The sun slowly rose in the east, bathing Fantasmal Mountain in a warm golden light. This mountain was easily the largest on the entire planet of Mendala. It stood on a small isthmus between the southern continent of Candovia and the northern continent, Lumaria. Its ragged terrain had a light purple tint, a sign that there was quartz in the rock walls. Inside the mountain was a self-contained city with thousands of rooms, including living quarters, offices, shops, storage areas, jail cells, and the largest library on the planet. This mountain was the home of Mendala's leader, a man known as the Fantasma. It was also home to the members of his staff, and their families. From this central location, hundreds of Fantasmas throughout the centuries have faithfully served the people of Mendala.
On a small ledge on the north side of the mountain, a large slab of rock shifted and then swung outward on a hinge. A man stepped onto the precipice and the rock door swung shut behind him, leaving no indication that there was an entrance. The man had silvery gray hair and light blue eyes. In his right hand was a long golden scepter with a clear crystal at the tip. He wore a blue robe over his regular clothing, and a silver belt was tied around his waist. His name was Honsmordin Pornabus.
Honsmordin took a seat at the edge of the stone landing, laying his scepter down beside him. A strong gust of wind ruffled his hair. After a minute, he frowned. Something in the air seemed strange. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew that something was terribly wrong.
He looked around at the endless sea of trees stretching out beneath the mountain, scanning the scene not just with his eyes, but also with his mind's eye. Honsmordin was a mind mage and could see and hear things that existed in another realm, known as the mentant realm. But even this gift did not help him find the cause of his uneasiness.
As he looked across the valley, he heard strange words echoing through the mentant realm. Someone was using mentus nearby. Mentus was a skill that could be used to cause things to happen in the mentant realm, which would in turn make things happen physically. Anyone who could access the mentant realm could do this, but mind mages were by far the most skilled. Honsmordin strained to hear which mentus commands were being used, but none of the words seemed familiar to him. Something about them just didn't seem right.
The stone door swung open again. Honsmordin turned as a young woman stepped out onto the ledge. She had long flowing brown hair and emerald green eyes that shone with intelligence and mischief. The girl also wore a blue robe, similar to Honsmordin's, but her belt was purple. In addition, she held a tall, ornately carved wooden staff that was curved like a hook at the top. Her name was Sharanel Quicksilver. Sharanel's staff gave her occupation away. She was a quickener. With the aid of her staff, she could move instantly from one place to another.
"Fantasma's looking for you," Sharanel told him lightly. "I figured I'd find you out here."
Honsmordin said nothing.
Sharanel dropped down on the ground next to him. "What's wrong, ya old fuss bag?" she asked in the same chipper voice.
"Something's not right," Honsmordin said distantly. "There's a strange force at work. I've never felt anything like it before."
"I don't sense anything. but I guess that doesn't mean much." Sharanel possessed some of the same powers that Honsmordin did. She too could use her mind's eye to see in the mentant realm, but she wasn't as adept as he was.
She shifted nervously on the ledge. "I wish you'd tell me what's wrong, old man," she said finally.
But Honsmordin wasn't listening. He had seen something, a bright flash of green light off in the distance. He was sure it was something in the mentant realm. "Did you see that?"
"What?" Sharanel looked around frantically.
Suddenly, a strange force hit Honsmordin so hard that he almost fell over.
Sharanel felt it as well. "What was that?"
Honsmordin was shaking. "Such a dark power... darker than anything I've ever felt."
"What does it mean?" Sharanel asked nervously.
"I'm not sure." Honsmordin closed his eyes and began to focus intently on the area where the energy had originated. It was in the mountains to the north. He scanned the entire region, still seeing everything as clearly as if his eyes were open, and then finally, he saw a group of people. There were hundreds of them; an army. Honsmordin could tell that most of them seemed to possess a great deal of power, both physical and mental. Then there were others that did not even seem human. These creatures possessed the same dark energy that Honsmordin felt earlier. He had never seen anything like them before in his life. They came in all shapes and sizes, and he could sense that they all had extraordinary powers.
Sharanel was tugging at Honsmordin's robe, trying to make him answer her questions of "What is it? What's out there? What's going on?" But Honsmordin only shushed her as he tried to get a better look at the creatures.
As his mind's eye moved closer to one of the bizarre monsters, he saw that the word "tragler" was etched into its forehead, and on its chest was a blood-red, five-point star in a circle. He then knew exactly what he was looking at. Honsmordin jumped up and grabbed his scepter. "We've got to see Fantasma immediately."
Sharanel was already opening the stone door. She hadn't seen what Honsmordin had, but she knew that whatever it was, she wanted to be as far away from it as possible.
***
Inside a large office at the top of Fantasmal Mountain, a man sat behind a desk, scanning a piece of parchment. He had dark brown skin, silvery gray hair, and wore a long purple robe tied with a golden belt. This man's real name was Darius Wavemore, but ever since he had sworn the oath to protect and serve the planet and people of Mendala, he was known only as "Fantasma," the leader of Mendala.
Fantasma had spent his morning poring over a stack of legislative documents that had been put on his desk earlier that day, probably by one of the clerks. He sighed as he thought about all the meetings that he had to attend later. His job came with a great deal of responsibility that covered almost every aspect of Mendalian society. Fortunately, he had a huge staff, with people of every conceivable profession from knights to tailors.
Fantasma also had two personal assistants, Sharanel and Honsmordin. They aided him in almost every aspect of governing the planet, and each held a special office. Honsmordin was the Fantasmal Mind Mage, responsible for the mountain's staff and resources. He was 629 years old, and had worked for three different Fantasmas. Sharanel was the Fantasmal Quickener. In addition to being in charge of all the other quickeners in the mountain, she was also responsible for relations between the Fantasma and other dignitaries such as kings, elders, and high-ranking officials. At age seventeen, she was the youngest person to ever hold this high-ranking position.
Fantasma was just beginning to wonder where his two assistants were when Honsmordin burst through the office door, with Sharanel in his wake.
Fantasma stood in alarm at the abrupt entrance. "What's going on?"
Honsmordin caught his breath quickly. "Sir, I think. no, I know that Fantasmal Mountain is about to be invaded."
"Invaded?" Fantasma looked puzzled. It was a well-known fact that in the thousands of years that Fantasmas and their staff had occupied the mountain, no one had successfully invaded it. "Who'd try such a thing?"
"Someone with the Book of War."
The color drained from Fantasma's face. Whatever he thought Honsmordin was going to tell him, it wasn't that. "This can't be true. The Book of War isn't even supposed to exist anymore."
Sharanel looked shocked and confused as well. "It's supposed to be gone. That's what the history books say. How could it be back?"
"Nobody really knows what happened to the book. The history books record what people want to believe," Honsmordin snapped. "The legend of the Book of War is so old, most people think it's folklore."
Fantasma went to a bookshelf on one of the walls. "But we know the truth," he said calmly as he scanned one of the shelves. "Ten thousand years ago, our planet was almost destroyed when a man by the name of Multus possessed the Book of War." He pulled out a book titled "The Great War" and opened it on his desk. "Look here. Multus used the book's power to create monsters that were completely loyal to him. They had no soul, and couldn't be destroyed by anything except animals."
Honsmordin turned the book around to face him. "But more importantly, it says that the creatures of the Book of War each had a mark that could only be seen in the mentant realm, a circle surrounding a star. Sir, I saw this same mark just now while looking in the mentant realm."
Fantasma was about to ask for more information when a timid voice interrupted them.
"Um, sir." Standing in the office threshold was a short female, wearing a green robe. Her skin was a light tan, and she had yellow eyes and short golden hair that almost covered her pointed ears. It was obvious from her height and facial features that she was an elf.
Fantasma recognized her immediately. "Yes, Lily?"
"I don't mean to bother you, Fantasma, sir," the young elf said nervously, "but there's something wrong in the mountain."
Another man, this one human, wearing a long purple robe with a silver belt, entered the room. "We're being attacked! An army's invaded the mountain." Several other people could be seen in the hallway behind him.
Honsmordin was already aware of the battle. Once again, he was seeing things in the mentant realm. A look of fright crossed his face. "He's here!"
"Who's here? Who's the one responsible for this attack?" Fantasma demanded.
"I recognize him. He's a mind mage, Davron. I'm positive he has the Book of War." Honsmordin's words had a profound effect. There was a scream from the hallway along with several gasps.
"Everyone stay calm." Fantasma gestured for the others to enter his office. Nearly fifty people crowded into the room.
"The battle is already lost sir," Honsmordin said grimly. "I can see that most of the attacking forces are creatures from the Book of War. We can't defeat them."
"But why is he attacking us?" Sharanel asked. "If he really has the Book of War, he doesn't need to bother with Fantasmal Mountain. No one will be able to stop him."
There was silence for a moment. Then Fantasma spoke again. "I know what he's after. He wants the same thing that Multus wanted when he discovered the Book of War. Conquering Mendala isn't enough. He wants to be able to travel to other dimensions, and rule them as well."
Honsmordin understood immediately. "And to do that, he'd need the power of the five jewels. Only their power allows unlimited dimensional travel."
"Yes," Fantasma sighed. "One of them is locked away in this mountain, and the ancient scrolls in the libraries tell where the other four are."
"We have to stop him," shouted a man in the crowd. There were excited murmurs of agreement.
"No. We're going to evacuate the mountain," Fantasma decided. "If you're a guardian, step forward." Eleven men and ten women worked their way to stand in front of Fantasma. They didn't seem to have anything in common except their attire. Each wore a long purple robe, tied with a silver belt. They stood in attention as Fantasma spoke.
"It would be foolish to go up against an army of creatures from the Book of War. Our immediate duty is to get all civilians to safety. You are guardians, keepers of the law, servants of faith, and most importantly, protectors of the innocent. That's why you harness powers that precious few have. You and all of the other guardians in this mountain must make sure that the staff and their families are protected at all times until they can be safely evacuated."
"Yes, Sir!" all of the guardians responded in unison.
"And that, Sharanel, is your job." Fantasma turned to her. "Gather all the quickeners you can find and start evacuating the mountain immediately."
Sharanel showed no signs of her inner fears as she nodded resolutely. As the Fantasmal Quickener, she knew that she would be pivotal in the evacuation process. She and the other quickeners would have their hands full transporting people out of the mountain. Because of the protection placed on the mountain, quickening within its walls was nearly impossible. However, she knew that there were certain designated areas where she would be able to use special mentus commands in combination with her quickening skills to evacuate people from the mountain.
"Tramon, go with her." Fantasma told one of the guardians. "Do whatever it takes to protect her."
Tramon, a tall man with shaggy brown hair, stepped forward and followed the young quickener out the door.
Fantasma turned to Honsmordin. "I need you to do something for me. Take half of the guardians and go to the libraries. Use your combined powers to seal the doors so that no one can enter."
Honsmordin nodded quickly and shouldered his scepter. "Don't worry. I still have a few tricks left, sir." Several guardians automatically stepped out of their ranks and followed Honsmordin out the door.
"The rest of you come with me," Fantasma said to his remaining guardians. "We're headed down to the dungeon area. The vault that holds the jewel is near there. Unfortunately we can't quicken to it, so we must hurry."
Flanked by a few guardians and an assortment of other fighters and courageous staff members, Fantasma headed out his office and toward a stairwell.
A lanky, green-haired elf in a blue robe pushed his way through the crowd to walk at Fantasma's side. "Sir, I'm not a fighter, but I want to help. With Honsmordin gone, you need a mind mage at your side."
Fantasma smiled down at him. "You're right, Dillus. And I couldn't ask for a more skilled mind mage in Honsmordin's absence. I'll need you to be my eyes and ears to the rest of the mountain. I want you to be ever watchful to the mentant realm. Keep an open communication with Honsmordin and Sharanel so I can know their progress. Keep tabs on the battle in the mountain. I don't want any surprises. I want to know as soon as possible when one of these creatures is near. Can you handle it?"
As a mind mage, Dillus could communicate using the mentant realm and see almost anything in it, but it was difficult to focus on several things in opposite directions without deep concentration. Another green-haired elf, even smaller than Dillus, pushed his way forward. It was Dillus' younger brother, Pirus. "I'm not a mind mage yet sir, but I'll help my brother if you like."
Fantasma smiled again and nodded. Pirus had not yet mastered all of the skills needed to become a full-fledged mind mage, but he could still use the mentant realm effectively.
"Pirus, I can use all the help I can get," Fantasma said as they continued downward.
Dillus' eyes widened. He was already seeing things in the mentant realm. "Sir, there's something on the stairs below us, also heading down. It's a group of monsters from the Book of War."
Fantasma urged the others forward. "We've got to get by them. Hurry!"
They moved quickly down the stairs and soon had their first encounter with creatures from the Book of War. There were five of them. They looked like giant pigs covered completely in slime. Each of them wielded a mace.
Pirus spoke up. "They're pogs, sir. I can see the name sketched on there heads. Their abilities are limited. We may be able to defeat them."
From somewhere behind Fantasma came the words, "Mittius Mandamus Flare." In response, intense light and fire consumed the pog party. But when the effects of this powerful attack subsided, the pogs remained, unharmed.
"That should have destroyed them." It had come from a guardian. He was now staring in awe at the undamaged pogs.
"Even the weakest creature of the Book of War is indestructible," Fantasma cautioned. His voice became deeper as he spoke his next phrase: "Mittius Mandamus Wind." In response the pogs were forced to the ceiling by a powerful current of wind.
"Run!" Fantasma shouted. They ran as quickly as possible underneath the suspended pogs and down the stairs.
***
It was a long, hard fight down the mountain, but two hours later, Fantasma and his party had made it to the dungeon level. It was ominously quiet as they walked past the empty cells.
"Honsmordin's finished sealing the libraries," Dillus reported. "He says even you will have a hard time getting in." Relief washed over Fantasma as he heard this news. All that was left now was to get the jewel.
Suddenly, a look of panic crossed Pirus' face. "Sir, there's a hoard of, um, creatures just above us, and it seems like they're."
With a thunderous crash, the ceiling caved in just ahead of them. Monsters of all shapes and sizes jumped down to the lower level. Fantasma tried to make a run for the vault.
"Sir, wait!" Dillus called after him. "Sharanel's in trouble!"
"What do you mean?"
Dillus shook his head. "All I know is that she's screaming for help and Honsmordin can't get to her. I don't sense Tramon anywhere. She's in the cellar on the south side."
Fantasma was torn. He knew he needed to reach the jewel, but he couldn't leave Sharanel in danger.
Karmandrian, a young looking guardian with a brown ponytail and a gold hoop through his right ear, stepped forward. "Sir, go get her. I will get the jewel. Just tell me how to open the vault."
Fantasma was grateful for Karmandrian's selfless act. The guardian would be putting his life on the line. "There's a command that you can speak that will open the vault. The words are Mittius Epsus Talarin." Other guardians were now trying to clear a path so Karmandrian could run safely through the gauntlet of monsters.
Fantasma gave him one more piece of advice. "At the end of the corridor, there's an echo command implanted in the wall of a cell that can only be used by a guardian. To activate it, say Mittius Echon Windom. That should transport you outside, where you'll be safe after you get the jewel."
Karmandrian nodded and readied himself to make a run for the vault.
Fantasma wished him well and then rushed down the south hall as fast as he could. He silently chastised himself for not bringing Dillus or Pirus along with him. Without their ability to search the mentant realm, he would have a hard time finding his assistant. Suddenly he heard the distinct scream of Sharanel from behind a nearby door. He burst through the door into a cellar and saw his quickener, along with five children, backed into a corner. Closing in on her was a large, red bull standing on its hind legs. In its hand was Sharanel's staff. Without the staff, Sharanel couldn't use her quickener abilities to escape.
"Mittius Maximus Wind." Fantasma said in the same deep voice that seemed to accompany this show of power. The strong wind began to blow again, but succeeded only in angering the beast. It turned and charged, pinning him to the wall between two sharp horns.
"Fantasma!" Sharanel screamed.
"Sharanel, take the children and run," he ordered. She obeyed, rushing the stunned children out of the room. As she did, Honsmordin appeared in the threshold. He acted quickly, pointing his scepter at the beast pinning Fantasma to the wall. Suddenly the bull began to float to the ceiling and then dropped with a thud.
"Mittius Mandamus Earth." Fantasma said, and at his command, the room began to shake, and soon, quartz rock from the ceiling had caved in to cover the red bull. "That should hold him for a while." He took Sharanel's staff from the rubble.
Honsmordin approached Fantasma with a worried look in his eyes. "Sir, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Come, we need to get out of here."
They met Sharanel outside the cellar. Fantasma gave the staff back to her. "You'll be needing this, young quickener."
"Where's Tramon?" Honsmordin asked.
"He's. dead," Sharanel said with a slight tremor in her voice. "We were attacked by a swarm of giant fly creatures while we were gathering people in one of the lounges. Tramon never stood a chance, but he wouldn't let them near us. I didn't know what to do."
"It's not your fault. Tramon died doing a guardian's duty," Honsmordin said soothingly. "Don't worry; we're almost out of this."
Dillus came running down the corridor with several others behind him.
He spoke quickly. "Karmandrian got the jewel but was captured by the monsters before he could escape. Three other guardians are also dead, sir. The creatures are closing in on us."
The news was devastating, but Fantasma knew that he couldn't let this unnerve him. He turned to Honsmordin. "Has the mountain been completely evacuated?"
Honsmordin nodded slowly. "We're the only ones remaining."
Fantasma turned to Sharanel. "Get us out of here. There's nothing more to do."
Sharanel raised her staff, and the entire party disappeared from the mountain stronghold.