The Quest

Alsifar Suddenly Appeared The unexpected Coldness of his Silver eyes Held Everyone Where they were. Jacob Strained Against its force trying to Reach Farther Toward Elsteba “DO NOT TOUCH HER!” He Roared, the Invisible Force Pulling his arm Away. “ There had been a Shadow of the Umbering here, And It has already Taken its First Hostage! Elsteba is in the hold of the Umbering now, as long as it has a hold upon her, the Shadow Lives off of her lifeforce. If any of you would have touched her you too would have been feeding its life. Gammon Athelia!”


The Watch on Jacobs wrist Jerked slightly and Athelia Appeared, Gammon looked Shocked and Relived at the same Time “Both of you! You are our greatest Protection against this darkness, I am Disappointed in how you have both Let your Guard Slip so far. if you would have stood together instead of let your individual Day Dreams run away with you this never would have happened! I did not allow Dr. Russle to give you a second life for no reason!” Alsifar Banged the Butt of his crystal Staff on the Ground and with a Flash a bright light illuminated the area.
In the light they all could clearly see a Writhing Black Mist about Elsteba. He held his hand up towards it. “be gone!” he commanded. There was another burst of Light and the mist dissolved. Elsteba let out a Gasp and fell unconscious. “Athelia and Gammon Make a perimeter, and make sure the shadow is gone, don’t let your minds stray from your Duty.” With a Bow they both floated away from camp.


Alsifar let out a sigh “I have much to tell all of you, but first everyone must be awake and well.” he walked over to Amorak and his hands began to shine with a Bright Nimbus of Light. “Awake Amorak “ he said putting a hand over his face. “you are needed here” Amoraks eyes flashed open. He tried to throw the hand away but could not move. Alsifar Moved to Elsteba and said “Awake, and Be well” waving his hand over her. She gasped again and woke but could not move. He finaly moved to the burnt personage that lay on the ground. He pointed his palm toward him and his burns and wounds began to mend.
When he finished, the Oppressive force Lifted and Alsifar let out a deep breath and leaned on his Crystal Staff. The use of his power had obviously taken a toll on him.


“you all are here for a specific reason, me and my Order chose you all because it was you three who had it within you to Either help me Restore Existence back to its previous balance or create a new one. However some of you took longer to get here than others…” he looked meaningfully to the Dazed looking Person who had just recovered from his burns. “introductions are far past time, I must introduce you all to the Mission. It’s quite simple we need to save Everyone and Everything from the Umbering.”


Jacob had heard the word before, he had heard his father use it under his breath several times when he was working, “what is the Umbering?” he asked slightly angry that his own father had kept so many secrets from him. “A good question, but a hard one to answer, The Umbering is a Growing Darkness, its wish is to destroy all light.” This didn’t really Mean any danger to Jacob, so what if the umbering destroyed all light, living in darkness wasn’t really all that hard. “I don’t see the danger, I see inconvenience, but not danger.” Jacob said crossing his arms. “Jacob, your thinking of normal light, I am talking about the light of free life. the Umbering wishes to Control Dominate and Manipulate the Light of Life and thus extinguishing it forever. You will learn more of this later for now that is all you need know of the Umbering”


Elsteba Was Still quite frightened, though since she had been roused from unconsciousness, she had felt peace, a little too much peace for what had just happened, she knew it had somehow been placed inside her. “what was that thing!” she said standing up, remembering how it had approached her in a dream and then touched her with a touch so cold she woke up to find it real. “that was one of the Many creations of the Umbering. Made from Light it has already destroyed. Its one of its pets. It was partially my fault it came here. I am sorry you had to experience what you did.” She was angry at Alsifar for Disrupting her Peaceful Life
“Your not near sorry enough!” she yelled at him, her hands grinding into fists,
“ I want to go home! I didn’t have the most Exiteing Life but at least it was safe! Things like this aren’t supposed to happen!”
“Elsteba calm down…” alsifar tried,
“no! send me home, you can do it I know you can, all I was trying to do was get to class and you Pulled me off my own world into this Nightmare!”


“I didn’t bring you here, now calm down and i will explain…”
“what do you mean!!!? You just said You and your order chose me!” she was now very close to alsifar and almost ready to hit him.
“you Elsteba came here by Accident. You where never meant to be a part of this Adventure.” Dumbfounded she stepped back, “what are you talking about?! Why am I here then!?”


alsifars silver gaze never wavered, it was slightly comforting, “I don’t know why you are here” he said,
“ the others where ment to be here, but how you came here specifically I don’t know, it still puzzles me. You came through when the Umbering tried to Attack your world, it found the place of least resistance and tried to come through, but you stopped it somehow and fell through the hole it made to get to your world. You saved your world and didn’t even know it.” he winked.


“Now, as I was saying before the umbering came for Amorak, would you care to tell us why amorak or should i?”
Amorak grunted, annoyed “ I am a key” Alsifar Nodded, “a key to a very complicated lock, a key that sits in the key hole ready to be turned, either to lock tight or to open forever. Amorak is the key to the Umberings cage.”
“I can speak for myself” amorak said even more annoyed “that vision you saw, on your watch Jacob, that is what happened to me, I don’t remember everything but I do remember at least now that if I were to be used for good I would save existence but if I were used for evil I would release the storm of darkness and destroy everything. If I were also to die anything but a natural death the umbering would be released as well…it’s either I hide until I die of old age or the darkness breaks free. That is why I came here! And all of you had to ruin it!”


alsifar Tuted Amorak. “ for one so old you are quite selfish, Amorak is only one way to defeat the umbering or to release it. But it is his task to Discover how to Control his Power over the Prison of the Umbering. How the Shadow made it here was bolth because of me and because of him, as I departed my station the Umberings gaze followed me and saw amorak through the key hole and before his prision prevented him he sent the shadow through to get amorak and take him to his followers. Luckly this guy showed up.” Alsifar Pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the newcomer who still looked dazed.


“Alsifar Can you send me home? As I am not needed here can I just go home” Elsteba asked suddenly. Alsifar smiled she obviously had been in deep thought “only through the hole you came, and I doubt you want to do that, it would allow the umbering access to your home. There are other ways but those options aren’t open yet…well there is Jacob… and as for you not being needed, I wouldn’t be so sure about that, you could be useful. I since I first saw you I felt the Fire in you” she didn’t seem to pay attention to the last half of his sentence.
“ Jacob? How could Jacob send me home?”
Alsifar smiled “ Jacobs watch is the way we will be traveling from now on. He is the one who is going to take us world to world till we find the other way to defeat the umbering.”


Jacob Looked up quizzically at Alsifar “What?” alsifar smiled wider “that is your role Jacob, you are the one who, if the umbering escapes, will defeat it, and so you needed a way to get to where the umbering is. The watch. You have great power in you Jacob.” Jacob also ignored the statement alluding to his hidden power.


“my father built the watch, how did you know what it would do!”
alsifar sighed “as I said before, I know your father. I gave him the design and some of the materials for the watch. He knew and trained you for the time when you would be called upon to save existence. I also gave him what was left of Gammon and Athelia to serve as your protectors, as your world Was already being Absorbed by the Umbering.”


“wait a minute if the umbering is imprisioned how can he be destroying worlds and sending shadows out?” Jacob asked
“when Amorak was made the Key, A key hole also had to be made, as you can Peek through a Keyhole so can it, it can also push some things through, it is trying to find ways to make the key hole bigger so it can just step through out of its prison, and still have a fortress where nothing can go, but this to we must stop. Your world Jacob was the first he tried to do this with, it attached the keyhole to the core of one of your suns so that he could manipulate it's power and make the Keyhole larger... but it wasn't totaly efficient the Star now runs On some of the power of the Keyhole as well... it has discovered other ways or draining power from its prison. very horrible ways.” Amorak grunted “I have heard enough talk, now that we know the problem what do we do to fix it.”


Alsifar nodded “ first we need to get off this world, I fear that the umbering may have alerted his followers to this location, we must leave this world, and then we must search for the wepon, and the way to close the door.”