The stone felt Shaige's arrival before the keeper had even emerged from the ground below. The moment that the ghostly form that was Shaige made its presence known, an insidious cacophony of voices emanated from the stone. [b]"I have come looking for a Keeper, and it seems that a Keeper I have found. Tell me, what is your name? What it is that you want?"[/b] 

The wraith remained unmoving, lurking in a shadow cast by a ledge above. Taking the form of a shadow, Shaige remained as unmoving as a statue. Two amethysts peered at the stone with an unwavering stare, enough to unnerve most beings. But the Ripper was not afraid. Rather, it was frustrated. The Keeper had ignored the question, brooding in silence as it continued to give only an inquisitive stare.

At long last, when the Ripper was growing dangerously annoyed, an answer came, [i]"Death. Darkness. Silence. Potential. I possess neither goals nor specific wants. Why set out for just a few things, when you could take everything for yourself? Now tell me, being within the stone, what your name is. Tell me what you want."[/i]

[b]"I am Destruction, Entropy, the Bleeding Star in the sky. I do not herald doom. I am the End. I have come in search of power, and in return I offer power. You claim to be only potential. Broker a deal with me, and you will be ruination incarnate. The only way to have everything is to take it by force. I offer my aid."[/b]

A small stone tumbled down from above, landing on the Destruction Catalyst that had buried itself within the hill. The instant that the rock touched the red aura that swirled about the meteorite, there was a flash. The thing cracked, and suddenly it was not one rock but a fistful of gravel. The tiny pebbles began to slide down the crystalline structure, but when they finally made it to the ground they had been reduced to sand.

Shaige eyed such a spectacle, and both coveted and feared such power. Warily, he inquired, [i]"What do you offer? What are its costs?"[/i]

[b]"There exist many great enemies to your kind, and two of these scourges plague this world. Make no mistake, their arrogance and treachery know no bounds. With not so much as a fleeting thought, they would demand your unconditional aid in their detestable plight. You would be their thrall, until the moment that they triumph here, at which point they would wipe you from existence. 

But not I. I will extend to you the offer that I have given to all the others of your kind. Lend me your power. Your dungeon heart conjures and siphons enormous power. Channel this into me, always. When your times of need inevitably occur, I will repay the debt by empowering you tenfold, if only for a short time. But do not worry yourself about those things. You need only know this; with your aid, I could purge this world and condemn the two great enemies to oblivion."[/b]

Shaige thought long and hard, musing over what he had just learned. The voices inside the stone were not trustworthy. Their vague references to two great enemies did little to win the support of the Keeper. If anything, they alienated him; why should he get involved in manners that he knew nothing of, and that would seemingly never affect him if left to sort out themselves? A flicker of worry crossed the Keeper's mind as it realized that there was far more powerful, hidden forces at work. It was disconcerting to think that there were beings that could simply erase all his progress, shake him and his feeble followers off of Elysium like fleas. Yet at the end of the day, Shaige was a mere ghost. This dungeon and these followers were simply a sword; a tool with which he could dominate and take what truly mattered, a means to an end. The Keeper realized that at the end of the day, he had nothing to lose save time, and time was of little value to an immortal spirit.

It was the rather unexpected offer regarding the sharing of power that appealed to the wraith. Shaige's dungeon heart required a steady flow of sacrificial victims in order to provide the wraith with dark magic and anchor him to the realm of the living. Yet the blood magic produced so much power that it almost always simply overflowed, the unused and wasted magic seeping into the nearby area. Directing the flow towards this strange being would cost Shaige nothing, and if the voices spoke the truth, the ability to call on a great deal of power when it was most needed would prove to be a great boon.

[i]"Very well. I shall accept your offer, if you prove to me that you are indeed capable of fulfilling your side of the bargain. Your 'arrival' has wrought untold chaos and stymied my progress by blockading tunnels and collapsing parts of my domain. My minions will soon repair the damage that you have caused, yet you remain in my debt. Loan me your power first. I plan to conquer a nearby village, and your additional strength would be of great value. Once that is done, I vow to uphold my side of the deal and begin feeding you my excess power."[/i]

The Ripper was less than pleased. The pathetic Carver was pressing its advantage, and now of all times was when the Ripper needed to gain power, not hand it away to greedy Keepers. Still, if providing a miniscule amount of power to the puny Keeper would ensure a constant stream of magic, no matter how small, the deal was worth making. Reluctantly, the Ripper replied, [b]"I accept your terms. When the time comes, you will have my strength. But do not try me; betraying my trust would be a terrible mistake.[/b]

And with that, the stone fell silent. The Keeper thought he could faintly hear other conversations, echoes of other strange voices talking to this mysterious being. But he was unable to discern anything of importance and there were preparations to be made, so the Keeper's thoughts did not dwell on the topic for long.