The Ruins of Arx Mala - PNM/Pleasenotme

In Gladham of Cobbelthorn, a warrior lived a simple life. He'd gotten plenty of wealth in past wars, and could live in peace to the end of his days.

But in his mind, he craved adventure. The thrill of danger that chills your flesh to the bone but at the same time sets your muscles on fire.

Still, no worthy errand found its way to his doorstep, so he stayed in his home, eating fresh bread and cheese.

Meanwhile, the King of Cobbelthorn grew anxious. The evil in the Red Lands grew powerful. He feared they were amassing their allies for war. The wizard's fortress, Arx Mala, in the vale of soelbarrow had been reduced to crumbling rock half a century ago, but it still bothered the King. A watch had not been set upon those walls, and no clear news had come of the vale since its ruin. A quest had to be sent to discover the truth there.

The warrior was surprised to see a messenger from the King at his doorstep. He was pleased to hear that the King had summoned him to his court on an urgent matter. He saddled his horse and rode west at once.

The King explained his concerns to the warrior, and tasked the eager soldier with finding the truth about the wizard's fortress.

With all haste, the warrior rode west towards Stanfeld. The mountain of Soelbarrow lay between the two realms, on the border of Stanfeld and Cobbelthorn.

The only entrance to the valley was from the western side, so he followed the road into Stanfeld, until he came to a village.

He kept his horse in the stables and paid the stablemaster a small fee, then headed east where the road forked to Arx Mala.

As he approached the mountain, he began to see ruined villages from the wizard's torment in the past. Finally, he came to the river that bordered Soelbarrow.

Across the river lay a valley, with a wall built across its mouth. The wall had been partially ruined in the siege, but the gate was still barricaded. The wall was riddled with holes, so it was easy for the warrior to enter.

The air inside was heavy with fog. A tower lay ahead, but the top was hidden in mist. As the warrior approached the tower, the mist almost seemed to grow thicker.

Then he heard the sound of bones clattering to his left - an undead skeleton. With a swing of his axe, the skeleton's head fell to the floor. It had been weilding a rusty sword. The warrior was in heavy armour though, so he could take a fight.

The stairs had collapsed, so he had to climb through the rubble. All the while, the mist seemed to be getting thicker. On the next floor, there were two skeletons guarding a door. He dispatched them with ease, then went through the door.

Now he stood on a spiral stairway on the exterior of the building. As he climbed, he came to a door to the inside. He entered.

He walked to the center of the room, which had no furniture or decoration at all. By now, the fog was so thick that he could not even see the doorway from the center. There was no other way out of the room, so he headed towards the doorway, only to find that it had disappeared.

He was trapped.

He frantically circled the room now, feeling stone bricked walls for a switch, a lever, something, but there was nothing.

Then suddenly, his head banged against the iron bars of a metal cage.

The mist had disappeared now. He was standing in a cage on a balcony. From here he could see past the valley into the ruins of villages.

But how did he end up here? It must have been an illusion, the room's door disappearing, the ever thickening fog. The wizard was probably still alive, using magic to conceal his fortress from peering eyes.

The metal bars of his cage were thin. A normal soldier would have no chance of breaking them, but the warrior was stronger than most, and his axe had been enchanted to never grow dull.

A few axe-swings later, he was free.

He climbed to the top of the tower, hacking through any skeleton guards he came across.

At the top, the wizard was reading a book.

A man with gray skin in blue robes, looking at a book in a lectern, the wizard seemed not to notice the warrior. The warrior started to walk towards him quietly, when three more of the wizard stepped out of the first. All of them turned towards him.

They let loose an evil laugh, and conjured bows in unison, and began shooting.

The warrior's armour was tough. The arrows could not pierce it. But the wizards would soon hit a chink in the armour, and he would be killed. He roared and swung his axe at the nearest wizard with all his might, but it simply passed through him. The warrior continued to swing his axe wildly at the wizards, but he could never hit them.

This continued for some time, until the warrior got lucky. The illusions of the wizard fell apart, and the true wizard was revealed. He lay on the floor, motionless. Dead.

Pleased with his victory, the warrior returned to Cobbelthorn. Tke King was happy to hear of the death of the wizard, and the warrior went home.

And the wizard laughed at the warrior's foolishness.