chapter 7

Back in Varamath Volondove was confused and horrified by the recent turn of events. First a mass grave yard in the Celemorian dessert and now his property being swamped by wood elves? The fact that the demons were already on the loose in Celemore was bad enough of news, let alone the death of one of the staff bearers. What happened in Varamath while he was away that could top this?

"Im afraid that our worst fears have been realized." Lamir began. "The barrier between worlds has broken. The demons have returned. And what's worse, they have already begun their conquest of Lamenreal." He said with a horrified expression.

"I am aware of the demons return." Volondove replied boldly. Lamir stared at him in horror as he heard this.

"What? You know?" He asked in shock.

"That is partially why I returned home. I wanted to warn you of the demons return. They are on the move in Celemore as we speak." Volondove explained. "They have already attacked the border lands of the shadow glades earlier today. But fortunately I arrived just after the battle had ended. So I was never in direct conflict with them. But I saw many demons and mortals alike slain upon the battlefield, the demons alone mounted up to thousands, possibly tens of thousands."

"What!?" Lamir said with horror. He was very concerned about the sudden attack on the night elves. Not just the demons sweeping through the land at record speeds, but the fact that Volondove already had an encounter with the satanic abominations before he could reach his full potential was a terrible thought for the ancient wizard. He was relieved slightly to find that Volondove arrived after the battles end. But if a demon lord was on the rampage in Celemore, then which demon lord was leading them?

"The demons have struck Varamath and Celemore?" Lamir asked in shock. "Then that means there are two demon lords on the loose already! This is all happening too quickly. Much faster than any of us had expected."

"Wait a minute." Volondove interrupted. The sound of two demon lords caught his curiosity like a rabbit in a snare. "What exactly do you mean by two demon lords are on the loose? Is there another one here? How do you know there is even one here? You sure it's not just a warband? Were you attacked? Tell me what happened here while I was away. Everything!" He said urgently.

"No, I wasn't attacked, yet." Lamir replied.
"But I am certain that there is a demon lord here in Varamath. You see... Uhh..." Lamir stumbled as he thought of an analogy that Volondove could comprehend. "The best way I can explain them is like a circus." Lamir said suddenly.
"Where the troop goes the ring master is not far behind. Demons need a leader. Without someone eto call the shots they will fall apart into total anarchy. So If what you say is true, that there were quite on quote, thousands of demons slain in Celemore, then there must be a demon lord leading them there. The real question is, which one."

"So there is a demon lord in Varamath and Celemore?" Volondove asked. "Do you know which demon lord is here in Varamath? Or if it even is a demon?"

"I am afraid not." Lamir replied. "I have yet to see any demon lord in person while you were gone. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any demon in general for that matter."

"well thank goodness for that I guess." Volondove said trying to stay optimistic. "But then how do you know that the demons are here in Varamath?" Volondove asked.

"There is no race on the face of the planet that could sweep across the land at the speed at which has happened here. This can only be the work of the demons. I bet my life on it." Lamir explained with confidence.

"Ok, so the demons are here in Varamath, but what have they done here? Have they attacked anyone yet? And if so, who all was attacked? Have the human and elven nations been warned of the new threat? Do they know what is happening? Are they preparing to face them before it's too late? Tell me what happened while I was away."

Lamir looked into his eyes intensely and took a deep breath before he explained the situation. "As you know already, one of them has been released in Varamath." He began. "Somewhere in the lands near the Yang River. Somewhere within the realms of man to be exact. That's where I felt a disturbance in the barrier. As soon as you left, I heard word from some friends in the southern kingdoms that an unknown force was sweeping through the lands of the human alliance. Something they have never seen before. They came by night, and moved through the shadows. They made little to no sound as they swept through the country side. thier blades were silent and swift as entire cities were fell by the sun rise."

"Within the time it took you to train with Zangar, the demons have reduced the kingdoms of men to only small pockets of resistance warriors who as we speak are still fighting an opponent they don't know. While the majority of human lands were already conquered. And most of the people slain."

Volondove was in great shock at this news. He could not comprehend how the entire human alliance could have been reduced to nothing so quickly. The human alliance was the vanguard of all of Varamath. They were the diplomatic and economic face of the land. And their combined skills of sword play and manipulative magics of the mind should have put up a better fight. How could uch a mighty people have fallen so quickly?

"Ho-how is this even possible?!" He asked with a panicked expression on his face. "How is it even possible to annihilate the entire human alliance in such a short amount of time?!"

"Your guess is as good as mine boy." Lamir said. "I have not seen any power like this before. Not even during the black wars had the demons used a weapon like this. If it is even a weapon. The point being, I don't know who or what took down the alliance. But rest assured the level of destruction it caused is no dought the work of the demons."

Volondove knew what he had to do. He had to warm the remaining factions in Varamath of the demon threat so that they might show some resistance to this apocalyptic threat.

"Then there is no time to waist." He said boldly. "We must inform the other kings of the demons presence. We must warn the elven leaders to prepare for war before it's too late."

"Wait just a minute" Lamir said stopping Volondove in his tracks. "The bad news does not stop there I'm afraid." He said knowing that what he was about to say would hinder Volondove's hope of resistance.

"Of course it gets worse!" Volondove bellowed in sarcastic enthusiasm. "Let me guess, they did something to the wood elves too?" He asked as he stretched his arms out to a lone elf woman referring to the hundreds of elven refugees in his yard.

"I'm afraid the elves have endured the same fate as the humans have." Lamir said.

"You have got to be kidding me. The wood elven commune has been overrun too?" Volondove asked in anger.

"I am afraid so. The elven commune has been reduced to nothing. And from what I hear, they put up a better resistance to the attacks, but fell even faster than the humans did. Thier central government has been scattered, thier armies have been all but destroyed and thier people stripped of their numbers and heritage.

"But if their central government is gone, then that would mean..." Volondove's eyes widened at the sudden realization. "You don't mean?" He asked naively.

"Yes, the demons have taken control of the great city of Thelendore as well." Lamir interrupted.

"How is this possible!?" Volondove barked.

"Those walls have stood for three thousand years. They have repelled every attack ever made against it like a rock in the waves. The demons couldn't get past the walls of Thelendore during the black wars. How did they get past them this time round? And a bigger question, How could they throw down the human alliance and break the ancient walls of Thelendor in the time it took me to train with Zangar?"

"Once again, your guess is as good as mine boy." Lamir answered. "Never before have the demon hoards taken so much land and taken so many lives in such speed." He said recalling his memories of his time in the first demon war. "Perhaps they have learned from Thier mistakes of fighting a war of power against the Eam and now wish to win a war of speed. Perhaps they wish to seize the world before the new Eam can regain his strength to stop them again."

Volondove looked down at the ground as he pondered all he had heard. Over a dozen thoughts were buzzing through his head. Everything was happening so fast. The world was already unprepared for a second demon war. And now the most capable fighting forces have been destroyed, crippled or already under attack.

"Wait, a minute." He said thinking about the world's fighting forces. He remembered that orc that attacked him back in Celemore. The ferocity that warrior had would suit the cause perfectly.

"what about the orcs?" Volondove asked with a sliver of hope left in his heart.

"What about them?" Lamir replied.

"They were still battling the human alliance to the south of the yang river during all this time weren't they?"

"Yes they were, but I do not understand what it is you are getting at." Lamir said.

"You gotta tell me." Volondove said as he boldly grabbed lamir by the shoulders. "Have the orc warlords circum to the demons yet?"

"I- I don't know." He replied. "I haven't heard anything from people's of the south." Lamir said as he was thrown off guard by Volondove's sudden actions. Though at the same time he pondered the possibility of the orcs surviving the demon hoards.

"But I have heard rumors going around among the few elven survivors that some of the orcs have fled the continent to escape the demons."

Volondove gently let go of lamir's robes as he heard this. "Orcs, running from a fight?" He asked. "That would be as possible as ice bergs walking on dry land." Volondove said.

"However, your rumor may have some kind of truth behind it now that I think about it." He said as he recalled the battle field back in Celemore.

"What are you saying?" Lamir asked with concern.

"Just before I returned here, I had stumbled upon what looked to be a great battlefield. The same battlefield where I saw the demons slain. While I was roaming around the area I found several bodies of different people's There. dwarves, and night elves."

"What?!" Lamir interrupted suddenly. "The second dwarven elf war has already started?" He asked in anger.

"How could they!? The world is in peril and they go off and destroy each other? The dwarves and night elves may very well be the last line of defence we have against the demons and they insist on killing each other now?!"

"Not just dwarves and elves." Volondove said trying to get back to his point.

"There were many orc bodies among the carnage."

"Orcs?" Lamir asked. "What would those red skinned brutes be doing on the other side of the world?"

"I am not sure. But I dought they were there  on the path of war. You see, Many of them were unarmed."

"Unarmed orcs?" Lamir asked with curiosity.

"Orcs may be a rough and war mongering race. But they are not fools. No warband would go into battle unarmed, orc or otherwise."

"But it wasn't just unarmed orcs." Volondove continued. "But orc women, and children, and elders and many others of different shapes and sizes. Definitely not the kind of army to bring into battle. And the remnants of the structures they were building were like that of the southern colonies. So I think you were right. The orcs intended to migrate away from the demons"

"So the rumors are true then. The orcs have abandoned Varamath." Lamir said as he stroked his beard with concern. "They have abandoned their homes, and likewise thier lives."

"Or at least a great host of them." volondove confirmed. "There may still be pockets of orc warbands still roaming around the southern plains."

"That may be true. But the fact remains, most of them have left the contenant. And the reasons as to why they left are still unknown for sure." Lamir said.

"I for one highly doubt they sought to flee from a fight. Though perhaps it wasn't just demons that drove them away." Lamir continued. "The war with men hasn't been going in favor of the orcs either. From what I heard before you left for Celemore, the royal knights have pushed the orcs past the Yang river. perhaps they feared persecution from their enemies."

"Well wether they fled from the demons or the armies of men, If there are any of them left we should consider rallying them to our cause." Lamir said. "The night elves and dwarves will be too weak from fighting each other to stand up to the demon hoards. We can no longer rely on the kingdoms of Celemore to aid us in the fight."

"So let's see here, what all haven't the demons scourged yet?" Volondove asked as he held his hand up to his chin. He clenched his eyelids tightly as he pondered as to look as though he was angry. He wasn't angry, but his thinking face was nearly identical to that of his angry face.

It was at that moment Lamir noticed Volondove was carrying Zangars staff fragment in his right hand.

"But what about Zangar?" Lamir asked pointing to the staff.

Volondove loosened up his face as he looked at the staff. He was afraid to break the tragic news to Lamir.

"You took substantially less time to train with him that you did with me. Is he alright over there? Is you're training complete?" Lamir asked.

"Uhhhmmmmm..." Volondove knew he had to tell Lamir that a staff bearer had fallen in battle. But he wasn't sure how to lightly break it to lamir that one of his oldest friends was brutally killed. So he eventually decided to just blurt it out and get it over with.

"Zangar...is dead..." He said turning away and closing his eyes tightly.

Lamir widened his eyes as he heard this. "He's- he's what?" He asked leaning forward.

"Zangar is dead, lamir." Volondove said loudly.

"He bit off more than he could chew. I found him among the battle field. The demons strung out his entrails. And what's worse, my training with him was never finished." He said with a small gag. He remembered the grizzly sight of Zangar's dis-embodied corps. But he got a hold of himself before he could lose his dinner a second time.

He could tell Lamir was trying to hold back his tears. He didn't blame him. He had lost a thousand year old friend. He could only imagine the amount of bonding the two have had in that amount of time.

"But if it makes you feel any better lamir, he did manage to teach me the core basics of conjuration before his time." Volondove assured. "I can conjure just about anything now with a bit of practice.

"It wasn't just conjuration boy." Lamir said in a state of sorrow. "Zangar was able to summon many marvelous creatures to his side. Beings as large as mountains, and as old as time itself. He could enchant weapons and armor and tools into powerful works of legend. He could raise entire cities from the ground in less than a minute. The mere act of conjuration is only the tip of the iceberg. conjuration alone won't be enough to stop the demons. It was too early. He just left too early..."

Lamir remained silent for a bit. He turned around as tears started to well up in his eyes. He had a lot to process.

"I can't imagine what you two have gone through together." Volondove said putting his hand on his shoulder.

"The adventurs you had, the bonds you made. You two must have been tight."

"We were." Lamir said with a heart heavy as a grind stone.

"There will be time to mourn the dead. But it is not this time. The demons are already on the move. We cannot wait around to count our losses just yet."

Lamir looked up at him realizing that this is exactly what he had done to Volondove when Natilda passed away. Lamir was always the sympathetic one and had a natural talent to read the emotions of others. But now he felt the real weight of what Volondove felt when she passed.

"Come on Lamir. We have much to do, and not much time left to do it."

Lamir pirked his head up as he pulled himself together.
"You're right." Lamir said with a sniff. "We have no time to mourn over the dead, not yet anyways. We must carry on with the tasks at hand. We must meet the other staff bearers before it's too late."

"And who will we be seeking next?" Volondove asked.

"Would it be Nethiel the Black?"

"No, not him yet." Lamir said still recovering his emotions.

"Nethiel is a skilled necromancer, but there will be plenty of the dead to reanimate given the time. We shall seek Gilavan the blue." Lamir said.

"His knowledge of the magics of the mind will not only allow you to bend matter to your will, but it will also expand your already existing powers three fold."

"Do you happen to know where he might be?" Volondove asked.

"Last I heard, he was in his mages academy to the south withing the human capitol city of Kallious." Lamir explained.

"Zangar mentioned that." Volondove said.

"He told me about the mage academies you staff bearers established. But how was he able to keep his academy alive without persecution?" Volondove asked.

"Gilavan is a crafty man." Lamir answered. "Even before the Eam left, Gilavan was a master of the mind. He knew how people think and how to use that knowledge to his advantage. Much like Malanar in a way. He was able to manipulate the royal family of the human alliance into thinking that magic was a form of weapon. A weapon they could use in thier clashes with the orcs. As such the royal family funded his academy as another branch of the alliance arsenal. He was able to keep his school alive and his intentions hidden right under Thier noses."

"You said his school was withing the human strongholds right?" Volondove asked.

"So his school is within the now demon infested lands right?" Volondove asked. "How do we know he is even still alive? How do we know he didn't engage the demons like Zangar did?"

"Because Gilavan is no fool." Lamir said bluntly. "Sorry for the snapping, the thought of Gilavan falling too is just too soon."

"No offence taken." Volondove replied.

"Gilavan is wise and well aware of his limits." Lamir explained. "Unlike Zangar, Gilavan knows he isn't invincible and is well aware of what he and the demons are capable of. Zangar was always the hasty one. Always quick to jump into action. But Gilavan is cautious, He's patient. He would never engage the demons alone. Not intentionally that is.

"So there is still a chance he is still alive then?" Volondove asked.

"I would like to believe he is still alive somewhere." Lamir replied. "If anyone can sneak through the demon ranks, he could. Though he would probably be in hiding in a secret location. Finding him will not be an easy task."

"And if he really is dead?" Volondove asked.

"Let's not think about that yet." Lamir said.

"It's bad enough that one staff bearer is gone too soon, I don't wanna think about losing another friend just yet."

"That's fair enough I suppose." Volondove said.

"But if push does come to shove, he is the arch mage of an academy." Lamir said. "He should have plenty of books and scrolls to raid and salvage if he is to fall.

"Well then what are we waiting for?" Volondove asked taking on a enthusiastic tone. "Let's go see him quickly, before it's too late."

"Now hold on there just a minuit." Lamir said suddenly.

"We can't just barge into demon infested territories magic blazing."

"Why not?" Volondove asked.

"Because you are not ready yet." Lamir replied.

"We can't afford you to lose your head to the demons before your training is complete."

"My training will never be complete!" Volondove said boldly.

"Without Zangar I will never reach my full power in conjuration magic. The enemy grows more powerful with every minute We spend planning. We don't have time to wait around."

"I am aware your training is incomplete. I know Zangars loss will hinder your full potential. But we are still out numbered a thousand to one for. Even with our combined magics, there are still too many demons out there. We'll be lucky if we walk into that hell hole alive."

"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing." Volondove remarked.

"The longer we wait here the better the chances of the demons have at finding Gilavan before we do."

"I agree with you volondove." Lamir replied.

"It would be foolish to remain idle. But for your sake and the sake of the future of the world, we can't march into hell head first. we simply don't have the power or the numbers to reach Gilavan's academy safely."

Volondove pondered for a moment for a solution. Maybe there was something the first Eam had other than his devine powers that helped him battle the demons. He thought about what separated him from the first Eam, other than the obvious power difference. When it suddenly came to him.

"What if we had an army?" Volondove asked. Lamir looked at him with concern as he said this.

"Didn't the first Eam lead a coalition of resistance warriors to war with the demons?"

"He did, but this is different." Lamir replied.

"Back then the people's of Lamenreal were better prepared for the demons. They had legions of able bodied volunteers and grand arsenals of powerful weapons. And they had the magic of the Tistive to expend. But look at the world now. The Human Alliance is but a shadow of it's former glory, the wood elven commune is scattered, Thelendor has fallen, and the orcs have abandoned the continent. The land of Varamath has become nothing more than a dominion to the demons."

Volondove began whipping his head around the place.

"You said the people's of Lamenreal have been reduced to resistance pockets right?" Volondove asked rhetorically.

"Look around you. We have a pocket right here. Perhaps these elves might be willing to help?" He asked. Lamir looked at him as if he had gone insane.

"Volondove, I can't believe you would consider that!" Lamir said boldly. "I admire you're resourcefulness. But these people have already been through hell." Lamir explained.

"This is no pocket resistance army boy, this is a refugee camp. These people are all commoners and lowlifes. They have no experience in combat let alone how to handle a demon. And on top of that, winter is coming soon. They will have nothing to keep themselves going if they don't find a safe place to recover and regroup. They have all lost their homes, their families, everything. And you want to use them as a meat shield? To go back into the belly of the beast?! No, we cant ask them to fight. They have endured enough already."

"I know this isn't the best plan." Volondove replied.

"But what other choice do we have? It's not like we can just conjure an army out of thin air. And with one demon lord occupying Varamath, and another one ravaging Celemore, who else will come to our aid? The tribes of Isakal? Trolls merchants? The goblin hoard?"

Lamir remained silent. Volondove was right. The demons are moving too rapidly to assemble a proper army. And it would take even more time to assemble the trolls and goblins to Thier side before they seek the other staff bearers. Let alone get them to not kill eachother as trolls and goblins were natural enemies.

"These elves are the best and only chance we have at reaching Gilavan as of now. True they may not last much longer, and perhaps they won't stand up to the demons, but they are a start at least. We can recruit other elven and human survivors to our side along the way if you want. But we have to start somewhere. If not here, then where? If not now then when?"

Lamir knew this was all they had to work with. But he shook his head in disagreement regardless.

"I know we don't have much for options. But we can't expect them to do this." He said firmly. "They have already been through enough. We can't ask them to go back into the belly of the beast. To go back to the gutter." He said putting his foot down.

"We need to think of a better plan and think of it fast."

Volondove took another look around as he pondered the option.

"We are already at rock bottom." He said. "And time is against us. If even just one person is willing to aid us, I'll count that a win. We have to start somewhere. And at this point, Every man counts."

At this, lamir gave out a deep sigh of stress and frustration. He knew what these people had to endure, but although it felt immoral to send them back into the demon infested lands, Volondove was right. This was the best short term plan they had.

"Well I can't stop you from trying." He said eventually.

"But I will not be the one leading them to their final resting places. This is your coalition. The blood of these war torn people will be on your hands."

"No. It will be on our hands." Volondove said confidently.

"What are you saying? This is all your idea. And there fore your coalition. But don't worry, I am sure you will make a fine leader Volondove Caladian" Lamir replied.

"No I mean Thier blood will literally be on our hands. We are healers after all." Volondove said trying to lighten the mood.

Lamir made a little chuckle at the sudden joke.

"Go on them. Assemble your coalition army." He said gesturing toward the crowd.

Taking matters into his own hands, volondove dashed to the front of the property, weaving his way through the crowd as he went. He then made his way over to a small hill and stepped onto an old stump where he could look over the camp grounds. It wasn't that much of an elevation boost, but it was enough to see over the heads of the people.

"May I have everyone's attention please!?" He hollered out in a deep, intimidating voice. The elves heard him from across the property as his voice echoed across the land. The elves then came over to see what was going on. Some elven scouts also heard his voice and came out from the wood line to hear his message.

As soon as volondove could see most of the congregation looking at him, he began to make a rally speech. He had never made a speech in public before, so he was feeling pretty nervous. But he had already deliberately gotten everyone's attention, and everyone was already looking at him. There was no turning back now. He took a deep breath as he bagan his rallying speech.

"People of the commune!" He began.

"I know not all that has happened to your people in the past month nor the burdens your kin are struggling with. But I do know that you have gone through unspeakable horrors. You have endured events that may never fully recover. You have witnessed things that would otherwise break even the strongest of wills and crush the spirit of hope from even the bravest of peoples."

Lamir held his hand on his head in embarrassment. He admired the attempt he was making. but the last thing the elves needed was some human loner repeating what they had already lived through.

"But let us not give up just yet. There is still hope for your race, and for the world. For the ancient prophesy has finally come to pass. For I have reason to believe that I, volondove Caladian, son of Micheal Caladian have been chosen by the gods themselves, to be the new Eam.
I believe that I have been chosen to lead the free people's of Lamenreal to war against the demon threat. To liberate what's left of the mortals from the fires of hell."

As soon as he said this the elves started talking to each other, and asking questions. The whole property was a buzz in confusion, suspicion and chatter as everyone was giving an opinion to another on the subject. Though no one knew for sure what to make of this bizarre claim.

One elf stood up tall to get volondove's attention.

"This is blasphemy!" The elf called out. Some elves around him turned to face the accuser as he spoke up.

"How are we to believe that you are the chosen successor?"

"How are you to make ANY claim such as this?" Another elf spoke.

"The Eam was slain many years ago! How do we even know there even is a successor? How do we know that this isn't just some myth? How do we know if the mighty Eam really has been reborn? How dare you make such a claim!"

"Yeah, what proof do you have that we should believe this outrageous claim?" Said another elf. Others around the handful of accusers quickly took to thier side on the matter, and once again raised thier voices in protest against Volondove's attempt to seize power among the ruins of the commune.

But that was a good question. Volondove hadn't thought about how he could prove this claim. He had only a fraction of the power of that of the first Eam, and even if he had completed his training with the other staff bearers his powers are still dwarfed by the first Eam. Any show of power he could perform could easily be blown off as some common magician.

He looked out into the crowd, the elves were becoming insatiable. They began to murmur amongst them selves and accuse Volondove of heracy.

But looking at the very back of the crowd he could see Lamir looking back at him. As he squinted to see him in the distance, he could see that lamir was pointing to the staff in his hand. And then it hit him. Volondove still had Zangar's staff in his hand. At that moment he had an idea how to show the elves he was the new Eam.

He rose the staff into the air so that all the congregation could see. Some of the elves began to quiet down as they saw the staff fragment. Though some in the back continued to talk to eachother among themselves.

"I have here in my hand, a fractal of the ancient elder staff. The Eam's old weapon and tool. Now answer me this people of the north; was it not the Eam the only living being with the power to ignite the mana withing the staff?"

The elves turned back to one another in debate with one another. For the most part, the people were in agreement to this fact. The elder staff could only respond to the might of the Eam.

"If I were to ignite the mana in this staff, would you believe my claims? Would you believe that I have been chosen to be the new Eam?" Volondove called out still holding the staff in the air.

"Behold, the power of the elder staff and the new Eam!" As he said this, he began channeling his power within the staff, causing it to glow a bright green.

The elves couldn't believe their eyes. Not only have they never seen a staff fragment in real life before, but even if this wasn't one of the five parts, no magic bound weapon was able to glow as bright as this was. And the wood elves new very well the properties of magically enchanted items. Even the ones who were still sceptical of his previous claims were dazzled by the miracle at hand.

The staff was getting brighter and brighter by the second. And when Volondove struck the butt of the stick onto the ground, a bright, green flash filled the sky. The light flashed like a beacon all around the property, creating a dome of light over the camp.

The crowd was stunned as they were temporarily blinded by the light. But they regained their vision in a matter of seconds. Many of them fell to the ground in the panic, and others were completely astonished by what they had just witnessed.

"I have done it! Volondove called out having proved his claim.

"Behold Only the Eam himself was a able to ignite that amount of mana at a time. And now, here I stand having done the same thing. What further proof is needed for you to believe me? What more must I do to prove I am the new Eam?"

The elves once again began to talk amongst themselves. Volondove could hear a few of them up on front agree with his proof, and believed he was the new eam. None of them had any further objections to Volondove's claim.

"Now listen up!" He exclaimed getting their attention back. The elves quickly turned back to face him again in fear of what he would do next. The sceptical elves were afraid of what he would do with them for not believing him before.

"The prophesy has come true. The Eam has returned to lead the people's of Lamenreal to greatness once again. But alas, I still have much to learn before I can challenge the demons. I must seek the arch mage Gilavan the blue for further counselling. I have been informed that he last resides withing the former human kingdom of Kallious. So I must depart for the nation of Kallious. I must meet the other staff bearers to seek thier counselling.

But I cannot handle this quest alone. So I ask you, all of you, big and small, young and old. Even though you have gone through hell already, I am asking for some brave men to aid me on this quest. Will any one of you join me? Will any one of you bare arms in the name of the Eam? For the future of your race? For the future of the world?"

This time, the elves were silent, as if they were waiting for someone else to step up first. There was a couple minutes of silence. And Volondove began to fear that Lamir was right. Perhaps the elves were not ready to face the forces of hell again.

But then, Volondove noticed someone coming up from the crowd. An elderly elf with a hump in his back and as twisted walking stick came up in front of him. The length of his beard indicated that he was at least 800 years old or more. He shambled up through the crowd in a rather slow pace and confronted Volondove face to face.

"The demons have taken everything from me, And they will only take more from everyone unless someone steps up to stop them." He said as he knelt down on his one knee.

"I have nothing left to live for, but I refuse to waste what little life I have left. If I am to die in this century I may as well take some demons down with me. You have my staff, my Eam." He said as he raised his boney arm in the air bringing his walking stick up to his face.

Everyone was moved by this one elf. That elf was right. The demons had taken everything from them. They had nothing left to lose. So if this old elf was willing to die for a chance to save everyone else from enduring the same fate, why wouldn't they?

"I thank you for your courage." Volondove said pulling the elderly elf back up to his feet.

"Will anyone else join us?" He called out.

Just then, a second elf came up to him, a woman this time. She was fair and younger in years with long brown hair flowing through the slight breeze.

"They killed my husband and my sons out of cold blood." She explained.

"They would have wanted to be avenged. You have my service my Eam." She said with a bow.

"We'll fight too!" Said another elf. A young male elf was holding the hand of his twin brother in the air as he volunteered the both of them in the coalition army. The other twin rose up with him with an enthusiastic expression on his face. Followed by another elf who stood up from the back of the crowd. One by one the elves began to rise up with the burning desire to avenge thier losses.

To lamir's surprise, the entire congregation stood up to volunteer in the second coalition army. They all had something taken from them that they wanted to avenge. One by one all the elf survivors in the camp volunteered to help volondove in his quest. Volondove smiled at the courage these elves had. He now had his coalition. Now it was time to prepare for the second demon war.

Lamir walked over to volondove as the crowd cheered in a blaze of courage.

"I must admit, the hearts of the wood elves are stronger than I thought." Lamir said.

"But we had best move quickly. That flash of light you made can attract any demon within a hundred miles from here."

"I know." Volondove said.

"We must prepare the people for war quickly, before any unwanted guests show up. Please tell me you learned how to conjure proper tools in your stay with Zangar?" Lamir asked.

"We are going to need all the equipment we can get."

"I have, but I lack the experience." Volondove replied.

"Well consider this your opportunity to get some." Lamir said in a demanding tone. "We need weapons, armor, provisions anything and everything we can muster."

"I understand." Volondove said.

"Give me about ten to twelve hours and I'll have each and everyone of these elves armed and ready for battle."

Volondove turned around to begin conjuring an elven glave when something cought his ear. Amongst the sound of elves chattering and preparing for war, the sound of a song could be heard. A group of elves were singing from within the crowd.

The sound of a couple instruments could also be heard from the crowd. The sound of strings being strummed and small bells being rung, followed by the sound of a flute or some kind of wood wind instrument. As the music played the elves began their song.

Ym bu mit nivy ri su. Bnoo kydbunee eemth Danmys hyn.

Jew un veezb dnib de bi dib rum wib. Hun bi tuf uh simineebumz bu duj.

Eemth yh iz uan veezb thee, je bi tanb uh ivkiz di nijijdinth hum e buzeemth winz jun.

Ri fne hun jinzee ym bi vyh bu duj, hun uan byj ym byz um yz mynvi thum.

One by one the surrounding elves joined in on the song. Followed by more elves, and more and more. In just a couple minutes the entire congregation was singing along to the elven tune.

"It has been so long since I heard an elven melody." Lamir said. The sound of hundreds of elves singing in harmony was like honey to the ears. It was sweet sounding, and soft tuned. The beautifully sound of an elven song was like being put under a spell as Lamir was charmed by the melody.

"Once again I fail to recognize the courage the wood elves have. For even in the face of death they still sing a song to keep morale high." He said.

Lamir was refreshed by the lovely song. But his mood changed when he saw the expression on Volondove's face as he heard the song. He was heart broken. As if he had just witnessed a massacre of orphans. He understood what they were saying and knew what was happening.

"This is not a song of glory in battle." Volondove said finally.

"They sing of a funeral." He said as a tear began to well up in his eye.

"They know they won't come out of this alive."

He turned back to Lamir, finally understanding the pain the elves were being thrust into and what they had already endured. He now grasped the horrors that now lie ahead. And the treacherous task they were asked to do.

"Lamir." He said clenching his fist tightly.

"As long as I draw breath, I will see to it that not one of these good people will fall."

Lamir knew very well that the promise he made was in vain, but he admired the spirit behind it.