Ameerah And He Had Arrived And The Battle Had Already Been Raging. Their Appearance Went Noticed Only By Those In The Immediate Area, Though That Notice Seemed Not To Be Given Much Attention. They Weren't Attacking Anyone So They Went Ignored And Replaced By Immediate Threats. Such Things Weren't Ameerah's Style And He Knew It. When She Jumped The Wall And Threw Herself Into The Fight He Just Smiled Subtly To Himself. He Admired That About Her. She Knew Who She Was, What She Was, And Seemed Completely In Touch With The Proud Chaos Inside Her. A Tempest Of Feelings And Instincts, Even Those From The Wolf That Could Never Be Taken Away. And He Knew That Was Why She Had Struck Down The Dark Seed So Easily But Hesitated On The Lycanthrope. It Was A Part Of Her Still And Honestly He Was Thankful There Were Some Things That Went Beyond The Flesh, Even Beyond The Soul Itself And Her Connection To The Wolf Was One Of Them. Slowly He Turned His Eyes From Her Knowing She Was More Than Capable Of Protecting Herself.

A Force Is Never So Formidable As When It No Longer Has Another To Resist It. Ameerah Was His Opposing Force, His Counter-Weight. Seeing Her, Acknowledging Her Presence Added A Stability To Him That Couldn't Be Found Anywhere Else. Looking Away From Her Was The First Tumbler Tripped In The Lock Of Resistance. And Then Deanna – The Symbiotic Thing In Her That Would Be A God Reached Out With Tendrils Of “Chaos”. The Sensation Of It Indeed Reached Him But It Did Not Influence, At Least Not In The Way As Was Intended. It Didn't Enrage Him – It Was Instead Used To Strengthen The Order. Energy, Even Chaotic, Could Be Directed. Thus It Heightened His Awareness Of The Multitude Of Different Animated Forces All Around. In Short, He Could "Feel" Every Living, Animated Thing Surrounding Him Much More Completely.

Blend Walked In The Distance Behind , He Could Feel The Force Of A Greater Energy Than Those Fighting Below, And That Energy Resonated Around The Dead Sailor. But He Also Saw The Radiant Light Coming From Within The Castle, The Presence Of Yet Another Great Energy. One Thing He Sensed More Than Any Other, More Than The Energies Themselves Was The Lone Thread That Consciously Or Unconsciously United Them All.

Want.

Everyone Involved Had A Want, Even The Godly Forces Themselves. A Want For Vengeance, A Want For Victory, A Want For Supremacy, A Want For Control, A Want For Chaos. And As He Felt That Want Radiating From All Around, He Began Walking The Length Of The Castle Wall And Looked Directly Ahead Not Seeming To Notice Those He Passed By. The Individual Glow Given By Every Warrior In The Conflict Created A Sea Of Dancing Lights As The Aleris Forces Met Their Enemy. The Luminance Differed Between Species And The Level Of Energy Within Them, But He Didn't Pay Mind To Any Of Them. Something More Substantial Than Their Presence, Or The "Light Show" Claimed His Thoughts.

Order Was Void Of Want But Driven By Necessity. It Was Pure Will Governed Only By What Must Be And What Must Not Be. There Was No Hate To It, No Love, Just Untainted Objectivity.

Order And Chaos Were Not Enemies, They Were Necessities. Chaos Always Thought To Be The More Dangerous Of The Two. But The Truth Of It Was That Order Was More Terrifying. Chaos Was Just That, Unpredictable. One Moment It Could Be Unimaginably Vicious, And The Next It Could Be True And Understanding. Order However – It Was Uncompromising. It Would Do Whatever Was Necessary To Achieve Its Object. There Was No Random Nature To Order, No “Possibility” As It Were. Which Was Much The Reason Why Deanna's Use Of Chaotic Energy Didn't Appear To Cause Him Distress. Influence And Inspiration Required 1 Thing To Be Effective. Potential. There Was No Potential For Chaos In The Absolute That Was Order. There Was Chaos Inside Him Naturally, But It Was Merely A Physically Manifested Aspect Of The Negative Essence Within. The Fact Influence Was Even Attempted Brought An Immediate Response. An Almost Bitter, Dissatisfied One.

”...Neophytes.”

Chaos. Vengeance. Anger. Bravery. They Were Perversions Of The Two Energies. Positive And Negative. The Presence And The Absence. When One Began To Shadow The Other, Too Much Present, Too Much Absent, Something Must Balance The Equation. The Nemesis To Chaos Was Order. More Specifically -- Random And Absolute. But, In This World, What Was Absolute? In A Realm Where Gods Were Fighting Amongst Themselves And Those They Created, A Realm That Had Already Been Forced To The Brink And Was Now Being Brought There Again – How Did One Bring To Light An Absolute In Such An Uncertain World? This Question Came Just As A Stray Dead Seed Had Come Before Him. It Had Been Seen But Not Noticed Until That Very Moment. It Stopped 3 Feet Or So From Him, Staring With Dead Eyes As His Own Churning Emerald Pupils Glanced Back. They Stared At Each Other For Several Moments As He Was The First To Speak.

”I understand now, you see. For years I didn't get it. What is the point of never starting a war, and never trying to end it..but still fighting anyway? It's a stalemate..just a never ending struggle. But that's just it...the struggle must be. None can win..none can lose...”

As He Spoke In An A Most Calm, Almost Understanding Tone The Seed Began To Inch Towards Him, And He Again Made No Notice Until It Was Reaching Its Hand Out, Ready To Try To Utilize Its Own Dark Energy Upon Him. In That Instant The Negative Aspect Within Him Was Used To Strengthen The Positive. It Brought Conviction To The Will. Numbness Was Replaced By Full Spacial, Trans-Dimensional Awareness. – Emotional Feeling Disappeared, Personal Influence And Ideal Became Shadowed By A Much Greater Perspective. The Energy Within Him Was Adapting The Flesh And The Mind -- Honing Body And Consciousness. The Left Sleeve He'd Kept On His Shoulder Slid Down As He Undid Pulled The Strap Free With His Teeth. It Fell To The Ground With A Weighted Thud But Did Nothing To Mask The Minor “Thunderclap” That Came As His Palm Lunged Out And Gripped The Child By Its Face. Digits Disappeared Up To Their Second Knuckle When They Passed Through And Took Hold Of The Essence Inside. Something That Shouldn't Or Couldn't Feel Pain, Something That Should Have Been Accustomed To Suffering Was Made To Scream. The Sound Of An Entity That Had Once Been Beyond Tragedy Filled The Night. Its Arms And Legs Flailed As He Stared Up At Its Hidden Face.

”This is where it shall start...and this is where it will end. It must end...to begin again.”

The Feeling Of The Pure, Uncompromising Essence That Composed His Limb Filled The Spawn. Energy, Raw And Untainted – Containing Both Positive And Negative, Touched The Tainted Soul Within The Child. The Sensation Was Like Having The Exact Opposite Of Everything A Person Was Take Hold – And Then Forcing All They Are Away. All At Once They Felt Both Insignificant, And Yet A Part Of Something Incredible. The Body Went Limp In The Throws Of That Brutal Awakening And Soon Hung By Its Face In His Grip As He Kept It Around The Dead Seed's Face. If The Sudden Flash Of Light And Loud Crack Hadn't Been Enough To Bring Most Eyes On Him, The Scream Certainly Was. He Turned Towards The Interior Of The Castle And Walked Towards It Atop The Wall. Glancing Down At Those Around Who Stared At Him He Simply Let The Body Fall. When It Hit The Ground Below It Seemed To Become Most Like A Vapor, Rising Into The Air From The Impact Against The Earth. He Glanced To His Left Hand As The Seed's Energy Flowed In Arcs All Along His Forearm And Palm.

”Order will have today. Chaos has become so abundant it is now predictable. The tide has to recede or there will be nothing left.”

The Words Were Spoken With Factual Certainty As He Leaped Down From The Wall And Landed On The Ground. Several Aliscowri And Therianthropes Took A Step Back, Not Out Of Confusion As They Had With Ameerah – But Caution. Chaos Was A Powerful Influence And Could Force A Being To Do Many Things. But Fear, The Instinct To Survive, It Was Crafted By A Greater Force. Evolution. They Stared At The Pale, Strange Looking Skin And Bright Arm. This One Had No Weapons, His Left Arm Was Glowing And Crackling With Surges Of Emerald Lightning. And As They Stared, They Seemed Unsure What To Do. So A Silence Came Over That Patch Of Ground Until He Closed His Hand Into A Fist. The Dead Seeds Energy Had Collected In His Palm And Was Compacted In His Surging Grip. The Impure Energy Was Concentrated To The Point It Collapsed In On Itself. The Light That Followed Was Blinding For At Least 50 Yards, And Could Have Been Seen From Several Miles Away. The Sound Was Like A Whip Crack That Drowned Out All Other Sounds On The Battlefield For A Brief Second. With The Concussive Force That Followed, It Knocked Several Of The Warriors, Both Aleris Guard And Deanna's Forces Alike. Raising A Slow Glance Up To All Of The Wide, Fearful, Unknowing Eyes Now Looking In His Direction He Spoke One Final Time.

”An example must be made...the absolute will be maintained. That leaves you the examples.”

That Was The Only Explanation Given, The Only Warning Presented As He Suddenly Dropped To His Knee, Thrusting His Left Hand Into The Ground. The Energy Within Him Knew No Side, It Existed As Both. It Did As It Was And Was As It Did, And As The Dirt And Stone He Touched Simply Faded Like Vapor Upon Contact With The Limb There Was Something That Did Not Give Way. A Lay Line Of The World Itself. A Thread Into The “Soul” Of Aleris. It Acted Like The Barrel Of A Gun, And His Arm The Ammunition. From The Ground Erupted That Same Emerald Lightning They Had Seen Before. Only Now It Was Finding Living Things, Animated Things. It Struck Aliscowri, It Struck Therianthrope, It Struck Deanna's Forces As If It Were Seeking Them Out. Racing Across The Ground It Was As If A Storm Coming From Beneath Your Feet. Bodies Would Lock Into Place, Backs Would Bow And Then The Spiderweb Of Emerald Would Disappear Back Into The Ground As The Body Fell, Gray And Lifeless To The Earth. For The Aleris Guardsman, The Strike Was Brief And Did Not Reach Beyond Their Knees. Just Enough Of Their Life Was Taken So As To Weaken Them. When Dueling Energies Were Fatigued, The True And Natural Would Always Find Strength Faster Than The False And Unnatural.

10, 15, 20, They Were Dropping At A Threatening Rate. Aleris Guards Couldn't Help But Show A Measure Of Fear Even When They Began To Reclaim Their Senses And Saw The Force Was Not Seeking To Kill Them. The Area Within A 50 Yard Circumference Was Void Of Deanna's “Army” In A Matter Of Seconds As Their Gray, Frozen In Time Bodies Littered The Ground. When He Finally Stood, His Arm Was Pulled From The Earth As If Ripping Something Away. The Link Between Himself And The World Was Severed With A Trembling Of The Ground, Causing A Cave In That Followed The Ley Line Which Took Dead Bodies With It And Sent Aleris Forces Scattering. He Looked At The Massive Amount Of Energy Newly Seized By His Left Arm And Glanced Beyond The Battle Waging Around Him. Deanna, She Was The Apex Of This Force. The Underlings Meant Nothing, And Her Commanders Were Being Engaged By Their Own Opposition. Looking To The Area Of The Castle In Which He Felt The Familiar Signature Of Energy Which Inhabited Deanna – He Saw Verial. The Intermingling Of Essence Was Enough To Reveal What Was Happening Beyond The Stone. Somehow He Was Not Surprised. This Had Been A Possibility He Was Well Aware Of. In The End, Verial Would Be Unable To Kill The Woman. Wasting No Time Thinking Of That Trivial Fact, His Left Foot Braced Behind Him And He Drew As Arm Back. With One Swinging Pitch Of His Arm The Energy Of Over 2 Dozen Souls Was Flung In A Composite Of Concentrated Essence At That General Area Of The Castle.

The Size Of A Cannonball And Very Pale Green With A Pure White Core, The Spherical Shape Flew From His Hand. It Did Not Slow Because Of Friction, Or Descend From Gravity, Instead It Raced Like A Wisp, Unbound My Physical Limitation As It Collided With The Stone Of The Castle. There Was No Explosion Or Amazing Display Of Pyrotechnics. Instead It Struck The Wall And Imploded Like A Minor Star, Drawing Everything Around Within It. It Pulled Several Aliscowri Who Had Been Ascending The Walls To Its Core, And It Pulled Stone Away As Well. At least 7% Of The Castle Exterior Simply Vanished, Drawn Into The Ethereal Implosion Until At Last The White Pocket Of Most Concentrated Energy Dispersed. A Deafening, High Pitched Whistle Followed In Its Wake (The Air Being Forced Through The Shrinking “Tear” In Space Until It Finally Closed). Deanna And Verial Weren't Exposed Due To Being Deeper Into The Castle, But Not By Much. The Air That Now Rushed In Carried The Scent Of Fire And Death Through The Massive Gap And Would Reveal What Had Happened Even If It Could Not Be Seen By Those Inside.

Oh Yes He Could See Maxim In All His “Hell follows with me” Glory Despite The Kinslayer Also Being More Toward The Interior Of The Castle. The Energy Signature Of The Redmont Was One He Had Been Around Several Times, Thus He Was Easy To Pick Out Beyond The Stone Walls. Intensity Coursed Through The Vampire Meaning He Had A Personal Stake In Finding Both Deanna And Of Course, Elijah. As He Observed Maxim Moving Throughout The Castle And Coming Ever Closer To His Adversaries, Maxim Chose His Path For Both Duty And Hatred. Valorius' Path Was Not Born Of Any Real Emotion. It Was Beyond Being Personal. It Was A Universal Necessity. The Young Eternal Began Walking In The Direction Where Deanna And The “Protector of Aleris” Resided. The Aleris Guards Stepped Back And Were Soon Heading Off To Re-Enter The Battle Now That They Knew He Was Not There For Them – At Least Not Today. Those Of Deanna's Army Who Were Governed By Fear, Hunger Or Obedience Found Something More Influential Now Walking Their Way And They Didn't Know How To React. They Skirted Him And For Every Step Forward He Took They Took One Back, Even Those Behind Him Did Not Cross A Certain Invisible Line. Then Out Of Perhaps Fear Or Sheer Mindless Instinct A Galuwrath Rushed At Him. It Did Not Have The Opportunity To Attack As In Mid-Charge The Prince's Right Hand Swung Up And An Ebony Chain Came Like A Whip Around Its Neck. His Blood, A Neuro-Responsive Fluid, Took The Shape Of The Chain And Responded To His Influence Like Any Muscle Or Finger Might. Giving It A Sharp Tug The Creature Was Jerked Towards Him With A Force That Looked As If No Effort Was Given On His Part, Yet The Body Flung Towards Him.

In Mid Air His Left Hand Thrust Into Its Chest And Took Hold Of The Metaphysical "Core" Within Before Lowering The Being So That Its Feet Touched The Ground. The Chain Then Drew Back Into His Flesh So That Only A Foot Or So Remained From Where It Had Emerged, As A Liquid From His Wrist. Coiled Around The Galuwrath's Throat It Held To Him As He Pulled Its Life Away.

”You do not understand. This..” He Pulled His Left Hand Free, The Chain Preventing The Body From Collapsing So He Could Phase His Fist Into The Creatures Chest Again As Fast As He'd Removed It. Immediately The Color Returned To Its Flesh And It's Eyes Opened As It Regained Awareness. ”..will.." Speaking First, He Then Repeated The Cycling Action – Only This Time He Did It Several Times In Rapid Succession. Giving Animation Back To The Galuwrath And Taking It Away Repeatedly Giving It Only Enough Time To Gasp That First Breath To Roar Before Making The World Fade Away All Over Again. "..end."

Putting The Sensation Into Words Was Not Easily Done. The One Thing The Natural Forces Declared A Being Should Only Endure Once Was Being Forced Upon The Galuwrath Many Times. To Be Overcome By Nothingness Only To Be Brought Back Into All The Blinding Light And Deafening Sound Of Reality. Experiencing That Frantic Rate Of Being And Non-Being, The Mind Could No Longer Retain What It Used To Be. And The Final Strike Was A Thrust That Brought The Creatures Life Back Into It. It Was Then He Pulled His Chain From Around Its Neck And The Galuwrath Fell On Its Back To The Ground. It Looked Up To Him – But Made No Sound. It Could Just Lay There. The Entire Body Trembled Involuntarily And Its Gaze Was Both Horrified And Distant. Paralyzed And Silent.

Hate, Revenge, Evil, They All Could Make A Being Capable Of Many Things. But In The End It Was Only Order That Would Willfully Destroy All Things That Were, Including Itself, To Bring Stability. This Lack Of Self Interest Made It Capable Of -Anything-. It Would Go Beyond Where Evil Could Reach. Which Was Why That Even Though The Broken Galuwrath Was Warranting Death More Than Any Other, The Young Man Left It "Alive". So That The Others Who Stood Around Could See That Yes, He Had Killed Many, But There Were Far Worse Things Than Death. Things He Was More Than Capable, And Willing To Do.

The Mind Of A Beast That Had Been So Driven By Rage And Instinct Was Now Nothing But A Prison Of Fear And Emptiness. A Prison Which Sharay, With Her Connection To Her Forces, Would Have A Clear Window Into. Perhaps She Could See Him Looking Back From The Other Side Of The Creatures Eyes. Not Only Could He Remove All She Created, He Could Bring It Back. More Noticeably Though He Could Break It, As The Paralyzed Beast At His Feet And The Chaos He'd Both Driven And Drained Away From The Aleris Guard Testified To. Glancing Back To The Hole He Had Created Upon The Castle, He Stepped Over The Near Catatonic Creature And Continued On His Way.

Nothing Came At Him Anymore. Any That May Have Tried Were Now Stepping Back And Purposely Avoiding Him As He Began Making Way For The Castle Exterior Again. Now His Way To The Heart Of The Problem Was Unhindered. If Verial Was To Be A Part Of That Problem Than He Too Would Be Dealt With. Order Recognized No Superior, No Inferior, It Only Recognized Opposition And Imbalance. And Hie Couldn't Afford The Luxury Of Personal Feeling In Those Moments. If This World Was To Continue On And Its Gods Were To Maintain Equal Corners Of The Tapestry Than Stray Threads Had To Be Cut Away. Whether Maxim Reached Them First Or Him It Made No Difference. One Way Or Another, This Would Be The Last Night Chaos Threatened The Equilibrium.

The Scales Would Be Righted.

To miss a chance at putting some Bluefield therianthropes in the grave? Ainsley would never pass up the opportunity. Though her hunt for Elijah Bluefield - her divorced husband from over a thousand years ago - was sadly unsuccessful, Ainsley Redmont was once more given a chance to help stop him in the heinous acts he was attempting to pull. Actually, she mused over the fact that she was glad she did not find him on her search. Had she done that, the vicious army that he had raised with Deanna DiCorvino would have killed her quite quickly. She was confident in her abilities as a witch and magic user, but not that confident.

This, the here and now, seemed appropriate. Blasting Elijah's newly turned kin into smoldering embers was fun. The destruction the beasts had wrought was being returned unto themselves and Ainsley had a hand in dispatching a few of their numbers. She was quick - graceful like a dancer and as deadly as a lioness on the hunt - towards any Bluefield that came in her path. Then again, Ainsley had years of practice dealing with this sort of scum that so foolishly tried to snuff out mankind. What the Bluefields had never learned - a fact that did not surprise Ainsley - was that they had never accepted that mankind as a whole was not that easy to wipe clean from the very earth.

One of the lycans had come too close. Ainsley focused energy towards the ground this time and as it was a few inches away, fire erupted from the palms of her hands. This blast not only propelled her to leap backwards, but it caught her werewolf adversary on fire as well. The beast now consumed by flame, writhed in agony as its fur and skin burned. As Ainsley found her footing, she heard her name called. She did not turn her head right away, for she knew the familiar voice that shouted to her over the sounds of battle.

"Elijah Bluefield was never just your problem, Ainsley."

Finally she turned, her dark hair streaked with indigo falling across her shoulders and still on her guard, flashed a smile at Maxim. His words held truth. Ages ago, the Bluefields had murdered many of her family and did not spare others as they desired what could be considered conquest and power. Though she was considerably more closely linked to Elijah than anyone else, the whole Bluefield family was a problem and as she believed, they needed to stop breeding and creating new therianthropes.

"Thank you, Maxim," Ainsley said at long last. He had asked for her help in getting to the castle, to which Ainsley offered a sweep of her hand gesturing to the chaos around them. "Of course. I would be delighted to."

With that, Maxim and Ainsley ran through the crowd of therianthropes, Aliscowri and Alerian guards until they were at the castle. The front doors to the castle were guarded by tendrils of black magic likely from Deanna. This magic restricted anyone from just waltzing inside, but that did mean there weren't alternate methods of getting inside. Ainsley and Maxim circled the castle together and when she found a spot where her Redmont brother would be safe entering, she blasted a hole in the castle wall big enough for him. While the magic Ainsley used was unseen - an invisible pulse of energy - smoke and dust circled the entry way she had created.

"Go," Ainsley said pointing Maxim to the otherwise quiet entrance way she had created. After Maxim had taken his first step though, Ainsley reached out and briefly touched his shoulder stopping him. "Be careful, Maxim. I will stand guard out here. If you need me, please yell for me. Until then, I'll wait contently knowing the sound of that bastard's final screams will eventually be heard."

As Maxim jumped through the doorway she had created, Ainsley stood by ready to stop anyone who tried to go after Maxim or get past her. For the most part it was quiet. Not much later though the ground started to shake and pulses of unearthly, green energy swept through the ground like spider webs. Being outside, it raced in Ainsley's direction. Before this strange magic could get to her though, Ainsley deflected it by casting a barrier over herself. The pulse of green energy swept over her instead of touching her and in the minutes she held up her own barrier, the earthen magic eventually disappeared. Whether it was intended to be helpful or harmful, Ainsley did not want anything to do with foreign magic invading her presence. As Ainsley lowered her barrier, she noticed that the entire city had gotten eerily silent after that.

"Strange night," she said to herself.

When Maxim's voice echoed down the hallway, Elijah gave a shrug that appeared to be rather bored. This lift of his shoulders was followed by a loud sigh. Although his Mistress had healed him and insured him that she was devoted to her wolf, Elijah was still preoccupied with what was going on behind closed doors. Over and over again, the question circled in his head. Why was he not strong enough for Deanna? Why did she need to use the hybrid Protector Regent, Verial Akilara?

So when Maxim issued his challenge, the only thing Elijah could do was shrug his shoulders casually, knowing what he had to do. To protect his Dark Mistress, to detain Maxim Redmont for as long as possible while Deanna's plans were put into motion. Elijah let out a short laugh and then turned in Maxim's direction so the Lord Commander of Elved could see the Bluefield werewolf at the end of the hallway.

"Come to me then, Maxim Redmont. I do not hide. I will gladly rip you to shreds if you would like."

The two charged at each other, engaging in battle. Elijah used nothing but his claws and brute strength. Mostly, the battle between Bluefield and Redmont leader was filled with one evaded attack after another. Unfortunately, the hallway was not kind to Elijah's hulking mass of muscle. He could not maneuver as he wanted to and when the ground shook from Valorius' magic, the castle did as well. Elijah faltered and fell, Maxim's blade coming across his back. Before he could even manage to get up and deflect anymore oncoming attacks, Maxim moved much faster and drove his blade through the back of Elijah's throat. Elijah let out a wounded howl and the sound of the Bluefield alpha falling shook the resolve of his kin. Blood poured from Elijah's neck, choking him in the process and Maxim Redmont's sword stayed lodged in his throat until he moved no longer.

Oddly enough, a smile had grown across Elijah's muzzle as he died. The last thing he heard was not the sound of Maxim Redmont, but the devoted and anguished cry of his Dark Mistress echoing throughout the castle. There would be hell to pay over his fall and Deanna would bring it. If anyone thought they were going to stop her chaos and destruction anytime soon, they were sadly mistaken. His death - as quick as it was - would only fuel the dangerous fire that had swept Aleris even further.

As Blend had accepted the position - the gift - of being Tempesturo's Champion, Aleris' God of Summer would always be close to him. When Silenti had assumed that taking over Blend and leaving a path of death would be easy, Silenti was wrong. It was not an easy task for one God to step into another realm and try to take it over without being seen. Still, some foolishly tried to make this attempt, like Silenti and Sharay.

As Blend called to Tempesturo, the God of Summer responded. Sharay had gotten too far in her destruction with Aleris and there was no way the God of Summer was going to allow the same thing to happen again twice with Silenti. Before Blend, a rift opened and Tempesturo sent forth the giant, black water moccasin to stop Silenti. Tempesturo could feel Blend trying to stop Silenti, but Gods are usually foolish stubborn things, himself included. This was why he wasted no time in guiding the snake to slurp up and eat Silenti even after the Death God tried to lash at the serpentine beast twice.

I am here with you, Tempesturo said reaching Blend's mind. Stay brave.

Before the moccasin left Blend's side and vanished in the rift, it appeared to almost smile at Blend, its thin forked tongue flicking out mischievously. Once inside Chaos again and back by Tempesturo's side, the God of Summer stroked the head of the serpent as if it were a cat. The snake stood in the air some, its body curved into an s-shape and turned its slitted eyes up towards Tempesturo. Its belly was full of trespassing god and it seemed content.

"Good work, my friend. Now, hopefully Elysia can restrain her own foes as well. Sharay... how stupid."

If Blend would look down as he walked, he would notice that not only was his skeletal figure enveloped with fire, but underneath those flames was a magnificent plate of armor - armor that was befitting for a skeleton at least. On the chest piece of this armor was the symbol of a red sun surrounded in a circle, the mark of Tempesturo. As long as Blend chose to wear Tempesturo's armor and follow the God of Summer, he would be protected by most of his enemies. In fact, when Valorius unleashed his strange, green magic throughout the city, the energy pulsed over Blend, skipping over the skeleton sailor entirely.

Blend's path to the castle would be laid out before him and even though Tempesturo's Champion had no eyes, things would be clearer than ever for him.

Added to eliskan's character sheet:

Armor of the Sun (+4 soak, fire elemental)

Madrin Wasn't sure if he should thank the gods for small mercies, or curse them for allowing Gethe to escape. He had no idea how much power the demon had before he faced it directly. However, he realized it wasn't his father anymore when they met. He felt the foul nature of the creature in close quarters. Clearly it only wore the skin of a human it was something far worse. Madrin was driven from a demon into a blazing inferno of insane humans. The blue fire that broke out near him removed the obvious enemies from the immediate area and left humans at their worst. He did not know what had caused such mindless slaughter but, as his eyes met several of the soldiers of Eiler he felt the uncontrolled rage running rampant.

Madrin's ability to control others was restricted to those with great rage. Normally he would never consider using such a twisted ability on beings who possessed free will. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. His soldiers had been subverted unwillingly by chaos itself reducing them to uncontrolled killers, Madrin refused to let that stand. He didn't care if it was a god or anything else free will was the right of all beings large and small. That was why he had only used the power to control as a last resort.

Madrin addressed the entire area loudly with command filling his voice. "Soldiers of Grand city listen well, I Lord Commander Madrin Kir know you are made of more than your basest instincts. You are men and women of Aleris here to protect, not destroy. Remember why you are here this day, and show the foul darkness it has no hold over you." The strength of his conviction caused the green light of hope to bathe all that saw him. He was relieved that he had no need to employ the foulness in his blood to free his guards from chaos. The blessing of Aurora within him had never shown so brightly as it did at that time. Wherever Madrin walked, the green light drove the infection of black chaos from the area. There were still enemies that fought on despite the powerful light. It only drove the chaos out everyone was still who they are at their core. He headed for the castle to stop the corruption at its source. Such immense use of divine energy, was draining his stamina rapidly. Thankfully, years of intensive training had pushed him to the peak of human endurance. Madrin only hoped he could remain conscious long enough to save Grand city.

Chaos was carrying the passed out Redmont when he sensed the demon from before tracking him. The Galuwrath’s spine swings in his right hand trying to track the demon. The demonic arraki lands on the main gatehouse to the city over the splintered and destroyed gate that the demon had destroyed. He could also feel the dark energy permeating around the castle. Suddenly a bright flash lit up the area as the green energy arced through the living and the dead in a circle. The living were persevering against the dead and the demonic arraki was starting to slip.

The unconscious lycan falls to the stone walk way and the wings of the demonic arraki unfurl. The rage from Deanna was being countered by Blend, but that wasn’t the way of chaos. As Blend sucked all the violence out of them the peace and quiet became too much in the mind of the demonic arraki. The evil he had been born into begin to regain control as the balance of light and dark shifted toward the light and dark began to fall.

The Galuwrath spine straightens into the sky and the runes burned into his flesh glow bursts of inky darkness emerging from the bone which begins to crack. The dark energy seeks the empty vessels in the streets their bodies devoid of soul and protection, it fills their bodies with itself using their bodies for its own needs.The dead in the streets begin to push themselves off the ground, if one were to look into their eyes they would see one of the runes adorning Chaos’s body imprinted on their iris’s repeating over and over. Chaos implanted one idea to them, kill Soul. The Galuwrath spine shatters a moment later spent by the exertion of the magic. Chaos drops what remains of the bone in his hand and pants, if he had Obstinata he’d be able to continuously pump out the energy.

He sensed the demon Gethe close by and turns his figure to speak to the demon wherever he was in the vicinity. “You are hunting me while your Goddess is about to be attacked from multiple angles. Not very wise, though you have your own agenda don’t you?” The arraki turns again as the possessed corpses pass what was left of the living and stand outside of the walls. “You deal with Soul and I’ll help the Goddess. That army will fight with you against him and his pirates you will need them.”

The possessed dead, having left those within the castle unharmed, form up outside the city in row after row walking steadily toward the Scarlet Pearl which is floating toward the city. They were zombies with one motive placed upon them by their master. Chaos may be claiming he was for Deanna but the demonic arraki wanted Obstinata and if a thousand possessed monsters couldn't kill the arraki then they could at least weaken him.

The shadows wrap suddenly around the demonic arraki before pulling away and leaving nothing in its wake, hopefully the demon had heard him. Chaos rematerializes in front of the “dead” Black, who had not risen with his fallen brothers. The demonic arraki grabs his throat before the other arraki can react, “I am sorry brother, I am going to need this.” Black transfers to normal as Chaos lifts him up and plunges an arm through Blacks body and grips the spine as acidic blood pours onto the cobblestones below eating through them like they were nothing. Black gasps and fights but Chaos had always been stronger and Blacks body begins to dissolve as the spine is wrenched free.

Chaos grins in approval as the power of the arraki spine courses through him, “Why didn’t I think of this sooner!” The demonic arraki grins turning toward the castle and disappearing in another shroud of shadows. He appears suddenly in the hall outside of the bed chamber, a force keeping him from entering. He entertains the idea of trying to blow through it before shrugging and waiting patiently for the goddess.

Soul felt Chaos shift and roared in frustration startling the crew. Obstinata was silent in his back but he knew what the sword was thinking. The Scarlet Pearl was in view of the city and steadily gaining on the walls where an army of possessed guards, lycans and other creatures stands with glowing white eyes. This was Chaos’s doing he knew he could feel the same energy from the arraki that he himself used. He could also feel the demon that had reached to him in the swamps somewhere in the midst.

The arraki told the crew to leave him on the top deck alone and to tell Nari to get the guns ready for battle. The arraki sits cross legged on the wood and closes his eyes, feeling Black silenced as well causing him a jolt of pain that quickly subsides. He begins to concentrate, Obstinata flashing on his back after captured soul after captured soul is fed into his body and their energy synthesized into pure energy. The sun had been hidden and this allowed the demon to hide and grow stronger.

Without the burden of evil that Chaos and Black had put in his system the pure energy took less effort conjure. A ball began to grow above his head, as bright as the sun and giving light to the world. He could feel Blend within the link to man his only eye in the city now. Even as the violence inside had subsided this new army Chaos had created would bring violence back to the outside of the wall. The possessed bodies would be stronger than they had been in life but they had no thoughts their own. They were no longer the people they’d been, merely shells that the arraki had given autonomous movement too.

He could feel the others within, nursing their wounds or heading to the castle along with everyone else, Chaos was in the castle as well he could feel. You made your grave brother, now lie in it. Soul opens his eyes and the ball of pure energy now the size of an airship itself soars through the air like a second sun in the darkness. It crashes into the army of possessed dead and bursts like a bubble of energy throwing a hundred corpses into the sky. The light is blinding and it hopefully hits the demon known as Gethe. The nucleus of the ball flies skyward, half the size but just as bright breaking the darkness of the seemingly permanent night for the moment.

The arraki stands suddenly, sweat dripping from him at the effort before charging to the end of the ship and launching himself down to the ground below. The arraki lands in a roll charging the army of possessed dead, those who still stand. The three blades on his gauntlet move in a blur slicing through them. He was a whirlwind of slashing and stabbing in the fray, outnumbered hundreds to one but not a single feeling of fear.

Above him the Scarlet Pearl turns so the flank faces the army with two dozen cannons angled to the army, all fire at once cannon balls and fragment shot pelleting into the tightly grouped creatures. The arraki grins, enjoying himself as two chunks of ground lift and crash together with a dozen possessed dead in-between them. He was trying to find the demon knowing that even if the others killed Deanna there was still the demon to deal with.

“Come out, come out wherever you are!” Soul roars throwing a raised city guard into three others. The energy lacked the discipline the souls of the guards had in life, but in this realm Elysia controlled the dead and he knew Chaos had been unable to bring their souls back, he’d only been able to pump them full of energy and give them a cause but it was for naught this new army would never been able to win against the living, the living still had tactics. Chaos had made them to slow him down but even if he was slowed down the demonic arraki was going to have his hands full with everyone else. Soul smiles wider as Obstinata pumps around burst of energy into his body, “Come on these pawns are boring, where are you demon!?”

As the city grew silent after Valorius unleashed his arcane yet incredibly structured magic, three important figures converged on the newly formed entrance to the castle. The first one there was Valorius himself, the man leaving nothing but stunned and completely devastated enemies in his wake.

Following Valorius by twenty yards was Blend. The sailor's skeleton strode with an aura of confidence. Why not? Tempesturo was with him, and such knowledge made Blend feel as if he could do anything. Surely, there were limits to his acquired abilities, and he knew from experience that Chaos produced unpredictable energies. However, armored as he was in Tempesturo's plate mail, burning with the fire of the sun itself, the skeleton seemed unperturbed as he followed Valorius. Rippling waves of emerald lightning lashed against him, but the protective shell Tempesturo had given him seemed to repel the energy with a force akin to magnetism.

Behind Blend came Madrin Kir. In spite of dueling with his demonic father Gethe, the warrior seemed as confident as the skeletal sailor ahead of him. Blend, deciding he'd rather let Valorius 'blaze the trail' (and also deciding he'd rather not get closer to the man), slowed down enough to let Madrin catch up to him. He recognized the man from earlier, when the Almeddans had been admitted to the city.

"This place is like a fireworks show," the burning skeleton commented from within his intricately wrought helm. The helmet was fashioned to resemble a flame, with gold and silver woven into spiraling knives that jutted upwards. There was a face buried within the fiery metal, and it warped in a grin towards Madrin. Tempesturo had a skilled blacksmith! But who needs to stoke a fire when you have the sun itself to melt your steel? Blend glanced at a Gulawrath who lay now on the side of the path, shock and confusion in its oddly innocent eyes. "Valorius sure is ..efficient.. How about you lead the way? Ohh by the way, the name's Jelaephon. You can call me Blend."

Blend made his way after Madrin, making sure to keep a fair distance from himself and the unpredictable entity Valorius. Whatever energy Valorius commanded seemed to be the opposite of his own. Certainly Valorius was aware of him, Blend nevertheless wanted to avoid getting too close to the man when he was in a violent state such as this. Threatening bolts of green lightning reminded them of such facts. Madrin, being close to Blend, was spared the devastating effects of the energy as Tempesturo's gifts protected them.

After all, Valorius was here for the same reason as the others. Deanna had to be dealt with.

--

"He did it, I'll be damned!" Tarc panted, pointing towards the distance where three figures were entering the newest breach in the castle. "The bastard actually killed Silenti, God of Death!"

Jasker shrugged. "I still see people dying."

The Almeddans, or what was left of them, had been in a constant hit-and-run battle with the invading armies. It wasn't until emerald lightning tore through the battlefield that they found themselves in a brief reprieve. However, the lightning did not come without consequence, as three Almeddans sat staring with wide eyes at the battlefield, uncomprehending. The Venefican mage was able to repel some of the sorcery, and now that the source of the potent energy had entered the castle things were finally calming down.

The Almeddan squads were in lighter spirits than the occassion called for, on account of Silenti's demise. The diety was an invasive one - it had invaded Almedda from the rift that Xezvimhi created to Elysium. Furthermore, Silenti's manipulation of souls was considered outright evil. The fact the god had been slain without millions of lives lost was worthy of the highest praise.

The truth was, there was not a single god in the history of Almedda that was native to the realm. Thousands of rifts opening into alien worlds had invited the deities in, and ever since the Almeddans have been slaying the invasive and incredibly powerful beings with cruel deliberation.

"Those poor souls go to Elysia, not Silenti, thank the stars for that. It gets me to thinking.. how many gods have us Almeddans killed, now?"

Jasker grinned towards Tarc, a gruesome smile with teeth coated in blood - his own, as the captain had taken a solid blow to the chest and had been bleeding internally since. "How many gods? Countless. The whole C'udiskan pantheon, for starters. That already put us at over two hundred deities - sure, the Mountain Worm isn't dead technically, but he's not goin' to be around much longer with the way they're draining his blood. Then there's the Kyrain pantheon, that's another twenty or so. Of course, more recently, Xezvimhi here has been slayin' deities like no one's business. Kismaltos, Silenti.."

"It was a rhetorical question. You should have just grunted and said 'a lot'."

Jasker spit. "I wager another god is going to die tonight."

Tarc peered towards the fortress, where even now the most powerful forces in Aleris were assembling. The Redmonts, Deanna, Elijah, Valorius, Madrin Kir, Blend, even the former king Alerion himself. And that was only counting half the heads in this fell convergence. "Seems that way, don't it?"

Before Jasker could respond, the roar of cannons in the distance made him duck behind a wall. "Bloody hell!"

--

Delorah, wrapped in layers of darkness, crawled away from the battle. The Dead Seed had aged considerably, and now wisps of grey hair danced around her balding head. Her wrinkled, cracked skin was smeared with blood, and the woman scratched her way through the sand, searching for a place to die. Arrow wounds jutted from her back like malformed wings, flapping painfully as she pulled her way forwards.

My poor child, Delorah thought, stopping to clutch her stomach. I deserved to die.. but you..

Letting out one last gasp, the Dead Seed closed her eyes.

Gethe found the arraki called Chaos relatively quickly as he was the only creature in the sky. Unfortunately, the winged immortal had sharp senses and noticed him before he knocked the fool from the air. The deal he posed was unexpected and funny, it seems this immortal had changed his allegiance. At least on the surface, Chaos and the dark Queen could kill each other for all he cared. However, if the dread goddess called him again he would go. That damned light wielding bastard Soul needed to be severed from his power, or Gethe was in for a problem.

"Very well arraki I'll use your pawns to stop your brother. However, I am no tool for your use we may have a common foe right now but, I promise you betrayal will doom you." The voice that came from the empty sky dripped menace as he followed the animated corpses using them as additional cover. A bloody trail from the freshly dead provided all the nourishment he needed but, the living that were trampled beneath their single minded march gave him some variety. The demon had no limiter on how much he could absorb except time.

When the orb of light struck he was glad he had cover because, his barrier of dark energy could only stop so much. He barely raised it in time once he sensed the attack at the edge of his awareness. His magic shield was fully visible since the low hanging clouds had parted reveling the bane to his existence, Tempesturo's cursed sun. His position was compromised thanks to the white energy from Obstinata. The demon spoke after the first attack diffused into the atmosphere. "Soul I must admit I hate the undead more than any other minion, they feel no pain and their emotions no longer exist so they bore me. Killing is no fun without the symphony of screams that fill the air as death comes, don't you agree. I've slaughtered your kind before they always make it fun, entertain me well." Gethe's sinister grin displayed his rows of sharp white teeth as his ice blue eyes met Soul's. the abyss within him shone in those unnerving orbs promising eternal suffering to the arraki.

The immortal took a defensive roll when he saw the darkness surrounding Gethe's hands explode outwards from the demon. All the walking corpses within a thirty foot radius shattered into bits of meat, and what little blood remained in them. The cursed energy weapon shielded its master from the surprise attack that caught the arraki off guard since no one would expect Gethe to destroy his own minions. "I'll be with you in a minute, I want your brother to feel how easily I can sever his pitiful efforts." The surprise on Soul's face was absolutely priceless. The combined efforts of the airship, Soul, and Gethe reduced the army of animated corpses to nothing in a short time. Any attacks on the Dark lord during that time from the other living people in the area hit a thick barrier that left them harmless. Gethe's blood drinking long-knives kept a steady flow of power running thru him.

Over a month of absorbed energy was being depleted as he destroyed the cursed puppets.
He had conserved that strength waiting for a worthy opponent to challenge him. He had to keep some in reserve to guarantee his survival if he lost but, Soul and the crew of the airship were the first in Aleris to witness his full power in his weakest form. If only the night still remained they would shudder at the might of the demon of darkness. His first blast after the last puppet fell was directed at the air sack that kept Nari's ship in the sky. The energy pierced the target causing a massive explosion that echoed all over Grand city. "Now that the interruptions are taken care of its time to play arraki." Gethe's horrible laughter that followed would chill most beings to the bone, since any who heard it could feel the dark melody within on a primal level.