As the assembly of the damned creatures made their way out of the room, one of the wraiths stayed behind and watched as his master positioned himself near the throne once again. The figure that remained was not like all the other minions at the dark one's disposal, its demeanor far less fearful around Dardanos, almost as if it had an air of confidence about it. Slowly the giant husk of a man walked towards one of the walls where it placed one of its hands to lean on. He fixed a hard gaze upon the direction of his master which seemed to be held forever before speaking, "Does something trouble you, my Lord?" The question, of course, was rhetorical but he could not help himself.<br/><br/>The question registered in the mind of Dardanos but he took a moment to think before replying without taking so much as a glance as to which one of his minions would dare to question his state, "Once again, my old friend, you overstep your boundaries. If it were not for your competence in battle as well as the few fond memories I have of you from days past I would take great pleasure in ridding you of your mind. As it stands, you will learn your place among me and know when it is appropriate to ask anything of me." The words that came out were as dark and cold as the man who spoke them. The sudden inquiry eventually turned him around to face the wraith that was still present, gesturing for the creature to come closer.<br/><br/>"I am sure that Meuric has your best interests in mind with whatever he is doing, my lord," the tone in the wraith's voice shifted just slightly after the comment from his master but his calm demeanor stayed while he approached the center of the room. Like all the other members of the dark army, this less-of-a-man's flesh was a rotten mess of flesh that was covered in a sickening black substance that seemed to move as if it were somehow alive. He wore the standard attire of the wraiths which included iron armor marked with the emblem of the Ciardah, a claw-like hand grasping the hilt of a sword with a broken blade. Each soldier was issued the same set of weapons depending on their skill and build, this particular soldier with a one-handed sword clasped to the side of his belt signifying his average frame that bolsters quick movements and decisive striking capabilities. However, this specific wraith differed from all the others in important ways. His eyes were not the typical all black color that the wraiths gained when becoming enslaved to Dardanos. They were very dark compared to the average human's eye but still sported a bit of color in the iris, a bright green to be precise, the same eye color he had before being turned. This suggests that this particular wraith is somewhat still able to think for himself as well as having the ability to object to a command. Another difference is that the armor he wears as well as the sword he carries brandishes a separate symbol from the Ciardah emblem, a thin open circle with a horse's head in the center. This symbol represents the status of "General" in Dardanos' army which serves more than just a decoration as the General has the ability to give orders to the lesser wraiths that serve under him. Of course, why this man was chosen to be the leader under Dardanos is never questioned by the rest of the army but the issue has been raised by those who live outside the ruined kingdom.<br/><br/>With his gaze now fixed upon the General who was walking towards him, Dardanos met the man's eyes which did not falter slightly like all the other minions' do, even after the threatening comment that was made. Nothing less was expected, however, as the dark lord was very much aware of this one wraith's audacity even in the precense of the one being who can cause tremendous agony for him. This was part of the reason Dardanos allowed the creature to keep part of its soul and given the position of General in his kingdom. Now with only a few feet separating the two, the king speaks, "I have no doubt that Meuric stands firmly loyal to me, Carthaus," speaking the former name of the General, "however, my concern is what sort of mischief the man is planning to get himself into. I must find out what he is planning."<br/><br/>"We can send more scouts to Eirwen to keep an eye on him. Perhaps they can figure out where he has been disappearing to." The concern that laced Carthaus' voice matched that of his master, understanding the frailty of the situation surrounding the ice kingdom and its lack of a true leader at the moment.<br/><br/>A slow shake of the head was followed by a response that seemed to have already been decided on, "No, I shall see to the matter personally."<br/><br/>Shock was visible upon the wraith's face as the words hit him. He knew that the dark lord was nowhere near the strength he needed in order to safely traverse the world outside Ciardah. If word got out that Dardanos was outside the safety of his kingdom, those in power would surely exhaust all efforts to rid the world of his darkness once and for all. They would not have to kill him, which is nearly impossible due to his immortality with only one weakness, but only capturing him would be enough to then march a large enough army into Ciardah for the final blow to the kingdom.<br/><br/>"Relax, General, I am fully aware of my condition. Though it is true I cannot fight to my full potential yet, I do not plan to get caught in any sort of situation such as that. I will travel incognito and will see what that foolish man has up his sleeves. While I am gone, you will watch over my kingdom."<br/><br/>"Yes, your majesty," was all that Carthaus could muster up to say, curious as to what the king himself had planned. It was not like him to even think about leaving the kingdom, especially with his weakened state. There must be something seriously troubling going on inside the mind of the dark master for him to attempt such a thing, and if it troubled him, it troubled all of Ciardah. "How is it you plan to travel, my lord?"<br/><br/><div><hr style="height:2px; width:100%; border:0; color: white;background:white;"/></div><br/><br/>Another fight was spilling out into the streets as last call was being announced for the seedy tavern whose name no one cared to remember. Even the bartender forgot the name, which didn't matter since every night there seemed to be a new one after a fight from the previous night usually left them either dead or injured beyond repair. Then again, it wasn't like a bartender was ever really necessary as the patrons made got their own drinks. The current bartender somehow found himself in the middle of the brawl that had emptied out onto the dirt road which made its way through a very small collection of wooden structures, the remnants of what used to be a town that sat just outside the boundaries of Ciardah.<br/><br/>The fight, just like all the others, quickly turned into an aggressive battle as the combatants drew their weapons before going at each other again. Only a few short minutes later the confrontation had been settled as a group of half a dozen men stood triumphantly over the corpses of their opposition, as well as the barkeep who tried desperately to get away. The group quickly collected any valuables on the bodies of the slain before reentering the tavern for more drinks, the rest of the crowd keeping to themselves, the hustle and bustle of the small building returning to normal shortly after.<br/><br/>Suddenly the doors swing open and the population of the bar is horrified to see the animated bodies of those who had just recently been killed walk in, their wounds still open and bleeding though the color of the blood is not a deep red but a sickening black that dripped onto the floor. Before anyone could think the group of undead warriors charged the living attempting to slaughter them all. The gang that had won the earlier battle sprang up to defend themselves but were no match for the strength and ruthlessness of their opponents. Everyone in the bar was killed except for one, the leader of the gang who was beaten but kept alive.<br/><br/>"Just get it over with you hell-spawn," he spat as he talked, knowing exactly what it was that these men had been turned into. What he did not expect was to see the figure of Dardanos walk through the doors that were held open by two wraiths who knelt down as their newly appointed master walked through. The rest of the wraiths soon followed suit. The man who was captured knew exactly who it was he was looking at, the black eyes of the dark king staring a hole through his mind. "You...the rumors, they are true?"<br/><br/>"It would seem so," Dardanos spoke calmy as he approached the defeated ex-prisoner who looked like he had just woke from a terrible nightmare. Unfortunately for him, this was all too real. "Do not fear what comes next, for that will only make it worse. Face your destiny with courage and your experience will be much easier."<br/><br/>A smirk played on the face of the gang leader, as if the words he heard somehow calmed his nerves, an effect he was not anticipating, "It would be my honor to serve you, great master of the darkness. For many years I found myself at the mercy of these other kingdoms, spending decades inside their prisons for crimes that I admit had been committed. I have robbed, murdered, kidnapped, and have done my share of misdeeds. But those hypocrites are no better than me and threw me away while flaunting their own self-rightousness. To become part of your immortal army would fulfill my desire to seek vengeance on them."<br/><br/>The sincerety of the words could be felt as Dardanos listened with great attention, a chilling smile proudly displayed on his face as the man finished speaking. A deep laugh came from the dark lord before responding, "Your vengeance will be realized, that I can assure you. However, your part in this world has come to an end, for it is not your services that I seek but your body." He lifts his arms over his head and the light in the tavern begins to flicker. Out of his eyes, which stay fixed on the man held by two of the wraiths, a blackness begins to pour out with engulfs the entire room, creating an impenetrable darkness that swallows everything around them. All that remains is the man on his knees before Dardanos.<br/><br/>"What is this?" He asks while looking around to see not even a single wraith with them in this plane of ever-reaching darkness, "Where are we?"<br/><br/>The words don't even make a sound but Dardanos is able to understand exactly what the man was trying to ask. Instead of speaking with his mouth, the dark lord instead places one hand on the forehead of the kneeling gang leader and speaks directly into his mind,<span style="font-style: italic">This is where the darkness lives and where all things eventually go. This is your new home.</span>The black substance pouring from his eyes starts to seep into the eyes of the kneeling man. A few moments later the body of Dardanos evaporates while the darkness of the room floods into the man's eyes as well, eventually returning him back to the bar where all the dead bodies, including the wraiths, have disappeared. He stands up and brushes the dirt off his knees before grabbing his weapon, an one-handed axe, and heading outside. As he makes his way onto the dirt road two wraiths that stayed outside kneel before him.<br/><br/>"Greetings, my lord." One calls out while the other stays silent.