Sharay had yet to leave the wretched land of ice and snow after the debacle with Blend (whom she felt strangely saddened by his death) and his maniac counterpart Katrophe (whose death meant zilch to her), when she felt the sudden surge of pain and fear course through her and knew it had to do with her prodigal daughter Deanna. The Goddess closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander, and it was only moments before she opened those onyx orbs again upon realization that Deanna, though bruised and battered, was fine and did not require Sharay’s intervention. Of course this was followed by intense and inexplicable rage that filled her entire being. It did not emanate from Deanna, this much Sharay knew, and it nearly took her breath away, but she regained her composure quickly as the sensation dissipated.


Deciding to linger around a bit longer, the Goddess strolled through the piney forests reflecting over her new found power source. Energy rolled off her in waves and Sharay had to admit she never felt stronger. She marveled at he infinite possibilities in store for her. Not even when she had resurrected herself in Deanna’s body had she felt so alive. As she reminisced over those brief, but intense earlier months, her thoughts drifted oddly enough on the Dead Seed children with whom she had formed a strange and unlikely attachment to.

My children.

Idly the Goddess wondered what became of them once a certain goddess with an icicle permanently wedged between her ass cheeks intervened and thought herself powerful enough to permanently quell and silent a Goddess as magnificent as Sharay. Though the Dead Seed were abominations of the worst kind, Sharay held a special place in her black heart for them. Perhaps it was time to seek them out, she thought when she heard the most annoying sound, like a cat howling while being beaten with a stick. That harpy-like shrill only belonged to one irritating being.

Sharay, hear me. I require your help. It is my ‘son’, Madrin Kir.

The Goddess of Chaos and Death threw her head back and cackled before vanishing from the forest.

***

“Again, Aurora? Seriously?” Sharay simpered as she strolled into Aurora’s mud hut she called a temple. Dropping her furs behind her, she sashayed on over to where the lame goddess of spring stood by her oh so mighty and powerful oak tree. Sharay who stood a few inches taller, looked down upon the green woman and lifted a dark brow, her lips twisting into a sneer.

“You and your highly incompetent siblings, have got to be the most useless and idiotic wastes of life I have ever known in my entire existence. Truthfully I have known dogs, dogs who eat their own vomit and feces I might add, show more cunning and intelligence than you or those other twits who call themselves deities. Honestly I don’t know who I feel more sorry for: you four who actually believe you are deserving of the title 'god' or those sheep who blindly follow you and worship you thinking, stupidly, that you four can actually protect them and guide them. I wouldn’t trust any of you to wipe a baby’s ass much less govern and rule over a world, its seasons, and its people.” Sharay proclaimed haughtily, folding her arms over her bare breasts and watched with amusement as Aurora’s lips tightened, her vibrant eyes lit with a verdant glow.

“You are in my house, Sharay and with that knowledge you can stop with the condescending attitude and you will show me respect or I will-”

“Do what?” Sharay snapped at her. “Not a goddamn thing from where I’m standing or you wouldn’t constantly come running to me, sniveling with your tail between your legs every time there is a crisis you don't want to deal with yourself!” Sharay skewered Aurora with a look of pure disgust. “‘My sister is about to be turned into spider food, let’s call Sharay,’” she mocked, placing a hand over her heart. “‘My poor boy Madrin just got mind raped by a gutless demon dog, LET’S CALL SHARAY!’” The Goddess threw up her hands in exasperation. “Are you mentally challenged? As magnificent as I am, I am the last fucking person you should be begging for help on anything!” Wide onyx orbs stared at her. “You are one of the ’reigning gods’ here, not me, remember? Clean up your own shit and don’t give me attitude about being all ‘condescending’.”

Aurora regarded Sharay suspiciously. “You know the dark being that has robbed Madrin from the light?”

The Goddess snorted. “Of course I do, dimwit.” She tossed her heavy dark hair behind one perfectly cream colored shoulder. “You think I got this far in my existence being as inattentive to the ongoings of the world I chose to reside in as you and the rest of the stooge squad? I think not. I’m not just another beautiful face with a drop dead gorgeous body, Aurora. I actually have a brain unlike you, and seriously unlike you, I use it. Just as I know you summoned the little fairy girl to solve your problems with what you think to be my help,”

Sharay smirked then. “She’s what...the size of a large child? Pitting her up against a fully grown and dangerous man whose body happens to be inhabited by a sick and twisted demon deviant.” Sharay shook her head and laughed then in Aurora’s face. “What was she going to do? Kick him in the kneecaps? Wave a glitter stick and subdue him with sparkle magic? Idiot. You’d risk your own Priestess in a suicide mission. Some mother you are.”

Aurora lowered her gaze and was silent for some time. When she finally did lift her head to meet Sharay’s eyes she said quietly, “I am asking you to help me. There is no one else. If there was...” She trailed off helplessly.

Sharay shrugged. “I suppose you could have asked Tempesturo’s Champion but he is no longer as you obviously know.” The Dark Goddess examined her fingernails and casually threw in, “Could be because I killed him, but hey, what do I know?”

Aurora’s eyes widened and she gasped. “It was you who killed Blend? Why would you do such a thing? What did he do to deserve your wrath, you heartless wretch?”

Sharay’s head snapped up and she snarled, “Watch your tongue, bitch. I did him a personal favor. He asked me to kill him and that evil twin of his, so I did.” Sharay did not mention that technically she had only wiped Katrophe’s existence off the radar and Blend had exploded due to the flood of energy robbed by the machine, but Aurora didn’t need to know that.

“Why would Blend ask for death? He was Tempesturo's Champion!” Aurora asked with a frown, bewildered by the very idea.

“Because he finally wised up and preferred to be a pile of dust rather than a lackey for Tempesturo? How in hell should I know? It’s not like we discussed matters over tea, bumpkin. What does it matter?” Sharay had finally had enough of this conversation and decided to end it immediately. “I’m out of here. Unlike you, I actually have real issues to attend to. Not all of us have the luxury of sitting around all day, humming. You stay here and keep your hands clean while those who serve you bloody theirs. There's a good god." Sharay's look was of pure contempt and loathing for the waste of life before her.

Sharay turned to leave but then threw over her shoulder in a scathing tone, “Oh by the way, I’ll have you know that I just spent a great deal of my personal time saving not only this world from utter annihilation, but countless others as well while you were off playing with your posy, so don’t you dare lecture me about respect, Aurora.” Sharay bent to retrieve her furs and flung them around her form.

“No need to thank me. Really.”

There was nothing for Aurora to say at that. Sharay had caught her by surprise with that unexpected bit of information. When did this happen and how was it that Aurora remained unaware?

Aurora caught up with Sharay just as she exited her temple. Despite the indignities suffered by Sharay, Aurora pushed all pride aside for the greater good. “What of Wish? Will you not help her? If not to save Madrin, but to stop this demon from bringing about more ruin to the realm?” The spring goddess reached out to grab the Dark Mother’s arm, halting her action. Even Aurora had to admit how lovely the Goddess of Chaos and Death was, especially bathed in moonlight. It was such a shame that her outer beauty had not reached that cold, cruel interior.

Sharay pointedly eyed Aurora’s hand until finally released and regarded Aurora for the longest of moments, figuring she’d let the spring goddess sweat it out a bit. Tiring of that game, Sharay finally sighed dramatically. “You want my assistance? Very well. Naturally there will be a price to pay, a heavy one of my choosing,” She beamed a sweet smile to Aurora, holding up a hand when Aurora started to protest. “Remember that it was you who came to me, Aurora. My aid in exchange for whatever I payment I demand from you. That is how I operate. Take it or leave it, I honestly don’t care either way.” She watched with glee as Aurora squirmed as if determining whether or not to accept, before the mother goddess finally sighed and nodded.

“Agreed.”

Sharay clapped her hands briskly together and rubbed them. “Fantastic, we are all in agreeance. How lovely. Time’s wasting.” With those words, Sharay began to depart once more, but before the Dark Goddess vanished from sight, she fixed Aurora with her weighted black gaze. “Oh and Aurora dear, should you choose to renege on our deal when the time comes, I promise you this: your Madrin and Wish will die slowly by my hand, and they will die screaming with your name a curse on their lips. Must dash now! Busy saving the world again, and all that.”

Sharay left, leaving Aurora standing alone before her temple, once more praying she hadn’t made a terrible, horrible mistake.

***

The Goddess of Chaos and Death found Wish preparing her horse to ride and performing some last minute adjustments to her supply pack. The fae hadn’t noticed the Goddess yet, and Sharay used this opportunity to study her. So delicate in body, but strong in mind and spirit. Still, for the life of me, I cannot understand the strange relationship between she and my child. Sharay mused silently. Ah well, best get this over and done with so I can pay Aurora another visit. The Goddess grinned to herself and gently tugged on the reigns of her own steed, one she had ‘borrowed’ from an unsuspecting soldier on patrol, and whistled a melodic tune as she approached Wish who turned toward the sound. A frown on her lips as she faced Sharay in all of her glory who responded with a cheerful grin and skipped all sorts of pleasant formalities and greetings, getting straight to the point.

“Pay attention, girl. You need me. I do not need you. You follow my orders without fail. Failure to comply means I dump your ass immediately and leave you to deal with the demon, whom by the way, would loooooove to perform all sorts of torture and gruesome experiments on your nubile and rather well endowed little body. I’d hate to bring parts of you back to Aurora in burlap sacks, and I do mean parts, dear. Oh and did I mention he takes great sexual gratification in this? Isn’t that a cheerful thought?” Sharay mounted her stallion, oblivious to Wish’s reaction.

“Come now, girl. Time to bag us a demon, and if you're lucky, your friend will make it through without any permanent damage, though most likely his mind will be a ruined wasteland afterward. Bright side though! At least you, dearest Wish, will have an excellent chance of survi-...no, no probably not. Most likely you'll end up worm food. Hmm, this is most unfortunate for the two of you, but hey, let's not dwell on the negative and instead focus on the positive, which....well...I've got nothing right now. Ah well." White teeth flashed as her smile grew wider, and Sharay dug her heel sharply in her horse’s flank and was off, leaving Wish with little choice to mount her own ride and follow.

"Lucius is beginning to spread doubt. If the Lord finds out that any of us are questioning the path...we'll all suffer for it, even those who are still loyal. You must speak with Lucius, make him stop this. It's putting all of us at risk!"

In The Bowels Of Ironhold Were Kept The Most Vicious Of Criminals. Those Beyond Rehabilitation Were Kept There. Serial Murderers, Rapists, Pedophiles, It Was Breeding Ground For All The Worst Things In The Hearts Of Men. Gethe Had Chosen It, As Any Dark Being Wishing To Spread Its Disease Would Have. What Better Place To Begin A Path Of Bloody Conquest Than A Pit Void Of Any Voice That May Rise To Challenge It? But Even With The Dark Energy That Filled The Prison, Fear Still Held Influence. And It Was That Fear That Had Those Who Were Loyal To Gethe Hoping To Silence Any Other 'Gospel' That Threatened To Be Spoken.

Valen Knew That Gregor Was Correct, Lucius Had To Be Stopped. But Lucius Was One Of The Oldest Of Them. A Prisoner Who Had Survived Many Years In The Deepest Part Of Ironhold, On Who Not Only Saw Death But Seemed To Walk Hand In Hand With It. Though Many Were Lulled Into Obedience By A Promise Of Power And Freedom, The Influence That Lucius Had Was Still Difficult To Ignore. Before Word Spread Throughout The Whole Prison About What Lucius Was Predicting, Valen Knew It Had To Be Stopped.

Valen Nodded Softly To Gregor And Reassured Him As Best He Could. "Do not worry. I will speak with him. Everything will be fine. Now go, before the priest suspect something."

Gregor Left The Common Area Where The Prisoners Were Allowed To Speak With One Another. Having Them All Together Was Always A Risk, But The Guards Felt If A Few Life Term Prisoners Killed One Another By Being Allowed Out Of Their Cells Than So Be It. As Long As The Violence Was Kept In Their Own Damned Level.

==============================

Lucius Was A Half Breed. Half Human, Half Something Else. It Was Rumored That His Mother Had Been Raped By An Ifrit And That Is Why He Was Able To See Things No Mortal Was Meant To See. It Was Also Assumed That Was The Reason He Was Missing His Right Eye -- Trading One Sight For Another. Valen Had Always Spoken With Lucius, Finding Wisdom And Council In A World Where Such Things Were Rare. But On This Occasion There Was Fear In Him. Fear That Lucius Wouldn't Listen To Reason, Fear That The Priests Would Learn Of The Rumors He Was Spreading. One Way Or Another Valen Knew He Had To Make It Stop, Even If That Meant Killing His Old Friend.

It Would Be 3 Days Past Since Valen Spoke With Gregor Before He Would Have A Chance To See Lucius. In The Common Area Lucius Sat Alone As He Always Did, Reading From The Same, Tired Old Book. Once He Made Sure There Were No Ears Listening Valen Sat Across From His Friend, Tapping His Fingers On The Table And Not Quite Sure What To Say Or Even How To Say It. Lucius Spoke Without Looking Up From His Book.

"Is there something on your mind, Valen?"

Valen Swallowed Hard And Leaned In So As To Whisper More Quietly. "Lucius...you have to stop. These...these rumors you're spreading..people are beginning to talk. For the first time there is a promise of freedom..actual freedom. But if they find out what you're saying..we're all going to die."

Lucius Was Silent For A Moment, Turning Another Page Rather Calmly As If He Hadn't Heard A Word That Was Said. "Dammit Lucius! Don't just sit there..say som.." Valen's Words Were Halted By Lucius' Own. "We are already dead, Valen. I've seen it. And it won't be the hand of a dark god that strikes us down." With An Obvious Bit Of Fear And Surprise, Valen Leaned In Ever Closer, His Eyes Wide With Uncertain Dread.

"Wh..what are you talking about? What have you seen? How do we die?" This Time Lucius Did Look Up From His Book, Setting It On The Table Before Him. His Tired Old Hands Folded And Rested On The Cover Of It As He Looked At Valen With 1 Milky-Blue Eye. Even With Such Fear And Uncertainty In Him, When Lucius Looked Directly At Him He Couldn't Help But Slink Back Several Inches, Feeling As If His Very Soul Was Being Measured.

"I see a glow. A glow made of both brilliant..and dark light. Within it there stands two figures. Their faces I cannot see. There is a pair of..red eyes in the dark. They hold no compromise...only fury. And, beside that figure I see another with a surging touch. It radiates a power I cannot understand. Something old....the oldest of energies. This pair...whoever or whatever they are...they shall judge us. And they will be the death of us all. So, pray to your dark god...and leave me to my reading."

Valen Scoffed Several Times, Seeming At A Loss Of What To Say Or Do. Could Lucius Be Wrong? Or Worse, Could He Be Right? The Man Felt Stuck Between Two Approaching Flames, And Sooner Or Later He Knew He Would Be Burned Away By One Of Them. What Could He Do? Swallowing Hard He Looked Down At The Table, His Hands Fidgeting Nervously.

"How...how much time do we have?" Lucius Read Several More Passages Before Sighing Softly. The Book Was Closed Again And He Looked To It Almost Regretfully With His 1 Working Eye Before Casting His Gaze Toward The Ceiling.

"Alas my friend...we are out of time. They have come." Giving One Final Glance To His Book He Brushed His Thumbs Along It. "Damn. And I was just getting to the good bits too."

==================================

When Amunette And He Arrived At Ironhold They Were Greeted By Several Guards. No Word Had Been Sent That The Padishah Or The Bel Telal Would Be Coming To The Prison In Person, So The Guards Scrambled To Make Things Seem More 'Every Day' Than They Truly Were. The Guard Who Met Them Outside The Gates Did Most Of The Talking, Amunette Dealing Directly With Them While Valorius Remained Mostly Silent In The Background. Now That They Were Closer To The Prison Itself He Could Feel The Energy Pulsing From Deep Within Ironhold. It Seemed His Elites Had Been Correct In Their Belief That Something Was Very Wrong. And Even Though It Was Easy To See The Guards Were Hiding Something, Neither He Nor Amunette Ever Mentioned Anything Directly.

The Meeting Was Routine As Always. The Guard Led Them Beyond The Walls Of The Prison And Performed The Basic 'Show And Tell'. The Entire Time They Walked, Valorius Seemed Distracted. His Left Hand Traced Along Walls, Along Bars, Even The Floor Itself. When They Reached The Magically Placed Barrier (The Barrier Set By Those Who Had Built The Prison) That Kept The Main Wings From The Sub Levels The Guard Gestured Nervously To It, Explaining How Things Were Quiet In The Maximum Security Area. The Guard Was Trying Very Intently To Usher Them Away To The Main Office, And While Amunette Accepted Valorius Remained Behind. The Guard Hesitated, Attempting To Shake The Bel Telal's Attention From The Barrier, But In The End It Was Futile. Valorius Moved Toward The Barrier And The Guard Called Out To Him.

"Sir! Wait! That barrier was made by over a dozen of the most powerful mages to ever live in Aleris. It only works one way. Once you step beyond it it won't allow you out unless you've been warded."

Valorius Glanced To Amunette, Then The Guard. "The barriers should protect most of the prison..what isn't protected, we'll have rebuilt. No one follows me. I should be back within the hour."

===================================

The Guard Went On To Say More, Doing His Best To Convince Valorius Not To Go, And Amunette Not To Allow Him, But He Couldn't Hear Any More Of What Was Said As He Stepped Through The Barrier. His Left Arm Flared In A Radiant Jade Hue In Response To Passing Through The Manifested Energy. And The Instant He Emerged On The Other Side The Malevolent Forces That Filled The Sub-Structure Of Ironhold Surrounded Him. He Could 'Feel' It Trying To Penetrate Him, Trying To Take Hold. But It Was As If A Lesser Predator Trying To Intimidate A Greater One. At One Time The Influence Of Such Darkness Would Have Felt Threatening, Perhaps Even Unnatural. But Now It Was Barely Enough To Gain His Attention.

While Descending The Large, Caged Metal Stairs The Pulsing Energy That Came From Further Below Seemed To Discharge Faster And Faster. With Each Passing Second The Sensation Became More Familiar. Why Did He Know This Force? Where Had It Been Felt Before? And Like A Distant Memory It Dawned On Him.

Gethe

During The War With Sharay He Recalled The Demon -- The Blood Feeder. So, The Creature Still Existed. Hadn't Madrin Fought With It? In The End The How Or Why Didn't Matter. The Creature Was Here Or Had Left Its Mark Here, And It Seemed Once Again He Would Be The One To Pick Up Slack Left By Others. Last Time It Had Felt Like Responsibility, Like Obligation. Protect The Innocents, Save The World, Balance The Tipping Scales. But This Time -- This Time It Was Purely Self-Indulgent. He Wasn't Here To Save Anyone. He Was Here To Scratch A New Itch. And The Deeper He Went, The Stronger The Dark Energy Became, The More Anticipation He Felt. He Just Hoped Not To Be Disappointed.

The Sub-Levels Seemed Deathly Quiet As He Reached The Bottom Of The Stairs. A Gate Stood In His Way With 2 Guards Poised Before It. They Seemed Surprised That Anyone Would Come Down Here, And 1 Of Them Made As If They Were Going To Speak But Any Questions Would Have To Wait. Valorius Walked To The Gate And Spoke Sternly. "Open it." 1 Guard Looked To The Other And Stammered A Bit. The Young Prince Slowly Turned His Head, Tilting It Back Just Enough To Reveal His Eyes From Beneath The Brim Of His Hat. Churning Jade Iris' Against A Backdrop Of Flickering Yellow Met The Guards Own Gaze, The Man Was Quick To Look Away. "Open. The. Gates."

The Furthest Guard Quickly Entered The Stone Encased Booth And Threw A Massive Iron Lever. The Sound Of Mechanical Grinding And Turning Came From Within The Very Walls As The Large Metallic Gate Slowly Dropped Into The Ground. Stepping Beyond The Gate Valorius Stretched His Left Arm Out To His Side. A Gleaming Metal Blade Slowly Emerged From His Palm Followed By The 5ft Of Shaft Which Looked To Be Fashioned From 1 Solid Piece Of Metal. Jade Arcs Of Energy Flashed Along It As The War Scythe Emerged From His Limb. The 2 Guards Watch Him Walk Down The Long Corridor Towards The Prisoners Common Area, And Before The Bel Telal Disappeared Into The Large Gathering Place, He Called Out Behind Him.

"Close the gate. No matter what sounds you hear..the gate does not open until I say."

Let The Games Begin.

Wish had told Aurora she wasn't going to wait for Sharay to make her grand appearance and the fae was serious in her words. Though a certain sense of fear and anticipation was growing in her heart, Wish also had determination inside of her which was the one thing that was truly keeping her going right now. There was no failing the task at hand. Wish would bring Madrin Kir back from the darkness that claimed him - the darkness that once more threatened to consume Aleris and its people. After all, she was Aurora's Paladin and as such, she could not sit idly by while evil was allowed to unjustly tromp around the realm.

Some might say that with darkness there is also light. Wish hoped to be that light, however small and insignificant it was at this time.

A few hours were spent in Grand City. Welcomed into the soldier's quarters, Wish took about an hour long nap and regretted doing so upon waking. Her dreams were restless and she only felt more exhausted after. Once she was up and about, she grabbed some food in a local pub and then headed out to do some very light shopping for supplies. A stop was made at The Executioner's Block were Wish purchased a new sword - a cutlass - and some light leather armor for the trip. Her path then took her to the castle where she would request to see King Elias and inform him of Madrin's disappearance assuming the boy-king had not heard already.

Instead of her typical skirts she wore, Wish dressed in brown leather pants that were pulled over black riding boots. A forest green colored corset was fastened across a white blouse and over both of these tops, Wish donned a black coat. The clothing she wore allowed movement of her wings, the gossamer-like appendages poking through tailored holes in her clothing. Figuring the weather was likely to get colder before it got warmer, she chose clothing that would hopefully keep her as snug as possible without restricting movement should there be some sort of fight. Attached to her hip by a black leather belt was the cutlass she had just purchased.

She appeared like any normal traveler. The only thing that gave her away to be anything but ordinary was the necklace she wore around her neck. The charm dangling from this thin chain was a tree made from various small green stones and inlaid gold. The mark of Aurora's Paladin was the one thing that granted her an audience to see King Elias right away. However, as she followed one of the guards through the hallways and stopped outside the king's study, it was not the ruler of Aleris she met with, but a Captain of the Guard named Cyrus Rose who was just leaving the study himself.

"Ah, Wish Star, Paladin of Aurora," Cyrus said with a bow. Wish returned the gesture. "I am Captain Cyrus Rose. You are just the person I'm looking for."

"Oh?" Wish said a brow lifting in question.

"Yes, please come with me," Cyrus said motioning with a hand as he started down the hallway.

Wish glanced almost longingly at the door to Elias' study. After a few seconds, she let out a soft sigh and continued on after Cyrus. Eventually they made way to a small conference room in the castle. Though there were a few chairs around a small table, neither of them sat. Cyrus closed the door so they could have some privacy and then folded his hands in front of him as he began to speak once more.

"It seems we have a situation on our hands. The Lord Commander has gone missing. Nedira Kir was the one who found him missing. He left behind his weapons and his armor was shredded. No blood was spilt in his tent, but it's obvious he was taken by force," Cyrus said. "Elias wanted me to seek you out to see if you or Aurora have seen anything peculiar."

"Aye, that is actually why I've come to the castle. Aurora and I have reason to believe that some sinister force has taken Madrin Kir away. I came to warn King Elias... I am going to go on a search for Madrin."

"By yourself?"

"Not entirely," Wish said. Briefly she glanced down at her boots and Cyrus could see there was some disappointment in her olive colored eyes, though he did not pry.

"Very well, Lady Star," Cyrus said. "What else can we do here?"

"Keep the Blackwolf tribe and especially Nedira Kir safe," Wish said. Nedira held a special place in Wish's heart, though she did not show it very often. Unexpectedly, Wish had given up her own unborn child to save Nedira, an unknown fact which sort of bound the two together. "Make sure your eye is fixed on all of them, Cyrus. If Madrin is possessed by some evil force, likely it will drive him to come to destroy those he loves and protects."

"Consider it done," Cyrus said following his words with a firm nod.

"Any other news you might have would be most helpful," Wish said. As it was, time was drawing short and she would need to leave the city soon. Without Sharay, which Wish should have been thankful for, she would have to go on her own instincts and clues to hunt down the Lord Commander of Eiler.

"None, M'lady, but should we hear anything, we will pray to Aurora herself. I will also inform Nedira Kir and the Blackwolf tribe that Madrin Kir is being sought out."

"Thank you, Cyrus. Hopefully we can make short work of this situation and put things back in the right."

With that, Wish turned on her heels and left the castle. During this entire time, Wish had neither heard nor felt anything from Aurora. She assumed that Sharay was not coming along. There was no waiting for the "goddess", so Wish went to fetch her horse and gather her supplies. Wish did not hear the footsteps or the other horse approaching; she was too busy in her own thoughts on the mission of impending doom ahead. It was only the sound of a sing-sing whistle that grabbed Wish's attention forcing her to turn around and at long last see the smiling face of Sharay. She could not help the frown that graced her own features.

Apparently Sharay thought this entire situation was... well amusing. Without even saying a word, Wish was threatened with being left behind so some demon could violate her then send her back in tiny little pieces to Aurora. Sharay got some satisfaction over believing that she was stronger than Wish and therefore automatically the leader of this already miserable journey. Why was it that because she was fae people treated her as weaker - as less than? In this case, to Sharay, it was also because she was Aurora's Paladin and how could Aurora's Paladin ever possibly take care of herself? Aurora had asked Sharay to help Wish and now Wish was to be this egotistical woman's lackey - her personal slave.

Fantastic.

Sharay disregarded any looks Wish might have had in response, which was only the narrowing of her brown colored eyebrows. A few times Wish opened her mouth to speak but was cut off, which she assumed was for the best anyway since typically there was no reasoning or talking to people like Sharay. It was unfortunate really, because after Sharay threatened Wish with her eventual and promised death, Wish wanted to jump on Sharay's horse and throttle the woman until she breathed no longer. She would have been doing Aleris a favor.

Instead, Wish stood, a shaking hand clenching the reigns to her horse and tried to amuse herself with the fact that perhaps Sharay was just pre-menstrual. It was a possibility, but Wish didn't put it past herself that this woman always acted the way of a snarky, condescending... bitch, for lack of better words.

After Sharay made her grand entrance and galloped away, Wish was left with little to no response but a helpless sigh that resounded unheard from her lips. She leaned her forehead against her horse's side, shaking it in thought wondering if there was any way to get around this. Really, she could have turned her horse in the opposite direction of Sharay, but whatever bargain Aurora had struck with this vile woman bound Wish to her by proxy.

Although there was the weight of others' hopes residing on her shoulders, Wish felt entirely alone in the moment.

It seemed like forever, but eventually Wish pried herself away from the side of her horse and mounted the animal, situating herself on the saddle. Nudging her heels into the horse's flanks, Wish took after Sharay. Wish wanted a chance to ask Sharay where they were going, but she was given no such opportunity. She was made only to follow and do as the woman bid. Four or five hours had gone as they rode on in silence trying to make it past the peaks of the Hyperborean Mountains. During this time, night fell and Eiler's first winter snow drifted from the sky slowly layering upon the earth. First snowfalls were always sort of a magical sight for Wish, but this was changed once her and Sharay stopped their horses to pause at the group of dead bodies on the ground before them.

Wish steadied her horse and slipped from her saddle before Sharay could get a word of possible protest out and surveyed the death before them. Blood, some of it old and some fresh, soaked the ground and the snow began to cover the corpses as if Elysia herself was here to whisk the souls away. Wish knelt next to one of these bodies and turned a man gently over, not letting her hand touch the blood, to examine him. The soldier was Almeddan; she could tell that much from the emblem he wore on his clothing. This injury that had killed him was no ordinary fatal wound. This was the work of a skilled swordsman with a two-handed sword.

"Madrin did this."

Any other time she might have considered finding some excuse to not have to go to Ironhold and deal with the smelly prisoners but Valorius had asked her specifically to go with him. He'd said he wanted her, not Ameerah, at his side. Said he wanted to give her a chance to show what she could do. In other words, he knew exactly what to say to get her to go with him and so it was that she found herself walking at his side as they approached the massive gates to Ironhold Prison. For whatever reasons the guards took their sweet ass time opening the gates, likely scrambling to clean up anything they didn't want her to see, and after a long moment she finally stepped forward and shouted up at the gate guards.

”Open the gates now or in the next half hour your fucking heads will be mounted on top of them!”

The moment the words died on her lips they could hear the mechanism being engaged and the gates began to open and the sacrificial guard emerged to greet them and escort them inside. Naturally they crowded around her, all talking at once, attempting to curry favor with the Padishah of Heruin and though her eyes were hidden by the tinted glasses she wore she knew Valorius would feel the weight of her gaze as she sent him a ~look~.

Valorius had filled her in on the unusual goings-on at Ironhold and just as he could she could sense the energy growing in the bowls of the prison, malevolent energy, enough of it to have her purring like a kitten being offered a bowl of cream. Her first reaction was to skip on down to the sub-levels but no, the idiot guards had to take them on a damn tour of the Prison that seemed to last forever until finally they arrived at the barrier that separated the upper levels from the lower. Naturally she drifted towards it but the guards were doing their very best to keep them away from it, inviting her to the office to go over some paperwork.

With a sigh she she nodded, allowing the head idiot to lead her off while Valorius stayed behind to examine the barrier. She knew he intended to go down to the sub-levels and grumbled quietly about his attempting to go without her. Back in the office she listened with half an ear as the guards tried to cover up that something had clearly been going on and making excuses for why they had not bothered to report the strange happenings.

Waving her hand to cut the guard off she slipped the black glasses from her eyes to reveal dark ruby orbs, unconcerned about the guard seeing them as she doubted he knew the eye color of the Padishah, and fixed him with an unnerving stare.

”Save it, bug. It is glaringly obvious how inept all of you fuckers are. You can guaran-fucking-tee I will be putting a Warden in place that will keep you all in line. With a whip if necessary.”

The guard's face had paled at the sight of her stare and only grew more nervous as she spoke, his skin breaking out in a clammy sweat. Stammering over his words he began to speak, trying to convince her that they were more efficient than they appeared but something else had already captured her attention. It wasn't always that she kept tabs on Valorius' whereabouts but given where they were and what they were doing she had kept a bit of her awareness on him so that she felt it the second he stepped through the barrier, her connection with him dampened as a result.

”Oh no you don't,” she muttered, the guard shooting her an alarmed glance as she bolted towards the corner that was shrouded in heavy shadow and, stepping into it, she vanished. She did not possess the ability to manipulate and control the shadows as her father did...yet...but she could travel through them. Everything looked different on this side of the shadows but she managed to make her way through the Prison, skipping from shadow to shadow on a far more direct route than if she had taken the more mundane path. She made good time, too, until she was brought to a screeching halt when she slammed up against the barrier.

Because she was traversing the shadows in the realm of the ether the barrier did it's job and attempted to prevent anything from passing through. Fuck that. Taking a step back from where the barrier rippled in the shadow-lands with a silvery energy she gathered her own, concentrating it into one particular part of her, namely..her right foot. Yup, that's right, her right foot. Narrowing her eyes on the barrier she approached it and, once standing right in front of it, she lashed out with her foot, front kicking the barrier with an explosion of crackling red energy that punched right through their clearly useless barrier.

Stepping through she hurried on her way, sliding from the shadows when she saw Valorius, his otherwise gray toned figure (most everything in the shadow-lands was monochrome in appearance) interspersed with arcs of green energy just easing through the massive gates that would lead him into the bowels of the prison. The guards were about to close the gates when she appeared, the heels of her boots clacking on the floor as if she didn't give a damn who heard her coming. An imperious wave of her hand prevented them from closing the gates until she slipped through the barely wide enough opening, her eyes fixed on Valorius ahead of her.

”You didn't think you'd get to have all the fun, did you?”

His Focus On What Waited At The End Of The Corridor Was Hard To Shake, Even When Amunette Showed Up. It Wasn't Until She Was Standing Almost Beside Him That He Finally Stopped Walking And Hesitantly Looked At Her, Like He Had To Tear His Eyes Away. But If Anything Could Bring Him Back To The Here And Now It Was Her. A Smirk Was Already On His Face, But Whether Or Not It Was Because Of Her Or What He Was Heading Toward Was Anybody’s Guess.

"Never even crossed my mind. Can you feel it though? There's something...important down there, something strong. And I can feel at least fifty of them between it, and us. I can't be sure how many..the wards and barriers in this place are making it hard to get a dead-on read. But they're in there....waiting for us. There's a lot of aggression..not surprising, they are lifers. The fear though...it's enough to be a turn on, but there's way too much for it to just be about us. This is old fear. Someone else has scared the obedience into them. Let's see if we can bleed it out."

The Smile She Gave Mirrored His Own As They Moved Together Down The Corridor, Her Blades Being Slid From The Sheaths Behind Her While He Held His Scythe By The Shaft With His Left Hand, Blade Pointing Toward The Floor. When They Came In To The Common Area It Was As A Pair, And The Entire Stone Built Room Looked Completely Empty. Cards Sat On A Table, Several Trays Of Half Eaten Food Were Scattered Around. There Were Caged Stairways To The Left And Right Which Led To The 2nd Level Where The Cells Were. It Looked Like Any Other Long, Dismal Cell Block. And The Fact It Looked Empty Did Nothing But Piss Him Off. Mindless Rage Brought On By Fear He Could At Least Respect, But This -- This Was Pathetic.

"We know you're here! It isn't like you all suddenly found a way out! Now, before we come looking for you...and as much as I don't WANT to offer it, I have a choice for you! Get in your cells, close them, and you will NOT be treated like a threat! Just stand aside so we can get to what it is you're hiding, and no one will be hurt! If you don't...then you have my word, you are ALL going to DIE here!"

There Were A Few Moments Of Silence. A Few Whispers Were Caught By The Enhanced Hearing Both He And Amunette Possessed, But Nothing Else. It Was The Calm Before The Storm. A Glance Was Shared Between Them As They Both Knew What Was Coming. Amunette's Eyes Gestured Upward And He Nodded. 2 Levels, 2 Of Them, The Only Way In Or Out Was Behind Them. It Was Perfect. Amunette Turned From Him And Her Knees Bent As She Poised To Jump Up To The 2nd Level Walkway. His Eyes Caught The Way Her Leather Pants Clung To Her Round, Slightly Pushed Out Rear.

"Watch your ass."

He Could Almost Swear She Wiggled It A Bit Before Jumping To The Higher Level. And The Instant Her Feet Touched Down On The Metal Walkway, He Heard A Shout Fill The Entire Block.

"KILL THE FUCKER! KEEP THE BITCH!"

At Once It Was Like The Floodgates Of Hell Opened Up And All The Poor Bastards Who'd Been Building Up Behind It Came Pouring Out. They Jumped Over The Rails, They Flooded The Walkways, And Each One Of Them Seemed To Be Driven By A Courage -- A Courage Brought On By Terror. Only It Wasn't He Or Amunette They Were Afraid Of.

Not Yet.

=========================================

Not Every Prisoner Was Human, And Not Every One Of Them Was Unarmed. Most Of The Weapons They Carried Were Prison Standard. Shivs, Piping, Clubs Made From Whatever Wood Could Be Found. In The End The Numbers, The Weapons, They Made No Difference. All It Meant Was That They All Made Their Choice, And It Would Be The Last Choice They Were Ever Allowed To Make.

The First Prisoner To Come At Him Was A 6ft Half-Blood, The Energy Signature He Gave Off Was Slightly Vampiric. The Convict Was Fast, But Not Fast Enough As He Brought The Large Iron Pipe Over His Head Only To Have The Blade Of A Scythe Cutting His Limbs Off At The Forearms In A Half-Circle Slash. Any Hope Of Healing The Man Had Was 'Cut Down' When The Blade Was Driven Forward By Valorius' Left Arm Through His Chest. All The Mans Energy Was Drawn From His Twitching Body And Into The Weapon During The Few Seconds It Took To Jerk The Blade Free And Let His Corpse Fall. And That Energy Wasn't Absorbed, Instead It Was Unleashed With A Swipe Of The Blade Across The Air. A Crescent Wave Of Emerald Light Discharged From It And Raced Forward, Slamming Into Several Of The Prisoners And Throwing Them Back.

Valorius Never Paused, Never Stopped Moving Forward, Striking And Killing While On The Move. It Was Years Of Training And Countless Hours Of Combat Education Versus Panic Spawned Violence. With Every Furious Yell Of A Prisoner, There Was A Cutting Of The Air As Sharpened Metal Broke The Sound Barrier. Blood Sprayed The Walls And Bodies Dropped Almost As If To A Rhythm, 1, 2, Sometimes 3 At A Time. Flashes Of Bright Green Lit The Dim Chamber With Each Death, The Rock Made Walls Shaking From The Impact. Some Stone Fixtures (Like Columns) Even Crumbled As Lifeless Prisoners Were Flung With Great Force Against Them.

But Even With All The Death, All The Retribution Being Dealt, It Wasn't Enough. It Only Made The Want Worse. And That Just Fueled The Desire To Keep Moving, To Keep Killing. Soon, Valorius Was Growling With Every Cleave, Seething With Every Swipe, The Yellow Of His Eyes Intensifying With His Anger. All Too Soon The Prisoners Stopped Rushing So Quickly -- They Began To Hesitate. He Stalked Towards Them As They Began To Draw Back, Eying One Another To See Which Of Them Would Be The Next To Try Their Hand. With All The Severed Bodies, All The Viscera Behind Him The Convicts Were Caught Between The Fear Of What Their New "God" May Do To Them -- And What This New Threat WOULD Do To Them. Valorius Moved Forward Still, His Blade Lowering As Blood Ran Down His Face As Well As His Weapon.

"NO! You HAD your chance to step aside! Instead, you decided to stand your ground! You thought numbers would PROTECT YOU! You THOUGHT your GOD would SAVE YOU! There is NO SALVATION IN HELL!"

The Blade Was Raised And His Eyes Narrowed Towards The Remaining Prisoners, Even Those Who Had Dropped Their Weapons And Fallen To Their Knees. Waving Their Hands In Surrender He Approached Them First. Pausing Before 1 Of The Kneeling Inmates, Valorius Used The Point Of His Scythe To Raise The Mans Head By His Chin So As To Meet His Eyes. "Where is your GOD now?" The Blade Stabbed Into The Mans Throat, Twisted, And Pulled Out. After The Gurgling, Blood-Choked Prisoner Collapsed, It Was No Longer A Fight That Took Place In The Pit Of Ironhold -- It Was Genocide.

=================================

The Lower Level Was Quiet Once Again, But On The 2nd Level He Could Still Hear Screams, Pleas For Some Kind Of Forgiveness Or Other Kindness That Neither Amunette Or He Were Willing To Give. As She Continued To Clear The Infestation, He Moved On. It Wasn't Until He Had No Attackers Left To Cut Down That He Noticed A Faint Itch At His Upper Left Shoulder. Glancing Over It He Saw A Shiv Buried Hilt Deep Within His Person. The Chainmail Woven Into His Coat Would Have Stood Up To A Humans Stabbing Strength, So It Must Have Been A Non-Human Who Struck Him. He Hadn't Noticed It, And The Pain Was Barely Felt Even When He Did. In The Past He Would Have Chastised Himself For Letting His Guard Down. But Now, For Some Reason, A Part Of Him Enjoyed The Sensation. It Fueled The Drive, The Want For Violence He Was Feeling. Reaching To It With His Right Hand He Jerked The Blade Out And Eyed It A Moment. His Blackened Crimson Blood Covered The Weapon, And He Grinned A Little As He Saw His Own Blood Covered Reflection In The Metal.

The Shiv Clanged Against The Stone Floor When He Dropped It, And A Faint Jade Glow Came From The Wound On His Back As The Flesh Mended Almost Instantly. When His Attention Finally Turned Forward Again He Noticed There Was Still 1 Prisoner Left. An Older Man Who Sat At The Far End Of The Common Area Near The End Of The Block, Seated On The Floor And Reading A Book. Obviously The Man Was No Threat But By That Point It Didn't Matter Anymore. He Hadn't Gone Back To His Cell -- He Was As Guilty As The Rest. The Scythe Valorius Held Appeared To Atomize, Starting From Where He Held It And Spreading Along The Weapon As It Was Drawn Back Into His Palm. By Now His Body Had Adapted The Weapon To Him, It Was No Longer Completely Separate, It Had Been Changed And Made 'More' By The Energy. And For This 1 Last Elderly Man -- It Wasn't Necessary.

He Walked Towards The Man And Stopped A Few Feet From Him. There Was Silence For Nearly A Full Minute Before The Book Was Closed And Set On The Ground. The Man Pushed At The Ground And Slowly Stood Up, Using The Wall To Support Him As He Did. The Bel Telal's Eyes Were Intense, Focused, But Without Any Sign Of Empathy. In A Place That Housed The Worst Lives Aleris Could Breed, The Young Man Had Quickly Become The Most Violent Offender To Stand Within Its Walls. The Old Man Moved Forward, And His Elderly Frame Reached Out To Grasp Valorius Shoulder With His Right Hand So He Could Steady Himself. How Had He Known The Young Man Would Let Him Touch Him? Maybe He Didn't. Maybe He Just Guessed. But The Look In His 1 Remaining Eye Showed That Somehow He Knew.

"I've seen you...both of you, in my dreams."

The Prince Offered Only Silence.

"What you're looking for is....back there. He hides it, trying to keep the Gods from knowing it exists. The priest who guard it...they are too blinded by devotion to him to feel fear. They will do everything they can to stop you."

Still, Valorius Didn't Say A Word, He Only Stared Unnervingly. But The Old Man Never Turned His Gaze Away, Looking Into The Churning Eyes That So Maliciously Focused On His.

"You do terrible things...evil things. But..they do not come from a terrible place. At least..not completely. And..even evil can be righteous, if done for the right reasons. What...is your reason?"

It Seemed As If Valorius Wouldn't Give An Answer Until Finally He Spoke A Single, Cold Word. "Requital." The Old Man Leaned In A Little Closer, Seemingly Puzzled By The Answer. "..For what?" Valorius Right Hand Came Up And Grabbed The Old Mans, Easing It From His Shoulder As He Whispered In Response. "For all that you have done...and have not done."

Lucius Nodded As He Took His Hand From Valorius, Finally Understanding The Point Of It All.

"Than let us finish it."

Valorius Nodded And Stepped Back A Foot Or So, His Left Hand Raising Slowly, And The Old Man Glanced To It. "...Will it be painful?" With Intense But Unfeeling Eyes, The Bel Telal Spoke Again. "..Very." Lucius Nodded Again And Finally Lowered His Gaze To The Book At His Feet. "If you get a chance..you should read it. Any question a person could have..all the questions in life..it'll answer them for you. *sigh* I'm ready."

The Jade Left Hand Of The Young Man Quickly Lunged Out, Grabbing Lucius By The Entirety Of His Face. The Fingers And Palm Flashed In Strobes Of Green Light As He Unleashed Raw Negative Energy, Each Pulse Happening Faster Than The Last Until It Was A Steady Glow. The Old Man Groaned Loudly, His Hands Gripping The Leather Sleeve Of Valorius Coat. Dark Jade Energy Began 'Flowing' From Where He Touched Lucius, Rolling Down The Mans Cheeks And Then His Body As If A Cascading Liquid. Starting At The Old Mans Face The Skin Began To Ash, And That Ash Spread, Reaching Further And Further Down. Eventually Lucius Fell To His Knees And His Hands Dropped From Valorius' Coat.

The Screaming Stopped And Soon The Old Convicts Body Was Entirely Rendered To Ash, Frozen In Time On Its Knees. Pulling His Hand Away From Lucius, The Prince Looked Down At The Figure Before Reaching To Pick Up The Book. He Opened It And Was Surprised To See All The Pages Had The Same Thing Written On Them, Over And Over Again.

..There is no such thing as regret

The Irony Wasn't Lost On Him, But At The Time He Did Not Consider The Words For More Than What They Were -- Words. Closing The Book, He Dropped It On The Ashen Figure Turning It Into A Cloud Of Dust As He Looked Ahead. What They Were Searching For Was Waiting A Short Distance Away. His Eyes Then Turned Up Towards The 2nd Level.

They Started This Together -- They Would Finish It Together.

Naturally she wiggled her ass just a bit as she prepared to jump from the first floor to the second floor, Valorius' admonition to watch her ass all the prompting she had needed. It seemed the moment her booted feet touched to the concrete of the walkway that would lead further back into the upper cells a rough male voice was shouting, alerting all to their presence.

KILL THE FUCKER!! KEEP THE BITCH!!

Oh really now. Ruby red eyes narrowed at the shouts that followed, frightened men marshaled by the one among them with the balls to shout defiance. They had been given a chance to stand down and refrain from the coming blood letting but instead they chose to be bold. Dumbfucks. As the sounds of fighting and dying began to filter up from below she turned to her right and started down the narrow hallway of the upper level, a cage enclosing the space after about 10 feet so that she was completely cut off from Valorius and the happenings below.

She felt a tingle of excitement race up her spine when she spotted the first man to appear in the hallway armed with some crude weapon fashioned from a destroyed piece of furniture, no doubt. It had been way too long since she'd been the one allowed out to play when it came down to straight one on one combat. Ameerah and her mongrel blood was the one who typically handled such things, the blood lust brought on by the wolf making it easier for her to assert herself in such situations. Amunette wasn't without such training, however. Just as Asty had seen to Ameerah's training Nax had insisted Amunette be just as well trained, in spite of the fact that she was not the dominant personality (at the time) and had trained her in his own special way.

It also provided the perfect opportunity to try out some of the new weaponry she'd purchased, the Ulak fighting knives to be exact. Most people would not carry a weapon into combat without first training with it but knives had always been something of her specialty and she was confident, or cocky, enough that she felt she would be fine without the typical training and preparation. Her eyes remain fixed on the armed man as several more began to step into the narrow space. She knew the corridor would neutralize their numbers and, if they had half a fucking brain, so would they. Her steps echoed in the hallway as she advanced on them, the man in front taking a step back when she was only 10 feet away, forcing her to sigh loudly.

”Fucking pussies.”

It was all the warning they got before she attacked, advancing on the lead douche in a burst of speed only to spin away at the last minute as if dancing, the knee length black coat she wore even spinning about her thighs much like a dance skirt as she moved out of the path of his make shift club at the same time as lashing out with her right hand, the end of the Ulak catching the man in the gut. His agonized groan turned to a scream as she pulled up and out with the Ulak, slicing him up into his chest until his heart was pierced by the elongated blade.

Jerking it free with a sickening noise that was music to her ears the body dropped and she stepped over it in time to meet the next two men who attempted to make use of their slighter frames by taking her on two at a time. The first swung at her with a metal pole she suspected was once part of a bed and her hands raised, the serrated edges of the Ulak's catching the pole and deflecting the overhead blow just as her right foot raised and slammed into the second man's mid-section, knocking him back several feet. A shove of her hands and the first man's hands were pushed away, her right hand lashing out to slam into the man's face, those same serrated edges slicing the man's face open to the bone, the force of the hit breaking his neck with a sickening crack.

In less than five minutes two men were dead and several more had flooded into the corridor, crowding behind each other in an attempt to reach her. It became one long macabre dance as she moved down the hallway, taking the life of first one inmate, then the other. Not all of them were human, however, and some were definitely harder to take down than others and it was while engaging one of those non-human combatants that she ran into her first, well only, problem.

He was big but more importantly he was smart. As she neared Big Ugly she saw him pass a small knife off to a smaller man. Thinking nothing of the knife she engaged Jubbo first. He attacked fast and hard, forcing her to defend rather than attack herself, though it hurt him as much as it potentially hurt her. With the way the knives curved over the backs of her knuckles every block allowed her to slice into his hand or his forearms but then he wasn't expecting to be able to overpower her. Rumors of the new Padishah had even reached the dregs in the bowels of Ironhold Prison and he knew just what type of being he was dealing with. Without warning he reached out and did nothing more than push, shoving her off balance and back into the smaller inmate.

Her body collided with the slender man and she felt a sharp pain pierce her left side where the inmate managed to shove a silver prison shank into her flesh. How he had gotten his hands on silver was anyone's guess, taken from a guard no doubt. At the moment she didn't really give a fuck where the little bastard got it, what mattered was that the sharpened bit of silver (someone's necklace perhaps?) had been bound loosely to the wooden handle so that the fucker who stuck it in her was able to twist the handle and leave the piece of silver imbedded in her flesh. A low growl rumbled from her chest, Ameerah's wolf rising up in response to the presence of silver as it burned it's way into her blood stream. That only managed to fuel the fire of her anger, she would be damned if she was going to give up control of the body because Ameerah's wolf got pissy over a little silver!

Slamming her head back her the back of her head connected with the smaller man's nose and in turn forced his head to slam back against the wall. He slumped between her and the wall, her body now holding him up as she turned her malevolent gaze towards the other men now crowding around in a half circle, as if waiting to see what would happen now. They had been told by Bigun there that a little silver would leave her incapacitated, they could do what they wished with her. He should have done his homework better. It weakened her, especially as she was unable to remove it immediately, but it wouldn't incapacitate her, not for a good while at least. It also burned like a mother fucker and damned if that didn't piss her right off, too.

Sliding the Ulak's into the sheath's behind her she narrowed her ruby gaze on the men surrounding her. Stepping away from the wall she latched onto Stabby McGee's neck with her left hand and as she squeezed a dark red crackle of energy arched from her palm to the man before crawling over his skin until he was covered in a network of crackling red energy, each tendril leaching him of his own life force.

”The silver is bad enough but you also tore my favorite coat.”

Her mild tone was deceptive and anyone with half an ear could hear the sinister edge underlying her accented voice. The smaller man held in her grip began to convulse with the loss of his life force until finally she dropped him. This seemed to signal to the others that she was about to attack again and they were right, she was damn sure about to put the smack down on their asses and just as they rushed her her hands raised, arcs of dark red soul energy crackling from her fingertips to collide with the first wave of men. Those who managed to escape the initial attack were met with her palm slamming into their bodies, their faces, torsos, anywhere she could reach as a blast of pure energy slammed into their bodies, stopping their hearts instantly.

Down to the last man he turned and tried to flee but a lasso of red electric soul energy ensnared him and began to drain him of his own life force just as she had the first man. She had used his energy to kill the others...this was to sustain her until she could get the silver out of her flesh. When he finally dropped she turned to observe the hallway littered with bodies. Stepping over them she made her way slowly from the caged hallway until she could view the room below. It was similarly silent, Valorius having seen to his adversaries without sustaining a single injury.

Sour at having been caught she launched herself over the side of the railing only to land in a half crouch, the silver having taken more of a toll than she had intended to reveal. Straightening she met Valorius' gaze, a nod given to indicate she was alright, for now.

This little attempt to prove herself had not worked out quite as she had planned, a fact that only fueled her hatred of Ameerah and her determination to prove she was better than her in every way. Until she proved that it was she who deserved to be the dominant one and not the sniveling little mongrel. Moving to stand next to Valorius side she eased her left hand behind her, fingers feeling for the silver that was yet imbedded in her skin. Gripping the sharp edges she could feel the silver burning her flesh as she pulled until the shard was free. Too late, though, the poison was already in her system and she would just have to wait it out. It wouldn't kill her as it might a full-blooded loup garou, her bastard father's blood saw to that, but she must still endure it's effects until her blood purged it from her system.

”Let's get this over with.”

(Chat logs from 02.25.13.)

Sharay
Contraray to popular opinion that Sharay liked nothing more than to hear the sound of her own voice (and really, was that a crime?), there were moments where the Goddess (and she WAS a Goddess regardless of whatever sad ass deities there were in Aleris who believed otherwise) enjoyed nothing more than long periods of quiet reflection. Tonight, riding in the snow along side Wish, was one of those moments. Hours had passed since Sharay, Goddess of Chaos and Death, had informed or rather barked her commands at Wish on how their 'rescue mission' was going to take place, and who exactly was the head honcho here whether the little fae girl liked it or not. At first it seemed that Wish wasn't about to roll with it, but as Sharay predicted with a faint smile to herself, Aurora's Paladin finally came to her senses and realized that without Sharay's assistance, she would end up nothing more than a blood stain soaking into the earth by the time Gethe and his puppet Madrin finished with her. However it was in this particular moment of silence that stretched until they found the bodies of the Almeddans, that Sharay had come up with what she believed to be a brilliant plan of attack against the demon who deemed himself far more powerful than she. Idiot. Sharay was sure Wish had thousands of annoying questions to nag her with, but Sharay did not give her the opportunity to do so. It was only when the fae's horse slowed to a stop and Wish dismounted did Sharay finally turn her head to acknowledge the girl from atop her mount. She watched as Wish carefully turned over a body and study it, a grim line decorating her mouth. Irritated at their little detour, Sharay eased herself off her stallion with as much grace as she could muster and made her way over to where the little fairy girl stood. A dark brow lofted as the Goddess eyed the bodies before glancing at Wish. "I would have to agree," Sharay murmured upon hearing Wish's comment regarding Madrin's handiwork. Sighing, she began dragging one of the bodies closer to the other corpses, and when she was finally satisfied with the way they lay, Sharay raised her hands palms outward. Bursts of indigo hued energy errupted from her as they coiled around the bodies in a brilliant light display. Within moments, bright flames appeared consuming the corpses until eventually retreating back into Sharay's hands. All that remained was a pile of ashes that marred the pristine whiteness of the snow. Sharay brushed her hands together and eyed Wish. "Now that they have been tended to, can we get moving?" Sharay turned on her heel and headed back to her horse. The dead deserved respect, and Sharay had seen to it, expending her own energies to do so. Generous, thy name was Sharay.

Wish
There was some part of her that had hoped Sharay would have said something different - anything other than agreement that Madrin had slain the bodies. Much to her dismay, Sharay confirmed Wish's assessment of who killed the Almeddan scouts and the fae's lips turned to a frown. Flicking a dusting of snow from her gossamer-like wings, Wish watched almost absently as Sharay started pulling the dead scouts into a pile, body after body laying half-way on top of another. Eyelids lowered tightly over olive colored orbs as Wish was drawn into her own thoughts, making an attempt to believe that there was some way to save Madrin Kir from the path of destruction he was on. It was only the odor of dead flesh burning that pulled Wish from her trance, the smell lifting to her nose. Turning her now open eyes to the fire, Wish stood and watched as Sharay's flames quickly consumed the bodies to ash leaving nothing but blackness upon the earth that was once covered with snow. Sharay's words were noted, but Wish stood about a foot before the ash and bowed her head, lacing her hands together and closing her eyes once more. She offered a silent prayer for the Almeddans, one that was brief and likely heard only by Aurora. When Wish opened her eyes, she turned back to her horse and pulled herself back on the saddle which was becoming a bit more of an effort than she was used to considering her lack of energy. Once situated, a nod of her head was given to Sharay. "Lead the way," Wish said as much as she hated to say it. After all, she had no idea where they were off to, but if Sharay made some attempt to do something malicious and not beneficial to this journey they were on, the dark woman was going to have a rude awakening, regardless of how exhausted Wish was currently.

Sharay
The Goddess clucked her tongue and the horse obeyed, snorting a cloud of warm breath as they continued on, the beast already spooked enough by the sight of bodies and the scent of warm blood. Sharay drew the ermine lined hood of her cloak around her face as the snow came down in a steady drift. From time to time she glanced at Wish who rode in silence, a small frown marring her otherwise lovely features. It didn't take a genius to figure out the fae was wondering exactly how much trust to put in Sharay's hands, and if the Goddess truly knew where she was leading them. Her lips curled as she nudged her horse to keep pace next to Wish's. "Did you not question your little Spring Goddess as to why she begged for me to accompany you to your death, little girl?" Sharay chuckled. "Or are you another obedient sheep?" Sharay had enough of quiet time and was now in the mood to test Wish's limits and patience. "Or even better, why Aurora ordered for you to take care of her beloved Madrin in her stead? Were you not curious as to why she simply did not handle the matter herself, little fae? Seems like such a weak deity in my opinion, useless as well, but then I have to ask myself this...why would a seemingly intelligent little bit such as yourself would obey orders so blindly." Sharay's smile was feral, a flash of white teeth to Wish. "Unless the little fae carries a torch for the fallen Lord Commander and will run stupidily into harm's way just to save her love? Is that it Wish?" Sharay reached out to touch Wish's arm. "Just between us girls. You can tell me. It will be our little secret." Sharay winked.

Wish
Unfortunately, Sharay was the least of Wish's concerns. True she did not enjoy the company of her travelling companion (if one could even call Sharay that), but the goddess was the least of Wish's worries at this time. Part of her was still contemplating how she could do this alone, which seemed a much better option than riding along with Sharay. Then there was that part of her that only stayed with this vile woman because Wish trusted Aurora's judgment and her decision, as skewed as it seemed right now. It appeared that hours of silent travel had finally worn on Sharay's nerves and to amuse herself, Wish was suddenly laden with questions that sought only to provoke the fae. Wish's horse slowed as she drew her own black hood over her head, shielding brown colored hair from the falling snow. Sharay's devious smile gave it all away. Clearly the woman was baiting Wish and trying to get some reaction out of her. Wish's face that previously wore a frown turned into a blank, unreadable state and she managed to give Sharay a half-hearted shrug. "Believe what you will, Sharay," was all Wish offered, her horse once more resuming its normal pace. You're going to have to try harder than that, Wish thought to herself.

Sharay
The Goddess threw her head back and laughed, the hood sliding off her dark mane to allow soft fat flakes of snow to settle against the darkness of her hair. "That is all you have for me, little fae?" Sharay's laughter died to a snicker and she shook her head. "And here I thought you had spirit, girl. I assumed you would put up a bit of a fight, that perhaps there was some spitefire in you. Sadly, I was wrong." Sharay ran a critical eye over Wish. "You are a sheep. Merely doing what you are told. There is nothing within you that burns with passion. Nothing you would fight for to the death. Nothing that burns in those veins of yours, that boils your blood." Onyx eyes danced with great amusement. "You are a puppet, and again I ask myself for the life of me why my child holds you in such high regard. You are like the slime that trails behind a snail when it crawls....purposeless. Shame really. I assume your flower child Aurora knew this seeing as she sent the little lamb off to the sacrificial slaughter. You my dear, are expendible. It is Madrin Kir she longs to return to her favor, not her so called 'Paladin'." Sharay sneered at the thought of Aurora. "Such a tragic waste. Just like that poor bastard Blend. To serve those who are not worthy of your affection and devotion only to be used so cruelly." Sharay said nothing further, figuring the little fae would take her time to relfect upon the truth of her words.

Wish
A slender brow lifted in question as Wish tried to comprehend everything Sharay was saying. For the life of her - and perhaps she was clueless in this fact - Wish could not figure out why Sharay asked so many seemingly pointless questions. They did not need to have this discussion at all and the only reason Wish imagined that Sharay was spouting off such malicious remarks and accusations was because she was bored and trying to test Wish's patience. Eventually Wish's one brow fell back into place and she blinked her eyes a few times, snowing flicking off her lashes as she did so. Her horse slowed to a stop and the animal stamped its hooves twice upon the ground, a bit impatient in its mannerisms. "And who is it inspires you so? Who is it that embodies passion within you, Sharay? You appear to be just as alone as I am. You... are no better than I and still, you can manage to dish out such belittling comments to others." After a few seconds, Wish let out a sigh and shook her head softly, her hood remaining in place. For a brief few seconds, her gaze flickered to the stars above as if searching for answers and then fell back to Sharay. "It's only my assumption, but you are a woman who is alone in Aleris. You have no one - not a single trusted follower - and it has driven you to tactless bitterness."

Sharay
Her smile remained firmly in place, as brittle as it was, but not even Wish could waver it. "Think what you will, little fae. If I were you, I would pray that my 'tactless bitterness' is there to save you from drowning in your own blood." The Goddess yanked hard on the reigns to draw the horse to an abrupt halt. A cock of her head and Sharay was staring off into the distance, her eyes fastened on nothing in particular but seeing everything. Seconds ticked by, and if Wish had brought her horse up short, Sharay wouldn't know. Those endless orbs did not move in their sockets, lids did not close to blink and Sharay herself was utterly still. Finally she drew in a short sharp breath and shook her head some. She turned her gaze toward Wish, that perfect unnerving smile back in place. "It would appear we are not the only ones with an interest in Madrin Kir or that dog Gethe." Sharay waved her gloved hand in dismisssal. "It matters not. It does not concern us. We push onward." And once again the unlikely duo continued their pace. "And I am not a woman, little fae. I am a Goddess. I am endless and eternal." The words were stated in that soft sultry voice of hers. "And to think that no one follows me, or that I am alone, makes you completely naive and foolish indeed. After all, your own goddess has called upon me not once, but twice because she knew that she is weak and incompetent and therefore incapable of handling herself in a crisis situation." A low chuckle was heard. "I accepted not because I share great love and concern for either you or Madrin, nor even to seek out Gethe and crush him into dust, though it does sound delightful does it not?" Sharay eyed Wish who did not seem to appreciate her humor. "In any case, there are two reasons I accepted: One, because I know my presence here with you is like a sliver of wood under your nail and it gives me great pleasure to bring you discomfort." Sharay grinned then, savoring this moment. "And the second reason is that when I am finished dealing with you ants, I shall return to Aurora, dear Wish, who I am sure will be most happy to see me. Your goddess made...what is that delightful expression...'A deal with a devil', is it? Yes, that would be it, and I mean to collect, girl." Sharay's head was turned so that she could enjoy viewing Wish's reaction to her words. "And Aurora will pay, I promise you this. She knows the price for her failure." Sharay paused a beat. "That would be the life of her Paladin and her beloved 'son'." Another chuckle. "Does it not upset you in the slightest to know that your precious Aurora waged your life and Madrin's in exchange for my help? Yes, little girl. Continue to believe the lies that are fed to you."

Wish
Was this a test of strength? A test of will power and determination? It was not as if Wish had chosen to fail Sharay's little examination; she merely did not want to participate in these numerous questions. In the end, it did not matter what Wish said. Sharay would always have some rebuttal, some little fact that she clung to and constantly pushed on to make her feel better about herself. Wish, suffice to say, was just another "submissive" little stepping stone for Sharay to trample over on her way to domination for whatever it was she wanted to dominate. Wish followed Sharay's dismissive gloved hand searching the distance for what it was that the other woman saw. Sharay unfortunately gave no clues as to who else was interested in Madrin Kir and Gethe so Wish was left unanswered. It was only then when Sharay managed to lead her horse onward that Wish did manage the slightest smile and even let out a small laugh. "Call yourself what you will. If you think for a second I will acknowledge you as a 'goddess', you are very mistaken. You are nothing but a spiteful, vengeful woman to me and that's all you will ever convince me you are since it seems to be your prominent goal in life." Wish's smile then faltered, her facial expression turning serious. "And unfortunately, you are not causing me a great amount of displeasure, only a minor annoyance like a fly. Despite what you think, I do have other things that are of far greater importance to me than your condescending attitude on this little journey." Wish did not comment on the deal Aurora made with Sharay and only hoped the Goddess of Spring was smarter than she appeared to Sharay. Wish was putting her faith - however small it was - in that. If she was wrong, then so be it. In the end, Wish was here to serve Aurora, but also the people of Aleris and it was this little tid-bit that Sharay had forgotten. When Sharay again spoke of her untimely demise, Wish turned her head in Sharay's direction, her brows narrowed. "I do not fear death. Aurora did not wage my life; I waged my own. This is not the first time I will have forsaken my own life for others and I do not regret my decisions, however close they bring me to death. Tell me, should you let me die, how would your child feel about that? Are you so quick to watch my blood spill and finally lose the one you still dub as your own?" Wish let out what was a small snort and waved snow off of her gloved hands. Her attention turned from Sharay to the tightly knit gathering of trees before them. It was then that she realized where they were going. She could not make out lights in the rainforest just yet, but their destination suddenly became clear. "Jade City," Wish whispered and then nudged her heels into her horse's flanks, urging the animal onward into the thick of the trees.

Sharay
Sharay's own beast followed Wish's horse until the Goddess reached out, her hand closing upon Wish's reigns, yanking the horse back and into submission. A few words to soothe the horse's anxiety before Sharay turned those cold black orbs to Wish. "So eager to die little one?" She dismounted, her booted feet sinking into snow and tied the horse to a nearby tree's branch and did the same to the mare. Without warning, Sharay reached up and grabbed Wish, forcing the fae to follow suit. Sharay did not release Wish though, her hands gliding upward to rest upon Wish's shoulders so that the fae girl had no choice but to look at her. For the longest of moments Sharay said nothing as she studied Wish's face, a faint smile showing behind that icy exterior. "No, little Star, you do not fear death. Admirable, but incredibly stupid. You are tainted with death already," Sharay's eyes cast downward to Wish's abdomen. "But as empty as your womb may be, it is nothing compared to your soul girl." Sharay released Wish then and cut her gaze toward the rainforests of Jade before returning to Wish's own olive orbs. "We will camp here. You will rest." Sharay's tone booked no nonsense and Wish would soon realize there was no negotiating with the Goddess. Leaning against a tree, she gestured with a nod of her head for Wish to set out her belongings. "As far as Deanna is concerned, you believe that your life holds value to her and with that knowledge, harming you would in turn cause her pain which in turn would....upset me." The Goddess removed her gloves and stretched out her fingers. "Perhaps you are correct, but do not think my kindness I show you is a weakness. As I told Aurora before, I will kill you if need be." The latter was said so casually, so matter of factly. "And something you should consider as well little Wish...Madrin. Though your intent is pure with hopes to save Madrin and free him from the demon's bondage, you should have full understanding of the situation." Sharay gave her stallion a brief pat before pushing away from the tree. "Gethe will not be so eager to release his prize, just as Madrin might not be so eager for release from slavery. You truly might want to consider this. Madrin is no longer the noble warrior you believed him to be as you saw by the dead Almeddans we saw slaughtered not but two hours past. He will not hesitate to cut you down should his master order him to do so, and with that knoweldge, you must be prepared and willing to do the same to him if you value your own life." Sharay paused then, claiming a seat on a tree stump while Wish did all the work. "Think long and hard about this Wish Star, for if you would rather forfeit your own skin regardless of whether or not Madrin is brought back from the dark, then I will not go to extremes attempting to save your sorry life."

Wish
Perhaps it was the unexpected action of Sharay yanking her off her horse that caught her off guard, but as Wish's booted feet fell to the ground, it was an effort to get her footing and hold herself sturdy once more. It could have been because of her exhaustion and Wish wagered that was part of it, but she also knew it was due to the feeling of Sharay's frigid fingertips on her shoulders (even with gloves covering the woman's hands) and the weight of the dark goddess words. Wish saw Sharay's gaze lower to her abdomen and her own line of vision dropped to the snow covered ground. As much as Wish tried to protect light and life, death followed her everywhere like a plague - Xylia, Oneiro, her and Victor's unborn child, and so many others. Wish pursed her lips together tightly, fist clenching at her sides as Sharay ordered her to unpack and camp for the night. Instead of gathering her things for camp, Wish stood silent even after Sharay released her. However with Sharay speaking of Madrin's fate, Wish lifted her head to finally look in the other woman's eyes. "I know all of this. I am not that innocent and naive." With that, Wish turned on her heels and headed the few feet back to her own horse. She reached in her pack and pulled out a blanket, turning to a tree some distance away from Sharay. Wish did not start a fire or set up any number of belongings. Instead, she slid down along the length of the tree's trunk facing away from Sharay, and draping her blanket along the length of her wings and body, Wish closed her eyes.

Ranisa found it interesting to see winter snow falling in a city surrounded by jungle. She imagined the locals must be use to this sort of thing but it seemed odd to her. Regardless she left Jade City a few hours after the sun was visible over the tree tops. She wasn't in any kind of hurry and liked to sleep in nowadays. However, Ranisa Kir never stopped training it was a part of her life and always would be. She may have aged but, her resolve remained the same. The rage within her would never go away completely it was the curse of her line.

The jungle was strangely subdued as she headed down the northwestern path, with Grand City her destination. It was then she came across a strange group of four people. There was a pair of tanned young adults and a very dark skinned little girl that appeared about eight years old. The most notable person however, was the man in black hide armor. His eyes were all she saw of his face, those cold ice blue orbs. Ranisa couldn't tell any other physical trait because of the skintight full armor. The rage coming off of the man worried her greatly. Rarely had she felt such a hostile presence but, the man oddly avoided direct eye contact with her. It was as if he knew what she was capable of.

The former chieftain's left hand went to her long sword, as she prepared to pass the dangerous man. It was then the black haired young man spoke with a menacing tone. "Well of all the people I expected to run into, your definitely the last I expected, Ranisa Kir the red wolf of Nirdor. I thought you were dead is seems I'm more fortunate than that." The youths laugh echoed in an all too familiar way.

It was then she saw the true nature his skin hid. This was none other than Gethe the one that led her realm to darkness. Fate was either very kind or terribly cruel she really couldn't decide at that moment. That cleared up who the man in black armor was. Her sword came out in a smooth motion and she charged the demon at full speed. Her blade never connected the slave commander was too fast. He brought up his weapon in defense of his abyss damned lord. "Hiding behind a human you blasted coward. Your time will come once I'm done with your puppet." She knew how much damage a slave commander could take. This man was too skilled unfortunately for her to get past to strike a fatal blow on Gethe. She would have to kill the human first, she cursed her luck.

"My abyssal knight will kill you with ease Ranisa." The demon of darkness walked towards Jade city beckoning his other followers, without any hesitation while laughing the whole way. The slave was given orders to kill her. The woman tried to follow but, the poor bastard kept stopping her.

"I'm sorry boy I realize this isn't your fault but, you must die now." She released her rage for the first time in many years, since he choices were limited if she wanted to keep up with his speed. When two Berserkers fought, normal human limitations could simply not keep up. The jungle was quiet as the animals fled from a primal fear they didn't understand. The warriors' swords clashed repeatedly ringing thru the unsettling silence. Flesh parted in sprays of blood as each fighter took control of the battle for a time. That damned black hide armor covered the wounds shortly after Ranisa inflicted them, as if it was somehow alive. Hours passed with no clear victor until the woman struck high when an opening presented itself. Then the warriors came into direct eye contact for the first time and Ranisa hesitated as she recognized her son. That was all the opening Madrin needed. His two-handed sword exploded thru her abdomen stealing her breath.

Madrin removed his weapon from the dying woman and prepared to remove her head in one blow when her grey eyes fluttered opened, and she spoke. "I forgive you Madrin, my dear son." This caused him to wonder how she knew his name. Madrin had never met this woman before in his short life. He shook his head roughly, reprimanding himself for hesitating, that was how this woman lost. His arms would not respond to his commands. They were immobile for some reason and tears were pouring from his eyes. After a few minutes he put Reaver the demon blade away. She would die before sunset anyway in agonizing pain, Gethe would likely love to hear that. Madrin walked towards Jade city following the call of his master, tears still clouding his ice blue gaze.


Ranisa Kir had lived for many years and she wondered as she lay dying if she had done enough good to override the evil she did under the sway of Gerthluo. Would Elysia forgive her sins as she came before her for judgment? She supposed it was to be expected, life would end at the hands of her child just as she had done decades ago to her own father. It was getting dark now as death came swiftly but, then she saw a blue light, as her mind slipped into unconsciousness.


Nedira Kir was just in time as she found her grandmother in a pool of her own blood. She was glad water was so easy to find around here. The fifteen Blackwolves that came with her were standing guard while she worked. The wound nit slowly as something resisted her. Whatever made these wounds was a fowl thing that made it harder to save those it harmed.

The tracks they had followed were poorly hidden but, no one denied the group that moved under the cover of darkness was suspicious enough to follow. Having no other leads made it a reasonable option. Why were they headed to Jade? It was the Almeddans again, could they not let Aleris rest. They had picked up the trail as it headed past a slaughter of the foreign invaders. They had no time for burial rights they didn't know. So they headed past expecting more trouble from the dimensional foreigners. However, they had found none. The Blackwolf clan members pushed thru the night hoping for a break thru. They needed rest and information so they set up camp just off the path and waited in shifts for Ranisa to wake.

”Let's get this over with.”

It Only Took Her A Minute Or So To Leap Over The Rail And Join Him On The First Floor. With Her Closer Beside Him He Felt The Sudden Rush Of Heat Through His Body – Only This Time It Wasn't A Good Thing. She Was In Pain. There Was That First Rush To Help Her, Check Her Over And Make Sure It Wasn't Too Severe. But What Made This Time Different Than The Few Times He'd Seen Her Hurt In The Past Was That The World Didn't 'Close Off' To Him. When He Felt Pain From Her It Was Usually The Only Thing That Could Put Blinders Between Him And Everything Else. There Was Time To Actually Think And Not Just React, And It Was New To Him.

”Caught you too? Convicts, huh?” Leaning Back Enough On His Heels To Tilt His Head And See The Wound It Was Easy To Tell What Was Used. Silver Wasn't Something He Had To Worry About But He Never Forgot What It Meant For Her. So As He Straightened Back Up He Made Sure To Meet Her Eyes, That Way She Wouldn't Be Able To Bullshit Him. ”Looks deep. You still up for this?”

While He Was Looking Her Over She Was Doing The Same, Eying The Torn Part Of His Coat Where He'd Been Stuck. Unlike Her Though, His Ability To Heal Something Small Like That Wasn't Slowed Down By What Was Used. Slowed Down As She Was It Still Wasn't Enough To Keep Her From Meeting His Eyes And Cocking Her Head A Bit. Her Face Just Said 'What did I just say?'

”They ripped. My fucking. Coat. We're killing everybody.”

Again It Came In A Passing Wave. The Need To Make Sure She Was Ready, That She Wasn't Just Putting On A Stern Face. But It Was A Passing Wave, And Instead Of Asking The Same Pointless Question He Just Looked Forward And Nodded While Straightening Out His Hat.

”All right. On to Murdertown.”

-===============================-

They Moved Forward, Down Another Set Of Stairs In The Back. There Was Another Barrier In Place, Another Gate. This Barrier Took A Little Longer To Get Through, The Magic That Was Used Was Stronger Than The Last Few. Obviously They Didn't Want Anyone Down This Far. The Webs And Dust That Lined The Room Showed No One Had Come Down There In A Long Time, Maybe Years. But If That Was True, Why Did He Feel The Malevolent Force Surrounding The Entire Fucking Place? The Room Looked Like A Store Room, Old Boxes Of Supplies Sitting Around. Mold Was Growing Over The Wood And The Place Smelled Like A Swamp. It Only Took A Few Seconds Of Glancing Around For The Two Of Them To Look At Each Other.

It Was All A Lie. Whatever Was Going On Here Was Supposed To Look Like Just Another Part Of The Prison. The Magic Used Was Damn Good Too – And In The End That Was The Problem. Magic Like What Was Around Them Gave Off A Signature Like Every Other Energy In The Omniverse, And The More Potent Or Well Formed It Was The More It Stood Out Against Lesser Things. There Was Evil In A Prison, But This Was Different – More Concentrated. Amunette Nodded Once And Slipped Into The Shadow A Storage Crate Made. Physically She Was Gone, But He Could Still “See” Her. The World Was Always An Every Changing Color Spectrum For Him, And He Saw Every Shade No Matter How Dark.

Direct Energy He Could Absorb, But Magic Wasn't Direct. It Was Pulled From An External Source, Crafted And Watered Down, Then Used For A Specific Purpose. Taking It Into His Arm Could Only Claim So Much And Then He Couldn't Do Anything But Let It Out Again To Return Back To What It Had Been Doing Before. In The End It Was Pointless – For Him.

Amunette Though, She Worked Like A Thief On A Lock. A 'Tumbler' Here And A Tumbler There, In The End She Cracked It. The Veil Drew Back Like A Living Thing, Creeping Across The Floor And Ceiling, Down The Walls, Until It Just Slithered Into A Single Line Of Dark In The Center Of The Room. The Light Crackled And Surged In Black Flashes Until It Seemed To Just Fall 'Into The Floor. The Light Show Wasn't Paid Much Attention To Though.

The 10 Robed Figures Standing At The Other End Of A Room That Was Now A Lot Bigger Than Only Seconds Before, They Had His Full Attention.

-===============================-

Amunette Came Out Of A Dark Spot Off To His Right, Beside One Of The Columns Holding Up The Ceiling. To The Naked Eye The Room Was Empty, Just The 10 Standing A Ways From Them, 20 Or So Columns Set All Along A Gray Stone Floor. The Ceiling Was About 20-25ft High And There Were Only A Few Scattered Torches Around. What Regular Eyes Couldn't See Were All The Stains Of Energy Scattered Around. It Painted The Entire Room, The Columns, But Mostly The Far Wall In Front Of The Gathered Group. The Robed Figures, Who Valorius Assumed To Be Servants Or Priests Of Some Kind, Stood In 3 Groups Of 3 Before The Far Wall. 1 Man Stood Before Them All, Between 9 Pairs Of Eyes And The Pair Of New Comers. They Were Facing Towards Amunette And Himself But They Didn't Say Anything – They Didn't Have To.

It Was One Of Those Moments Where One Side Knew Exactly Why The Other Side Was There. The Who's Or How's Didn't Really Mean Much, But The Why Meant Everything. The Lead Figure Stepped Forward And Raised Their Head Enough To Let Some Light Into The Hood. The Eyes Weren't There Inside, And Judging By The Scars Around Them They Were Most Likely Burned Out With Something. The Man Clapped His Hands Twice Before Being The First One To Break The Silence.

”Welcome. We have been expecting you. I must admit you found us much faster than I thought you would. Pity. I had wanted to be gone from here before you arrived. In the end I suppose it makes little difference, things will proceed just the same. Perhaps if we meet again we will have more time together. If not..remember, it was you who chose this.”

”I don't choose people who need to die..they choose me. You eyeless little bitch.”

Amunette Made Him Grin A Bit Beside Her, The Priest Who Spoke Had Turned And Walked Through The 9 Priests Who Closed Together Behind Him, Walling Him Off From The Padishah And Bel Telal. The Blind Man Made His Way From The Other Priests Toward The Back Wall.

”It is a shame. The Lord would have use for two with such rage in them. Another tragic tale of wasted potential. When you are dying, please, tell the Grim that Hydren sends his regards. “

The Man Moved Toward The Wall, And Before A Response Could Be Sent His Way He Appeared To Vanish Into It, Disappearing Completely. No Trace Was Left Behind, The Rift Only Opened One Way And It Was Gone From The Room As Fast As It Appeared. Amunette Seethed And Pulled Her Blades From Behind Her. At The Same Time, The Prince's Scythe Slowly Eased From His Left Palm, Like It Slid From Within The Length Of His Arm And Into His Grasp.

”Why are the ones who talk the most shit always the first to leave?” Valorius Shrugged, His Eyes Staying On The Priests Who Began To Walk Towards Them In The Same 3 Groups. ”You talk a lot of shit...and you're still here.” His Grin Widened, And She Grinned Too As The 2 Of Them Started Helping To Close The Distance.

”Exception that makes the rule, love. And I plan on completely backing it up.” She Said, Tossing Her Hair Over Her Shoulder.

-===============================-

The 3 Groups Of Hooded Men Stood A Short Distance From Each Other, About 6ft Apart. Each Group Stood In Formation, 2 Men In Front And 1 A Foot Or So Behind. In Mid Stride The Priests Standing To The Rear Clapped Their Hands. Those In Front Softened In Their Posture, As If Letting Themselves Go Slack. What Happened Next Was Interesting To Say The Least. At Least Valorius Thought So.

The Groups Stopped About 10ft From Them. And Then, Systematically, The Priests In The Rear Began To Kill The Priests Ahead Of Them. To The Left, 2 Blades Came Through The Chests Of 2 Men, Only The Wounds Didn't Bleed – At Least Not From The Front. To The Right, The Man In Back Chanted, The Essence Of The Priests Before Him Drawn To His Body By The Words He Spoke. Finally, In The Center, The Priest That Stood In Back Of His Own 'Sacrificial Lambs' Grabbed Their Hoods Abruptly. A Cloud Of Black Fog Seemed To Run From Where He Touched, The Last Full Group Of Priests Disappeared Into Darkness, Which Began Creeping Along The Floor When They Did.

”Oh..you're going to use darkness now? Blood? Life energy? Do you have any idea WHO we ARE? Let me show you.”

Amunette Sprinted Off To The Side And Vanished Into Shadows Nearby The Closest Column, Leaving Him With The 2 Priests Who Were Still Standing. It Didn't Take Arcane Knowledge To Figure Out What Happened. Why Use 9 Semi-Powerful Servants When 5 Powerful Ones Were More Useful? It Showed Dedication, Obedience, And Organization. These Weren't Convicts Pushed By Fear. They Were Zealots. No Point In Saying Anything, People This Mind-Bent Wouldn't Respond Anyway. With His Scythe In Hand He Watched The Priest Who Claimed The Pair Of Souls Stand Back, While The One Off To The Left Moved Forward With Bloody Blades In His Hands.

There Was No Pause, No Sizing Up, Just A Moment Of Quiet Before The Sudden Clash Of Sounds. Blades Came Spinning, Cutting Through The Air As The Priest Tried To Use Speed As An Advantage. The Young Prince Was Surprised By The Actual Speed Of The Man, After All The Priest' Flesh Was Human. It Was Further Proof At How Effective Magic Could Be In Skilled Enough Hands. Weaving Left, Right, And Arching Back, Valorius Dodged Swipe After Swipe. The Priest Kept In Close To Make The Scythe Less Effective. The Clang Of Metal To Metal Filled The Stone Substructure Each Time The Attack Of A Knife Was Deflected.

Physical Combat Was Something Valorius Knew Well -- And It Was Showing In Every Movement. There Was Nothing Clumsy Or Showy About It, Just The Proper Reactions Timed At The Best Moment. And During A Flurry Of Blade Swipes That Came Down To Stab Him In The Chest, Valorius Capitalized. The Shaft Of The Scythe Came Up Horizontally As He Leaned Back Just In Time To Hook The Knives And Pull The Priest Forward Into A Crushing Headbutt. Following With A Front Kick To The Sternum That Launched The Priests Body Back Nearly 15 Into A Column. Stone Crumbled In Good Sized Chunks On Top Of The Human Body That Collided With It. The Man Slumped For A Moment But Began Standing Right Away, Blades Still In His Hands. Valorius Watched As The Shattered Nose And Concave Skull Of The Priest Began To Heal, Blood Moving Over The Torn Flesh To Mend It.

”No. No, you get back down.”

He Launched The Scythe Like A Spear With A Powerful Overhand Throw. It Cut Through The Air In A Blur Of Speed And Stabbed All The Way Through The Priest's Chest And Imbedded A Good Foot Or So In The Column. Again The Man Was Still For A Few Moments, But Then The Hands Were Coming Up, Stabbing His Blades Into The Column For Leverage As He Began Sliding His Body Up Along The Scythe. No Blood Flowed, It Only Seemed To Start Running Before It Was Pulled Back Inside The Flesh. Now This Was Getting Frustrating. The Prince Moved Toward The Priest, Glancing At The 3rd Who Still Just Stood Silently In The Background. Sooner Or Later It Would Be His Turn, But Since He Wasn't Attacking Yet He Was Resigned To Secondary Threat. By The Time Valorius Reached His Spear The Priest Was Just Pulling Himself Free Of It. The Blades Gave The Priest Reach Now So They Struck First, Whirling In The Air Before Him As The Man Carrying Them Advanced. Again It Was Back To Weaving, Dodging Gleaming Bits Of Metal As A Pair Of Dim, Lifeless Black Eyes Watched From Behind Them.

A Bit Of Crumbled Stone, That's All It Took. Something That Took Only A Fraction Of A Second To Adjust To Was Enough To Deviate Complete Focus. His Boot Stepped On It, The Ground Not Being Flat For That Brief Moment Caused Him To Lean Too Sharply, And A Blade Came Down Right Into His Right Forearm. Again There Was No Blood, The Blade Seemed To Take It. And As He Jerked His Limb Away He Eyed It. The Wound Lingered. Whatever Magic Was In The Priest Was In The Weapons, And It Was Fighting His Own Energy To Keep The Wound Open. Green Energy Surged Along The Stab, But The Level At Which His Flesh Mended Was Slowed Down To Almost A Dead Stop. Alright, This Was New.

Pain Was Different For The Prince. The Sensation Was More Like A Hollow Than Actual Hurt, As If He Could Tell A Piece Of Him Wasn't Complete. There Was Only A Brief Moment To Glance At The Wound Before The Priest Was Advancing Again. Suddenly, From Above Them A Body Dropped Through The Air And Hit The Stone Floor As It Bled Out From The Stump Where Its Head Used To Be, And Several Stab Wounds All Along Its Form. A Female Hand Came From The Shadow On The Ceiling, Giving The Finger Before Disappearing Back Into The Darkness. Acting Quickly, Valorius Put His Foot Under The Body And Kicked It At The Priest, He Raised His Blades To Deflect It. The Instant He Did, Valorius Drew His Pistol And Fired One Shot. It Split The Priests Head Right Down The Middle, Taking A Massive Chunk With It. The Prince Knew It Would Heal, He Just Needed A Second To Decide The Best Way To Attack.

And It Was In Those Few Seconds He Saw The Mans Head, And It Was Healing, But Much Slower Than Before, Especially Where The Bullet Had Entered. It Took A Second But Then He Realized – It Was The Heat. It Took A Few Seconds To Dawn On Him. To Stop A Blood Flow, Cauterize The Wound. Valorius Moved For The Torch That Set In The Column A Few Feet From The Man, As He Passed The Healing Priest A Blade Came Slashing For His Leg, He Had Just Enough Time To Get His Foot Up Before Firing The 2nd Round Down Through The Mans Chest And Severing The Spine.

”Move now, fucker.”

He Took The Torch And Turned, Tossing It On The Priests Still Mending Body. Holstering The Pistol He Took Out The Small Powder Bag He Had In His Coat And Just Poured It All Over The Robe. The Powder Caught Fire And Burned Over The Flesh, Bubbling It With The Heat. As The Body Began Writhing, An Inhuman Wail Filled The Chamber Before The Entire Robe Caught Fire. Soon It Looked As If The Body Was Sinking Into The Ground, Only For A Puddle Of Red To Begin Rolling Across The Ground, Charring And Browning Until There Was Nothing But A Crusty Black Bit Of Char And Cloth. Making Sure There Would Be No More Healing, Valorius Eyed The Burnt Blood, At Least Until Another Yell Echoed, This Time Amunette's. He Quickly Glanced Up Only To See A Quarter Of Her Body Leaning Out Of The Dark By The Far Wall, A Priest Trying To Pull Her Hand Away By The Wrist As An Ulak Was Slowly -Pushed- Down Through The Top Of His Skull From Behind. After That She Disappeared Again.

The Grin Came Back To Him As He Turned Full Attention To The Last Priest Around Him. Still The Man Just Stood There, Watching. He Even Let The Prince Walk To His Scythe And Pull It From The Column. Valorius Walked Towards The Man, And The Man Did Nothing. In The Past That Would've Made Him Curious. Now – It Was Just Irritating The Fuck Out Of Him.

”The shepherd is gone, left his flock to die. You're the last sheep left. Anything you want to say?”

Silence Was The Only Response, Just A Blank Stare From Over A Set Of Prayer-Clasped Hands. The Bel Telal Shrugged And Thrust The Scythe Forward, It Pierced Easily Through The Mans Chest And Out His Back. The Priest Reacted Then, Grabbing The Scythe And Holding It Tight. Valorius Pulled Back On It, Then Used A Bit More Power To Pull Again, But The Man Didn't Budge. It Actually Took A Harsh Front Kick To The Sternum To Finally Knock The Priest Back, Only He Wasn't Thrown Back As The First Priest Had, He Only Moved Back A Few Feet Before Standing Firm Again. Watching The Wound, An Emerald Light Flashed Along And Soon The Flesh Was Mending Itself. It Made The Prince's Eyes Narrow. Now This Could Be Problematic.

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The Last Remaining Priest Who Disappeared With Amunette Didn't Come Out By Himself. He Came Out Backwards With Velocity, And The Ulak's Had Been Thrown So Hard And Fast Into His Chest They Slammed Down Into The Stone Behind Him, Nailing Him To It. She Emerged A Second Later, Stalking Towards The Wounded Man Who Fumbled To Pull The Blades Out, And As She Grabbed His Head The Sudden Flash Of Crimson Light Lit Up The Entire Chamber. The Energy Would've Been Enough To Destroy The Head, But It Was The Bright Light That Burnt Away The Rest Of The Body. Clapping The Ash From Her Hands And Pulling Her Blades Free, She Would See Valorius, His Left Arm Hanging By His Side While The Right Was Up In A Defensive Posture. The Priest Who'd Claimed The 2 Essences Earlier Stalking Towards Him.

She Hadn't Been There To See The Scythe Fail. She Hadn't Seen Him Attempt To Pull The Life Out Of The Man, Only To Have The Energy Of His Arm Grant The Priest Even More Power. The Man Fed On Energy, Just As They Did, But Where As He Had A Pure Source In Valorius Arm – Valorius Could Only Pull At The Magic Which Encased The Man, And Magic Was Of Little Use To Him. For The First Time His Left Arm Seemed To Be Ineffective. Which Left Only 1 Arm And A Pair Of Legs To Be Used. He'd Hit The Man A Dozen Times, And With Each Superhuman Blow He Had To Let More And More Energy Flood His Body To Keep Up The Pace. That Coupled With The Fact He Had Not 'Fed' Since That Night At The Slaver Camp Meant His Flesh Had Been In Need Of Living Energy For Quite Some Time.

Amunette Began Moving Towards Them But With The Silver In Her System And The 3 Priests She Herself Had To Deal With, The Poison Left Behind Was Moving Quickly Through Her System. Sure It Would Burn Faster, But It Made The Effects More Intense As It Did. She Growled As She Moved, Ignoring The Pain And The Several Gashes Along Her Body. Seeing Her From The Corner Of His Eye, Valorius Called Out.

”No! He's mine! I didn't come here so some mute could use my own weapons to get rid of me.”

She Didn't Want To Stop, But She Did. Ameerah Wouldn't Have, The Whole Mate Bond Pack Mentality Would Have Made Her Get Involved. Amunette Understood Though, Understood That Some Things Could Be Handled With Help – Others Had To Be Handled On Your Own. She Sheathed Her Blades And Held Her Hand Over A Nasty Slash On Her Right Side. She Would Heal, It Would Just Take Longer Than Usual. Leaning Back A Bit Against A Column She Spoke.

”Damnit, fine! Fucking kill him so we can get out of here!”

Blood Kept Running Down His Right Forearm, And There Was A Good Sized Tear In The Skin On The Left Side Of His Face, Showing Where He'd Been Hit With A Powerful Bit Of Force In The Face. Expending Energy To Attack, Losing It To Healing Or Having It Stolen And Used To Strengthen His Enemy – It Was Making Healing Difficult. It Was Like Fuel, It Makes The Flame Burn Longer And Hotter But Use Too Much And It'll Eventually Burn Everything Away – And His Body Would Be More Damaged Than Healed If He Were To Mend Himself Immediately. He Had To Heal Slower Than Usual To Prevent Destroying More Of Himself. The Priest Knew That, Which Is Why He Just Kept Moving Forward. His 1 Handed Opponent Was Stronger, Faster, But He Was Still Only 1 Handed – And He Was Slowing Down, Trying To Keep His Flesh From Being 'Eroded'.

Again They Engaged, Valorius Right Hand Colliding With The Priests Jaw Along With A Knee Driving Into The Mans Stomach. The Impact Tore Flesh With Muscle And Broke Ribs, But It All Healed Just As Quickly As It Appeared. The Anger Was Becoming Almost Bitter Enough To Taste As The Prince Growled In Frustration, Driving His Elbow Into The Mans Back. The Man Fell To A Knee, But Then Pushed Up Against The Arm At His Spine, The 2 Of Them Locked For Several Moments In A Stalemate Of Brawn Versus Brawn. Only, The Priest Began Tapping More Into The Magic And Began To Gain A Stance. Valorius Could Have Done The Same But It Would Only Do More Damage To His Body By Channeling More Energy Through His Flesh. Fuck! What Could He Do?

A Hand Reached Up And Grabbed His Left Wrist And Immediately Began Drawing Energy From The Limitless Source. The Priests Power Began To Return Again And Finally Valorius Had Had Enough. He Jerked His Left Arm Away, But Only This Time He Didn't Step Back. He Acted Without Planning, Without Thinking, Just On Sheer Frustrated Anger.

”You nameless, little puppet! You want to use my own power AGAINST ME?! FUCK YOU!...” He Threw Out His Left Hand And Snatched The Man By The Throat. Almost Instantly The Priest Grabbed The Wrist Again And Started Absorbing Power. This Time However There Was No Pulling Away. He Started Forcing Negative Energy Out, Faster And Faster Until He Was Giving Faster Than The Priest Had Been Absorbing. ”Fuck your FRIENDS!” Tightening His Grip On The Priest, He Lifted Him Off His Feet By The Throat. The Man Still Absorbed Energy, But His Grip On The Glowing Jade Wrist Started To Loosen. ”Fuck that blind PIECE OF SHIT!” The Priests Hands Again Tightened, Only Now They Were Trying To Pull At The Glowing Limb. Magically Powered Or Not, The Man It Was Being Used On Was Still Only Human, He Had His Limits. The Skin At The Edges Of Valorius' Eyes Began To Split And Form Extending Cracks Along The Flesh Of His Cheeks As He Forced Out -More- Energy. ”Fuck your fairytale villain GOD!” The Priests Back Met The Stone Of A Column And By Now His Body Was Thrashing, Every Vein Beneath The Skin Started To Illuminate While His Eyes Quickly Began Glowing. The Priest Jerked From Side To Side, Throwing Punches And Panicked Attacks, Trying To Dislodge The Grip Around His Neck. Valorius Took Each Hit, Letting Each Impact Drive The Flare Of Hate. ”You are ALL going to LOSE! This shit is OVER! And the end STARTS HERE!”

One Last Intense 'Current' Of Raw, Negative Energy Into The Priest And The Mans Head Fell Back. The Priests Mouth Opened As If To Scream But A Jade Light Poured Out From It And Ran Along The Flesh Of His Face Like A Vapor. Soon The Same Light Was Fracturing The Flesh, Pouring Out From Nearly Every Inch Until The Entire Figure Burst. The Flash Of Energy Destroyed The Column Behind It, Threw Valorius Back With Enough Force To Slam His Body Into The Column Nearly Halfway Across The Room, And Blew Out Every Torch In The Cavern. Remains Of The Priest's Body Fell To The Ground Like Burnt Paper As Valorius Slowly Sat Up A Bit, Getting His Bearings. Already Amunette Was Moving To Him, Reaching Down With Her Free Hand. He Took It And Stood Up With Her Help, Relying On Her Quite A Bit.

They Were Still, And Quiet There For A Second, Both Of Them Looking Torn Up. She Had Multiple Slashes, Cuts, And Punctures From Blades And What Looked Like Claws. 2 Of Her Fingers Looked Broken. He On The Other Hand Had A Hole In His Right Forearm That Could Still Be Seen Through, About 1/3 Of His Face On The Right Side Had The Greyish White Skin Missing To Reveal The Black Blood Coated Muscle Beneath, Along With Cracks In The Skin Stretching Out Like Spiderwebs From His Eyes. And Yet As They Eyed Each Other, He Smirked.

”...Damn, that's a sexy look.”

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They Left The Prison After The Last Priest Fell. The Dark Energy Source They'd Come To Investigate Had Been Closed Off To Them, Locked From The Source. With All The Negative Energy Filling A Prison It Would Be Next To Impossible To Stop The Portal From Being Re-Opened. In The End Amunette Left Her Blood As A Ward, An 'Alarm' Of Sorts To At Least Let Them Sense When And If The Gateway Was Used Again. For The Time Being They Both Had To Recover, And It Was Just Another Sign That They Couldn't Ignore Their Own Needs. Power Always Came With A Price.

The Prisoners Left Behind Were Quick To Fall Into Order When Word Spread That They Had Come From The Bowels Of The Prison Wounded, But Still “Alive”. Orders Were Left With The Guards To Move All Prisoners From The Lower Cells, Restrict All Access To The Sub-Levels, And Be Ready To Notify The Protectorate If Any Activity Takes Place Therein, No Matter How Slight.

The Bel Telal And His Padishah Returned To Their Island, Choosing To Pay A Mage To Portal Them There Rather Than Creating Their Own Rift. The Essence Spheres They Kept On Hand Would Serve To Strengthen Them Long Enough To Find A More Potent Source Of Energy. For The Time Being Things Were Quiet At The Prison, And They Would Use The Time To Heal And Prepare For Act 2. Without Saying It Out Loud They Both Knew That Whatever Gethe Was Planning, The Prison Was Only The Start. And That Served Them Just Fine.

Someone Still Had To Answer For The Torn Coat.