Dusk, Part I (Madok)
by Madok Wayfarer
Mon, 22 Jan 2001, at 7:17 p.m. CST

Madok slammed the brewery door shut behind. He stepped onto the grass of Shadowmoor for the last time and moved towards the dark skinned figured with long white hair standing in front of him.

“You!” Madok said has he shoved the figure.

The Brewery door clicked shut behind him and the sound of someone walking down the stairs was heard. The dark skinned figure looked up at the Druid while stumbling backwards from the push, confusion registering on its face.

“I-I just wish to speak with Arwin.” It said.

“Arwin is dead.” The words left Madok’s mouth even has Arwin stepped up not five feet behind him.

“But…”

“He is dead. Now leave.”

Arwin stepped in front of Madok. “Don’t mind him…” The world became a blur of shapes and sounds. Madok heard the rest of what Arwin said, and watched him and the dark figure walk into the Brewery. He saw and heard, but neither the sights nor sounds had any meaning in his haze. Suddenly he was pulled back in the world by a hand on his shoulder.

“Stop that old druid! What is wrong with you?” It was Elrick.

“Come with me Elrick.” Madok started walking without waiting, knowing that Elrick would follow. “Better bring a weapon.”

“Weapon!?” Elrick ran after Madok “Madok, I’m not going to fight you…”

Madok kept on walking and did not look back “Nor I you. Do you have a weapon?”

“Ays, of course I have a…” He trailed off when he realized where Madok was headed. “What? Do you think vys can kill them all? Do ye have a death wish?!”

Madok said nothing. He continued to walk and still did not look back at Elrick. They walked through the forest in silence until they arrived at their location, the crypts of the Drow.

The Druid opened the heavy crypt door. “Come.” He said.

Elrick and Madok walked through the dimly lit hall of the crypts in silence. Piles of bones lined the floors and Blood stained the walls. They walked all the way to the deepest depths of the crypts. Silence broken only by the battle cries from the ranger when the occasional pile of bones rose from the ground to attack the pair. Not a word was spoken until they had come almost back to surface. The stairs leading back from whence they came were right in front of them. Elrick put his foot on the first step.

“Wait!!”

Elrick looked back questioningly.

“Listen to me, and listen to me good.” Said Madok, “I think we may be walking into an ambush…all that noise you have been making….”

“Noise…?”

“Never mind, just be careful!”

They continued up the stairs, both moving has quietly has possible. Eyes looking around, ever alert. The room was empty, but they were not safe yet. Still one more room before they were outside, and even then they would have to worry. Madok crept along the edge of the wall and pushed the door open from the side. He quickly peeked in the room at saw it empty. Madok stepped into the room and motioned for Elrick to follow. They could see the heavy doors they had come in just in front of them.

Just then they heard an odd noise from behind. A skeleton rising from the floor. Elrick charged towards the undead with an overhead blow from his war hammer, and Madok swung his staff. The atrocity was proved no challenge for the two, and was soon dispatched. Just then the crypt doors swung open. Dark shapes walked in, perhaps alerted by the noise of the last fight. Some of the shapes stayed back, but one walked to Madok, a smirk on its face.

“Lost, Rangers?”

Madok smiled amiably, and began walking toward the door that he and Elrick came in “Come” He said “ I want to show you something.” The Drow did not follow. Madok was in the other room and half way down the stairs before he realized this. Upon his return to the room, the Dark shapes were well into a conversation, talking in their Drow gibberish.

Madok stood behind the Drow that he had asked to follow him, and watched its every move. The Drow gibberish continued, every word building up Madok’s anger. Suddenly Madok pushed the Drow. It calmly looked up at the Druid, then to Elrick. It was telling Elrick that if they left now, there would be no consequence. Suddenly the Druid realized what he must do.

Madok tilted his head back and let loose a cry “Aieeeeeeeeeeeee!” He swung his staff down on the back of the Drow’s head, knocking it down to the ground.