The Quest For Powers

General Gwaine after returning from the temple of Apollo, The weight of the events of the week had deterred him from returning home. It kept him at his Villa in the outskirts of the capital city, keeping him away from his family and his beloved city for far too long.

As he sat in his dimly lit tent, his falcon flew in and on its feet, a message tied to it. It was from his most trusted advisor, Sir Elric, who he placed as guardian to his son when he was away.

The letter bears a mark of grief and anguish in it.

"General Gwaine," Sir Elric wrote in a inks surrounded with tears. "I managed to establish contact with Isengard, Our family is safe but it is in waste. There would be no Isengard if nothing is done quickly, you need to come home."

Gwaine's heart swelled with a mix of emotions. Relief that his family was unharmed, yet dread at the information that hung in the air. His countenance changed quickly.

Reading on he saw a greater need to go home.

"Isengard has suffered greatly, General. The city has been devastated, and the population has been reduced to a mere fraction of what it once was. The attack was brutal, and the perpetrator is known as the Berserker Wielder."

Gwaine clenched his fists in anger. "The Berserker Wielder? So he dares lay hands in my home, my family? I will make sure I find him and when I do, I will kill him."

Gwaine's resolve hardened. He had sworn an oath to protect Isengard and its people, and he would not falter now. Grabbing the letter from where he dripped it, he continued reading on.

"The survivors speak of a relentless onslaught, destructive magic, and a merciless assailant who seemed impervious to harm. They say the Berserker Wielder was fueled by a deep-seated rage and a thirst for destruction and he had an army with him, an army of hideous monsters from hell."

Gwaine's jaw clenched. He knew he had to confront this Berserker Wielder and put an end to him or he would destroy everything he had taken him a long time to build. "I will not rest until we bring this him down and rebuild Isengard."

A particular part of the letter caught his eyes as he tried to throw it away into the bin. Unrolling it once, he read on.

"There are whispers, General, of a last dark seer, an ancient figure who possesses forbidden dark powers. Some believe that this seer resides deep within the treacherous Blackwood Forest, beyond the borders of our kingdom."

Gwaine smiled treacherously, he had tried seeking out these powers for such a long time, and now he had it nearly in his hands, and he made his decision.

" I shall seek out this last dark seer and acquire the dark powers necessary to stand against the Berserker Wielder."

Taking a small piece of paper from the rack on the table before him, he wrote a quick hazy reply to Elric.

"Continue to guide my son in overseeing Isengard in my absence, and protect my family."

He ties the letter to the falcon's feet, releasing it as it flies off already knowing where it should go.

With his mindset and his heart filled with determination to acquire those great powers, he had always sought. Gwaine mounted his trusted steed and embarked on his journey to the Blackwood forest. Passing atop a hill overlooking the valley where Isengard was set, tears dropped from his eyes as he saw the state of the city he grew up in.

The city he loved was now a shadow of its former self, with crumbling walls and scarred streets. Yet, a glimmer of hope still lived in the hearts of its remaining inhabitants.

Days turned into weeks as he ventured deeper into the Blackwood Forest, an ancient and eerie place where the very trees seemed to whisper ancient secrets. The forest resisted his presence, throwing great challenges his way. But Gwaine pressed on, undeterred by the dark aura that clung to the woods seeming to tell him that he was not wanted there.

Finally, he reached a hidden glade deep within the forest a place rumored to be the dwelling of the last dark seer. The air grew heavy with a suppressing darkness as he entered the cave which seemed to have appeared in front of him.

He approached a cloaked figure shrouded in mystery who stood with a staff in her hands. She stood in rune mark which was glowing with a bright light as the fire burned from the furnace before her.

"Welcome Gwaine, son of Arwen, what brings you to my abode?" The figure asked with a melancholic voice that echoed around the cave.

"I seek power," Gwaine declared, his voice strong but respectful. "Great powers, strong enough to confront someone known as the Berserker Wielder. I need to bring him down no matter what."

The cloaked figure laughed mischievously regarding him with piercing eyes. "Power comes at a price son of Arwen. Are you willing to pay for it? Can you pay the price to become as powerful as you wish?"

With a devilish smile on his face, Gwaine's answer was unwavering. "I will pay any price to protect Isengard and my family."

The last dark seer smiled underneath its cloak and it extended a bony hand, a torrent of dark energy enveloped Gwaine. It coursed through him filling him with a raw ancient power that left him forever changed.

"You have in your now, great powers from the isle of man. But beware the future is sure and determined, you may try but he will be victorious. VENGEANCE CAN NEVER BE APPEASED." The figure said with a foreboding tone as Gwaine turned his head to face her.

"Until then seer," He replied walking out of the cave and towards his steed which was tied at the edge of the wood.

As his dark powers coursed through his veins, a sly smile played on Gwaine's lips as he rode towards Isengard, The city though battered and bruised still stood. Its remaining citizens looked to him as their beacon of hope, he had been protecting them ever since he began working in the army.

Meanwhile, Scott smiled from atop the spruce tree overlooking General Gwaine's courtyard, he had been following him since he went to the Blackwood forest and he also noticed the dark aura he now possessed.

Scratching his beard as he jumped down the tree landing with both hands on the meadow creating almost no noise.

He knew exactly where to go, since Gwaine wanted to grow stronger, then let them see who was stronger.

With a humph, he supersped away with one thing in mind and he knew exactly where to get it.