Once in a while there comes a story that

changes the face of War Taverning. War Stories are Back, Akeldama, The New Element,

The Cold Return, Sureal II.

Now, as a old chapter in War Taverning comes

to a close, and a new one begins, here is

a chapter that will end the era of old, and

begin anew, stories born in JCF, not in JMMB, and live and die there. Gather around

the old 'puter, guys...



Chapter 26: Day Of All Souls



As the soon to be combatants entered the

giant cathedral, they could already feel the evil prescene permeating the air.

The heros couldn't help but looking at the 'dead' and the 'corrupted' as Teross had called them.

"They won't speak to you, atleast until there hatred for me is satisfied or, until

they are released in the truest sense and there souls return to the void." Teross smiled grimly, and they arrived in a center courtyard, with a opening to a rainy sky several stories up. Rain poured down on them,

not strongly, but not gently either.

"How can there be atmosphere in space?" Tyio, grunting under his wound, asked.

"How could it be there is oxygen at the core? All laws can be bent to suit Pandemonium's needs. And besides, the core is

but a portal to Apollyon, it resides in a dimension all it's own.

"Scourge!" Sara shouted.

"Are you ready to fight me?!"

"Yes, but first I must heal our wounded and fatigued." And she cast out a spell that

caused a peaceful, slightly glimmering golden light to fill them all.

"Are you quite finished?" Teross was growing impatient.

"We are." They drew there weapons, some of which was just there bare fists. From his

belt, Teross drew a huge, wickedly shaped sword, embdued with green fire and colored black.

"Let it begin!" Those with melee weapons, Aldan, Tyio, Kovu, Kaz, Kayle, Braii, Tanpopo, and Thersay, charged Teross, while those with

long range weapons fired support and manuvered for cover. And the four angels flew above, and after drawing burning white swords, assaulted Teross from above.

Teross easily blocked all the incoming swords and whatnot with his sword, and then knocked most of them back with a sonic blast.

Kovu and the mystics remained. The former he struck across the head with the flat of his

weapon, knocking him into the rock formations. The mystics attacked quickly

and mightly, distracting him as those with

long range weapons came into view and fired

streams of blast and energy fire at him.

Rage powering him, Teross jumped up and landed on one of the walls of the courtyard, firing bolts of green energy downward.

Flying as they could, the mystic persued, but once they had him corned he just pushed through them, and nearly cleaving Fureyell's head in the process. Jumping back down, he fought threw the crowd prepared to stop him.

Hammering down on him, it appeared as if they had pinned him down, but he snatched a unsuspecting Kaz by the throat and hurled him away, allowing him passage. Putting distance between him and his...prey, he fired

wave after wave of telekenetic blasts.

But from behind, Kovu launched a flare, and the resulting explosion blinded Teross temporarily, biding the others time to catch up to him. In large, animal like swipes, he slashed at those bound to the ground, injuring several of them severely. Meanwhile, the mystics slashed down from above, but he was prepared and knocked them away. Gaining acess to a gigantic stairwell, he began to run to the top of the building, where he could release his horde. Even the

flying mystic couldn't catch quite up to him, as they were healing the wounded in there ascent. Soon, the unholy demon arrived at the top, looking down at the bottom courtyard. The rain

was coming on heavily now, as he opened a portal to the ethereal, a green, spinning bore opening flights below. Our heros had arrived, but all to late. Teross fought them

back, knowing his victory was all too eminant. Demon fledglings already began pulling there twisted bodies out of the bore.

"You cannot stop it now that it had begun!" Teross laughed, standing near the terrace, green light coloring the walls. Sparif looked

to his compainions, a sort of smile about

them when you know you're going to die. The

smile of...peacefullness. In there hands they

collected orbs of white energy.

"We've killed countless billions in our ruthless hunt for you, Teross." Sara said, quietly.

"Destroyed entire peoples, entire universes." Fureyell said.

"And you're spawn have killed billions trying to stop us." Easgi said

"You hunted Sparif stone through Zygot, you knew it would end us. But now, all the bloodshed shall come to a end. All the souls

you curbed the destiny of shall revenge aginst you. Love will always win over hate!"

Pure, white enregy poured from there bodies, smashing into Teross. The 'dead' and the 'corrupted' followed suit, leaving our heros

confused. Soon, orbs, like missles, of white energy fell from the sky, chrashing into

Teross and the bore.

"Ahh!" Teross screamed as he fell into the spinning vortex, already being ushered. The

images of the mystics, dead, and corrupted began to fade, and they were insubstantial.

More insubstantial images appeared, billions and billions of souls needlessly killed.

"Curse you!" They could hear Teross give out one final scream as the holy power crushed him into his own doom.



Epilouge- All Souls



Then the figures dissapeared, and all that remained was Aldan, Tyio, Ducky, Kovu and Kazooie,

wrought by a war between Heaven and Hell

since the first meeting at the Emerald port city, to the battle at the end of Skops cave,

to careless days wandering Carrotous, to the death of Zygot, to the assault of Thersay.

They knew it all, all the pain, all the suffering, they knew it all, a pain almost

to great to bear. But, as rain fell, lightly now, souls emerged, images of of the souls

lost in a terrible war. Images familiarly joyful and painful, all the dead, all that

could never be reclaimed. All that was left

to do was watch the mourning spirits, and pray, the Day of All Souls. The sun shone, now, many hours afterward, and the spirits

had gone. The Katalym told them they would be drawn back to there own time soon enough,

so then they had to sort out what happened now.

"The war is over, finally and forever, all of them at peace." Aldan thought.

"We've altered the course of history, you realize since this point is forever, which

means no Zygot, no Thersay, no Ontranaught,

no Spaceheart, no Sparif, none of that will happen." Tyio mused.

"Eh?" Kovu asked.

"We'll all live, but we'll live as we did twenty years ago, in 2799, before we ever encountered the work of Teross, Zygot. Sparif

stone won't exist, and I suspect the mystics

will live happily in heaven, not having to

hunt Teross for millenia. The Gerenpfpssh will live on forever, believeing

they are demons." He turned to Aldan,

"The Clan Wars won't of happend, as they came from the Clone Wars, caused by Zygot,

so there will be no Ontranaught. Aldan, I suppose you'll live happy life with Dexyn,

he will be alive, ofcourse. Kazooie, I imagine you'll continue to wander Carrotous

with that computer of yours. Ducky, you'll

live in you're home near the War Tavern, living happily without this horrible memory."

His voice was breaking now, and soon tears

came from all there eyes.

"Kovu and Ale'Ka will live on, seperatly, in the ranks of TLK. Unfortunatley, I won't

exist, having not been born of his soul..."

Ducky was shatterd by this.

"But...no...that can't be."

"Don't worry, it will all be over and it will not matter to you." The time portal opened on the shattered stone, and they walked into it, Tyio know he was walking into

death, pure death, with no afterlife.

And yet, he was calm.

"Fear is the risk of dying, peace is the certainty of it." He repeated. Soon they

all passed back to the year 2799, except Aldan,

who was the last to pass. He sensed the prescense of Sparif behind him, he had been

linked to him since he touched the stone.

"Fear not, Aldan, Heaven works mysteriously." Aldan pondered this and understood what the mystic meant.

"You mean you will change histo-" He turned to ask, but saw he was gone. He entered the

portal, a smile anew on his face.

Heaven works mysteriously. The evil was removed, with the good remaining.

Everything would be alright. Aldan said one

last thing, his body passing into the blue eternity,

"Goodbye, Sparif."



THE END