Azoth screamed, "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! You'll need to kill me to take this kingdom!!!! Come, sample my sword's kiss!" He is soon enveloped by the surrounding hoard. Blaze steps up and raises his hand, blasting a stream of fire into the hoard. Azoth is now visible, bleeding and getting desperate.

Altaris cried, "AZOTH! Welcome to the heaven which I have remade from hell. Awake noble souls and help in my strike. The strike of a thousand swords! 1000 STRIKE!!!" A streams of unseen blows rip through the hoard with tremendous force. Altaris looks up with glowing yellow eyes and focuses on Azoth, some of his wounds are healed. Altaris' eyes return to normal and he looks at the forces pushing the hoard back. "We're winning, but for how long? It all depends on how many arrows are left. We'll need to fall back into the castle and prepare for a siege. It's inevitable, but that's when the real attack might happen."

Blaze nodded, "True, but that's when the real COUNTERSTRIKE begins too. You'll see later on, when the time comes."

Zira approached Blaze, Altaris, and Aldarite with some help from a dark elf who had fought beside her. "Thanks," she said the elf. "I think I'll be ok now." He released her and left walked off the join his comrades. Zira had a gash across her leg from the fight.

† Regarding Altaris fighting with Ashuram in the depths of hell: This was from another RPG. It should be disregarded for Eiyuu Kishi Den.