Judas Quest

Judas Quest1

I entered into the castle of SeaCrest. A sudden wave of dust, and the smell of old, is all I could tell about it. Old is the only word I can use to describe this place. Ancient, would probably be a better word. I’m a cautious type of man, so I pulled out my halberd. Even though I knew the place had been deserted for many centuries, I felt something was wrong. Some type of foreboding presence still lingered here. I was already tired from the long trek here, and then the climb. I only had five days to finish this quest, I have already spent three of them. 2

The corridor before me was vast, and bare. The stone walls were towering, giving it an ominous look. Evil, I can sense it everywhere. I clutch my halberd tighter as I don’t know what to expect, maybe demons, maybe Satan himself, but I was prepared. I paused as I moved into the next corridor. The walls grew darker, more ancient, as if I were traveling back in time. Again, I sensed the evil. Growing more powerful with every step I take. 3

I can sense a battle about to brew, and so I decided that I should recite who I am before I die, or win. My name is Judas, I am a simple warrior, who just wants a bit of fortune. My life has been filled with trouble and hardships. I was walking along the beach the other night when I found this old bottle telling me that whomever had found it, had five days to exercise the power of SeaCrest and the old shell in it. What luck. With that, I traveled to SeaCrest, a castle in Scotland. 4

I moved down the corridor, and arrived into another…corridor, surprisingly, and I continued walking, staying close to the wall. I pull out the bottle and check the contents inside. There is a small vial of a shining white liquid. I don’t know if I should drink it now or later, but now seemed more of a reasonable solution, than did later. Something moved out of the corner of my eye, it was dark and menacing, short, and very fast. 5

I put the vial away, and clutch my halberd tighter. I continued creeping, and I saw the little thing again, but this time it was standing there with a group of his “friends.” A small fire was burning in the midst of their group, and it looked as if they were just trying to warm up. I was able to catch some of the features of these little creatures. They were roughly five foot tall, and were black. They had no face, but they had little blue eyes, and long elf-like ears. I have never seen an elf, but have seen them in story books, elves weren’t real I decided, and settled on them being demons.6

The fire did little to light up the now black walls. A conversation sparked up between them, and to my surprise they spoke perfect English.7

“You know that someone found the bosses little distress bottle right?” said the first one. 8

“Yeah, I know, he’s supposed to be in here now as we speak. We have to kill him, because that traitor Shi’look put that vial in there,” said the second.9

That’s what that is. Hm, I bet I could use that to my advantage, if only I knew how to use it.10

“Just be on the lookout, the boss’s room is only a little ways up, and we can’t screw up being his front guardsmen, or we’ll never be promoted.”11

“I know, I just looked out there, its your turn.”12

“Fine.”13

The second one began walking in my direction and I pulled out a knife, and put my halberd away. This would be too easy. As he walked by, I grabbed him, and slit his little black throat. He was unusually cold, and very slick. Unlike any skin I have ever touched. He stunk of what a corpse would smell like when it hadn’t been preserved properly or was just rotting. As the blade entered and left something black splotched the ground. I am guessing that this is what their blood looks like, and I put the blade away, and moved the body into the shadows.14

As I pulled the body away it began to dissolve in my hands, and then I hear his voice back at the fire, yelling “He’s over there!” Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He had disappeared and had come back to life by the fire. They really were demons. How do I kill them? Oh no… I’ve got it! The liquid from before. I pulled out my halberd and drank about half of the contents. It was vile, horrible, and many other words that describe something disgusting. Putrid, ok that’s enough.15

I regurgitated it back up, spitting onto my weapon. It hit the tip of the halberd and spread down. The goo ran down covering the entire halberd. I know that I did not puke that much stuff up. The entire halberd was covered and then a light shone from it. It looked to me as if it were pure, almost holy. Maybe this is what I needed to kill these things. They came at me, and my weapon illuminated the walls, to where I cold see. I swung out catching the first in the group in the face, he not only dissolved, but exploded into a ball of shining light, then fizzled out in a flash. 16

The others saw this, and then fled into the darkness ahead. I guess this vial that the traitorous demon Shi’look gave me was a device intended to only kill demons. Good use for it, especially now. I only had two days left before I activated this seashell. At the end of the corridor is a staircase leading upwards. I ascended the stairs and found nothing on the next floor, and kept walking. My halberd had quit glowing by this time. I hope the effects haven’t worn off yet, I really don’t want to puke again. I need to find this Shi’look fellow, and help him. 17

I reached the seventh story, not finding anything at all. One thing that I did notice was that on the third floor my halberd had begun glowing again, but I had paid no attention to it. I descend back down to the third floor, and wander around a little bit. I finally find the spot again and notice a small cranny in the wall, and strike it with my halberd. The wall splits apart, and forms a doorway. Inside of the doorway is a man in black robes, with the demons bowed down before him. This has to be Satan, no other person would be like this. 18

He stood, saying nothing and I pulled out my halberd. 19

“I am not a demon,” he said to me, “I am a man and so, therefore, your holy weapon will do nothing to me.”20

“It still cuts,” I said, “and that is all that matters in a fight, which I do believe we will have here soon.”21

“I agree,” he said as he drew a long black sword that was jagged at the bottom, and had a stylized hilt that had a large ruby in it. I swung my halberd out and prepared to fight this “man.” He pointed it at me, and I could feel the power in him. In a flash his sword came down at my feet, and I fell. 22

“I believe you have something of mine and I would care to have it back.”23

“What is it?” I said “I am not aware that I would have anything that would belong to a man of your stature.” I am becoming frantic and well, I don’t want to die yet. 24

“It is a seashell in a bottle.”25

“That is yours?” I already knew this from earlier. 26

“Yes, and I would like to have it back,” as he said this he walked forward, and put his sword up to me. 27

“Ok, ok, you can have it back, only one thing though.”28

“What?” he said looking at me quizzically. 29

“This,” I said as I drove my halberd through his chest, and as this happened a look of pure shock struck his now illuminated face. My halberd flared up as I soon realized that he was a demon, and one other thing crossed my mind. 30

“You lied to me. I don’t like liars, you are going to die now. By the way, here’s your precious item.” I took the seashell out of the bottle and held it up to him. His blood ran down the shaft of my halberd, and I put some of his blood into the shell and he disappeared into the shell. Instantly the castle brightened up, and the demons disappeared. Everything returned to the bland color of gray, and light returned to the dark corridors of this long forgotten castle. 31

A small little demon came out of the corner. 32

“You there, what are you still doing here?”33

It looked at me in a scared way, almost like a mistreated dog. It peaked out, and said. “My name is Shi’look. I am the one that put the vial of holy oil in the bottle for you.”34

“Ah. Yes, I see. I thank dear Shi’look. What can I do for you so that I can repay you?”35

“You can make me into a human, if you will, and also I want you to rule this land as the king.”36

“Huh? How can I change you into a human?”37

“The shell enables the user to do magic, a long forgotten form of creating matter and changing it to your own will.”38

“I see, and exactly how do I do this?”39

“You hold up the shell to whatever you are doing the spell on and say what you want to happen.”40

“Ok,” I said, and then I put the shell up to Shi’look, the kind demon and said, “I want this noble demon to be a man, and to serve in my court. The court of Detria. In this land I want the city of Nibilia, Droaan, and L’yew.” 41

“Thank you my lord.”42

The castle shook and up from the ground where the demon’s throne stood, a throne of white marble, with a tapestry with the marking of my family on it. Torches lit on the walls and I saw Shi’look begin to change form. When he was done, he had brown hair, and blue eyes, with a muscular build that was very refined. My halberd turned into a broadsword that still glowed. 43

“Shi’look … do you have a last name?”44

“Tatarraan. Shi’look Tatarraan at your service my lord.”45

“Good, go round up some more people, but put some clothes on for goodness sake!" With that he hurried off to get clothes, and people, while I studied magic. 46