By Volk-Oboroten'
Recared walked out of Lik's western gate, surprised to see that it was unguarded again. Hadn't an entire regiment of soldiers been posted there in the afternoon? Had they been swallowed by the Black Woods? He began to wonder if the reports of evil in the Tauremorna were true, but these thoughts passed quickly once he looked in Kriemhilda's dark, entrancing eyes.
She seemed to sense his concern about the missing soldiers, and said: "They've joined Valaric. He's coming to liberate Lik from Roderic's tyranny."
Recared wasn't sure if he believed this explanation. "When is he coming? Wouldn't Roderic know that his own brother had an army hidden in the forest?"
"Soon." Kriemhilda said. "But first, we must open the gate for him." Hearing a rumbling sound, Recared looked down the path, and noticed a group of strange men hauling a large wagon through the woods. They were as pale as Kriemhilda, as if they had not been in the sun for many years. Who could they be?
As the heavy cart neared the gate, Recared saw a large black axe lay in its center. Was this weapon Kriemhilda had mentioned on the previous night? Before he could ask her, she spoke again.
"This gate has been enchanted by Nasoj to bar entry of our friends into Lik. The wards on the gate are like the spells protecting his portal. If you can break it, then we will know that you are the Chosen One, destined to free Lik from slavery to the wizard. Only the Chosen One can wield this weapon and survive."
Recared looked at an array of shining stones embedded in the wall next to the gate latch. Once, he heard they were supposed to ward off evil spirits from the Tauremorna. But what could be worse than Nasoj and his evil magic? He would do anything to rid Lik of the wizard's power.
Recared picked up the black axe with some difficulty, due to its great size. As his fingers touched its handle, he suddenly felt a great burst of power. Lifting it out of the wagon, he thought about Nasoj's oppression of Lik, and felt energy flowing into his body. The axe no longer seemed to be heavy, but as easy to hold as a hammer in the mines. This must be some sort of enchantment.
After bearing the axe for a minute, Recared felt something seemed probing his mind, reviving old memories of fighting in Lik. Recared shuddered as he recalled the time Nasoj personally came to the town to suppress a revolt. The wizard's cruel reprisals were well remembered by all of the miners. Garrison troops dragged those identified as rebel leaders through the portal, where they became subjects for Nasoj's magical experiments.
Without delay, he slammed the axe down onto the crystals in the town wall. They shattered into thousands of shards, glittering as they scattered across the snow. As soon as the stones fell, a blue flash of light burst across the iron bars on the gate. Sensing a wave of energy from the axe, Recared thrust the gate open with one hand, determined to smash the portal. As he dashed into Lik, his only thoughts were of freeing Lik's people from the wizard. He didn't notice the twisted fragments of metal left on the snow beyond him, all that remained of Lik's western gate.
As Recared rushed into the town, Kriemhilda stood by the ruins of the shattered gate. One of her undead comrades asked: "How are we going to get the Axe back? It took days to haul it across the Black Woods by wagon. During the whole journey, the Queen would only permit her personal servants to go near it. Now, you've given its power to a mere mortal !"
Kriemhilda said: "We don't need the Axe once the portal is destroyed. We just need to make sure that no one gets it who understands its true power, and is able to use it. Lilith said the Keepers of Metamor could use their magic to descry the Axe's location once it is outside the Tauremorna. We must make sure that they never get it back."
Kriemhilda's pallid companions then shoved the wagon through the gate. The center of the wagon was now full of broken shards of stones from Lik's western gate, destined to be future presents for the Vampire Queen. As they hustled the wagon into a side street, they could hear the distant sound of marching columns in the forest, as Lilith's main army approached Lik.
Meanwhile, Recared had entirely forgotten Kriemhilda for the runic power flowing out of the Axe was far greater than her hypnosis spell. He was enthralled now by intense hatred for Nasoj, and a burning desire to destroy anything wrought by the wizard. Turning a corner, he saw the arch, and recalled the many times soldiers had passed through the portal to exact tribute from Lik. Filled with rage, Recared gave no thought to the cloaked figure sitting at the far side of the arch, clasping a glowing globe in his hands.
As Recared lifted the Axe high above his shoulders, Roderic peered into the crystal, eager to contact Nasoj's envoy again. The face of the wizard's emissary appeared in the stone, just as Roderic heard a sound near the far edge of the portal. Turning away from his crystal ball, Roderic saw tiny fragments of gems flying from the other side of the arch, cleaved from it by a miner wielding a huge weapon. It looked like the black axe from his dream!
"Guards!" Roderic screamed. A number of loyal soldiers from the central garrison rushed towards him.
Nasoj's envoy also watched the scene, displaying a grim visage. "What is the meaning of this!" he said to Roderic. "We have seen that weapon before, wielded by the beasts of Metamor. How did it get here? They could not have reached this town so quickly, without magic. But there only seems to be one man with the Axe now. Capture it immediately!"
Roderic's soldiers neared the arch, but were too late to save Nasoj's magical stones. The gems were now reduced to piles of fragments on the ground, fractured by heavy blows from the Axe. But all was not lost. Even though the arch no longer was protected by sorcery, the wizard could still teleport items through the span, as long as the portal was still intact.
Recared could now sense the approach of the guards. He turned to fight them, but his mind was clouded by other thoughts. He suddenly had an mental image of a man with the head of a fox. What could this mean? Who, or what, was it? He had heard tales of men changed into animals by Nasoj's magic, but they had all become slaves. This being seemed to be a warrior. Roderic's troops wondered what to do about the axe-wielding miner, certain that it would take all of them to subdue an enraged man carrying a magic weapon. No one wanted to make the first move. Their hesitation ended as the center of the arch started to glow. Within seconds, a huge fireball shot out of the arch, aimed directly at the black Axe.
As the blazing sphere swept towards Recared, he lifted the Axe in front of him. The fiery orb collided with the head of the runic weapon, making it glow bright red. Recared's feet shook under the impact of the magical projectile.
Recared was more shaken by thoughts filling his head. The Axe was not his, but stolen. He must return it to its true owner. Recared saw the fox-man in his mind again. Could this be an accursed beast from Metamor? He thought of the men Lik had sent on the campaign against the keep. Perhaps Valaric had seized this magic weapon from demonic creatures in the castle
After recalling stories of the bestial monsters from Metamor Keep, Recared's hands suddenly felt intensely hot. Tongues of fire surged down the length of the Axe. He dropped the weapon on the ground, and looked down at his hands, which looked like they had been stamped by a branding iron. Feeling excruciating pain, Recared collapsed into the snow.
Emboldened, Roderic's guards marched forward to arrest Recared for destroying the magic stones. Roderic joined them, wrapping his cloak tightly against the cold air. They all looked at the Axe on the ground, shining with an incandescent light. Nearby, Recared was sprawled on his side, looking at his burned hands.
As one of the guards reached down to apprehend Recared, Nasoj's envoy walked through the portal. "Halt!" he said. "This man will be personally punished by the Great Wizard. Anyone who dares to destroy Nasoj's creations will become one himself. For smashing the wards on this archway, he will be transformed into a loathsome beast."
Roderic looked at the Axe, which no longer gleamed brightly, but still shone with a dull red light. How could this weapon have survived the direct impact of Nasoj's fireball? It must contain truly powerful magic, greater than the wizard's own sorcery. Facing the envoy, Roderic said: "We should punish him here in Lik. The miners have been disloyal, and must be shown an example. We'll execute him immediately, and place his head on a pike. It will be mounted over the wrecked crystals, as a message for any future rebels."
Nasoj's emissary paid little attention to Roderic's request, as his gaze was fixed on a group of men hurrying to get through the arch. Once they crossed the portal, he addressed Roderic: "You only serve at Nasoj's pleasure. This town, and your trade guild, are entirely subject to the wizard's power. Deliver the prisoner to the Citadel at once. Do not go near the Axe. It is Nasoj's own possession now. We are to carry it to him, as the wizard no longer trusts you and the other inept slaves in Lik."
Angry at being called a slave, Roderic replied: "The Axe is our prize. It's from Metamor, so we claim it as a war trophy. I lost my brother on that campaign! We should get some reward for sending our best men to fight for Nasoj."
Infuriated, Nasoj's envoy said: "Give me the prisoner now! We must act quickly! Get away from the Axe!"
Moving toward the black weapon, Roderic said: "No! It's mine! I deserve it. He only dropped the Axe because my guards approached him. The wizard's puny fireball didn't even scorch the weapon. Once I wield it, everyone in Lik will obey my commands, or suffer the fate of this man."
Pointing to the portal, Nasoj's envoy said: "Don't you know what Nasoj will do to you? This is your last chance. You are nothing, compared to the wizard's great power."
Approaching the Axe, Roderic said: "Nasoj was once nothing. He had no real power until he made a deal with the daedra. Now, he can't even catch a few mages loose in his own Citadel. This mighty Axe must possess magical power far greater than his own. Once I wield it, Nasoj will be reduced to nothing again, and the daedra will honor me. I will become emperor, and Lik will assume its proper place as capital."
Seeing Roderic approach, Recared struggled to his feet, but was restrained by one of the guards. Another guard then shoved him to the ground. As several guards pinned Recared to the snow, Roderic seized the Axe, raising it high above Recared's head.