Belorfin Goes Missing
Yes, this "dream" is meant to be totally bizarre, partly because of the mysterious powers of the spire, and partly because...Well, Abyzmal will explain.
Belorfin Goes Missing - Part I
One night, Belorfin fell asleep in the abandoned old Siflige tavern as he had been doing for nearly a year. Unfortunately, that night, he went sleepwalking and bumped into the mysterious and powerful Siflige Loci Spire outside. It sent him into a strange dimensional vortex, and he was asleep for 10 months. When he finally awoke, he was in the very middle of a tavern that he had never heard of called the Salty Spitoon. Sounds like a pirate tavern, Belorfin thought. He had awoken standing up. He looked down at his feet and saw some floor-anchored shackles, a small pool of blood, and he noticed he was wearing rags. In spite of all this, his ankles were free of the shackles, he had no wounds on his body, and he still had all of his material belongings--including, to his relief, his faithful sword and armor. Belorfin changed into his new, red paladin uniform and black hat and looked around. He saw that the door leading outside was behind him, but directly in front of him, saw something shocking. Across the bar, he saw the bartender, who had apparently been hung. Weird place to hang somebody...A bar?, thought Belorfin. He walked over to the hanging corpse and began reaching in the dead man's pockets. The items he found were even stranger. He pulled out a 100-pound key with a glowing red skull, a small medusa statue, a pizza, a plate of bacon & eggs, a glass bottle of milk, a slab of raw red meat, a lollipop, and the apparent remains of the man's journal. It was merely a bloody piece of paper. The only legible words say "Zaboomafoo Phillip X's Journal". This was defintely not a normal place. Because of the blood all around, Belorfin decided to take out his sword, shield, and armor before going out the door.
When he opened the door, walked into the pitch black dark, and closed the door behind him, he appeared in Siana City. The door had transported him to the entrance of the Black Alliance Sector of Siana City. Finally, a bit of realism. But what's this "Black Alliance"?, he thought. He read the sign directly in front of him. It read: "WARNING! This is the Black Alliance Guard Station, leading to the Black Alliance Sector. Anyone who is not a member of the Black Alliance (Black Ninja Clan, Supreme Order, or Lord Black) will be killed on sight or taken prisoner and executed. Therefore,ALL CITIZENS TURN BACK NOW." Oh, so this "Black Alliance" must be Lord Black's private army, aside from Siana's, hm? Sounds like they have some privacy issues. He looked up. Well, it's still night. Stormy, dark. He saw two Black Ninja patrolmen heading his way. He ran, clanking over into the shadows and hid behind a stray boulder. The two ninjas stopped at the gate and talked to one another."Did you hear about the new lieutenant that Master Morticus sent to watch over us?"
"Yeah, 'Lady Dark', they call her."
"Mm hm. She's not even a lieutenant. I heard she's here for a 'personal mission'--Hey, what's that?"
He had noticed the holy glow from Belorfin's sword. Belorfin jumped up and killed the two ninjas. He looked ahead and saw the guard station. Looks like I'll have to fight my way in. Who says weirdness can't be fun? Hell, maybe I'm back in reality now. The legendary paladin charged to the three guards standing in front of the guard station door. Little did he know that he would be ambushed from behind by three more. He killed them all and searched the leader's corpse for a key, to no avail. He did steal the uniform and mask for his own collection, however. Belorfin reached for the 100-pound key from the bar. It actually opened this door. What the hell?, he thought, walking in. The two guards waiting just inside the door attacked him and were killed. He walked up the hallway and was met with eight ninja guards and a tuxedo-wearing demon who resembled a red-skinned Uneloril E'len. This was the toughest fight yet, but he won again and continued on. He was in the lobby of the guard station. The bench then shouted "Will you pass the test? I think you may want to take a look at the dungeon, Mr. Siana." The bulletin board then said "Look at the execution! And find out who 'Lady Dark' really is..." Belorfin then walked over to the board and looked at the guide:
4F -- Lady Dark's Lounge
3F -- Barracks
2F -- Offices
1F -- Lobby
B1F -- Prison Cells
B2F -- Storage
B3F -- Execution
B4F -- Dungeon
"Well, it's all bound to be grim. Let's head down first," Belorfin said to himself. He turned left and headed downstairs. When he went down to floor B1, he found but one prisoner in the cells. It was Selk, an old "forbidden crush" of Belorfin's past (before his fiance). But Selk was silent in her cell. She could not speak and her skin was cold. Belorfin moved on past floor B2, as there was nothing he needed there.
When he got to the execution room, he was stunned. On the floor were two fresh, bloody corpses. One was his one true love, his long-lost fiance Selia Evrion. The other, directly to the right of it, was his good friend, the Grand Emperor of the kingdom that Belorfin founded (and was first king of before he died) and extremely masterful sorcerer, Lord Black. Standing between the two corpses was a muscular man with demonic wings protruding from his bare back. He turned to face Belorfin, who had run up to him. His face shocked Belorfin. The man appeared to be Belorfin's entire evil side, ripped out of the rest of his soul--an "evil twin", if you will. His eyes glowed as blood red as his hair, and he spoke with the same demonic, echoing voice that Belorfin had centuries ago. "Hahahaha! Belorfin! Welcome! ...To your nightmare, of course. Look at your--", the figure said, motioning toward the once-beautiful female body on the floor. "S-Selia?! No!! You bastard!" Belorfin yelled. "Hahaha...Watch what you say to yourself. I believe there is there is a lesson to be learned here. Belorfin, I am your evil self. Your nice, holy self is either not here...or you are him.", the red-eyed one said. He continued.
"I suppose you're wondering about the familiar faces you've seen here."
"Selk, Selia, Lord Black..."
"And more. Speaking of Selk though, she's going to die in 10 seconds. It's too late for her. Hahaha...", he grinned. "You know..." He pointed to Selia's corpse. "...She would have been your bride if--"
"If she hadn't disappeared?!"
"Disappeared? Haha, you really are a fool. She left you. You were too soft. Face it. You haven't had a relationship since you left evil for her. You're pathetic. And this fool behind me?"
"Lord Black..."
"Yes. Your 'heir to the throne'. 'Grand Emperor' indeed! Look at your mighty emperor now! The 'Master Sorcerer'! His robe has been torn to rags. And he's dead. All you love and care about are meant to suffer."
"Really?..."
"Hm. It seems that even with your goody-two-shoes attitude, you still have your wit. Where should I start?! Here, read off this list of names, one by one." He hands Belorfin a sheet a paper.Belorfin reads the paper. "Oryu?"
"You saved her life how many times? Twice, wasn't it? She hasn't so much as thanked you, because she can't even hold her own life together. She pretends to be a holy warrior, but she claims that she isn't a paladin. Pff. You know as well as I do that the list doesn't lie."
"Illinai?"
"Oh, man. He's as bad as Oryu. What a complainer, same as Orophin. You know the whole situation between him and Felina. Talk about a failed marriage. That was your bad luck too. Damn holy aura...Now listen. We could run down a list of thousands of names, but we don't have ti--"
"Com?! Com Onner? How did I ruin his life?!"
"Well, not only did you encourage his idiotic behavior, but you imitated it! Badly, I might add. What a poser! Anyway..."
"You...killed Selia..."
"WE did! Belorfin Siana! And if you think this is freaky, continue downstairs. Then go upstairs. You're in hell now, Mr. Holy Man. Angel wannabe."
"Now can you kill me? Can you kill yourself?! Feel the burning rage inside you for your fiance's death."
"But if you find me a challenge, you'll really be in for it when you see Lady Dark. She'll probably kill you while you gawk in surprise. Who knows--It could be Sharwyn from Neverwinter for all you know."
"Say your prayers, holy man!"
Evil Belorfin attacked the real Belorfin and they battled to the death, with the real one coming out on top. As he removed his bloodied blade from his foe's chest, Belorfin glanced at Lord Black's corpse, then turned his full attention to his beloved Selia. After changing back into his paladin uniform, ((Not so easy to kneel in full platemail, you know?)) he rushed and kneeled at her side, looking her mangled, cuffed body over. He then prayed aloud for her soul and that of Lord Black. He held up each of her hands, one at a time, to check for her engagement ring. It was missing. He shook his head and walked over to the demonic Belorfin, reached in his pants pocket, and pulled out the Stairs Key for the second floor and above. He armored up again and headed down toward the dungeon. Since that was usually where they kept the most dangerous of prisoners, he wanted to be prepared.
Belorfin came down the stairs and saw...a myriad of kind faces. "Greetings, Belorfin," a male angel said, "and welcome." "Hello," Belorfin said. "I am sure that you were expecting a dungeon to be much more depressing," said the female angel. "Yeah, after what I've been through," Belorfin said. "Well, you can relax now," said the devil, smiling. "I'm Devil. To my right is Vampire and to my left are Angel and Lady Angel." "We're just here to provide information," said Vampire. "Alright, inform me," said Belorfin. "Behind us in the dungeon is a sight that you may have wanted to see once...but it will only give you heartbreak now," said Lady Angel. "As will the sight on the fourth floor, I'm afraid," said Angel. "What, who is it up there?" asked Belorfin. "We are not allowed to say," said Devil. "Abyzmal can explain this situation better than we can, but as for what that evil version of you said, pay it no mind. You will "pass the test" if you can defeat your enemies and complete your tasks here with your sanity--" said Vampire. "And your kindness still intact," finished Lady Angel, "Behind this door is your most heartfelt desire. Upstairs, you may find more familiar faces with more answers than we have." "So..." Belorfin started. There is a pause. "I am sorry. You can continue on now", said Lady Angel. "Just make sure you're ready to handle the emotions you will feel here. Go with the light in your heart." Belorfin nodded and continued on to the dungeon door. He opened the door to something he did not expect. He saw what appeared to be Selia standing there in a wedding dress, as stiff and cold as Selk was. The sight was the only thing strong enough to finally cause a couple of tears to run down Belorfin's cheeks, as he hugged what appeared to be his beloved fiance. He simply stood there for a minute of sadness, holding her in a hug. He then let go and used his cape to wipe his tears. In his typical humorous demeanor, he said "Crying? Well, that's not very paladin-like, is it? Come on, sword, old buddy. We've got unfinished business to handle." Belorfin then walked back up the steps to the lobby, where he unlocked the upper stairs door and began his climb to the top.When Belorfin made it to the second floor, he was met in the hallway by four ghosts. The ghost of an old man greeted him. "Ah, we were waiting for you, Belorfin." he said.
"Reverend Bob Fynolds? Vurbag Lurrga? Captain Blakard? Alfheim the first?!" said Belorfin.
"Why, yes. You see, none of us are alive anymore, but we still have knowledge to impart." said the ghost of Bob, continuing. "Like you, we all died fighting the good fight. I was very old and I tired of being helpless in the mortal world, so I charged a Ventrax Slaad. Good to die fighting, you know...Even if it's with an impossible-to-defeat opponent."
The ghost of Vurbag then spoke, "Lordy Black used he's magiks to kill me and eat me. I was bad sometimes, but I stoled cuz I had to and I had a good heart, so I made it to heavens."
The ghost of pirate Captain Blakard spoke next. "He also killed me. How ironic that he now pays pirates to be his scouts. But forgive the poor elf. He's had as bad a life as you. He's a changed man, for the better."
"Alfheim?" Belorfin asked.
"Yes, hello again, Belorfin." said Alfheim. "I have a favor to ask of you."
"Wow, you're older." said Belorfin. "You're talking in actual sentences."
"Yes, children don't always stay children, even when they die." said Alfheim. "Anyway, it's time I see my old master again. Ask him to try resurrecting me again. With Abyzmal's help, it should be possible."
"But don't you know there's an Alfheim The Second now? You've been replaced." Belorfin said.
"I know, but I don't hold a grudge against Master for eating me. It allowed him to survive. Now that I'm older, I can protect the kingdom while he's away. What he doesn't realize is that Alfheim II is a pseudodragon, not a red dragon like me. He can always help with the usual tasks of a familiar even with me returning." Alfheim said.
"Ok, will do. Now what kind of answers are you guys supposed to give me?" Belorfin said.
"You mean besides everything we just told you?" Captain Blakard said. "Well, for starters, prepare yourself for Lady Dark up there. She's a Sith Lord!"
"Wow, those are all very rare." Belorfin said.
"Well, for good's sake, an elven Jedi Master is training a ten-year-old child to become a Jedi now. Now, this is supposed to be a secret, but--" Bob said.
"No, Bob! Don't tell um! You destroy da test and he be damned here forever!" Vurbag"I don't like all these secrets." Bel
"Belorfin! It took all the power I had, but I've finally reached you!" Abyzmal voice said.
"Abyzmal? Where are you?" Belorfin said.
"I didn't have enough power to materialize this far, so you'll just have to listen. Just trust the ghosts and the angels for now. Complete the tasks set before you, but let me warn you...Whatever evil you see, don't believe a word she says! This isn't 100% real! I'll explain it later. Just survive and finish the tasks so that you can escape!" Abyzmal said.
"Alright, Abyzmal. But why all the interest in my and Siana's affairs anyway?" Belorfin said.
"Because you need my help more than anyone else right now, regardless of how strong you are. My power is fading. Remember what I said, Belorfin, and meet me back in the Siflige tavern!" Abyzmal's voice said.
"Alright. Thank you, Abyzmal." Belorfin said.
"Well, you know what's next. Good luck. But first you need to get the key from the Black Warrior and more ninjas in the barracks. Fare thee well, lad." Bob said.
"Do all of the the people I don't know have generic names around here? Anyway, thank you all. I'm off." Belorfin said.
Belorfin walked up the steps and forward into the barracks. There he was attacked by 16 ninjas and the Black Warrior. He started to charge toward the Black Warrior, but he then realized that as a group, the ninjas were more of a threat, so he attacked them instead. By the time Belorfin defeated the ninjas, his health had been depleted, so he used his limited holy power to heal his wounds. Then he finally fought and killed the mighty Black Warrior, who used magic and hand-to-hand fighting. He then bent over and grabbed the lieutenant's room key from the Black Warrior's belt. Belorfin then continued on to the Lieutenant's Lounge.
In the lounge, Belorfin saw a familiar-looking dark figure, but he wasn't sure...He walked forward and confirmed that Lady Dark was indeed Selia Evrion. However, her skin was a deathly pale grey, she was wearing a Sith robe and black makeup, and was carrying a double-bladed red lightsaber. Other than that, she still had her previous beauty. "Hey, baby." she said, with a demonic echo in her voice. Belorfin was stunned. "Selia?! But--What--You look so different! And your voice! YOU were 'Lady Dark'?" he said.
"Actually, I prefer 'Darth Selia'. Lady Dark was more of a persona." Still shocked, Belorfin simply stood there. "Still speechless? Are you that surprised?" she asked. He thought. "Well then, let me explain. Everything your better half said down on the execution floor was true. You were weak. I have surpassed you now. Hell, it didn't take much to do that. I did love you once, but we all know that I was the brawn of the relationship. Protect me? You couldn't even protect yourself. That's why I ran away before the wedding. You cared more about your precious light than about me! So I fled into darkness. It was so soothing, comforting, empowering. It was my only friend. There. Now you have your answers, don't you?" she said. "I loved you more than life itself! I would have done anything for you!" Belorfin said. "It's too late for that, boy. Hit me with all the light you've got! I will show you the true power of darkness! Power that could have been used for good!" she exclaimed. "Yes, darkness can heal, but it's too powerful. Unless you know how to control it like Lord Black, it will swallow you, as I see it has!" he said. "Silence! It's time to bring the pain!" she yelled. "Then so be it. You are now dead to me, but the old Selia will always be in my heart." he said. They clashed in an amazing battle, with lightsaber versus holy sword. "Why doesn't your sword melt?" she asked. "It's protected by holy energy. Unlike you, foul demon-beast." he explained. At the end of this battle, Belorfin ended up killing 'Darth Selia'. After he picked up a Sith regeneration ring and a seemingly fake copy of Selia's engagement ring, he stood over her body and and said "You should have stayed a sorceress." He changed into his paladin uniform (minus hat) and sat down beside the dark Selia. He sat there in silence and held her hand for 30 seconds...
Part II
Belorfin Goes Missing - Part II
Suddenly, Belorfin disappeared and then reappeared in what appeared to be the Black Marble Lounge, one of his oldest hangouts, which had been about 75 years ago. Immediately, the man to his right shouted over a loudspeaker, "The Black Marble Lounge welcomes back an old patron, Belorfin Siana!" Belorfin looked around the old place. The dance floor was silent, the stripper rooms were empty, nobody was in the bathrooms, and no one was tending the bar. He decided to head to the arena, but when he reached the doorway, he saw statues of his two old best friends from his days at the Lounge -- Isendur and Errba. Great, now I wonder if this means I'll finally get a date with Serenity, he thought jokingly. He turned away from the door and walked into the wedding chapel. Probably another life lesson or memory in here, hm?, he wondered.
Belorfin looked at the bride and groom standing there, staring at him from the altar. It was that half-orc that his he and his two friends had made fun of so long ago, and his elven wife. "Come closer, friend." the half-orc said. He continued as Belorfin approached him. "You remember making fun of us in elven, I'm sure. You and your friends. Well, you do know that's rude, don't you? We were in love and you just couldn't--" Belorfin interrupted. "Wait, I'm a changed man! That was the old me!" The half-orc said, waving him off "and yet, you still interrupt folks. Regardless, it is time for you to go into the arena now. Begone now."
Belorfin entered the hallway and walked through the door between his two friends. In the entrance, he saw the evil blackguard Belorfin, which spoke to him. "First you fight me, then you fight the next version of me. No speech this time. Fight!" At one point during the fight, it seemed that the blackguard would kill the paladin. He spoke. "See how much more powerful you used to be?! Embrace the loving darkness!" The paladin healed his wounds completely and continued the fight. "No, this is why the light is better! Haha! Can you heal?!" He then quickly killed the blackguard. Belorfin continued on through and then defeated the next incarnation of his blackguard form. Belorfin rested and then used all of the protective divine spells he had and continued forward. Then he saw something that he had hoped to never see again. It was the immortal, impossible to defeat enemy of the Black Marble Lounge arena. He spoke to Belorfin in a robotic, cyborg voice. "Relax, but don't let your guard down. This will be the hardest fight of your life, but it won't be impossible. Not like it used to be. This is the final part of your...'dream', understood?" Belorfin said "It must be a dream. You've never been able to talk before." The two began to fight. With each hit, Belorfin's sword struck with divine, electrical, fire, and sonic energy. Incognito's fists hit Belorfin with the elements of fire, electricity, sound, acid, and cold, as well as positive energy, negative energy, and arcane energy. Belorfin healed himself three times during this fight before his magic was entirely exhausted. The fight was truly the greatest fight of Belorfin's life, during which he got Incognito down to about 1/4 of his health. However, in the end, Incognito overpowered him. Belorfin then fell through the floor and was transported to Seraphi Temple in the real Siana City. He lay unconcious in its fountain for a week. He was already dead, after all. He went unnoticed because of the kingdom's attention to their war against the arctic bugbears and kobolds.
Belorfin woke up and got out of the fountain, spitting the water out of his mouth. His armor and other belongings were in a corner. He found a note on the statue of himself. It read "This is Abyzmal. Sorry to leave you in Siana alone, but I had an appointment with the lord of darkness, and I've set up a telepathic aura around the temple to keep people from entering. It also helps that this is General Seraphi's private temple. It would have been awful if the people knew that you were dead and then saw you standing in front of them, wouldn't it? Public chaos would ensue throughout Siana. Put on your disguise and walk back to the Siflige tavern. Just don't lift the mask and don't talk. And about Lord Black. Don't try to talk to him. The castle guards would never let a commoner in for a chat with the emperor. I'll set up a meeting in the Siflige tavern for the three of us later." Belorfin donned his mask and monk robe and headed out the door. It was snowing outside. Belorfin bought a horse from a local stable. Even though the salesman was surprised to see that Belorfin's lips never moved while he spoke, he gladly took the gold coins as payment. Belorfin rode out of the kingdom of Siana and headed far south. He had a long way to go before he reached the very rainy area of Siflige.
The ride took three months, with rest stops in between of course, until Belorfin finally reached the outer area of Siflige. He let the horse free and continued his journey on foot. That walk took a day and Belorfin finally reached the tavern. He went inside and upstairs to an inn room and slept in a bed this time. In the morning, Belorfin awoke and stepped out of his bed. "Ah, it is good to be home again," he said. After eating breakfast, he went downstairs and saw Abyzmal awaiting him. "Greetings, Belorfin," Abyzmal said. "If you'll please wait, I'll be right back with Lord Black." Abyzmal disappeared and reappeared twenty seconds later with Lord Black.
Abyzmal continued. "Belorfin, all that you did while you were 'asleep' was not truly a dream. You see, the gods set up that dimension to be your final test to prepare you for...'angelhood'. They used your memories and mixed them with many absurd things that defied logic. The crazy things that you experienced were a test of your sanity. Your friends, loves, enemies, and even your own dark side were used to challenge your dedication to justice. Of course, none of the people in this 'dream' were really there. As to be expected, though, you passed the test with flying colors. The gods don't like to do things in person. Congratulations, Belorfin! You are now officially an angel! You may ascend into the heavens at any time that you wish, but if it's Selia you're looking for, she's still alive. Therefore, you may also stay here on the material plane and use your powers to disguise your wings as you have so many times before." Belorfin was relieved. He said: "Abyzmal, I can't thank you enough for all of your help. I thought you Watchers were supposed to be very hands-off and hidden. Lord Black, I hear that you have a war on your hands." Lord Black replied "Yes, but it's on its last legs. The native creatures are almost destroyed. They just recently unveiled their secret weapon, though--a white dragon. So what was so important that you needed me for this meeting? I must return before the castle guards realize I'm gone." Belorfin said "Well, Alfheim's ghost asked me to ask you to resurrect him. Abyzmal can explain the rest later. I'm sure you have to get back to that war." Abyzmal said "Right. Lord Black, we will get to that later today. For now, let's go." Abyzmal teleported himself and Lord Black back to Siana Castle. Belorfin walked to the other, ghostly tavern in Siflige, which had been created during a war while the original tavern was destroyed. Finally time for breakfast, he thought. "Ah, Chef Drolmax," he said to the green slaad. "Give me some kobold meat and some elven wine." Belorfin said. The guys back in Midfeld are never going to believe all of this, he thought.
