Beren the Yellow is gifted with a disk containing an eldritch rune. The warrior is told by the Lady of Light to use it in their moment of desperation in their inevitable battle against the Fallen King. As dawn loomed, an ancient bell rang across the mystical tower. The Chromatic Lords and others just knew that the end of their journey awaited them. 

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The tower seemed alive, for nearly the first time, dozens of the elf attendants could be seen hurriedly walking down corridors, rooms, and hallways. Beren was bewildered by the spectacle, it was hard enough to find more than two in a room, let alone a handful or more traversing through the place. The large bell rang loudly, a quick and consistent beat, some of the attendants directed the warrior monk toward a familiar central chamber. Some of the other Chromatic Lords arrived with a small entourage of elves, Mei Fong and Jade Tiger soon appeared. The Red King was the last to arrive, his blazing red armor seemed like vibrant flames, but not nearly as lively as Mei’s flaming swords.

“The moment has come, at last. We stand at the crossroad of ruin and victory. We shall face our enemy, some of us may perish in this upcoming battle. We have prepared for this day, we are the guardians of the light. We are the Chromatic Lords.” The Red King rallied.

The other chromatic warriors nodded and gave bows, including Beren, Mei, and Jade.

An elf attendant approached the procession. He was dressed differently from the others, he seemed older as well. Beren recognized him as the elf that first greeted them when they entered the tower. The elf bowed and addressed the room. “Honored guests, we, the guardians of this tower stand with you all. For several years, many of the Chromatic Lords have made this tower their home, now your moment has arrived. Your weapons and equipment are ready for you. My cohorts and I shall open a portal to where we sensed the Fallen King, we shall do our best to survey the situation to provide aid if possible.”

Synchronized movements from the other elf attendants revealed every warriors’ weapons along with equipment packs. Beren chuckled as he took his backpack, knowing his fists and ki were the only weapons he needed. He noticed that the other Chromatic Lords sported various weapons, even the Red King with golden blade filled with multi-colored jewels. Mei and Jade Tiger always kept their gear nearby. As a result, they were already prepared.

Once the group had their gear, there were a series of elves in a trance, concentrating on some spell while another relayed information to another team that began to chant words of power until a sizeable circular gate emerged from one of the corridors. Beren could see the other side as some mountainside, but with verdant green trees, it seemed to shift and lead to a massive cave opening. The Red King took the lead and walked through the magical portal, each of the Chromatic Lords followed suit, along with the trio last.

The sudden scenery change left Beren disjointed for a moment, the sky was the same, the air wasn’t much different. This was not a dream or illusion. The five Chromatic Lords continued walking beyond the gateway towards the large cave entrance. Upon closer inspection, the rock face seemed carved by some force, there were massive chunks of rubble that resembled once a door. What surprised Beren was that the door seemed to have shattered from the outside instead, which meant that Fallen King did not rest here. What if the enemy arrived here first? He thought. But why?

The Red King seemed to have reached a similar conclusion and directed the group. “Silver and Azure shall set the ambush for our friend. Our enemy will most likely emerge sooner or later. Emerald and Crow, we shall welcome this king of shadows. Beren, you and your friends, hold the vanguard. Stay vigilant, we do not know if others may interfere here. Best keep them out.”

Without hesitation, the four other Chromatic Lords took their positions. Silver Serpent and Azure Knight began to recite words of power, etching the broken stone with runes in place. The Emerald Giant and Black Crow followed the Red King closely on his flanks. Mei Fong and Jade Tiger found cover and kept watch over the entrance and their surroundings. Beren stood at the center, arms crossed, seemingly challenging anything foolish enough to attack them.

Several minutes passed after the Red King departed into the darkness of the mountain cave, Beren yawned and observed his fellow Chromatic Lords.

“Azure, what do we know about our enemy? His capabilities?” Beren inquired.

The blue armored warrior paused mid-spell and addressed the young warrior, the female voice always caught Beren off-guard. “Powerful. The Lady warned that he was gifted with the knowledge of countless ages in Arcanum. A practitioner such as myself may pale in comparison to him. The stories mentioned he once leveled an entire kingdom with a single word.” She returned to her casting afterward.

“The stories also mentioned that he slew gods. So let’s hope these tricks will slow him down enough.” Silver Serpent added.

“Do you both think we can really defeat him?” Beren questioned.

They both worked in silence for a moment, until Azure responded. “It’s not our place to question the wisdom of the Lady, while we face a foe that may have fought against gods or others like them, you forget, Beren the Yellow, that we have our mantles too. All we can do for the battle ahead is prepare. We all have roles to play. Strategy teaches us that sacrifices may sometimes be needed to achieve the desired goal. But to answer your question, I’m not sure. We’ll know soon enough, I suppose.”

A powerful quake shook the ground, the warriors at the cave entrance hurried to their positions. Beren spotted Black Crow and the Emerald Giant running towards them, the behemoth warrior was missing his left arm. Another quake, more violent and closer.

“He is holding him off, our foe is not far behind us!” Black Crow shout. It had an odd high pitch, Beren rarely heard the darkly cloaked warrior speak. It would probably be one of the last times too.

“You’re injured,” Silver Serpent observed as he approached the verdant warrior. A soft healing light encompassed the bleeding stub in the Emerald Giant’s arm.

Another loud crash, louder than thunder shook the earth and the cave entrance again. A reddish blur flew past almost all of the chromatic warriors. The polished armor of the Red King had become scuffed and dented in various places, there are open punctures visible across his chest and limbs. Mei Fong and Jade Tiger helped to lift the tall armored warrior to his feet before the silence was broken by footsteps.

An armored figure, nearly eight-feet tall advanced to the edge of the cave entrance. A horned helm with a smooth obsidian surface, curved spikes from the arm guards to the pauldrons and knee guards. A cloak as dark as night, each step felt unnaturally created. Like a shadow forced to make sounds, to acknowledge its own existence.  Everyone at the threshold stared in ominous silence, the Fallen King had arrived. The four Chromatic Lords’ mantles light like spectrums from the rainbow, each charged forward at their foe with summoned weapons. Without a single movement, at speeds beyond mortals, a single word was uttered, and the prismatic warriors were rebuked by sheer force.

A deep bellowing voice rang in Beren’s mind, like a dagger carving into his very soul.

“The Gods could not stop me, half-wits with shards of divinity are hardly a challenge. You shall be a sacrament for my return.”

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