The Man From A Life Before

The group immediately rush back to the altar, weapons up as they frantically look around for the source of the voice.

"Oh, I see that I have startled you four. I understand the feeling since I was recently surprised myself by a very large orc woman and a surprisingly vulgar cat."

The group are taken aback by the voice's claim, and John responds, "Hey! If you want to try and frighten us, at least have the balls to do it in person!"

The voice laughs, "You have a point, sir. Let me introduce myself properly."

Footsteps are heard once the voice stops, and a moment later, a figure steps out from the shadows.

The figure is wearing a dark red collared robe with black spirals going down the sides. A large, wide-brimmed, leather hat also sits upon the figures head, casting a shadow upon their face, making the group unable to make out any features.

John looks at the figure, trying to examine them and find out if anything is out of place at the same time. He can't see any sort of injuries or any type of limp, but he does notice two things. The first thing is that the figure is sort of leaning, almost like his left shoulder is being weighed down. The second thing is that his robe looks familiar. John can't immediately place it, but he swears that he's seen it before.

"So, are you just going to sit there or are you going to introduce yourselves to me? This is my humble abode after all, and I believe it is kind to introduce yourselves to the man whose property you snuck into, and are currently trespassing in."

Virra then draws her arrow and aims it at the figure, "I would be more than glad to introduce you to my friend here. This is Mister Arrow."

The figure chuckles, "Just like you, Virra Tarron. You always have been quite the foolish yet headstrong one of the Tarron sisters."

"What do you know of the Tarron sisters?!" Virra angrily snaps back.

"Oh, dear Virra. I happen to know quite a lot about your family. I know that your dear sister Apollita now has a nice, cushy job at the university. I know that Sydna is happily married to Gilla Markana of Nillork, and I also know that dear, sweet Erya is still as shy as I remember."

Both sisters are immediately unnerved by the figure's words. Virra then reacts as you would expect, "What in the hells do you know of our family?!"

Terra, on the other hand, begins to think. Something about this figure seems... off. Well, even more off than everything that's already happening. She begins to think about a possible list of suspects, immediately ruling out her Mother and Father as the figure is too tall to be her mother, and far too skinny to even be considered for her father. Even the deep voice doesn't match anyone she can currently think of, and even the leaning thing is brand new to her.

"Oh, I have been very close to your family in the past. I am quite hurt that you don't remember."

"What do you want with me then? I heard your guards talking about how you've been looking for me since I left Mulvenscroll. So, what's so damn special about me?" Terra asks.

The figure sighs, "Oh Terra... The fact that you can't even hazard a guess is a wound that hurts me more than steel ever could." The figure then takes a few steps forward, but remains a good fifteen or so feet away. "We were supposed to be the rulers of Mulvenscroll, you and I. Together, with your smarts, and my poignant charisma, charming good looks and a smile that could melt the Sea of Ice itself."

Those words have a familiarity to Terra, causing her to rapidly try and remember where she has heard them before. The figure has obviously given so many clues to Terra, saying that they not only know her family quite well, but they have a fascination with Terra. However, it's those final words that finally clue her in to the identity of the person in front of them.

Terra's heart then begins to race as the person comes to mind, the picture of said person is clear as the sky on a burning summer day. There's almost a lump in her throat as she finally says, "It's you."

The figure laughs, "Oh? And who am I exactly?"

Terra then takes a moment before spitting out those venom-filled words, "Nartho Knagstun."

The figure pauses for a moment upon hearing Terra's words before letting out a maniacal chuckle that quickly turns into what John can only describe as a full-on anime villain laugh.

"Congratulations! You've finally guessed it!" The figure, now revealed as Nartho, continues to laugh as he throws his head back.

Virra has already had enough of the cackling maniac, so she fires her already drawn arrow. The arrow flies directly toward its target, but just a few inches before it hits Nartho, the arrow stops in mid-air and continues to float as Nartho finally stops laughing.

"Ooooh, what's the matter, Virra? Can't you appreciate a good joke?" Nartho then takes his hat off before looking at the group, "What about a good-looking man?"

The group are stunned upon seeing Nartho's face which has a large scar starting from his left ear and ends just over his nose. Terra and Virra are obviously more shocked than the other two as Terra asks, "What happened to your face?"

"Oh? This?" Nartho asks as he runs his index and middle fingers over the entirety of the scar. "It's a little something I gave myself after you ran away to that backwater slum, Reduna'zriam."

"You did that to yourself?" Virra asks before snickering. "You're even more of a dumbass than I remember. Also, what's with that ridiculous voice? You sound like you've been smoking coal straight out of a furnace."

"My voice is none of your concern, and it's quite fitting that you speak of remembrance, since you seemed to have forgotten your own place here, vermin!" Nartho then points his finger towards Virra, and the arrow whips around before shooting towards the archer.

Terra whips her sword up, cutting the arrow in half before it can return to its initial sender. Nartho begins to laugh again, "Oh, you're quick. Unfortunately for you... they're quicker."

A dozen blue arrows begin to shine through the shadows behind Nartho, and they are all pointing toward the group. The arrows then shoot forward, and without any other option, the group run behind the altar to take cover.

The dozen magical arrows fire into the altar, embedding themselves into the metal. Meanwhile, on the other side of the altar, the four are currently in a smushed single-file line with John unfortunately at the back of said line as there isn't enough width of the altar for them all to hide behind.

As the arrows stop, Nartho begins to chuckle again as he says, "You can come on out now! I mean, you wouldn't want to miss the chance to see your friends again... right?"

The four are hesitant to listen to Nartho, but with little choice, John takes the lead and moves out from the cover of the altar.

As the four emerge from behind the altar and carefully head back to where they just stood a few moments prior. However, as they get back, they see that Nartho has now been joined by a dozen or more of his lackeys.

"Look at that! Scarface does actually have some friends." Virra quips.

"No way, Sir Fuckface here is definitely be paying these guys a lot of money to pretend to be on his side. I mean, who the hell would want to join up with him?" John adds, making Virra laugh, but just adds some more tension to the current situation.

Nartho also chuckles, albeit, more dryly than the other chuckles he lets out. "You may insult me as much as you wish, but it will not change the outcome of this situation."

"And tell us, what is the supposed outcome of this situation?" Terra asks.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nartho asks. "You and I shall finally be together!"

The group are stunned in silence as they just look amongst one another. However, as Virra, Lani and John remain silent, Terra starts to laugh.

Nartho is confused by Terra's reaction as her laughter just gets louder, escalating into an uncontrollable guffaw. Nartho begins to get irritated by her laughter, so he demands to know, "What's so funny?!"

Terra, who is now bent over and clutching onto her sides, begins to try and catch her breath. The others are also looking at her, worried about just what in the hell is going on with their friend/sister. After around a minute or so of trying to calm down, Terra finally gives Nartho the answer he's looking for. "What's so funny is... you genuinely believe that I would ever want to be with you! I mean... what is wrong in that tiny, miniscule mind of yours that you can even imagine a scenario of which I would ever be with you?!"

Terra goes back to laughing once again, with her laughter becoming obviously forced to just drive her point home. Her words begin to burrow into Nartho, acting like a rat running around in his head. He grabs at his head, like he's holding onto it for dear life as he rapidly inhales and exhales. The breaths finally slow, but in the process, become more enraged, like a dragon ready to let out its internal inferno.

"ENOUGH!" Nartho roars, echoing throughout the chamber, causing Terra to halt her mocking laughter as she looks at the furious man ahead of her.

"YOU LISTEN TO ME! NO WOMAN HAS EVER REJECTED ME! NEVER! BUT YOU! YOU HAD TO GO AND RUN AWAY! BUT NOT NOW! NO! NOT AGAIN!" Nartho begins to seethe with saliva dripping from the sides of his mouth. "THIS! ALL OF THIS! I SET ALL OF THIS UP FOR YOU!"

Nartho's seething then begins to subside after a few moments, but the fury is still prevalent in his eyes. "Everything I have done... has lead to this very moment. Ever since you scurried away like a rat, I have been following you! I must've interrogated every single guard, shop keeper and even the peasants to find out where you went. When I found out you went to the port, I bribed every captain in that damned place to find out where you went! Then I sent countless scouts to that scumhole continent to find you! When I finally found you, I had those Darkcross lowlifes keep you until I could get there, but then you escaped! So, I had to search for you all over again! Luckily for me, you fell right into my lap! Now, I will do what they told me to do!"

Nartho's insane ramblings terrify the group, but his words also make Terra curious. Terra, against her better judgement, decides to ask, "Do what who told you to?"

Nartho then looks at Terra dead in the eyes, "The stories of course. The tales of the valiant heroes who travel to the villains lair, traverse all the traps, defeat all their men and finally vanquish the monstrous evil, saving the damsel and living happily ever after!"

After hearing Nartho's rambling answer, the group come to one collective thought. "Holy fuck. This man's batshit fucking insane."

"I set up everything perfectly! I got the perfect hideout in this place! The abandoned building out in the woods, the long spooky hallways, even the creepy altar for the ritual! I orchestrated the classics so perfectly, you'd think it was straight out of a book of heroic tales!" Nartho begins to laugh again, "This has been so long in the making, ever since I picked up that first book. The handsome and mighty hero storms into villains castle, his sword raised as he calls out to the scarred, grotesque fiend that kidnapped the stunning, buxom princess! The chiseled hero challenges the villain to a duel to the death for the hand of the princess, and every time, the hero wins! Every. Single. Time! When I started reading the books, I believed I was the hero. I had the looks, the charisma, even had all the most attractive women raining over me. But that's when I realized something... I did have everything. I had everything that I could ever want, except you, Terra."

"Maybe if you weren't such an insufferable arsehole, you might've had a chance." Virra comments.

Terra gives her sister a quick, stern look before Nartho continues, "You... you had to run away. You had to go and run from our inevitable union! You ran away from me! So, I wondered why you did. As I read those books, I pondered for months and months, until it all clicked. You saw me as the villain. When I realized that... everything became so clear to me. If you didn't see me as the hero I thought I was... I was going to become the villain."

"Oh my God. This asshole is actually doing the whole villain spiel shit. He is really off the deep end." John internally comments.

"I was going to do everything in my power to be the villain! I scarred my face! I've strained my throat putting on this damned voice! I even bought, and had all of this set up! I had you hunted down! I even got myself the henchmen! But, even if I was going to become the villain, no matter what... I would not fall to the hero! I was going to be the exception! I was going to win! I was going to get the princess and I would be the victor in this story! The only thing I had to do, was get you here. Now, I knew you wouldn't come here willingly, so I had you taken from your family's manor. I had you brought here, so I could make you love me!"

"Make me love you?! You did all of this, just, so I would love you?! What made you think that I would even want to be on the same world with you after this?!" Terra asks.

"Oh, I knew you wouldn't! That's why I had this altar built! I am going to MAKE YOU LOVE ME! I even had a priest ready to conduct the entire ritual... until your friends killed him!"

Terra immediately looks towards Virra, but the archer just shrugs her shoulders, "Don't look at me. I wasn't with them at that point."

Terra then looks at John who says, "Yeah, that was a whole thing. We thought you were in the other building and that priest was there. He did try to kill us first though."

"It doesn't matter! Because they brought the one thing that I needed!" Nartho then shouts, "BRING THEM HERE!"

Footsteps and scraping can be heard in the shadows, and just a few seconds later, four guards emerge from said shadows with Kyuala and Amilia tied to some wheeled chairs. The group want to immediately rush in to save them, but they don't take a step as the guards hold swords to the gagged duo's throats.

Kyuala looks at John and has an apologetic look as her beloved just looks back. Amilia on the other hand, looks at Terra with a glad expression as she sees that the elf is alive. Terra also shares a glace with Amilia, trying to quietly communicate that she's glad that Amilia is okay, despite their current predicament.

"See, not only are your friends alive, but they were kind enough to bring me this." Nartho then pulls out the peyote plant that the aforementioned priest had before Kyuala took it from his body.

"What is that?" Terra asks.

"This? Oh, this just happens to be the key piece of the entire ritual. See, the priest let me know that this plant is the activating agent to bind our holy matrimony! And now, you will become mine... because if you don't... your friends will die."

The swords at Amilia and Kyuala's throats get a little closer, drawing just a bit of blood from both. Nartho then takes a few steps toward Terra, "So... will you willingly join me, and be my angel-witnessed wife?"