Madrin had yet to make an appearance and that likely would have annoyed her more had she not already been seething with annoyance at this entire debacle. The Elite's stood in loose formation behind her, waiting for any signal that they were meant to move. All the while she waited for Valorius to make an appearance...somewhere. He wasn't dead, of that she could be certain, his death she would sense instantly for only death could sever the cord that bound them upon their creation. But he still wasn't there, dammit, and learning just what was going on back on Eiler would require a concentration on both their parts that neither of them had to spare at the moment. She would simply have to be patient and wait. Great. Her strong point.

The Elite's stood in silent readiness behind her, stoic, solid, prepared to spring into action like the tightly coiled killing machines Valorius had made them into at the first hint of a command from her. Conversely she paced before them, back and forth along the same 10 feet of sand on the dune across from where Gethe amassed his own forces, arcs of dark red energy passing between her feet and the ground itself with each step she took. She was waiting; waiting for Madrin, for Valorius, for something, anything, to happen! And then it did.

The screams of the demon across the battlefield from them drew a halt to her annoyed pacing, all eyes on their side fixed on the towering demon in the distance. Only..not so towering, now. It was the shimmering burst of starlight from overhead that seemed to be putting the demon in his place, shrinking him down to size if not completely eradicating his power. Even that would diminish him. It is one thing to be able to wield the cosmic forces of the universe, it is entirely another to wield the cosmic forces of the universe while one is the size of a small mountain and capable of flattening a city with a well placed loogie.

With the burst of luminescence from the stars who so obligingly answered Wish's prayer she was able to see the very figure that had summoned the starlight, Wish and another figure she could not name (Iyn) directly in front of Gethe's forces. And Gethe had seen her, too, his...Aliswhatists...or were those the Guluwreck thingies..that began advancing on Wish and Nameless Girl #1. They were too far away for her to put herself in the path of their attackers but Gethe had planned ahead and was kind enough to provide her her own adversaries. A vibration in the ethereal energy behind where they stood in formation drew her attention and, turning, she moved through the assembled Elite's just as the portal opened a few yards behind them. Only this time it was an enemy she knew, her very own people, members of the Protectorate who had never reached the rank of Elite, those who had been granted a home within the Eternelle Lune. She knew her adversary and in that she knew fury.

The Elite Commander looked to her, waiting for instructions on how to proceed. These were their people, their comrades, those among the Protectorate who's minds had been weak enough to succumb to Gethe's influence. He had not managed to ensnare the entire Protectorate though enough had fallen to his sway to provide him a sizable army. And the Elite's wanted to know what she wanted to do about that. Where the fuck was Discord, Valorius' precious little Captain? She didn't see the annoying succubus in the horde rapidly descending on them, had she managed to escape being over taken? Shocker that, but then why wasn't her ass here, attempting to get these fuckers under control? Lazy, sloppy, BULLSHIT!

When she finally turned to meet the Elite Commander's questioning look her hands were lowering, bypassing the Ulak's and going for the blades lashed to her thighs. The Dragon Talons, forged for her by her father so many years ago, each of the dual blades holding a piece of the two swords wielded by both Asty and Nax, blades that were attuned to her, imbued with her own blood and life force. ”Kill any who stand against us. If they are weak enough to succumb to that demonic throwback then they do not deserve their lives.”

At that moment the first of the ensorceled Protectorate forces reached her and, as if to punctuate her command, her blades rose and spinning them in her palms so that the blades were point down she plunged them into the chest of the first fool to attack. Already the Elite's were moving, wading into the fray with the deadly efficiency for which they were trained, the lesser soldiers of the Protectorate falling beneath their deadly blows, no hesitation in spite of who they had to kill. Her own blades were yanked from the body they were sheathed in, a black-red gleam traveling up the slightly curved blades of the Talons as they absorbed the life force of the creature she had just killed, a life force they then transferred to her. The now lifeless body hit the ground and she was preparing to engage the next fool to come her way when the sound of gunshot in the distance had her head whipping around as if to search for the source of the noise.

She knew it was him, Valorius was one of the few in the realm she had ever seen use a firearm, and quite frankly with the modifications he had made to his pistol she would know the boom of what amounted to a hand canon anywhere. He was here, fighting, across the sands from her alongside strangers she didn't trust. She stood there, torn; stay and fight or leave the Elite and Madrin's forces to handle the Protectorate army coming at them from behind and go to where the big fight was. That moment of indecision was a mistake, a rookie mistake no less, and she got caught. It was anger, at both herself and her attacker, rather than pain that ripped the scream from her throat as the blade belonging to one of the more skilled of the Protectorate foot soldiers sank into her right shoulder from behind. Whipping about to face the soldier it was as if the force of her furious presence was enough to force Gethe's influence back for in that moment his eyes widened, awareness returning, and he knew sheer terror. She could see that much in his gaze, but it did not save him.

In the span of a heartbeat she launched herself at him, the weight of her attack baring the unfortunate soldier to the ground, her body straddling his as the Talons began to descend, one after the other, over and over, imbedding in the soldiers neck, finding it's way through the weak points in the protective gear he wore to sink into the chest cavity, even is face, the assault so brutal that his blood was soon being flung all about them with every withdrawal of her blades. Her mindless attack did not last forever, though, she had bigger fuckers to fry, and standing from the now mutilated body of the Protectorate soldier she reached behind her with her left hand and gripped the handle of the knife still imbedded in her flesh and pulled it free, ignoring any physical pain that might have come along with it. It was dropped, forgotten, onto the equally forgotten body of her attacker as another report of gunfire was heard across the battlefield. She had to get over there.

With that singular thought in mind she moved into action, running across the sand. The Elite's had their orders and they would not stop until they had vanquished their enemy or been vanquished themselves, they did not need her there to lead them. In a blink she was gone, slipping into the first shadow large enough to provide a portal into the Shadow Lands, cast by one of her very own soldiers. It may be night but that did not mean the world was without shadows, the moon and stars overhead ensuring that. Moving through the black and white world of the Shadow Lands her figure would appear at various points across the sand as she jumped from shadow to shadow, a glint of her blood red hair the only sign that she was there before she was again gone. A distance that would have taken anyone else at least 20 minute running at full speed to traverse took her a matter of moments. She could see Valorius ahead, his figure gray and shrouded from within the Shadows, and beyond him was Gethe. Gethe who seemed intent upon killing Wish, Sharay who was lobbing balls of chaotic energy at Gethe, and Valorius who seemed content to keep putting giant holes in all around him. The scene was complete chaos and without a moment's hesitation she dove into the fray, thriving amongst the chaotic energies surrounding them.

It was by design, of course, that she chose the shadow Gethe himself cast as a means of emerging from the Shadow Lands. It put her behind him, which was what she wished naturally, and boxed him between herself, Valorius, Sharay, and Wish. She wasted no time in attacking, having no intentions of allowing the fool in front of her to become aware of her presence before she attacked, and her right foot rose to send a brutal front kick towards the demon's back, a kick she really wanted to see connect with his sorry ass.

It was the sound of her voice that would likely clue him into her presence behind him, her voice little more than a snarl amidst the battle that raged around them. ”Come on you sniveling little bitch, let's dance. I'm going to eat your fucking soul.”

The reason Ameerah never heard from Madrin wasn't rudeness he simply was not there to answer her. The moment he entered Heruin and took in Gethe's forces, he raised the hood of his midnight black cloak. Then he used his stealth prowess to approach his enemy. The black shroud he wore broke up his image and made his allegiance hard to place. In this way he reached the evil army unopposed.

Unfortunately for him, Wish's prayer to the stars was like a double edged sword for his plan. When that light hit he stuck out like a leper in town square. Madrin abandoned stealth in favor of slaughter at that point, though he kept his cloak closed and hood up. The warrior pulled his celestial two-handed sword and cut down a shade that floated in his path without even breaking stride.

One of the slave commanders of Nirdor came at him next with two biped Galuwrath covering his flanks. The human wielded a great axe with a menacing spike behind the blade. Its handle was of hard mahogany wood, one blow wouldn't break that even with Madrin's strength. The enemy swung his weapon high intending to remove his opponents head in one move. However, Madrin simply wasn't there to cut as adrenaline fueled his speed.

The Lord commander of Eiler wasn't safe however, as one of the nine foot tall cats covering its leader raked his right side. The wound was deep since Madrin had no armor but, to his enraged mind it was nothing more than a dull throbbing. He was caught as he dove to the side. He used his momentum to add force as he jumped up blade first dissecting the creature from crotch to the bottom of its left ribcage shattering some bone as well in the red spray.

The incredibly strong human foe drove the spiked end of his axe just under Madrin's right collar bone, while he wiped the blood from his eyes. When the slave commander withdrew the point he snapped the collar bone as well. However, even that did not stop the tribal warriors resolve, though he did drop his weapon. His left hand darted out and crushed the slave commanders windpipe. For a split second, the last Galuwrath almost looked terrified, until Madrin drove stiffened finger into vulnerable eye sockets thru to its brain silencing the creature forever.

For some reason his sword came to have a perceivable sonic hum. The dark energy it harvested from Gethe when Madrin was first taken was pulsing faster every moment. The wolf god within was compressing the power with its own. When released it would explode outward causing greater damage with less energy. The swords chosen master picked it up with his left hand and charged the demon lord arriving at the same time as Ameerah, while blast of chaos energy from Sharay distracted him. The dark one received a strong clothesline from the front and an inhuman kick from behind. Some of Gethe's obsidian like skin even cracked causing a fine black mist to leak from the damaged areas. Next, Madrin's sword was driven into the demons torso and the restrained power was released. The dark energy vaporized the human shell to nothing and knocked back anyone within ten feet of the detonation.

Madrin managed to hold onto the blade as he landed near Wish. He stood with an outcry of pain as all his injuries protested. Madrin locked ice blue eyes with olive orbs and walked to her as if guided by something. Then The deity Kir psychically spoke with gentleness to Wish. "My apologies, but he needs the light you hold within to banish the seal on his memories." The sentient weapon directed its owner towards the fae woman's soft lips. When they kissed the sword pulled the light in Wish thru the circuit they created banishing the lock. Recognition filled Marin Kir's mind like a flood of power.

When the man realized who he was kissing he lingered before breaking contact enjoying every moment of it, as he put his honed skills into it. They shared breath filling him with passion. Madrin had to stop, so reason won out and he released her. "Sorry, I've wanted to do that for too long to miss the chance." Then he passed out as his damage both mental and physical took hold.

The wolf god of Nirdor had accomplished its task after expending more energy than it had in centuries. It was very tired it could not run hundreds of miles then recover. It had no idea how long it would slumber but, such was life. It gave Wish Star a few parting mental words before sleeping, filled with boundless gratitude. "Thank You."


When Gethe was defeated his remaining slaves were free of his hold and surrendered. They didn't expect mercy but, who new maybe they would get it. However, the Galuwrath had to die they knew nothing but battle. Their slave commanders were all dead so only mindless killing was left to them. The ten remaining Blackwolves' counting Ranisa and Nedira Kir, circled Wish and Madrin and protected them from any biped Galuwrath that thought them easy prey.

Nedira moved to tend them as she could her father couldn't protest, but Wish might. "Miss Star, are you alright? How can I help?" This battle was nearing its end. Nedira only hoped the fighting was done. She did wonder briefly how in the world they would get home.

It Was Loud. It Was Frantic. It Was Aggressive. It Was Exactly What He Had Needed. All Around Him He Could See And Feel Energy, Given Off By Those On Heruin's Side As Well As Those On Gethes'. So Many Around, So Many Who Deserved To Die, And Himself In The Middle. The Pistols' 2 Shots Had Been Spent, And Loading It Would Take Precious Seconds, Seconds That Couldn't Be Spared. Sharay Had Done As Was Planned, Taking Wish Out Of The Battle Path While He Cut Off The Enemy From Following.

As He Holstered His Pistol, The Galuwrath's And Their Commanders Began Flanking And Trying To Spread In A Circling Pattern Around Them. With A Number Of Opposition Like That He Couldn't Stand His Ground And Bring Them Down As They Came, He Had To Start Cutting Down Ranks.

And Cut Them Down He Did.

With A War Scythe Held Tight In His Hands, Arcs Of Jade Current Running Along The Shaft Up To The Blade, His Feet Dug In To The Sand And He Came Bounding Off It With A Push That Kicked 2 Deep Holes Into The Ground Itself. The Sprint Was Fast But Powerful, Carrying Him Into The Thick Of The Galuwrath's As He Pushed More Of His Energy Into His Flesh, Giving Strength And Density To Muscle As Well As Bone. He Appeared Smaller So Obviously He Wouldn't Be As Strong As They Were, That Was The Assumption, And That Was Why The First Half Dozen Or So Went Down So Easy. They Expected To Be Faster, More Powerful, But When The Scythe Came For Them There Was Nothing They Could Do To Stop It.

Limbs Fell To The Ground, Heads Were Cleaved Off, Sometimes At The Neck And Sometimes At Mid Cranium, He Wasn't Picky -- As Long As Their Bodies Fell. Blood Dripped From Much Of The Weapon As The Galuwrath And Their Commanders Started Spreading Out More, Backing Off Slightly As They Were Forced To Readjust The Way They Were Thinking. Apparently Things Weren't As They Appeared.

About 20 Yards Away One Of The Slave Commanders Began Shouting, Pointing At The Bel Telal. The Prince Couldn't Care Less What Was Being Said, But Talking Shit Wasn't Something You Had To Catch Every Word Of. You Knew When Someone Was Doing It. Whatever The Man Said Made The Other Creatures Start To Look A Bit More Cocky, A Bit Less Concerned.

The Anger That Came Over Valorius Showed On His Face, Wrath Burning In The Jade Depths As Sharay Suddenly Appeared By Him Again. Her Timing In Saying What She Said Couldn't Have Worked Out Better -- Or Worse, Depending What Side You Were On.

“Come on boy. Surely that’s not all you’ve got?”

The Instant The Words Left Her, His Teeth Clenched And He Stabbed His Scythe Into The Sand Before Moving Directly At The Commander. The Slaver Shouted And Tried To Appear Menacing, But It Didn't Have The Desired Effect As The Young Prince Kept Coming Until He Was Only A Foot Or So From The Larger Man. The Commander, More Massive In Size, Shouted Down At Him While Readying His Axe, And The Prince Responded Without Delay. Cocking His Leg Behind Him, His Hips Did A 90 Degree Turn In A Fraction Of A Second, Bringing His Left Shin At The Mans Knees. The Impact Didn't Just Take The Legs Out From Under The Slaver, It Did So With Enough Speed And Momentum To Put The Mans Body Horizontally In The Air. The Bel Telal Followed Through With A Hammerfist Of His Right Hand Down Into The Commanders Chest Cavity.

The Body Would've Have Fallen Back To Earth On Its Own, But The Impact Of The Blow Drove It Down With Enough Force To Bury It Six Inches Deep In The Sand. The Front Of Its Chest Had Concaved In The Shape Of His Fist, And Blood Pooled In The Hollow Of The Sternum As The Commander Lay Dead With Eyes Wide Open. There Was No Twitch, No Shout Of Pain, His Chest Having Been Crushed And The Heart Behind It Ruptured With 1 Strike. Blood Dripped Off Of Valorius' Fist As His Eyes Panned Over The Beasts In Front Of Him With Contempt. The Creatures Shifted Their Attention Between The Bel Telal, And Their Fallen Leader Nervously.

"Your demon brought you to Hell. And you're all going to FUCKING BURN!"

~====================================~


The Fighting Continued. Sharay Had The Time She Needed To Give Wish The Power To Do What Needed To Be Done, And In The Distance Hear Could Hear The Sound Of His Elites Engaging The Manipulated Members Of The Protectorate, But His Mind Was On The Here And Now Not The There And Then. At Least Until He Heard Amunette Scream. His Attention Shot In That Direction, Across The Distance, As His Left Hand Crackled With Surges Of Energy While A Shade Tried Desperately To Pull Free Of It. With No Real Physical Tissue To Deal With The Dark Energy Was More Easily Collected And Concentrated Into His Jade Palm Before Being Thrown At An Approaching Squad Of Galuwraths. The Shade's Harvested Energy Detonated On Impact With Physical Mass, Killing 2 And Wounding The Other 3 In A Violent Flash Of Blackened Light. The Bel Telal Didn't Survey The Damage Though, His Eyes Just Kept Focused In Amunette's Direction..

..At Least Until He Heard Her Primal Scream. Then He Knew, She Was All Right.

The Soldiers Carrying Madrin's Banner Were The First To Cross Over From Their Own Private Engagement, And Into The Heart Of The Fight. The Sounds Of Steel Meeting Flesh, And The Life Essence Being Pulled From A Screaming Soldier Were Struggling For Dominance Upon The Field. It Was A Moment Of Clarity, One Of Those Brief Instances In A Violent Struggle Where You Had The Time To Pause And Take Everything In -- The Sights, The Sounds, All Of It. There Was Fighting And Dying In All Directions, And If He Were Honest With Himself He Couldn't Remember The Last Time He'd Felt So Peaceful. Not Because Of The Intensity Of Battle, Or The Bloodlust Of War, Though They Were Potent Too, But Because Of All The Consequences That Were Finally Being Delivered To Those Who Had Avoided It For So Long.

Vengeance Was Finally Being Realized.

Valorius Used Those Brief Few Moments Of Respite To Unholster His Double Barrel (Over-Under) Percussion Pistol And Reload It. The Action Of Placing Powder, Then Minie Ball, Ramming The Rounds Down, And Setting The Caps Took 9 Seconds. Long Enough For Him To Have Roamed His Attention Across The Field And Assess The Current Situation.

Wish Passed Through His Field Of Vision, Dealing With The Shadow-Spectres While Sharay Lobbed Spheres Of Pure Chaotic Energy At Gethe. He Saw His Elites From The Corner Of His Eye, By Now The 2 Battles Had Slowly Merged Into 1 Large Scale Conflict. The Corpses Of Galuwraths And Soldiers From Some Clan That Followed Gethe Were Lining The Ground. Their Blood Coated The Sand In All Directions And Turned Much Of It Into A Gritty Paste, Like A Beach During Low Tide. It Was The Crux Of The Battle, You Could Just Feel It In The Air. Then, As Quickly As It Had All Began, The Sound Of Pain And Anger Roared Over The Desert.

Valorius Looked Quickly In Gethe's Direction Just In Time To See Madrin Standing With His Sword Buried Deep In The Demon Lord. Amunette Stood Behind Gethe, The Look Of Satisfaction On Her Face As She Saw The Demon Impaled Told Him Everything That Needed To Be Said.

They Had Won.

~====================================~

The Sensation That Some Type Of Heavy, Invisible 'Fog' Had Been Lifted From The Field Was Almost Immediate. Enemy Troops Began To Surrender The Second They Noticed Their 'Dark Messiah' Had Been Run Through. Members Of The Protectorate Began To Regain Their Senses, However, While Enemy Troops Might Have Been Taken As Prisoners -- The Protectorate Soldiers Were Not So Lucky.

His Elites Knew No Rage, But They Knew No Mercy Either. When Given An Order They Would Follow That Order Until It Was Complete. No One Had Told Them To Stop Once The Influence Of Gethe Was Gone, So As Many Of Heruin's Own Guard Began To Regain Their Wits -- They Woke Only To Find That They Were Still Being Slaughtered. Only Now It Wasn't Due To Their Attack Against Their Superiors, It Was Because Of Their Revealed Weakness.

Valorius Said Nothing As He Walked, Hearing Protectorate Members Yell For Him, Calling Out That They Were All Right. It Didn't Matter. They Couldn't Be Trusted And That Was The End Of It. As He Pulled His Scythe From The Sand He Looked Up Just In Time To See Madrin Kissing Wish. A Shake Of His Head Came As He Moved Across The Field, Making Sure That His Forces Were Doing Their Part In Cleaning Up The Left Over Opposition. By The Number Of His Elites That He Saw, The Loses Hadn't Been Overly Severe, And They Along With Newly Arriving Members Of The Protectorate (Who Hadn't Been Caught Under Gethe's Power) Were Dealing With The Remaining Threat.

A Commander Of A Military Force Only Had Purpose On The Field For As Long As The Battle Was Raging, And Once It Stopped That Meant All Decisions Fell To Those Who Ruled Over The Territory Itself, Namely Amunette. His Job Was To Protect The Continent And Remove Threats Be They Foreign Or Domestic, And Now That The Threat Was Over Amunette Was Taking Care Of Her Leadership Duties, Instructing Elites And Protectorate Alike On Who To Take Prisoner And Who To Bleed Out In The Sand. So While She Took Care Of That He Continued To Walk The Field Idly, Until Seeing Sharay.

He Couldn't Say Why He Walked Over, It Wasn't As If He Had To Check On Her Safety. To Say Thanks For Staying Seemed Pointless. So Why Then Go Over To Her? By The Time He Reached Her His Pistol Had Been Holstered And His Scythe Was Rendered To Particles And Drawn Back Within His Glowing Left Arm. He Stopped In Front Of Her And Just Eyed Her For A Few Moments Before Reaching His Right Hand Inside His Coat, The Action Similar To When He Drew His Gun. Only This Time It Wasn't A Pistol He Brought Out, It Was A Book.

The Binding And Cover Were Very Worn, At Least A Century Old Or So. Eying The Cover A Moment He Began To Speak, Not Raising His Eyes To Her At First.

"My mother showed me this book when I was little. I've read it...at least fifty times. When I was a kid it was all about the swords, the fighting with honor, being a hero, all the typical things. When I got older it stopped being about that..and it became about the message. It helped me figure out who I was, and what it meant to be me."

Finally He Looked Up At Her From Under The Brim Of His Hat, Running His Thumb Down The Spine Of The Book As He Handed It Off To Her. On The Cover It Said 'Les Trois Mousquetaires'.

"Don't ask me why I'm giving it because..I honestly couldn't tell you. I don't know what it's supposed to mean to you, and if you want the truth..the book's not even that good." Laughing A Little As He Said The Last Bit, He Continued. "I guess...seeing you still here, knowing you could've hauled ass at any time once you had what you needed, it makes me think that maybe..the message in it will mean something to you too." When She Took It He Smiled And Glanced At The Book Before Looking Back To Her.

"Un pour tous, tous pour un."

The Words Were Spoken With A Flawless Accent As He Flashed Her A Brief Grin, Reaching Out And Touching Her Shoulder With A Thankful Nod. After That, He Turned And Walked Off Before She Could Ask Any Questions, Heading For Where He Saw Amunette Still Calling Out Instructions To Their Protectorate. When He Reached Her, He Forced An Incredulous Look On His Face.

"About Goddamn time you showed up."

Was He Grinning? Yes He Was. Would He Pay For It? Most Definitely. Was It Still Completely Worth It? Absolutely.

Satisfaction? No, that wasn't quite satisfaction that Valorius saw written on her face so much as manic disbelief over the kill she had craved was stolen from her at the last minute. And by who? A man who had allowed his mind to be manipulated, who had been absent from the entire battle until the last minute when he appeared out of no where to sink his blade into Gethe's chest. And somehow, after everything that had led up to this moment, it was enough to defeat their adversary. To say it was less than fulfilling to the blood thirsty Padishah would be a gross understatement and, to top it all off, the blast of Gethe's defeat at the hand of Madrin's enchanted sword was enough to launch her back at least ten feet where she hit the sandy ground with a thud and sudden loud crack of energy as her own life force again connected with the ley lines that crisscrossed Heruin.

Pushing angrily to her feet her crimson eyes seemed to bleed her fury at the scene that greeted her, Gethe was defeated leaving nothing more than his foot soldiers to defeat, it was over, they had “won”..if you could call it that. For her it wasn't quite over yet, the adrenaline still flowed, her desire to tear flesh, to break bones, and draw blood still coursed through her, and it couldn't be assuaged by killing Gethe's sniveling minions. No, it was Gethe's death she had craved, the sensation of feeling his life slip from him, and she had been denied that. The irrational part of her driven by instinct and chaotic destruction simply could not accept such a thing and overcome with mindless fury at being denied blood her head fell back and she unleashed a scream of pure frustrated fury, another crack of energy heard as the earth energy beneath her responded and arced from the ground to coil about her limbs.

It was the sniveling minions Gethe left behind who bore the brunt of her fury as she lashed out, crackling dark red energy racing from her hands with a mere gesture to strike her foes like a bolt of lightening only it was comprised of life energy, her's mingled with the Earth itself, and upon impact it drained the life force of it's victim until nothing more than a dried out husk hit the ground like a discarded, sucked in, juice box. None who stood in her way were spared be they Gethe's forces, or her own. The enslaved Protectorate members had begun to regain their wits and, seeing her approaching, called out to her, begging their Princess for mercy, for forgiveness, but she had no words of comfort for them. Her orders stood and they would be cut down as surely as Gethe's army would be. There was no trace of hesitation or remorse in her as she ended their pitiful lives, their blood mingling with that of the enemy as it spilled out to nourish the land of Heruin.

It was an approaching Elite that drew her from her revenge fueled fury, the monotone voice of the soldier requesting orders reminding her of her duty not only to the Elites but to Heruin itself. It was enough to halt her murderous path, but only just barely, and it was with no small amount of effort that she reigned herself in enough to start issuing orders. The fallen Elite soldiers were to be taken back to the Protectorate camp so the wounded could be tended and the dead buried. Though the battle still waged around her the tide was quickly turning in their favor until it was just the odd pocket of resistance that needed to be put down. More Protectorate foot soldiers arrived, those who had been strong enough to resist Gethe, and teams were dispatched to begin making pyres out of the dead bodies of Gethe's soldiers and her own ensorceled Protectorate soldiers. She wanted the stink of Gethe and his minions gone from her continent toute de suite.

The Protectorate was nothing if not efficient and once her orders were issued they were carried out with exacting precision just as with any other task they were set too. Throughout it all she had kept tabs on where Valorius was amidst the chaos, his life force like a beacon alerting her to his whereabouts and glancing towards where she sensed him she saw him standing with the woman, Sharay. It had been Ameerah Sharay had encountered before, not Amunette, so she took a moment to get her first good look at the woman. She knew Valorius had provided Sharay a body, about 5'10, dark hair, 'bout right. A light smirk touched her lips as she turned her attention towards the Elite soldier patiently waiting for it a foot or two away. The first pyre had been built as, naturally, it would likely take several to see to the cleansing of her continent. Nodding she moved to the pyre piled high with Gethe-ite's and Protectorate soldiers and, raising her right hand which still clutched the Dragon Talon she directed a burst of white hot soul energy towards the pyre, the blistering energy igniting the dead bodies and building into a roaring fire within moments. Given the majority of the people engaged in this conflict had been supernatural in origin it was always a safe bet to “kill it with fire”.

Turning from the fire she left it behind her and continued on, there was more work to be done before she could get away from this fucking place and take a bath. Jesus fuck, look at her nails!? Eventually she passed by where Madrin had managed to lip lock Wish and promptly pass out, a look of derision on her face when she gazed down at the unconscious Lord Commander of Eiler. Finally sheathing the Talons at her thighs she gestured an Elite over with an imperious wave. When the woman approached she nodded towards Madrin and any of his Blackwolf clan that might have gathered around their downed leader.

”See to it that Madrin and his people are escorted back to Eiler with all haste. I'm sure he will recover much more quickly in his own home.”

Yeah, that's right, she didn't want him on her continent any longer and if she had to open a portal and have him carried through it on a stretcher given his injuries, she would do it. He had been possessed by Gethe and, though she honestly didn't know what Gethe had used to do it, he had succeeded and that alone lowered Madrin in her estimation. She couldn't kill him like she could her own soldiers, like it or not he was the Lord Commander of Eiler. Fine then, let Eiler have him back.

The female Elite nodded and set about seeing to her Princess' orders and again Amunette was left to wander the scene, a word or direction given here or there, but for the most part the Elite's needed little supervision once an order had been given. Two more funeral pyres had been lit, the bonfires of dead flesh illuminating the area, highlighting her own blood spattered figure, as Valorius chose that moment to finally join her. Hearing his greeting a single brow rose, the grin on his face the only thing saving him from a fist to the jaw, and he likely knew it.

”Some of us had work to do, my dear Valor. We couldn't all stay on Eiler, monkey-fucking around, now could we?”

A smirk curved her lips, her familiar half smile appearing for a moment as she moved closer to him. Though there had been no real fear for his safety it was still good to see him whole and unharmed. Stranger things have happened and some day, some how, someone might get the drop on one of them. But today was not that day. She didn't stop moving until she had pressed to him, heedless of the blood that covered her, her arms going about his neck to draw him down for a long over-due kiss. When finally their lips parted she glanced to the side, at the clean up still underway.

”Let's get this shit over with. I need a bath.”

Gods help him if he agreed with her.

Sharay was picking bits of fur and flesh from under her fingernails when Madrin Kir finished what remained of Gethe thanks to Ameerah Amunette with a little help from one truly spectacular Goddess. Thought he could take what she had already stamped her claim on, did he? Arrogant bastard, where are you now, hmm? Wish had successfully managed to banish the shades, and Valorius, brandishing that nifty scythe of his, was lopping off heads and other body parts. Truly a fun time in the desert lands. As grand of a time she was having, if one could call it that, Sharay had enough of this little shindig and was fully prepared to hightail it out of Heruin back to Eiler.

She wasn’t interested, not in the very least, in the aftermath cleanup of this rather anticlimactic so called battle. Dealing with whomever remained of Gethe’s little slave trade or the Padishah’s elite military wasn’t Sharay’s business. If anything, they should be grateful she stuck around for as long as she had, but promises, promises. The Goddess sighed as she brushed sand from her legs, her onyx gaze travelling toward the fae who was then approached by the Lord Commander of the Alerian guard. As she straightened, her lips curled into what could have been taken for a smirk as Madrin kissed Wish, and she was considering applauding until the man fell flat on his face. Sharay arched a brow and shook her head, her eyes rolling in their sockets. Pitiful.

She would let Wish deal with Madrin for now, figuring someone would roll the man over before he suffocated in the sand when Valorius approached her. Arms folded across her chest, she regarded him with her impassive expression, wondering why he had bothered to head her way. Surely it wasn’t to thank her again, was it? A thousand snarky comments were already floating around her in head, fully prepared to spill off her tongue when he slid his hand inside the confines of his coat to pull out...a book?

Sharay kept whatever comments she had to herself while she watched the boy hold his book reverently in his hand as he offered his brief but personal history behind the worn leather bound tome. Why was he telling her this? Did he truly expect her to care what bedtime stories his mother read to him as a child? Trust Valorius, the rather enigmatic and unusual man that he was, to cast aside whatever celebratory victory he should have been savoring with his counterpart, in favor of some misplaced bonding moment with her.

Still she hadn’t budged an inch even as he handed it over to her, her previous dead stare she had been giving him had wavered some. A look of confusion passed over her features as she took the book in hand and lowered to her head to actually look at the offering. Whatever was engraved on the cover was alien to her, as Sharay did not have full understanding of this particular language. It wasn’t that she couldn’t learn and understand it, it was the simply matter of never having the knowledge passed onto her. While Valorius gave her his reasoning for the gift, which truthfully the boy seemed as dumbfounded by the whole thing as she was, Sharay ran the pad of her thumb over the title, only to lift her gaze when he uttered something to her that meant absolutely nothing to her, yet sounded oddly beautiful flowing from his lips.

She was supposed to say something at this point, wasn’t she? Perhaps some show of gratitude for giving her something that he obviously held dear to him, otherwise why carry it on him? All sorts of questions were posed in her mind, such as why he would even part with such a treasured item to give to her especially considering she could not even read it if she wanted. Sure he had mentioned some sort of symbolic meaning behind it, but out of all the people in the entire realm, of any realm really, she was the last person who should be receiving such.

What she should have done was hand the book back to him with a haughty toss of her head and some rude comment about how she did not require any brushing up on literary skills, as she could read just fine, and really..who had time to sit down with a book these days?

Instead, her tongue failed her even as he gave her some sort of pat on the shoulder before walking off, presumably toward Ameerah. Sharay peered down at the book once more, letting out a pent up breath before she clutched the book in hand and held it possessively to her chest. She was hardly going to go running after him babbling words of appreciation, not when she desired nothing more to leave Heruin. She would reflect over his gift at another time.

Sharay trekked through the sands to where Wish Star was with the unconscious Madrin Kir and his tribe of wolves who would no doubt tend to their fallen leader. Sharay pushed past a few Blackwolves until she fixed her gaze upon Wish, not particularly concerned for Kir since should could very well see he was breathing. “Are we quite finished here?” She asked in a bored tone. “I -do- have other matters to attend to, you know? Play nursemaid to your boyfriend later, fae. We are leaving...now.”

And then it was over. Gethe was gone. His slaves had been defeated and all that was left in Heruin was good number of wounded and dead people from the Padishah's forces and the Blackwolf clan. Wish didn't actually see that Gethe was finished off, but it was obvious to her at least. His influence had been finally pulled away from Aleris' night sky and for that she breathed a short sigh of relief.

Honestly, with the amount of injured and dead, Wish was overwhelmed. Having just gotten finished banishing the Shades, the strange exhilaration that came with battle was quickly replaced by sadness, hurt and anguish. She could feel it in the air and though she wanted to run around and heal each and every single one of them, she could not. Physically, she had sapped herself dry from magic and she was subject to a constant pain in her side from the gash she had received earlier. She would be the first to admit, at this point in time, Aurora's Paladin was useless.

It was Madrin's cry of pain as he landed next to her that jarred Wish momentarily from her trance. Wish went to help him stand up, her hands reaching out, but the Lord Commander of Eiler struggled and managed to get up on his own feet without her assistance, using his sword as a sort of crutch. Before she could open her mouth to speak, to possibly scold him for even making an attempt at getting up, Madrin spoke to her in a voice that was not his own.

The Black Wolf?

What the wolf-god had said didn't register for Wish until Madrin's lips were on her own and he was kissing her. Out of the corner of her eye, Wish saw a light in Madrin's sword and then as quickly as it came, it was gone. She had no idea what happened with the light (Wish was not aware of Madrin's temporary memory loss), but Wish felt Madrin was once more himself again - once more whole. It was then that he kissed her more deeply, wrapping his arms about her form. Wish closed her olive colored eyes, but the seconds that ticked by between them were fleeting at best. Wish would have responded to him - would have said something - had the Lord Commander not passed out shortly after that little passionate display on the battlefield.

As Madrin fell into the sand, Wish noticed the reason for his fainting. Apparently his injuries had been quite severe and likely the man didn't realize the pain he was actually in. There were claw marks raked into his side from a Galuwrath and a deep gash beneath his right collar bone. Wish frowned wanting to do something, but she didn't have an effective ounce of energy in her body left.

She was stopped from kneeling down next to him when there was a small voice behind her. Wish turned on her heels in the sand to see young Nedira Kir with the rest of the Blackwolf clan flanked out not far behind her. By then, Wish wanted to cry and shout at Nedira, to grab the girl by her shoulders and ask her what in the name of Aleris' gods was she doing out on a battlefield. Instead, Wish held back the hot tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and crouched down just a bit beside Nedira, the ache in her side protesting against Wish's sudden movement.

"Nay, sweeting, save your energy for your broken and battered father," Wish said placing two hands on either of Nedira's shoulders. "I will be fine." Though Wish was sure that the blood covering her shirt and pants probably didn't make Nedira feel at ease. "Head back to Eiler as soon as possible."

Wish pulled herself away from Nedira and in-doing so, she had noticed two things: one, that the Padishah was trying to conjure a portal to get them off her land as soon as possible and two, that funeral pyres had been erected. Her nostrils were soon filled with the unpleasant smell of burning flesh, but Wish knew why it needed to be done. Most of the dead were controlled by dark forces and one sure way to rid the body of that evil was to cleanse it with flame. On the other hand, some of those bodies needed to be burned because... there was simply not enough resources to carry that much dead back to Drybrush for burial. It was no longer the starlight that lit up the desert of Heruin, but fires fueled by the dead.

For once, she was glad that Sharay had found her way over to her and was telling Wish that they needed to make an exit. This was fine for Wish; by now, she wanted nothing more than to leave the bloodied battlefield. In a sense, it was her duty as Paladin to go waltzing about and healing the injured and saying prayers for the dead, but she could not bring herself to do it and so leaving Heruin seemed the next best option.

Wish might have said something to Sharay about her comment towards Madrin being her boyfriend, but she kept her lips pursed together. She knew that in times of peril, one often tried to mask a sad and unfortunate situation with false strength. Perhaps that was what was plaguing Sharay right now and in the woman's defensive mode she needed to once more order Wish around like a flea-bitten mongrel. Wish cast her gaze to the book Sharay held in her hands and then nodded softly.

"Aye, let's go."

Jumping in the portal back to Eiler was an option, but it was not one Wish wanted to take right now. For some reason, her being rejected the very thought of magic right now. She wanted to feel "normal", whatever that was. Instead of hoping into Ameerah's portal, which would have been the easiest thing to do, she went to a Blackwolf soldier whom she asked for two horses. The young man went off and then came back just as quickly with a pair of mounts for herself and Sharay. She thanked the clan soldier and then went back to Sharay handing her the reigns of one of the horses.

As Sharay would lift herself onto her own horse, Wish stole a moment to lean down and brush her fingertips across the cheek of a sleeping Madrin Kir. She shook her head and then nodded to Nedira Kir who Wish hoped was capable of healing Madrin. Nedira was, as Wish knew, a fast learner and motivated. Despite this, Wish still wanted her to not be part of such a ghastly blood fest. At least it wasn't the worst war Wish had been part of, but Nedira was very much a child who didn't need to be here at all.

With much effort, Wish pulled herself onto her horse's saddle and situated herself, a throbbing pain in her side. A glance followed by a nod was cast in Sharay's direction. "To the nearest town, then a ship back home. I think I have enough gold left."

With that, the two women departed towards Heruin's nearest town, hopefully to make it before the sun came inching across the desert horizon.

Nedira mystically delved into to her adopted father's body as she was taught so she could take stock of his injuries. "Dear gods, I had no idea of the extent of the damage." Fear resonated in her young voice when she spoke. Madrin was missing a lot more blood than his current injuries could explain. Also, his right collar bone was broken. However, that wasn't the worst part his heart was severely damaged, a dark bruise on the skin was clearly forming over it. The mere fact that he was still alive was miraculous. This was far beyond her skills to heal at this time. Not to mention death was fast approaching like a black cloud.

She wanted to tell the lady of Heruin to cool her head as she impatiently opened a portal back to Eiler. However, she doubted the scary woman would have any sympathy for Nedira's father. He needed to go were real help could be found. She held her tears of frustration and sadness in. Her uncles and aunts carried Madrin thru while she funneled all her energy into keeping him alive.

Ranisa spoke with deep concern, once they stepped into the courtyard of Grand City castle. "Why are you so agitated Nedira?"

"I'm sorry grandmother, father is dying as we speak something has harmed his heart. Please, go find a veteran healer this is beyond my ability to fix." The littlest Kir's voice was so sad that Ranisa simply nodded and rushed off.

The young healer was on the brink of total exhaustion hours later, when help finally arrived. The man appeared to be in his late thirties and spoke very businesslike. "Good job you're a credit to the medical craft, but back up I need room to work." The child was about to faint from using too much of her power, it was best for her to rest before she made herself sick. He was amazed at the condition of the Lord Commander of Eiler who had been missing for weeks. His heart had somehow been crushed in his chest yet he still lived thanks to his devoted daughters effort. The massive blood loss reminded him of a vampire attack yet it didn't carry any viral residue. Despite that, something definitely drank large quantities of his blood. He turned his gaze on Ranisa and questioned her calmly. "Madame Kir, I need to know, what drank his blood? His heart is now working steadily, but his life is still in jeopardy."

The elder woman smiled at Nedira as she slept in her father's room in the castle. A cot had been brought in for her and placed near the bed. Ranisa heard the question and answered with authority. "I think it was probably the demon armor that latched onto him. That breed drains blood for nutrients, so it must have taken his to keep itself strong."

The skilled healer listened and jotted down some short hand notes for the archives. The blood would come back in time, Madrin was out of immediate danger for the moment. "Thank You, that information will be helpful in future incidents. Lord Kir has slipped into a coma, for now we'll have to watch him closely. He could still die, recovery is up to him now." Ranisa and Nedira were left alone as the man went off to tend to other patients. The former chief gazed at her son as he rested, and prayed to all the deities of Aleris for Madrin's recuperation.