Old Man: Far beyond the lemon roads
Away from the sight of the Colossus of Rhodes
Beyond the ideas of early man
Past where the Gods’ children ran
Through man’s final frontier
Past what many have sought here
There exists great power
That of which many cower
He who holds this power ceases to be man
The tribe to which he belongs is the very lonely damned
That is what you seek
Do you really wish to fight a freak?

Ranger: I have made my choice
Despite this I do not rejoice
I understand my task
Capture this power within my flask
I must save my lover
For above her death doth hover

Old Man: You have no chance in hell of success
No one returned, not even Jess

Ranger: I KNOW MY CHANCES
FOR WITH THE REAPER MY TRUE LOVE DANCES
CEASE YOUR BABBLING OLD MAN
BEFORE THIS TEMPLE IS CLAIMED BY SAND

Old Man: Your thoughts are clouded
By this great tragedy which hath shrouded
You speak of impossibility
Your thoughts contain no fluidity
Take a seat and have a drink
In wondrous hope that you might think
Remove this burden from your back
Although unlike Atlas, don’t take it back

Ranger: UNLIKE ATLAS I AM STRONGER
MY WILL IS THAT AND MUCH LONGER
WITH THIS I WILL CLAIM MY PRIZE
THAT ONLY EXISTS BEYOND THE SKIES
NOW YOU STUPIDLY STALL MY PROGRESS
AND OF YOUR ENTRAILS I WILL MAKE A MESS
TELL ME HOW I CAN ACQUIRE
THIS SO CALLED POWER OF THOSE MUCH HIGHER

Old Man: Oh dear Ranger, you leave me no choice
And while I tell you, make not a noise
First you must die, but only in spirit
Next you must follow a sound, believe me you’ll hear it
There you will find the Merchant of Death
Where those who are dead stand a million abreast
Work your way through the crowd
For the end of this journey you hath vowed
Ask for the life of your very special lover
And to take away the death he hath dealt upon her
He will say no but you must prod harder
And explain that you are her warrior
Be not frightened of what he asks of you next
Or you will be dead before you even feel vexed
Remember to use all your tools
For he hath not dealt exclusively with fools
You must defeat him and gain power over her fate
But you must return before it becomes too late
To be successful on your journey
You must be like a jackrabbit and for your life you must hurry
For the spirit does not live well
Outside the body from which it fell
For you to return to the realm of the living
You must have the faith of those who are living
To pray for the safe return of your undead soul
So you won’t be forced to pay the very heavy toll

Ranger: I am ready to defy
The rules of which you hold so high
Usher me to death in spirit
So I can hold hands with my most dearest

Old Man: Ranger, even if you fail
I feel that you’re love alone will free her from The Reaper’s jail
Your will is strong and your love yet stronger
May it not make you a war monger
What will you use to defeat the Merchant?
For this decision I place most urgent

Ranger: I choloseighty Sparhawk
For from its reputation I hear much talk
It hath slain a thousand beasts for me
In the Merchant’s breast it shall be
For my shield I choose my relentless Ulath
With it I plan to move as quickly as a moth
To me it bears no weight
For that the Merchant will hate
For my armor I choose none
So my task may be soon done
Metal will only hinder my progress
This is hard to declare but I must confess
Now condemn me to death, old man
For of waiting I am not a fan

Old Man: As you wish, Ranger
For thee I hope mercy is showed you and her
I condemn you to death in the name of love
And upon me this burden you did shove
Keep your ear to the ground
And be very sure to follow the sound

Ranger: Where are you O Great Dealer of Eternal Sleep?
For despite the old man’s tale I hear no wail nor beep
I hear a symphony of violins
To the tune of necessary violence
There be the massive horde of which he spoke
I hope he knows my business is no joke
Merchant, release the soul of the one known as Golden
She is my love and my love is molten

Merchant: LEAVE NOW AND DEPART FOR YOUR WORLD
YOUR HAIR AND TEETH HAVE ALREADY CURLED
A LIVE SOUL IN A DEAD WORLD DOES NOT LAST LONG
PUT MORE SIMPLY, IT IS JUST WRONG

Ranger: I be not this enormous horde
But if I am ignored, in your chest will be your sword

Merchant: I CAN SENSE YOUR LOVE FROM AFAR
WHICH ALSO RADIATED FROM DEAD KING AZAR
HE LOVED WITH ALL HE HAD AND RETRIEVED HER SOUL
BUT I KILLED HIM LEAVING HIS LOVER UNWHOLE

Ranger: I plan to keep my life and save hers as well
If this messes up your plans for me, then you can go to hell

Merchant: I CHOOSE MY AXE, NO ARMOR, AND NO SHIELD
DOES MY CHOICE OF WEAPONS HELP YOU YIELD?

Ranger: You are wrong in your accusation
I think you are stupid and close to your expiration
End this mindless talking
Attack me and stop your gawking

The Merchant charged and pushed aside the Ranger’s raised shield
His axe is more powerful than any I will hope to wield
The Ranger rolled sideways and dodged a second blow
He rose to a crouch to remain beneath the reach of his foe
I shall have to stab him as he is charging
When he raises his axe it is his chest he ceases guarding
The Merchant charged a second time
He exposed his chest and the Ranger committed a crime
Against the eternal order
Breaking an accepted border
The Ranger pushed his sword between the beast’s ribs
As easy as babies push their hands through the bars of their cribs
The Merchant stood with axe raised in hand
But it was by him that this situation was planned
He brought his axe down across the Ranger’s chest
That Golden once rested against

Merchant: A MISTAKE YOU HAVE MADE YOUNG RANGER
YOU IGNORED ALL WARNINGS OF IMMINENT DANGER
YOU SEE, I HAVE NO HEART OF WHICH TO DESTROY
YOUR PLAN TO KILL ME WAS VERY POOR, YOUNG BOY

With Sparhawk in his hand
The Ranger blinded the Merchant with a fistful of sand
With ferocity beyond the capability of a human
He screamed as though he were seeking revenge as a woman
The introduction of a blade to the face of the beast
Caused a scream that barely ceased
The Ranger stood ragged above the vanquished enemy
He stood victorious over the once powerful entity

Merchant: YOU HAVE WON AND YOU SHALL HAVE GOLDEN
YOUR LOVE IS NOT SOMETHING TO HOLD IN
MAY ANY MAN OR BEAST FEAR YOUR WRATH
AND TAKE THE LESS DANGEROUS PATH
The Ranger returned to his body with a start
What he immediately noticed was his heart
It ached no more
As it had before

Old Man: Ranger, you have a visitor
And it’s not a minister

Golden ran over to the Ranger and kissed him
She remained solemn
And embraced him as the wind embraces the Fallen

Ranger: I will never leave you Golden
No matter how much pessimism we’re rolled in

Golden: Ranger, we will sustain the test of time
And be together far beyond our prime