Will Of The Ancients - The Artifact

[Lyrics by: Jordy & Steve]

[Act 1]
[Scene 1]
The Dark General gathers surrounds the King's castle in his campaign of conquest and destruction.
He cries out his call of war:
"Die!"

Scene 2: Inside the King's throne room.
The King sits upon his throne next to his chancellor.
Several servants stand before them.

[Servant 1:]
"From the north they attack
Our men can only fall back
From the scourge of their blades
The Eastern tower has been raised!
Our men die like flies
But they gladly give their lives
To your cause, to your name
But they bring the darkened flame!"

[Servant 2:]
"With the darkened flame
They will take
All our dreams!
With the darkened flame
They will take
What we need!
With the darkened flame
They will take
All our goals!
With the darkened flame
They will take
All our souls!

Tonight!"

[King:]
"Fight back! Attack! Bar the gates!
We cannot give away
All that they have died for
So, now, draw our swords!"

[Chancellor:]
"The artifact is our hope, is our dream!
If we can possess it we shall see
What it means to be a living god!
Then we shall see who it is that shall fall!"

[The King smiles grimly, he speaks darkly:]
"We can't use that
Slave to the artifact!"

The King unsheathes his sword and impales his Chancellor, leaving his corpse on the floor.
The servants leave quickly, and the King returns to his throne, staring at the corpse of his comrade with a look of deep despair.

Scene 3: The Dark General rides his black steed across the field of dead,
dismembering all that stand in his way and allowing his Dark Mages to burn the still living and writhing with the Dark Flame,
devouring their souls and fueling the Machine of War.

[The Dark General:]
"Tonight! We'll die!
Tonight! We'll fight for their lives!
Tonight! We'll take all their eyes!
Tonight! We'll make them die!"

[Act 2]
[Scene 1:]
The King drags his chancellor's body down a hidden passage from his throne room, trailing blood and entrails.
He speaks to himself in an attempt to calm his conscience.

"Why do I fight the Call of They?"

Scene 2: The King's armies sing a hymn to remember battles against such scourges in the past and to
increase their dwindling morale.

[Troops:]
"In times of great unrest
Comes a searing from the sky
Ten-thousand things borne to die
Fire scorched earth
Oblivion sent from up high."

[Scene 3:]
The King continues down the narrow passageway.
He approaches a wall marked with runes and sings a hymn:
"Oh! Ancient Ones!
Open the gate!
Take this life and feed it to
The artifact
So that
We may
Live to see
Another day
In
Pain!"

The wall glows and a door opens.
Inside is a strange object floating above a pedestal with impossible dimensions: angles that seem to be against the laws of mathematics and lacking any discernible, true extension.
The artifact glows, and a voice speaks:

[The Voice of They:]
"So, at last, you've returned
We knew that you had not spurned
Our gift of the gods
But you must obey our laws
Feed us souls, feed us pain
Or the army shall remain
To feast upon your men's souls
To give us what is owed!"

The King presents the body of his once close friend, his chancellor.

[King:]
"I give to you a sacrifice I have made
Now, in return, give to me what I crave
Bring forth the fire from up above
Remove this plague from around my castle walls!"

The artifact buries itself into the dead, still warm flesh of the corpse.
It is slowly "eaten" with sickening sucking sounds and the sounds of bones snapping as the body contorts and is absorbed.

[The Voice of They:]
"Now do not think you're free
You can't resist the pain!
We will not tolerate
Insolence; so don't betray!"

Outside the castle walls the sky turns red and the King's men cheer.
Armageddon rains upon the Dark Army, demolishing them completely.
The Dark General is crushed by a flaming boulder, and his army is obliterated.
Inside the Chamber of the Artifact, the artifact floats back to its pedestal and the King collapses in despair.
The wall's door closes and the King cries to himself.

[Act 3]
[Scene 1:]
The King sits upon his throne, livid and depressed.
He dismisses his servants for some time alone with his thoughts.
He speaks aloud:
"Why do I survive?
Why don't I take this knife?
Why don't I take my life?"

The King unsheathes a blade and buries it in his own heart.
From the hidden chamber the artifact can be heard unleashing a terrible scream,
for it has lost its servant and connection to this world to feed its lust for suffering and power.
The King smiles as the life-blood drains from his body. He dies.
Fade to black....