On a bright, sunny day, Ziel, the fiercest of the Dark Knights, lead a band of young Knights on an expedition to explore a mysterious Tear in the fabric of space that recently appeared along the main road north of Wayhaven. The party stumbled upon a small village of Elves who warned the strangers of danger. Zentil Ziel, one of the bravest warriors in the Realms, only became aroused by the warnings, making him want to march onward. The other young Knights chose to return to more familiar lands, except for one, Doran.

As they trod ahead, they encountered a wise Elven Sage who advised them to stay clear of the forest ahead which was guarded by a mighty warrior. Ziel, being the gentlemen he was, thanked the Sage for the fare warning but wanted to meet this guardian of the forest. He set forth with his assistance to the forest. Upon reaching a light forest area, he spotted a silhoette of a figure standing at the edge of the light forest. As they neared the forest, the figure approached them. He introduced himself as the guardian of the forest, Durantalist the master thief, and asked about the land that the adventurers had come from. Ziel replied that they had travelled through a tear in space to arrive at this village. Ziel wanted passage into the forest but Durantalist had his duties to uphold. Ziel had always favored a challenge to test his skills so he suggested that they have a dual so if Ziel won, he would be offered passage into the forest but if he lost, he would turn back.

Durantalist agreed for he had not seen a worthy opponent in his days. Ziel lay down his shield and grasped his Stalagmite of Power, a club charged with raw energy, tightly, while Durantalist unsheathed his Runesword, which sparkled in the sun. The dual began. Ziel, as a habit, fought defensely against an opponent he was unfamiliar with and he was fortunate for that strategy. Durantalist swung his Runesword fiercely with quick, powerful slashes causing Ziel to stagger momentarily. Ziel continued to parry blow after blow, all the while waiting for an opportunity to attack. Taught by Gama, Ziel also learned the ability to magically heal his wounds with his hands allowing him to withstand the powerful strokes from Durantalist. After some time, Durantalist could not keep the intense pace so he tired. Noticing the relaxed state of his opponent, Ziel lunged forward, swinging his Stalagmite of Power, charged with electricity, at the tired Durantlist whose eyes, for the first time, showed concern. Durantalist could not recover from Ziel's powerful blows which caught him by surprise. Ziel followed with successive blows to the legs of his opponent electrifying them. The electricity stunned Durantalist's legs and he fell to the ground, helpless.

Ziel became the first warrior to defeat Durantalist the master thief who offered his Runesword as a trophy to Zentil Ziel to add to his armory. That day, Ziel stood mightiest in the land.