Guardians05

Here's some more bad art. The rush was on, I banged these out pretty fast, designing 'in illustration' - a no-no. I the ideas were written out, but not a lot of time for exploring, just got the idea out there. This is the manifestation of the Demon, and some of his little minions, which were intended to be fodder for the main characters to cut through.

ACT II

Having awoken the others, and discovered that the protector Guardian has become the evil Emperor who has taken over this world, the remaining six Guardians venture towards a showdown with their former comrade, who somehow has fallen from grace. The Guardians rid the outlying areas of the henchman, who now are enlisted to police the kingdom, the bodies bursting into a dark cloud as they are destroyed.

As the group ventures inward towards the Emperor’s stronghold, the Guardians are amazed at the worlds’ changes, gone was sorcery and magic, replaced by industry and technology, and eventually, decay. As they continue their journey, they apply new technologies to their more traditional weapons and armor, as the closer they get to the kingdom’s center, the henchman are more powerful, and more effort is needed to continue on.

They finally reach the gates of the inner kingdom, which has over the years become a great city of ruin. Standing before the gates is a massive army of henchmen, and atop the archways to the interior, stands a shadowy figure that can only be their lost friend. A massive battle ensues, the greatest the world has ever seen, and the Guardians again triumph. They are broken and exhausted, but they must still face the Emperor, who is more powerful than ever. They begin to battle, six against one, odds seemingly unfair, yet the Emperor holds his own. Finally, the will and strength of the combined six finally overcome, and the Emperor is defeated as his sword shatters.

A sinister, rumbling laughter emits from everywhere. A great voice booms, it is the demon, resurrected. The powers the Emperor used to create his henchmen where small elements of the defeated demon, the sorcery the Emperor utilized helped collect the various remnants into a cohesive embodiment; every time a henchman was destroyed, the matter that animated it was enchanted to return to a central rendezvous, the embodiment of the long ago defeated demon. The last remaining piece to this puzzle was the heart of the demon, trapped in the sword wielded by the Emperor. The sword now broken, the demon is once again whole, and more powerful than before. Casting aside the broken Emperor, his role fulfilled, the demon retreats to its lair deep beneath the city, to finish its plan for world domination.

Battle weary Guardians now face the greatest challenge in their lives. Can they defeat the demon in its full power, with only a fraction of what it took before?