It was a cloudy day on the shores of Coastilli, as the orange sky broke free in parts to shine down beams of putrid light on the remains of the world below. The war camps of The Queen of the dead were dim and dreary, quiet and bleak. There was no talking, no fighting, the simple and serene sound of silence was all that was heard.

That was, until they appeared.

First there was the thunderous sound of feet. A slow pace of two steps following each other. Thud.... Thud.... Thud.

From the forest it was coming, and the guards turned their attention that way, preparing their weapons but remaining silent and still. Slowly as the tree-line broke, an immense being stepped forward into the clearing. Some of the queen's forces dropped their weapons, some shook at the power of the being before them. There was a moment of deep silence before anyone worked up the courage to approach. "YOU THERE!" A nervous guard captain said, approaching the monster. As the captain closed in he saw the being was not alone, there were several beings behind him, covered and hidden beneath brown cloaks. "State your business or we will open fire!" The Wooden monster said nothing, but took a knee before the captain, bending his form down to face him directly, until their eyes were but inches apart. The captain drew his blade and aimed it at the being's eye. "I mean it!" he hollered, "STATE YOUR BUSINESS!" There was a boom as the being mumbled a little, before finally speaking. "I am called Enigmus Oak... I wish to see... Lady Penumbria."

The captain was shaken at the booming power of the creatures voice, but the speaking of his master's name filled him with dread and he raised his sword again. "What business have you with the La-" He was interrupted as fierce lightening erupted before Enigmus. The first bolt struck the ground and a second landed directly on the captain, knocking him off his feet. A gentle rain began to fall before the group as the captain lay, disoriented before them.

"Further delays will not be necessary captain!" A voice in the distance echoed out. "Bring my guests to the tower and out of this bitter cold!"

The captain rose as if under a spell, and bowed before Enigmus, who returned to his standing position as well. He motioned to his followers to remain calm and follow him and together they moved toward the black tower in silence.

"I've always wanted to do that!" The being cackled evily. straightening herself up and standing before the Monolith proudly. "I am Lady Penumbria, Queen of the dead and ruler of the Black Tower! What brings you to my home?"

Enigmus bowed as politely as he could considering his size and began to speak. "Greetings Lady Penumbria, I am Enigm-"

As he spoke a bolt of lightening interrupted him as it made its way down the tower, striking the tip of the Monolith with a blinding flash. He stumbled a little causing a fair bit of rumbling before regaining his footing.

"Yes yes... Enigmus Oak." Penumbria interrupted, mockingly. "I know who you are, what I don't understand is why you have come here?" She struck the ground with the end of her blade. "Did you come to deliberately waste my time or was that just a handy bonus to something more important?"

Enigmus did not respond to or complain about her hostile tone, instead he got straight to the point. "We are here... to ask you to kindly refrain from using the Monolith... again." He waved a hand towards his followers. "My brothers and sisters tend the green places, far to the north.... the last bastion... of life on Zinilia.... true life... The Monolith knows only death... and if it strikes again... we fear the planet may never know... life again."

Penumbria laughed. "Then your quest was in vein. As that is precisely why I built it!" her laughter became offensive and obnoxious. "Why else would you build a giant pillar that can destroy a moon, other than to use it to destroy a moon???"

"You were once alive.... as we all were... we would forgive your transgressions if you would-"

"Alive?" Penumbria interrupted Enigmus as she turned and grabbed her weapon, aiming it at him aggressively. "Ah yes... I lived once, and loved, and like you it was all taken from me swiftly and without warning. I was sacrificed to a god I never believed in, sacrificed to protect her by those I trusted most in this world!" She glared at him with uncompromised fury as she steadied herself a little. "I have seen your world of the living Enigmus, and I was happy to leave it." Her body began to radiate a haze of power as she spoke, her grin becoming more and more furious. "I died a being of flesh and bone... and was reborn as a goddess! A queen of death, of merciless and equal slaughter!"

"I know... who you are... Umbria." Enigmus retorted. "That... is your true name... is it not?"

Penumbria stumbled back a little in shock, but soon recovered in her fury. "How dare you speak that name to me. Have you no sh-"

"It was your name..." Enigmus boomed, matching her furious speech. "And so it is... your name. As for how I know it... I was once like you... sacrificed for something... I did not understand... The cult of Ash... the ones who did this to you... gave me this form..." He gestured to himself, as if by some miracle she was unable to see the giant. Penumbria had no words, she simply gawked in surprise at the being before her. "The cult had but one goal... one to achieve at the expense... of our precious lives... that was to create... undying weapons... undead soldiers of great power..." He pointed a long wooden finger toward the Monolith. "And you follow shamefully... in their footsteps.... whenever you fire that... abomination..."

"I follow no footsteps Tree-man!" Penumbria shouted. "I annihilated their foolish cult, and burned their halls to the ground. They watched and begged for their lives as their own creation destroyed everything they had built!" She snickered softly. "How much it must have pleased them to see what power they had created.."

"I too was granted... great power... but I chose... to ignore what I was given..." Enigmus pleaded. "I am... a weapon... and so shall I always be... but I have chosen... to become something greater than... myself." He reached a hand out to Penumbria. "We all... have a choice... we all... have a chance to change... and so I come... to give you yours... repent your evil ways... and stop this madness... bring down the monolith..."

Penumbria went quiet for a moment, and moved towards Enigmus's hand carefully. But just when it seemed that the giant had convinced her, her blade began to glow and she struck at his hand with all her fury, severing the tip of one of his wooden fingers. His followers lurched forward but Enigmus forced them back. "Do not stand... against her." He exclaimed pulling back his hand.

"Did you really think a little speech would stop me?" Penumbria laughed. "I applaud you sir, foolish as you may be." She turned away from him, waving to her guards to move up. Her captains ran forward and fired harpoons into Enigmus's limbs, dragging him to the floor as his followers looked on in horror, unable to help by his commands as Penumbria continued to laugh. "It matters not, in a few moments the Monolith will fire and your green places will burn." She tapped her weapon against the Monolith and it began to shine even brighter than before charging up with her own power. "Pity... if you were the weapon you said you were you might have just stormed in and destroyed it, instead of standing here and giving me all the time I needed to charge it!" Penumbria's laughing stopped suddenly as the tower began to rumble. Pieces of the upper floors began falling as the quaking grew stronger, lightening continuing to pound the Monolith every now and then.

"Very Well Penumbria..." Enigmus stated, forcing his hands into the bedrock of the tower, his vines and roots spreading out and enhancing the tremors. "I tried reason... but you seem to prefer... violence!" His voice boomed as the floor erupted, his vines climbing up the walls of the tower and all across the monolith, drowning out its eerie light.

"Seize them!" Penumbria shouted. "Kill the big one first!" She pointed her weapon forward, commanding her forces to advance. As she did Enigmus's followers threw down their cloaks and revealed themselves to be Huckabee Heavyfist and his rebels. They charged forward in defense of their new ally and fought off the captains as Enigmus continued his efforts. Penumbria began the firing sequence but as the Monolith began to crack from the pressure of Enigmus's vines, its blasts split apart and only hit the walls of the tower, causing even more damage to it. Penumbria stumbled back and could only watch in horror as her home and her ambition began to crumble before her. In a rage she grabbed her blade and charged at Enigmus firing blasts of Anarchist magic at him. These struck him hard across the neck and shoulder, causing parts of him to fly off, but he did not budge from his place until before his very eyes, the top of the Monolith snapped off, releasing all the spiritual energy it contained. Her captains threw down their arms, defeated as their spiritual energy returned to them. They regained the part they had lost to their queen, and no longer desired to serve her.

"You no longer control anyone Penumbria..." Enigmus spoke, as the remains of the Monolith fell. "You are no goddess... you never were..."

The Queen of the dead threw a fit, she flung off her veil and grabbed her blade, and once again charged the group. This time she raised it over her head and created a ball of deep Anarchic energy. "If I cant destroy life... I can at least destroy YOU!!!" She shouted as the ball increased inside to match her fury. "I will level this tower and take us all out with it! You will never beat me tree ma-"

She was again interrupted as a large wooden hand came crashing down ontop of her, squishing her like a bug against the pavement. There was momentary silence as the ball of energy she created faded away. Enigmus gathered her in his hands and spoke softly before closing them together. "This is not the end tree-boy!" Penumbria cackled from within. "I will be reborn... I will live again! You will never be rid of the Queen of the dead!! SHE IS ETERNAL!"

"From violence you came... and from violence you shall meet your end..."

Enigmus' hands fell together and there was a flash of purple light in his palms as Penumbria's core erupted, causing her to explode and cease to be. No spirit escaped, no remains left usable. The queen was at last gone for good.

Huckabee ran up to Enigmus and pressed a hand against him. "Thank you my friend... you did a great thing today."

Enigmus turned to Huckabee and sighed a great enormous sigh. "I only prey... she can at last find the peace... I have so longed for... and that she never return... again..."

The rebels unchained Enigmus' body and together they left the tower. The POMO's of her army now free of her control, they dropped their arms willingly and surrendered. Though no surrender was warranted as the rebels accepted them into their ranks so long as they promised to live a constructive afterlife of peace and virtue. Many aided Enigmus in the regrowth and expansion of the green places, and in due time, life returned to Zinilia once again.

All would remember the day that Enigmus Oak and a handful of rebel POMO's defeated the greatest empire that their Zinilia had ever seen.