Start: July 1st, 2013
End: December 16th, 2013

There are 49 total chapters of Seventide after you view the Story Warning page, and one extra chapter that will be revealed on the release of the second book's first chapter! This is not a short story - it is a free released-online novel series!

Seventide: Book II: Incorporeal Umbra is 200 pages in the make as I type this right now. It may be a couple more months before it is completed, drafted two times, and then released - but it is well on its way.

:EDIT 12/16/13 - The last chapter for Book I has been completed and sent online! Thank you so much for those of you who followed and favorited me! For those of you who browse through and like it, please either watch or favorite! The next book, as you can see, is well on its way and close to being done! (Re'Shuul and I are aming for the page range of at least 300. Book I was 350 after chapters were implimented.) The Warning has been updated, as well as releasing the option to be emailed the uncensored document. Please reread it if you were familiar with it before! Things have changed a little bit now that it's complete! See you next time!

:EDIT 8/26/13 - I became aware through a friend who was reading that when scenes switch, they switch abruptly with no second enter to tell you that it has. I apologize, I had no idea it wasn't doing this while I uploaded chapters until now. I have lost chapter views on a lot of the chapters this month in my records, because I went back, deleted them, and updated the documents to have page breaks. I just learned of this lovely feature above, and put it to good use. If you feel confused because something seemed to have clicked out of nowhere, you may want to browse that chapter again to see if it's a scene switch. Forever after this, I will be checking to see if a chapter has page breaks. I apologize for any confusion!

Dear Potential Reader: A Word of Warning

This is Book One of Seven Seventides.

1. At Cerulean Mirrors, you will meet Cordia and Azren. They are brother and sister and they are cambions. There is a viable reason for why they are together, which is explained briefly. You can stop reading right now if that bothers you before you even reach Chapter 1. Fair warning!

2. There is NO SEX. NONE. This is not the place to look for porn. We allude to it, we poke fun at it, and it's briefly mentioned. But everything fades to black, even in the uncensored version we have personally. We have classy incubi and succubi here. This is at its heart, an adventure story that takes place in a fantasy setting. This was purely for fun, and even though sex is a major reason for conversation, it's always in either good fun, or character depth.

3. This is censored for online reasons. Since the novel is now complete, those of you who want the uncensored version of this (which includes a completely different chapter by the way that is clipped out, and a few notable details,) can PM me your email address, and I will send it to you. Please see #2 again!

4. If it seems like there's a lot of dialogue, there is! This is an epic-long RP between myself and Re'Shuul, and it's formatted and gone through three drafts to read more as a story. We will have a physical printed copy with a few more spelling errors and slight changes. We are unsure whether we will open this option up for readers at the moment, given we're still working out bugs on how it will work...

5. The logo design is mine on the cover there. I specifically designed it for this novel. All of the logos on the Seventide books are done from scratch by me, so I wil know if these are stolen. Don't do it. Each logo will have a different theme for each new book that comes out.

2: C#1 - A Little Murder

The roads were smooth and even, a grand improvement from the shoddy cobblestone that had been there a scant few months ago. Sediment from the coast and alchemical binding had made creating such a beautiful surface incredibly simple. The entire town was done up with the sturdy rock, a fact that Kale was thankful for – not only because it made the area more aesthetically pleasing, but because he could walk silently without wearing shoes and worrying about his feet. The surface was still warm from the day's sun as he crept behind the person he was watching.

From his belt he drew a smooth, well-polished silver dagger, honed to a razor's edge. He caught his reflection in the blade and smiled briefly before returning his gaze to her. He followed along for a moment more, waiting until she turned the corner towards the cemetery. She shouldn't be wearing red.

All thought had left his mind – it left behind only a smooth, flowing stream of consciousness. His body relaxed entirely, sending a shudder through his shoulders. His senses began to pick up everything around him, from the subtle blowing of the wind, to the voices three rows of buildings down, to the frantic caw of a crow up on the roof near him. Legs moved on their own, carrying forward, careful, avoiding leaves. Grip tightened, eyes scanned, heart pounded. Light was brighter.

Hate. Muscles tensed. Time slowed. Feet landed ahead. Head didn't turn. Couldn't hear. Heard everything. Breathing. Slow, calm pulse. Body moved, all at once. Hands grabbed. Sharp metal pierced. Scream muffled. Red. Wet. Anger. Body went limp. Soft thud against the smooth ground. Shudder. Relief. Everything was quiet. Everything was alright. Nothing… There was nothing to worry about.

His thoughts returned to him. He stood back and admired the blood pouring ever so lightly from the corners of her mouth and down her chin. Her eyes, like simple glass instead of perceptive windows to the soul, stared at him, slowly rolling back.

He heard small footsteps a single row away. He tensed and rushed, grabbing the body of poor Anise, and laid her down close to the shadowed wall of the nearby building. Pulling his black cloak from his pack and throwing it over himself, he sat down in a corner, knowing that his disguise would likely not work. Patiently, he kept a grip of his dagger and waited.

----------

She slipped through the allies and stole what she could. People left all sorts of things out there, it was almost ridiculous. Bread, cheese, sometimes wine; occasionally she was lucky and found something sweet, like a pastry. By the time she finally reached the town, she noticed that she held onto so much food that she needed a basket for it.

When she dashed for the edge of town to avoid notice, she hid her stash inside a hollow tree trunk that she'd dug out herself. She would come back for it later, when she found a safe place to sleep that night. Running into the town again, Bri looked for something to entertain her.

She caught the scent immediately. The coppery stench she was so familiar with. She backed herself against the wall, took off her tattered shoes, and tip-toed like a fox to the edge of an alleyway where it wafted from. She sniffed the air several times to make sure she had the right place, and then tipped her head in ever so slightly to see what she could see.

If someone was inside, she wouldn't want to be noticed. Was someone just stabbed and did someone come to their aid? No. There was no screaming, no commotion, and no crying. It was certainly a killer. She wondered if he or she was still in the area, and crept-back-to-the-wall into the alley.

Something shifted in the breeze, a black piece of cloth that she didn't notice before. It huddled like a lump in the back, and she froze where she was, heart pounding.

For a brief moment, Kale didn't dare move. His vision obscured by the fabric, he judged by the sound of the falling footsteps. Small, female, perhaps elven, definitely light on her feet.

He reached up, incredibly slowly, and gripped the cloak in his left hand, readying a strike from his right.

In one movement, he shot up from his crouching position, tossed the cloak into the face of his oncoming attacker – he assumed; most would have fled at the sight of the corpse – and leapt up to tackle her to the ground, aiming for the shoulders. A concussive blow to the head against the street would give him the time to properly dispose of her.

Except he missed.

As the black cloth hit her body, she went straight down with it on purpose, hidden beneath it in one quick action, and rested herself belly-flat to the ground. As small as she was, she would virtually disappear. The second he'd become confused and lift it up, she'd nab him. But all she heard was a running sound, and a thump.

She lifted the fabric from herself, and stood in the middle of the alley, looking at the groaning thing on the ground. That wasn't the body, she supposed, and glanced around while he recuperated. There was a dead, bloody female in the corner, but to her disappointment, she was much too large to move. Angry and disappointed, she looked back over at the attacker, and murderer.

"You there," she said flatly. "Give me that corpse."

The world wouldn't stop moving without him. He stood up and took a step back and let his vision clear. He looked down at the halfling and heard her speak, but it took a moment for the words to register in his head.

She's fast enough to avoid me, and smart enough to not let herself get hurt. If she was honestly going to attack me, she would have done it already. "Fine, take it. If you get caught, it'll be your responsibility. Try to get me in serious trouble – and that's happened a few dozen times – and I promise you you'll regret it."

He picked his cloak up and leaned over his kill, removing a small silver necklace with a pendant attached. "She's all yours," he said, and began to walk away slowly, cautious of any sudden moves.

She stared at it for a moment, and then cringed. "Actually, I'm going to need you to cut her up for me. She's too big," she said in her weird, flat voice. "There's no way I can lift her. Those of your own height and weight can hardly carry your own species." She wondered what the use of the necklace was, and also wondered if maybe that was why he murdered the girl. She quirked an eyebrow at her mangled body. "So, uh, what'd she do?"

Kale shrugged and opened his pack, stashing the locket and taking out a keen edged steel saw. "It's a long story. The short of it is, she made me a promise that she couldn't keep… I promised her I'd never hurt her… I guess we're even." He frowned as he cut through tendons at the joints. Such a shame, she always did have such great skin. "Oh well. So, what do you want with her?"

He picked up the pieces and shoved them into a watertight bearskin sack and slung it over his shoulder. "And where am I taking the poor little bitch?"

The girl tipped her head to the side. "I don't live anywhere in particular, but I have a hollowed out tree right now, which is where I want to go. As soon as I get settled somewhere safe, I'll strip all her flesh, and clean the bones. I want them."

She stepped out into the street, and wondered what the stupid girl did. At the moment, she had work to do, and she shoved it out of her mind.

Quietly they strode out, past the buildings, past the people, past the guards – who assumed he'd been out hunting, as expected – and out into the clearing a few minutes away. He'd done it a dozen times. He didn't even flinch as the guards asked him what he'd bagged this time. He just kept walking, wondering, and keeping an eye on the girl as they traveled.

Eventually she pointed the tree out to him, and he arranged the limbs neatly in their proper order, lain out flat on the ground. He rinsed out the bag, emptied his pack, and stuffed it in the bottom. As he did so, he caught her curious gaze aimed unmoving from the tiny silver chain that dangled out of one of the pockets.

"Not going to be satisfied until you know, huh?"

"I'm mildly curious," she said looking awkwardly at the body in front of her. "I have a little bit of a problem myself. Wondered if we shared a common goal."

She reached into the trunk, and pulled out a snack she'd stolen earlier, and munched on it. When she was done, she also reached in, and pulled out a book which she had covered in leaves and dirt, and then opened it to a specific page.

"Found it," she said to herself, and then walked over to the corpse.

"Right, well, without getting too sappy, I used to love her. I traveled around a lot, going treasure hunting, mild banditry, occasional bouts of being a knife-for-hire. Told her one day I'd save up enough to build a place out in the woods where she liked it. She said she'd wait for me…" He casually began to remove the scraps of cloth from the body. "Well, one day this cocky drow noble, some kind of lord or something, comes along and sweeps her off her feet. Just like that, she broke a two year promise, and didn't even tell me until I found them together. The pendant belongs to him. I'm going to find out where he lives and kill him too. I guess that's all there is to it."

He stared at her dead face, and smirked. "I know what you're doing. Only two things that mages do with corpses. Just don't bring her back as anything intelligent, she'll be more hassle than she's worth."

The little halfling couldn't smile. She was in the same boat after all. "Actually, the coincidence of this situation is baffling. I'm raising her skeleton, to kill a lying lover, myself." Her voice was dark, and angry. "Being short isn't such a good thing. Not when the beautiful-faced, tall, lean," she paused and looked at him for a moment with a long knowing glance, "elves," she sneered, "are supposedly the fair folk."

She took her knife, and began to slice the meat and blood off the bones. This would take a while before she could use them.

"I'm not at liberty to go into detail about that. Let's just say I don't like my face being seen, and I don't like being short, either."

"Oh, believe me, no offense taken. My father was a total bastard. Left home when I was twelve, leaving my mother to take care of me and my sister by herself. He entertained the notion of going out and striking it rich by killing a dragon. He did, actually. He also bled out pretty quick. Idiot didn't even bother trying to cover his trail. I guess he figured I'd never come looking for him. Anyway, I guess I can thank him for my dexterity, but that's about it."

He glanced down and smiled at her. "You know, it's not as bad as it seems. You could be a gnome."

She shrugged. "I had a friend who was a gnome once. She was slightly taller than me, but she had this theory that I was a 6 year old child, and couldn't do anything by myself, and without her magic. I just stopped talking to her. It wasn't worth it to kill an old friend over being over protective, but I didn't want to be friends anymore either. So I just moved on."

The bastard came to mind again, and she stopped scraping, and stared into the grass, remembering something awful she'd heard him say, while he had that little, blonde elf against the wall, pounding her, saying something along the line of, "she was too small to do anything fun with…"

In rage, she accidentally slipped the blade on the bone, and sliced her hand.

He cringed, knowing all too well the feeling of accidentally injuring yourself while doing something grizzly. It'd happened scores of times. Enough, in fact, to validate him taking time out to learn the little trick that he was about to offer. "That's going to get infected. It'll be pretty fast too. Let me take a look at it for you?" For once, in the past few weeks, he actually smiled. "My name's Kale, by the way. I just realized that we hadn't exchanged them yet, and here we are telling our life stories."

The halfling cringed. "Yeah. I don't have a name. The street kids call me Bri, the Bone-thief. I don't know what the 'Bri' means, but I get the Bone-thief part pretty well. They know I steal corpses. I've had a few of them ask me to do them a favor with a neighborhood bully, but never any murders. I'm more of a scavenger." She rolled her red eyes. "I want a cloak. Do you know where I can find one?" She held out her hand, and winced. Ouch.

He thought for a moment and remembered the words. They were hard for someone who hadn't had any formal education. He took her hand between hers and uttered a phrase in an demonic dialect. A soothing warmth spread from his core, down through his fingertips, and flowed into her. The wound would itch incredibly for a split second as it was magically cleaned, and then knit itself together with minimal scarring. In a moment, he lifted his hand and was satisfied with his results. "Take a look."

He got up and started digging around in his pack for the heavy, black cloak and his leather trimmers. He held it up to her and started cutting. "This will have to do until we can get you something a little more fashionable. It should fit perfectly. I've had a lot of practice, you see. Too many times my clothes have gotten torn and needed repaired before I walked into town looking like I'd been ravaged by a werewolf." He held it up and tossed it to her.

She flushed with embarrassment at her slip, and muttered a quick thanks as she rubbed her palm. In the woods, if she'd done that, she was on her own with some leaves and a few scrap pieces of cloth she could steal. She whipped the cloak over her. When she finished, she yanked up the bulky hood, and relaxed. "Much better," she said, and smiled that her body was concealed and warm. No more chill nights.

She looked at the body and cringed. It would take her quite a few nights in order to get all the flesh stripped off. She grabbed her knife, and began again, carefully, and tried to go as quickly as she could. "I want that bastard dead. And I'm not going to jail for it either," she growled, and looked up at him. "I'll be a while. You can go if you want."

He laughed and reached down to his belt, pulling out a hard, mithril razor roughly three inches in length. He picked up a leg and began carving. "A few things. One, you are way too much fun to just leave right now. You're more interesting than all the people in this town put together. Two, I don't actually live here. I stop by frequently enough that everyone knows me. There's a city about two weeks south of here that I own a shack near, that someone has probably already taken up residence in. And three, I am notmissing out on the opportunity to see this bitch serve someone hand and foot. Literally, if you should ask." He grinned like an idiot and picked the femur in his hand clean.

She smiled, finally glad to not be by herself anymore. The woods were a lonely place, especially when all people wanted from you was some undead favors. It was a wonder the townsfolk hadn't found her in order to kill her yet. Necromancy was such an evil thing.

For the next four days, she cut, and bleached the bones, making sure to keep them as neat as possible. The rest of her skin, she sliced off into strips, and tanned as human leather. They would come in handy later. Things such as her heart, she enchanted so as to not rot for a certain amount of time, and stuck them in her satchel for later use. Things were pretty much set now.

"It's time to put her together. I'm assuming you want to watch?" Her tone implied a grin, and her eyes were squinted a little bit to punctuate it.

He quickly scanned their surroundings and pulled out a bit of jerky and chewed as he nodded. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," he replied, malice and curiosity lacing his words. This really was something he had to see, though he was unsure. He usually laid low, but this felt like the beginning of an exciting new direction in his life. He smiled and stood back to watch the magic.

Bri picked up the book, and practiced her incantation in her head a few times, before placing it back on the stump, and standing next to the bones. She'd bound them together with string and wire earlier in their proper order, and now it merely needed movement.

She shouted the words, and watched as the little, jangling, white pieces rattled and stood. They wavered for a moment, looking around in slight confusion, and then noticed Bri. She strolled shakily over to her side, and hovered there, swaying.

She nervously laughed. "I'm not too fantastic at it yet," she said. "She'll fall apart in two days and I'll have to put her back together again. Though there was a time where I split… nevermind."

Kale got up and viewed the work of art before him. He gazed into the hollow eye sockets and smiled, dark and hateful. A few of Anise's ribs were still cracked from when he had killed her, but other than that, the skeleton was in perfect condition. Heh, she's finally doing something useful!

"Wow, this is perfect. Glad you managed to put her to good use! If you're honestly concerned about your abilities, there's a friend of mine I can show you to. His knowledge of magic so far could bypass all of my experience in my whole life thus far. Say, that brings up a question. This person you're having Anise kill, where does he live?"

Bri contemplated an answer for a moment, and concluded that she did need some training. She wanted to make sure she didn't completely mess something up somewhere along the line, and destroy a whole town by accident, or be in a fight and have her little minion collapse before her.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," she said slowly. "And I hate to tell you, but he's clear across the country, and up into the north where it's barren and cold. I have a long way to go, and as small as I am, I can't travel fast." She gathered her little bit of belongings. "I'm actually going to head out now. No point in staying here anymore."

He couldn't help but laugh a little. "You're kidding. You've got to be. The only place up north from here, where it's as cold as you say, is Drelenor, the elven city." He stared up at the sky and shook his head, "which is exactly where my drow adulterer is holed up. Probably. Unless he's down in Skosglen, which is only a day or so away from Drelenor anyway. This… I'm starting to think you were supposed to catch me."

He reached down to his belt and pulled out a small bag, from which he pulled an even smaller bag. He took this one and stretched it until it was about the size of the halfling's head. He reached in and pulled out a handful of small jewels of a myriad of colors.

"This is just a fraction of what I have saved up. I really did have all the money needed for that house I mentioned. But that's behind me now. We can buy a horse with this, and probably some supplies. What do you say?"

A pretty harsh curse to be murdered, and then caught by a necromancer too. No peace, eh? You really must have messed up, she thought.

She looked around, surveyed the sky, and then back down to the town. It was definitely time to go. She'd already stayed here way too long, and didn't want noticed by the townsfolk.

"Oh, one more problem," she said nonchalantly. Better drop it easy on him. "I have a friend who's going to be following us. He's my, how do you say, bitch?" she said, and then stood up.

Kale turned away for a second and glared down at the knife in his boot. One too many times he'd had a third accomplice get in the way and need dealing with. He chuckled lightly and responded, "Heh, if he's any bit as interesting as you are, I'm sure I won't mind. We should head north immediately. There's a small trading outpost run by some goblins where we can buy supplies and warmer clothing before the land turns into a damned tundra."

He put his money away and began putting together a collapsible dwarven-craft bow he had in his pack. The pieces fit together perfectly, and the metal was oddly flexible. He strung it and slung it over his shoulder.

"So, is he going to meet us somewhere? Or should we just wait for him?"

She laughed a little bit. "Don't worry about him. He has no brains in order to do anything by himself, so don't mind his appearance. He's as empty-minded as my little bony friend here," she said with a flat grin. "It's because he decided to disobey on one too many occasions, and I took his freedom away. Among something personal he's done to me in the past," she growled.

From under the cloak he gave her, she pulled out a small silver whistle, and blew into it. A double voiced, ringing high note pierced the air, and echoed off into the wilderness.

Off in the distance, an answering, deeper note echoed off the trees, and back to her. A blue shape flew down from the air, and landed beside her, thin and jingly. He swayed a little, and seemed to stare off into space, not quite there, but still aware at the same time. She looked up at him. "Couldn't listen, could you? Nope. Had to run off and piss off that village, who went and got friends. Damn near killed us," she spat. "You're better this way. Now let's go, you have dirty work to do," she said venomously.

She grabbed her new friends hand and smiled. "Ready?"

He stood back and studied the creature. "This one's very stable. Not decomposed at all. It even responds to non-direct, non-verbal commands. How is it you've made this but can't keep the bitch animated for more than a few days at a time? Come on, talk while we walk, it's a long way." He slung his arrows across his back and began a slow, easy pace so that she could keep up.

3: C#2 - The Knilington Goblins

She padded along beside him with her little feet, and laughed. "Well, I didn't make him. I summoned him in a circle once, to see if I could do it, and he didn't help me very much. He followed me because I made him," she smiled, "and because I wrecked his world. I figured out a necromancy spell that makes a demon pay attention, since it found a loophole with the connection of death and demons. They're dead," she said with a grin. "Nexus," she commanded, and then he turned his dead, empty eyes on her. "Dance, will you? It is indeed, a long walk."

"You… you do have him under perfect control, right?" Kale couldn't help but shudder, and made a mental note to buy some cold-iron weapons to better pierce the demon's unholy flesh should anything go wrong. A particularly nasty deal went wrong a few years back. It was a simple job, just go find Ejmidan and snag the item from him. In a flash of horns, fangs, and fire, Ejmidan nearly devoured him on the spot as soon as he opened the infernal bastard's door. He ended up fleeing to the local hall of the Mage's Guild where one of the senior conjurers was barely capable of sending him back. Ever since then, he'd been wary of anything of abyssal origin.

"Not that I worry, mind you, I just wouldn't want him getting into any trouble, as you seem to say that he has a problem with."

The fool twirled and danced around them, flat-faced, and empty. She watched him for a while, and then let him do his own thing when she clapped her two hands together and dismissed him. He followed behind, beside, or ahead, always shifting like a little doll.

"He has a problem with pranks, and jokes, and general clown mischief, but it got me chased out of an entire town once when he commented on my necromancy skills, and the town decided to investigate my house." She bitterly growled. "I ran for a month from those people. They were fast, and they were relentless. I lost my mule in the chase, and they took most of my possessions too. Ever since, I've wandered from place to place, and took his freedom as punishment. I've taken it from him several times before. You don't have to worry about that now," she said.

She looked forward to reaching the town. The sooner she got her vengeance the better. The best part was she didn't have to do a single thing. The corpse would do the dirty work, and the demon would take his soul. What was better?

The beginning to their journey went incredibly fast. Between walking and hunting, Kale barely noticed each night that the sun had set. Fresh stew was served each night – luck was on their side when it came to oblivious deer who practically walked into his arrows. It was only four days until they reached Knilingtin, which the goblins insisted was pronounced "kin-ill-in-juh-teen". The sign was painted shoddily, and most of the letters were backwards, but the trading tents as well as the line of customers were enormous, so apparently they were doing something right.

Kale chuckled, handed Bri some money, and began to dig through their wares for things they might need.

He picked up a couple of scrolls, a new black cowl, a cold iron sword, some alcohol that he was pretty sure could double as a poison if need be, and a new set of lockpicks. After arguing with the angry green vendor about the price, he felt sure that he was prepared to take on his new enemy.

Bri never got to shop. She'd always been too busy running and stealing it, so when Kale gave her something to run with, she knew exactly what she was going for. A red cloak.

She took her little doll with her, and ran into the vender's stations. They were everywhere, lines, and rows upon rows of items. One in particular was selling a few clothing articles. Above, hanging over the goblin's head, were robes in every color. When she walked up, and looked at them, the woman behind the counter, peered down at her, and then came out from behind her stand.

"You look a little short, girly," she said. "Do you want me to trim one of these if you get one? I'm known for my speed as a seamstress," she smiled, pretty for a goblin.

Bri smiled, and pointed to a bloody red cloak above her head. "That one is perfect," she said fondly. When her cloak was cut to size, she grabbed Nexus, and ran back to look for Kale in the throngs of people.

He spotted her in the crowd as soon as soon as she started towards him. He laughed out loud and clapped very slowly. "Ha! Look at you! Barely say a word in public and here you are dressed like the girl from the werewolf fairy-tale! Heh, I don't blame you though – how do you like mine?"

When the goblin merchant said it was enchanted, he just had to buy it. He pulled the cloak he just bought over his shoulders and let it drape over his face. As he did, his features simply vanished, leaving behind a black veil where his head should have been.

Bri laughed and clapped her little hands. "Yeah, it suits you," she said. "Really brings out the features in your handsome face." She laughed, and then twirled in the cape, looking like a tiny fan. "I like red. Reminds me of fire," she mused.

The goblin lady had been really nice to her, and she wondered where they got such a bad reputation from. They didn't seem all that bad. She looked up at the blue idiot, and then looked around the place. "I suppose I should feed him," she said. "He still needs to eat."

"Very funny." He pulled his cowl down and started walking towards the smell of fresh meats and exotic spices. Suddenly he had a thought, and Kale cringed, "When you say he needs to eat, you do mean like, normal food, right? We don't have to kill anyone and let him eat their organs? Because that would kind of cause a lot of attention. I mean, I'm not opposed to it if it's a necessity, but I'd rather avoid complications. Now, that being said, I want something delicious and coated in herbs I've never heard of before. If there's one thing that goblins are surprisingly good at, it's fine cuisine!"

She shook her head. "No, he eats sweets, and he's supposed to eat people I believe. But he uses sugar to substain because it gives him a smaller boost of the same energy rush. He's been free and went roaming about a few times, disappearing in the middle of the night when he wasn't under my command. Don't worry, he doesn't actually eat people. He's too much of a coward." She walked up to a booth, and bought a home-made donut, sticking it in his hands, and commanding him to eat. When he'd licked his gloves clean, she looked around. "Really? I didn't picture that cooking was their… hobby?"

When she spotted a little table at the corner of the procession of tables and booths, she pointed to it. "That one looks pretty interesting. Want to try there?"

A scent caught his attention – an aroma of finely seared fisherskant, a huge sea serpent usually only found in seas far to the east. He'd only been there once for a week, and the islands and their food were fabulous. It was like the whole world was designed to be a vacation spot.

When she pointed to it, Kale just nodded his head and prepared to pay whatever ridiculous price the cook was going to ask for it. "Yes, absolutely, we have to be there right now. You cannot miss out on this."

The cook was short, almost standing on the grill that he was cooking on, and had a cigar hanging from his mouth as he spoke. "Hey tha', you lookin' for somethin' amazin'? If ya' got the coin, this'll hit ya' like an ogre! I only get it 'bout four times a year! Wha'dya say?"

Kale had his money counted out and on the counter before he could even finish his sentence.

The goblin eyed the pile of rubies and gold and quickly scooped it into his coin purse before he started frying away.

In a few scant moments, he handed over two big plates of the finest food the half-elf had ever eaten.

He looked at Bri, smiled, and barely choked out a 'dig in' before he started eating.

Bri stared a little confused, and nodded to the goblin behind the counter. His personality was unique, and he seemed like he loved his job. She took a bite of the massive snake-like steak, licked the herbs that dripped down her chin, and her eyes widened.

She wolfed down a few more huge bites; her tiny mouth was almost unable to chew. "This is delicious," she growled. "I never ate anything like this before. I'm always eating left over moldy bread, thrown into the garbage," she said, and tore into another bite.

She turned around to Nexus, who hovered like a zombie. She thought for a moment, and then decided it was best he come out of his stupor now, meet Kale, and introduce himself. She snapped her fingers, and the fool gasped, shaking his head back and forth in confusion. "Whoa, you did it to me again?" He squeezed his eyes shut then, and stared at the half-elf. "Who's that?"

"Shut up, moron, eat this." She shoved a forkful of the steak into his mouth, and confused, he chewed.

"Wow, that's good actually."

"It's fisherskant." For a moment, he stared at her, but chewed anyway.

"I hate fish…"

Kale's gaze drifted out of focus, and for a brief moment he could hear the screams and the crackling of fire again. Everything took on an orange hue and he could almost feel the heat on his face – could almost smell the burning wood and the roiling smoke. Everything else seemed to fall out of focus.

There was a tone in the voice, something that all demons shared, that could not be masked, and was easily identified by those who knew it. This one had done nothing wrong thus far, but knowing that it could have its free will again made Kale shudder slightly. His whole body tensed, and the world slowly came back into focus again.

He shook his head and blinked a few times. "Huh, just got a random chill for some reason. Honestly, I'm surprised anything could distract me from this though." He continued eating, trying to reassure himself that nothing bad would happen. He ate as much as he could and sealed the rest in an enchanted silk bag to keep it preserved.

Bri smiled over at Nexus, and took another bite. "Quite tasty," he said, "for fish." He slipped a little closer to Bri, and tugged on her little, red hood. "That's new, where did you get it? You're not sleeping in rags anymore?"

"No, I bought this from a goblin merchant earlier," she said happily chewing a piece of meat. She flicked her eyes to Kale, and lowered her voice. "You should get to know him. You bother him a little."

Nexus tipped his head. "Bother? Why?"

"He has a thing with demons."

The fool tipped over, and looked at him a bit, sitting on the other side of her. "So, what do you do?" He said awkwardly.

Kale opened up his bottle of goblin liquor and took a sip, regretting and enjoying it at the same time. The bitter taste kicked all of his senses, and vaguely made the world tremble a little.

"I don't really know what I do. Right now, I'm conspiring to commit murder, after just having committed murder, for personal reasons. Occasionally I do it for business. I hunt occasionally, but it's never as fun. That about sums it up, for now at least. How about you?"

The fool puckered a lip for a moment and chewed on it. "Murder, eh? Not my style. I prefer to just ruin their lives by doing horrible things without them knowing. Ha, most think it's some kind of plagued curse that flies through their generations of family or towns."

Bri coughed and almost choked. "Which is why I stuck you under my thumb in the first place. Get stupid again, and I'll put you back out," she threatened. "Enough with your nonsense and your mischief. I'm tired of being chased around."

"That's partially why I prefer the ones that just breathe fire. Easier to track down and deal with if they get too out of hand. I'm going to guess you died early. Not 'rewarded' for being evil, like the balors and pit fiends. No, you got your new incarnation as a punishment, and just sort of went along with it? Got used to it over the years?" He shook his head and laughed. "I actually shouldn't be so critical. There's a hell waiting for me when someone finally catches me."

The demon crooked an eyebrow. "That's the majority of what Hell is. What, you think the balors are the only kind, or the most prominent? Most are humans, down on their luck who made a simple mistake," he said, and shook his head. "That's what most of the lot of us are. The balors are just the 'big bosses,' the ones who run the joint in Hell, and if you get out of line, they let you know."

He chuckled and got up from the table to stretch. "Oh well, we can discuss semantics later on. After all, we've got one hell of a trip ahead of us over the next week or so." He looked over at the halfling and chuckled a little. "Damn, you really did almost finish all that. Well, I'm sure he'll carry you if you can't keep up." He smiled and put his drink away, and took a few steps before he realized how quickly everything was moving. "Clearly I underestimated how strong this stuff was. I hope I can keep up."

Bri didn't drink anything, and leaned back on her stool against the counter with a smug grin. "A little dizzy, eh? I hope my stomach just doesn't rip or something." She stood up, stretched, groaned in a little pain, and hobbled over with stiff legs. "Off we go. Time to find this idiot, so I can feel better at night."

Nexus scratched his head. "So, I guess something happened while I was out?"

"Yeah."

"Ah. I'm guessing that's what he meant by going on another murder." He picked up a drink, chugged it as fast as he could, and then followed suit, swaying this way and that, with an amused grin.

"Mmyep, that's pretty much how we met up. She caught me trying to hide a body, and we both have someone to kill out in Drelenor… or Skosglen, not really sure where my ink-skinned nemesis is hiding out, but it has to be out there. Either way, it's only about nine or ten days away. Eleven if we stop by my friend Nerien's place to find her a tutor for her ummm… Craft…"

He waved at the goblins who were posted at the gates, and tossed them a few coins as a courtesy. "See you guys next year."

Bri grinned. "I'd love to show him a thing or two, and with some dignity," she said and squealed. "I'll make him beg first, and I'll drag his girl into the room too. She can either watch, or she can be the reason he begs. Either way, I'm going to enjoy this way too much."

Nexus winced. "You're going to Hell someday, without any sort of doubt in my mind. What about you? You don't really mean to help her?"

Kale couldn't help but stare for a moment. "Okay, let me spell this out for you. I put a knife in my lover's back, almost severing the spine a little, because I found her with another man. That same night, I began helping our friend by flaying the flesh from the bones. When she animated them, I honestly thought she was being too nice by not forcing her soul into a horrible mockery of life… And you think I'd have a problem with this?"

He blinked a minute, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are horrible." He looked at the little skeleton. "So, I'm imagining she ran into the same problem while I was 'asleep?' Because I don't remember this at all. The last thing I remember, she left on a trip, and they were the best of friends."

"I just met him, he doesn't know," she snapped, and then headed off in the direction they needed to go. The trip was a long one, and she wanted to get a move on. "Time for some fun, no? I get to scheme on what all I want to do the entire way there."

The daylight hours stretched on as usual. They kept quiet while they kept to the road to avoid raising any strange and terrified looks from the passing travelers and carts. Occasionally they would buy supplies from a passing merchant if they crossed one. They moved well into the night, sure of their ability to deal with anyone or anything that was unlucky enough to pick them as targets.

Five days passed this way. In just three more, they would be arriving on the out-skirting villages of Drelenor, and then the real fun would begin.

They set up camp as usual, and Kale began cutting up vegetables for stew. For the past few hours, however, he couldn't help but feel that he was being watched. He'd surveyed the outlaying area at least half a dozen times, and found nothing, however. "Anyone else feel weird?"

Bri poked at the fire. "Yeah. I thought I was the only one," she said. Nexus passed out on the ground in his bedroll hours ago, so she was sure he didn't feel it when she looked over. "I don't like this," she said cautiously, and looked around the woods. This wasn't the best time for a fight, and she didn't want one.

"I know, it makes me uneasy, and that never happens. I get kind of tense sometimes, but never really worried. And I know I shouldn't be. I've checked seven times. There are no tracks, no obvious signs, no goddamn trace of anything. I don't know."

He peered up at the moon hanging full at the sky, and was grateful for the light shining down so serenely. As he stirred the pot, he heard a rustling bush off out in the taller grass. He glanced down at the ground and made a note of where his knife was. "Keep talking, don't make any sudden moves," he whispered across the fire.

Bri tensed for a fight, and struggled for something to talk about. "Your vegetables; you're cutting too much of the skin off the carrots," she said pointedly. "You're going to waste half the food that way."

He wasn't really, but she took his knife to show him anyway in order to look distracted, while bending over the fire, and pretending to show him a peeling technique. "There, see? Much better."

He made eye contact with her and nodded. "Oh please, it's not like you can eat that much anyway." He rolled his eyes and reached down for the hunk of venison they had out for tonight. From the direction of the noise came a loud, deep growling that honestly made the half-elf afraid for a moment. His pupils shrunk to a pinpoint as he gave her a look that said, 'be ready to run.'

Suddenly though, it stopped, replaced by a low whimpering, and out of the brush trotted over a big black worg, far too thin for its size. With its head bowed, it walked up to the halfling and pushed its massive nose against her ribs and laid down on the ground.

She stared at it in shock, and leaned away, gaping at it like it was still in the bushes and growling at them. "What is that?"

Alarmed by the sudden quick noise, the fool sat up and looked around, grabbing a club he had resting next to his head, and then looked at the two of them. "What?" When he looked over at the huge fuzzy beast, snuggling against Bri's ribs, he stared in confusion at the two of them. Bri looked horrified, but no one was hitting it with anything. "What the hell just happened? And why does everything interesting happen when I'm asleep?"

Kale shrugged his shoulders and relaxed, tossing the huge hound a chunk of raw deer meat. "I'm not sure. From what I remember in my bestiary studies, worgs are usually extraordinarily violent. This, though, may just be a dire wolf, though they don't usually have red eyes. I'm not sure why it's not eating us. It could be a nice deterrent against thieves and marauders, and might let us all get sleep."

"Do you think he'll stay with us? Or run off later, to move on with his life? He is wild, after all," Bri said, and then looked back at it. She reached out, and slowly touched its fur, careful not to annoy it. The last thing she needed was her tiny hand bitten off.

Nexus stared at it, and untrustingly lied back down. "Whatever you say. I honestly find that wild creatures, particularly ones with red eyes, are a lot trickier than you think they are."

"And how right you are."

4: C#3 - Once Was Lost

The air grew slightly chill, and all the plants in the area began to turn grey and wilt. A tall figure took a few steps out of the brush, not making any noise as he moved. His skin was pale like marble against the moonlight, and his eyes glowed a bleak crimson in the darkness.

Kale glared at the intruder, into his smoldering eyes, and suddenly could not bring himself to draw his blade against him. He stood and took a few steps back as the man stepped forward to meet his retreat.

"Lokir, my loyal hound, thank you for lulling these sad folks into a sense of security. Now, let's not make any sudden moves, shall we?"

"Sense of security?" Bri sneered. "I've been leaning away from this fuzzy little mouth full of teeth for the last 15 minutes he snuggled into me. Sense of security my ass," she said, and then slowly stood up. "What do you want, and what are you doing here?"

The jester let out a loud groan. "You see? This is what I mean. If I'd seen that thing before you guys let it come into our camp and touch Bri, I could have told you that, but no. I had to be asleep. From now on, I'm keeping my eyes open." He stood up, and his pupils contracted into little black slits. "I agree with the halfling. What do you want?"

"It doesn't matter if you've truly felt safe, you didn't immediately leap up to kill me as soon as I stepped through. My name is Viktor, and you all have the misfortune of being my victims tonight," he smiled evilly, "except you, fool."

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small silver ring. He looked at it and snickered before tossing it to the garishly-dressed fool. "You really shouldn't let her push you around like that, by the way. I have no need for you, so you can leave if you want."

Kale closed his eyes and thought of other things. Anything but the haunting voice of his new attacker. It sounded so… sure. So powerful, like a raw force given form through sound. It shamed him to think of it, but he could not come to feel anger against him. He desperately tried to find a way to ready himself.

Bri stood up to her full height, which still wasn't much higher than Kale's hip, and boldly stepped close to the man in front of her. Her little cloak billowed a little, revealing a chain of teeth around her hips like a skirt. "You have roughly four seconds to step out of this camp, before I show you what evil really is," she said, and beneath her hood, two glowing orbs began to shine through the darkness.

The fool looked over, and then glanced back and forth between the two. So small. She was so frail that he wondered how she managed in the world, but the few times he'd seen her snap, he'd actually feared her, and she wasn't even a demon. His eyes widened and he looked to the stranger. "I'd listen," he said. "There's no reason to fight here."

Viktor laughed, an eerie sound that carried a desolate tone in it. "You two are not my concern. You could not stop me even if you tried, of this I am sure. Countless others have said the same, and their vital essence always ended up perpetuating my existence, the same way yours will soon. It is a good fate. At least you might claim that you contributed to something much greater than yourself." He smirked and took a few steps towards his enthralled victim. "Let us take a look, shall we?"

Kale felt a strange sensation in his head, as though his skull were ablaze. Quickly, however, it passed, giving way to a much odder feeling, like his memories and thoughts were part of some long forgotten story that he was no longer a part of. He dropped to his knees and stared blankly into the night sky.

Bri stared, and looked around for the pile of bones she'd let wander in the woods for a while. When she caught a glance of it, and it was close enough, she motioned with her hand, and grabbed a hold on its essence. When the skeleton caught a glimpse of her, it trudged its way back, slowly and quietly. She only had one shot. If she messed this up, she would have nothing to fight back, and her bluff would be found.

It wandered its way behind the man and his wolf, and she motioned for it to grab its knife. When the time was right, she ordered it silently to stab him in the back of the neck.

The vampire had developed keen ears over the past century or so, but bones make very little noise when under the command of a necromancer. As he peeled back the layers of memories in the half-elf's mind, his surroundings became less prominent. He barely turned in time to see the blade shining mid-swing. His flesh was tough, but the necrotic strength of the skeleton was stronger. The steel struck deep, carving through sinew and grinding against the bone, letting loose a stream of near pitch-black blood. He screamed, a horrible sound like a dozen voices calling out in agony at once, and fell to the ground.

The connection was not slowly let loose the way it should have been. It was suddenly severed, and so Kale's psyche snapped. He flopped into a heap on the ground, and watched a storm of experiences float by his vision in random succession, passing out of his reach and into oblivion.

The fool caught sight, and rushed over with two glowing blue fingers, and touched his forehead with icy cold water, trying to wake him up.

When he was certain he'd at least stabilized him, he called to Bri. "I don't know if I can hold him together. He's losing his memories. He's kind of in a stasis right now. You wouldn't happen to be able to wake him up, would you?"

She stared. "What? What? I can try to wake him up, but that's all." She leaned down, and dabbled a few water drops on his face from her water skin.

Some things made sense, though most did not. It was no longer a storm, more like pouring ichor, thick and languorous. Something was happening on the outside world. Though there was no sensation, the sound reminded him of vast and terrible thunder. His personality somewhere split between a man and a small boy, he cowered further into the recesses of his brain, lost and fearful.

The corpse was desiccated, drained nearly dry. The stab wound closed, and his consciousness was returned, though his body was left looking more like a ghoul than a terrible predator of the night. Bones protruded from his flesh and black veins stretched over every inch of skin. He picked up the skeleton in one arm and threw it at a nearby tree, breaking a good deal of her structure.

In a voice that sounded like crawling insects and gravel he shouted at those who would defy him. "You will not see the light of day!"

Bri's head snapped up at the voice, and then stared up at him, as he stared back at her. She glared, and then stood back up. The fool stayed next to Kale, hovering over, and cursing in frustration.

She stood up, and stepped over, standing in front of them. She then held a hand out, as if she were holding something. "Well then, welcome to the dark," she said, and closed her eyes, concentrating. The ground began to shake, and a breeze blew the hood off her face, revealing her own glowing red orbs, which seemed to flicker.

The vampire panicked at the sudden shift in his surroundings. He quietly whispered a few words in an unholy tongue, and his form shimmered briefly as large, black, bat wings erupted violently from his shoulder blades. As swiftly as he could, he lifted himself off of the quaking earth and hovered in place as he calculated his next move. Time was of the essence.

He forced all of his will into his voice, a decision that made him falter slightly and nearly plummet back to the ground. "Awaken."

Everything melted away. There were no memories. There was only the command, and it must be obeyed. Kale's eyes opened, their rich green color completely gone and replaced by a cloudy white film. One hand reached for the demon's throat while the other reached for the small blade looped in his belt.

Through gritted teeth, he choked out a response. "I will obey…"

Nexus' eyes widened, and he grabbed Kale's hand, holding it just inches from his throat. "Kale! Kale!" He fought him hard, and then struggled to hold him to the ground. "Wake up!" With a quick twist of his hand, he touched the icy power he held inside his core, and froze Kale's hand in his own to back up the grip he held to save his own life. "Snap out of it! Bri! Hurry up!"

Hearing his voice, she raised her head, and responded. "Yes, awaken indeed."

The quaking earth began to shake harder, and ancient bones that had been buried there for centuries from previous wars, and dead animals from the past, arose and assembled themselves. A few hundred, collectively flying from the earth throwing mud, dirt, and rocks in every direction, arose. They connected, snapping and clicking into place throughout the field.

She lowered her head, and the glowing behind her hood intensified, illuminating the entire camp. She smiled at the monster ahead of her. "I will give you one last chance, before my little army tears you to shreds. Let go of my friend, and I'll stop." Somewhere inside, she began to feel something slip. Her power was going to drain her empty, and she had to hurry.

The vampire's eyes widened impossibly so, seeming to stretch past the sockets. If his heart still worked it would have stopped momentarily at the horrific scene before him. Just a single one of the skeletons had been enough to nearly put him out of commission for a few days until he could regenerate to proper strength. The massive amount now present would leave him as little more than a cloud of red mist and dust that might have at one point been humanoid.

His expression returned to one of neutrality, but inside he seethed. In ninety-two years he had never been overwhelmed or humiliated like this. And just then, an idea formed.

He smiled. "As you wish, milady. Grant me a moment with the elf-thing and I shall restore him to his old self."

The little monster smiled back at him, a horrific row of sharp teeth glinting at him, long and inhumanly wide. "Certainly," she said, and lowered her hands, careful to hang onto her toothy illusion. As soon as the collection of bony marionettes assembled themselves, they stood where they'd collected, still, unmoving, and watching him.

The fool looked to the creature. "Don't listen to him! Bri, you know better than that!" He continued to fight Kale, and unfroze his hands before he caught frostbite.

"You would do well to silence your tongue, cold-heart. I am clearly outmatched, and I am not as stupid as you take me for. Now let him go, or you might get caught in this as well."

Nexus considered his words, and then released him, backing away slowly. Once Kale was set down, the vampire gazed into his blank eyes with disdain. How these mortals could not place his mind back into proper order was behind his understanding. With a simple shift in thought, everything clicked, and his grip on the poor creature was lost. As the last memories began to come back on their own, and in order, he couldn't help but laugh a little.

"You know, Kaleoszar, you might want to at least tell her…"

He turned to the others and bowed in mocking courtesy before exploding into a swarm of tiny bats that rapidly took their distance from the group.

His whole body shuddered. His head felt as if it were about to crack into tiny shards and spill everywhere. Kale breathed as though he were suffocating for a great deal before nearly emptying the contents of his stomach on the ground. He tried to stand, but merely fell over again. Slowly but surely his vision stopped blurring.

Bri looked around, and felt the energy die down. The skeletal creatures, human an animal alike, crumbled and disassembled to the ground. Nexus helped Kale to his feet, and turned to let Bri know that the creature kept its word. But she swayed, and collapsed onto the ground with her puppets.

"Bri!" He ran over, and picked the tiny child-like thing from the ground, shaking her, and blasting her cheeks with cold, wet ice. When she was completely unresponsive, he listened for a heartbeat. It was there, but it was slow and weak. Whatever she did when she raised that miniature army, she almost killed herself.

As he heard the shout, everything made sense again. His limbs didn't register at first – many of them had very little feeling. He pushed himself up and stumbled, running over to the fallen necromancer. "Let me by! I need to try this!"

The spell was simple, it was just a matter of strength, endurance, and knowledge of one's limits. He'd never actually used it before, but he didn't really have the time to practice it. The words came to mind, and he spoke them in the twisted, devilish tongue. His body, previously numb, now wracked with pain nearly causing him to double over. He held his hands steady over her heart and head, and slowly poured more and more of his own life-force into the now fragile being.

The darkness was flooding, and cool. She hovered there for a while. The voices of her two friends hovered in her ears like they came through water. But she was so tired… She didn't bother to respond to them, she just listened. When she heard a certain language spoken, she felt herself being lifted. There was a little more strength there, and she felt her friend's presence again. Guilty, and terrified, a new rush of energy flooded into her body, and she fought hard to come to the surface.

When she woke up, and collapsed gasping in the grass, she rolled over and vomited once, a black, sticky ooze. Nexus stared dumbfounded, and then turned to stare at Kale with a blank expression. "…How?"

Kale smiled weakly and teetered back and forth for a moment before falling backwards on the ground. The world was spinning and he couldn't quite catch his breath, but that was the least of his concerns.

Between breaths he explained, "It's an old trick I learned. Never knew when it would come in handy. I never had to use it before. I just hope I don't have to do it again someday." He closed his eyes and slowly felt his pulse return to normal.

He would never completely recover. From that point onward, he would always be a little weaker, a little more fragile than he should be. He could rise to great heights, push the limits of endurance like all the heroes in the stories, but he could never quite be their equal.

Bri looked around, and felt her strength return. "I didn't think it would go that far. I didn't think it would drain me that bad," she said ashamed. "I never knew I could pull that much from the ground, I never tried. The energy to put them together so suddenly, so many… I could barely hover there."

Nexus groaned and rubbed his temples. "Come on, we're not staying here in case he comes back. We're not strong enough to do that again, let's get a move on."

5: C#4 - Three of a Kind

She struggled to her feet, and looked around at the swirling colors and swelling ground. She toddled a little one way, and then another. "I'd rather him not come back when we can't even balance ourselves on our own two feet."

Kale shook his head. "No, we can take all the time we need. He won't be back – I know that. He also won't breathe a word of our presence to any of his wretched ilk. That little show she put on truly frightened him, like he hasn't been in almost a hundred years, I think. The link he had with me was a stream that flowed both ways. We'll be fine."

He grabbed some sticks and stoked the fire. As he stared at the branches and smoldering embers, the fact that he had just come closer to death than he had ever been swam around in his head. A small part of him wondered briefly if that might have been so bad.

"So, are we hitting the road, or going to bed? To be honest, I'm kind of exhausted, but I can go a few more hours if need be."

Bri went to take a step, hesitated, and then looked around. The fool slumped to the ground then, and sat by the fire. "I'm staying."

"Me too," she finally admitted, and then sat down beside him. Nexus huddled close to it, and stared into the flames. They danced around, and he felt his eyes get groggy.

"This time, I'm staying awake. Because if something goes wrong, I'm going to be ready for it."

"Good luck," she said, and then curled up on the dirt. "Forget my bed, I'm fine right where I am. It's warm, it's dark, and that's all -." She trailed off, and there was silence.

Sleep did not come easy. It seemed like hours before he finally found himself unconscious.

The nightmares felt too real. An ethereal figure, moving extremely too fast and possessing far too many teeth, wouldn't let up on the chase. When it finally did catch him, it screamed at him rather than devour or kill him like he assumed it would.

Several times throughout the night he woke with his tunic being soaked in a new coat of sweat. After the fifth time, he couldn't bring himself to try again. He sat there, leaning against a tree, and watched the sun rise. Vaguely he was grateful that he could see it again, and that he had not been transformed by their assailant last night. He shivered and stood up to stretch a bit. When the sun finally rose again, they would take to the road.

"You tossed and turned all night," Nexus stretched and said, looking up from the flames. "I take it you finally quit?" He smirked light-heartedly at Kale. Bri still curled up next to him, the early orange hues coming over the horizon like smoke. "I'm exhausted, but can't really bring myself to care."

"You would be so lucky." He gazed down at the sleeping necromancer for a moment before turning his attention to the road. "I'm actually not sure if that's a good thing or not. I have quite a bit of thinking to do. This trip will afford us plenty of time to do so. I suppose we'll take off when she gets ready," Kale mumbled.

"I'll wake her up." He shook the little woman awake, and poked her ribs. "Get up, we have to move. I imagine you want that elven tart dead now, right?"

She groaned, and sat up. Every muscle was sore. Everything hurt, and a massive headache ate at the edge of her brain. "I do, but not this badly," she said, and collapsed again. "I'm going to crawl there."

He rolled his eyes, but sighed, tiredly. "No you're not, I'll carry you. Come on."

Bri looked over at Kale. "And how exactly are you faring? Not so good?"

The half-elf couldn't respond at first. "I'm fine, or … at least I will be eventually. It doesn't matter. Nothing major." He stopped talking and focused for a second. "I have an idea. What's say we hitch a ride on the nearest carriage that comes our way? I think we've more than earned our rest, eh? We might even catch a bit of sleep too."

The fool looked over, with his glowing, slitted eyes, and threw him a strange look. "I don't think that's going to go over well with the driver," he said flatly. "I've been… well, not normal lately, so my eyes are going to throw him off real fast."

Bri shook her head. "You forget, there are a ton of weird people all over the place. We can tie a cloth over your eyes, and then make you look blind or something. I'll lead you around by the wrist, and then you won't have to worry about it. And then we can all get some really good rest. Your white eyes aren't necessarily considered normal either."

"Ah, good point. I'm not really used to travelling in groups, let alone groups with more conspicuous characters in it. That should do well enough, I think. The elves in Drelenor aren't really as paranoid as their cousins on the eastern coast. You have white eyes?"

"Yep, when I'm not hungry. Which I have been."

Kale stared for a moment, unsure of what to say. Hungry? The road was unusually quiet compared to the last few days. Half a dozen hours had passed before they came across their first coach, and two more before one was open and available for hire. They could have easily killed the first driver, but Kale was sure that neither of them could lead horses well enough to follow through with the plan. At last, however, they had their easy ride.

The extra red cloth that was tied over his face hid his eyes pretty well, and even some of the blue of his skin. She told everyone who gave them weird looks, awkwardly, that he was blind.

When the ride came, she collapsed onto a spot on the floor to relax, and drink a bit from her canteen. Supplies were low now, and hopefully they would get there soon, or they would be stuck without anything to live on. "I can't wait," she said darkly, and stared out over the edge of the cart above her, to the tree tops. "I've been savoring this trip, because once I do this, I'll have nothing as fun to live for."

This last statement puzzled the rogue a bit. "What do you mean? Don't you go out and have a little adventure now and then? I have to. After my first real challenging kill, life in a city didn't appeal to me anymore. Civilization became boring. I stayed in town because of Anise, and before her, mainly as a vacation. The weeks when I didn't have any work to do were always unbearable. I suppose you could always take a look into the greater practitioners of your art and find the places they found important. Maybe make a journey out there and do a bit of learning." He shrugged and stared off again. "Or, you could do what I did, and go out simply for the wealth and joy of killing."

She looked at him strangely from under her hood. "I don't go about killing folks. I steal what they put in the ground, because it's fair game." She stared to the ground, troubled. "I actually despise murder. It seems pointless. The only reason this is appealing, is because there's vengeance attached. There's a motive, a reason."

The fool looked over then, peeking through the thin cloth, and stared out the side of the cab thinking. A shadow crossed behind his eyes, but he said nothing about it, and acted as if he weren't listening. So, he wasn't the only one struggling with being odd then, for what and who he was.

She leaned her head back then, and thought about her art. "I love what I do, because it's what I was taught. I have no other skills, no other abilities that make me special. I had no choice but to learn necromancy. Other kids were taught druidism, and all kinds of nature and love, and healing spells. But my master wasn't the same," she said. "Aside from that, I was taught basic, very basic, illusion spells to intimidate an enemy for distractions while I build a corpse, hence the sharp teeth for the vampire, but that's all."

"At least you were taught something. I didn't really have a choice." He reached into his travel pack and pulled out a small grey leaf of dwarven spiceroot and began to chew it. "Someone caught me trying to take their candlesticks, and I had to shut them up. After that, I had to flee town. Two more people got in the way, and they had to be dealt with. I guess someone must have been following me, because the same thing happened in the next three or four places I tried to make a new life, and eventually someone tracked me across all that distance. We're on the east coast of Legara, and almost to the northern border too. From what I can recall, I started on the south-west edge of this continent."

By now, Nexus wasn't really staring at the scenery, but at something beyond everything else.

"Someone saw my handiwork," Kale continued, "and thought that it would be good to have on their side, and pointed me in the direction of people that had, for some reason or another, needed to die. I like killing. It helps me cope with an unusual life. It's fun to put someone else on the other end of a sword for once. It helps me think that my upbringing could actually be useful. It's why I've tried to break into the adventuring business. Maybe if it's ogres and demons at the tip of my blade it'll make up for everything. Until then, I'll settle for the next poor bastard that skimmed a little too much off the top of his boss's earnings."

Bri shrugged. She knew what it was like to run from town to town. Most of the time, she caught wind of suspicion toward her before there was ever a riot. But once or twice, she'd slipped up, and had whole towns chase her out with fire, and pitch forks. She looked around, and shook her head. She'd never have a normal home. Necromancy kept them at bay, and that's what she used. But it was the necromancy to begin with, that chased her from settling down.

The fool didn't say anything, and continued to stare out and away. Hell. That was one place no one wanted to be, and he was there, even when he wasn't in the underworld anyway. And it seemed to him that all the little people that lived here were in it too, way before they ever went under ground.

Cruel world, it was. And it took a cruel heart to get through it. And for that to occur meant the entire world was ugly. There was no paradise. Why would there be? Bri lived for vengeance, just like every other being there was. May as well enjoy it.

The journey was long, perhaps longer than it would have been on foot, but it provided a certain safety that they couldn't have alone. Each time they were held up by brigands and thieves, they executed their assailants with ruthless efficiency. Every time, one of them provided the distraction while the others either subdued the attacker and tied them up to be delivered to the local guards, or to meet their fate at the end of a sword.

Every time one of them was brought to justice instead of greeting their most-likely-deserved death, Kale liked to think that he was making a difference in their lives. As though he was the one incidence of being caught and humiliated that would change their lives forever. On the other hand, he knew how many times he'd been caught in his career, and knew that it might be that important.

At last, after nearly a week's worth of travel, they came across the elven capital. Here, their targets waited. Here, their lives would meet their temporary climax, and they would have the vengeance they so deserved.

She smiled. Finally, her time had come to complete what she'd traveled so far to do. Her enemy, the past lover she'd once cared about, was finally done for. Death, served on a miniature platter, was finally at his door. Shame how so many people disregarded her because of her size. Her excitement began to build. Soon, very soon, she would finally have all the vengeance she held all this time inside released. Every taste of hatred she held inside would be spilled out, and anything that hurt would finally have relief.

She looked between the two companions, and finally made a compromise with herself. After her vengeance, she would find a way to cope, and make a new life. One that left all this misery totally behind. New style, new world, new motive. Everything would finally get better.

6: C#5 - A Little More Murder

Kale got out of the carriage and stretched his tired limbs. After being cramped for so long, it was a huge relief to be able to walk again. The city provided a myriad of new experiences. New food to taste, new items to browse, new places to sleep and a new view to enjoy. As the coach driver took off, he smiled at his companions and double-checked the dagger in his boot before they wandered off to find the nicest tavern they could.

The building had lots of swirling spires that seemed to stretch onward into the sky. Every last one of the windows was entirely comprised of stained glass in a glorious rainbow.

Kale smiled widely. If this were not the city that would cause him more trouble than any other he'd ever visited, he might have considered this place home.

She looked around, her excitement building up. The more she thought about it, the more the killer inside her began to show itself. She felt herself sobering, her expression settling into the menacing calm of a predator. Her eyes looked side to side, trying to catch a glimpse.

The second her eyes would settle on him, she would have to slip away and start stalking. This was the fun part. Dodging shadow to shadow, painstakingly awaiting that one glorious moment when all of her wishes would finally fall together. It was a satisfying feeling.

When Nexus leaned down, after catching sight of the man, he tapped her shoulder and pointed a finger in the direction wordlessly.

"I found him," he said. "Please, Bri, be careful."

Kale's gaze followed the demon's gesture to a tall elven man walking down the road in a flowing purple cape with gold embroidery. Everything about the man screamed with the arrogance so typical of his father's kind. He smiled as the elf looked in his direction and nodded, greeting the stranger at a distance. Light amber eyes were the perfect fit for the rest of his nearly deific features.

No wonder she wanted to kill him.

Kale shook his head and wandered around a corner. He gave a genuine smile and spoke to her. "I really don't blame you now. This ought to be fun."

She glowered. The predator was out now. She didn't even remember how to speak. She understood his words, she'd heard them too. But nothing formed in her own throat. She watched him strut his way through the town square, and into a building. He didn't live here, this she knew. She'd seen his home, just as large and pompous as he was, filled with gardens and rich trees. This… this was a petty servant girl's house. This was where the poor lived.

That must be where she was. She felt her hatred build up again, and she glowered at it some more in disdain. That's what she was after. The girl could live. She could suffer the loss. But there was no way she was going to allow that kind of mercy for him.

By nightfall, she watched to make sure the guards were nowhere to be seen, and looked to the fool, and her friend. To Kale, she pointed a tiny, sharp-nailed finger. "Stay here," she snarled darkly, and slid around the corner.

The half-elf said nothing. He merely nodded, truly afraid of this little halfling and what might come about if he disagreed or tried anything different. He sat back and ate an orcish shish-kebab he bought from one of the street vendors and kept a casual eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

He knew what to look for. The guard schedule for cities of this size were usually constant. Any sudden increase or decrease in their presence could indicate that something might have gone wrong. Of course, he was also studying the outside of the small complex. In the event that anything were to go wrong from the inside, he had already mapped out his entry and escape route, taking care to note the obstacles, dangers, and visibility of each of the possibilities.

As he chewed the spiced meat, he wondered how much fun she was having and what he was missing out on.

"I want to go in," he said looking around. "But I know she made me stay out here, because I'd feel sick to my stomach after a bit," he grumbled. "I still have a slight conscience. Don't think too much about it. She'll likely describe it for us in colorful detail," he pouted, and then leaned against the wall.

"You really ought to lighten up a little. At least she has a good reason for what she's doing. In a way, this is nothing more than justice that the law thinks is wrong. Besides, it's not like she's poisoning everyone in town for no reason, animating their corpses, and then having them put on a performance while he's tied up in a chair and has to watch. No, I think he truly deserves it."

Nexus paused to wait for his companion to respond, but was suddenly stopped by a loud sound that made his stomach churn. Something went wrong.

Instantly, Kale's brain kicked into gear and began calculating. He made a quick gesture to indicate that the demon should go around the opposite way he took. He leapt up the stone wall and rushed around the side of the building, crouching low to the ground and running almost silently. He rolled past a window and drew the mithril knife from his boot in one motion and peered into the window, poising himself to strike.

He nodded his head, and then darted around the corner where they came, and waited. He wondered what could have possibly happened. A quick strike to the neck shouldn't cause the man to wake up.

----------

The house was dark now. Only a single candle was lit near where the bathroom was, and she could see two lumps in the bed, sound asleep. Disappointing. She was hoping for a show, one that would make the murder twice as hilarious as it would already be. And a little more jealously satisfying too, even if it meant taking out the bitch who stole him.

Slipping up to the side of the bed was the fun part, because her weight didn't allow the floor to creak. Sliding to the edge of the bed, she noticed that there was a trap set into the floor. A spell. A second into her motion, she felt her limbs slow like molasses, and heard a large howling noise that awoke both of them straight out of bed. Great. I really should have expected that, she thought.

He leapt out of bed, his girl next to him shouting out in terror for a brief moment. Bri ducked under the bed as fast as she could, and clamped her own mouth shut. The girl saw her first, but instead of being mortified, she did the absolute most enraging thing ever. She laughed.

"Look, Katcha, she finally got so pissed off, she decided to try to stab you with her needle," she said, and laughed toward the dagger she had in her hand.

He turned then to look at Bri, much less amused than his bedmate, and then shook his head. "What do you think to gain from this, little girl? Some kind of vengeance, and self-righteous satisfaction?"

Little girl? Suddenly, humiliated, Bri began to shrink in on herself. Now she'd rather leave than spend another minute in here. But she held her ground, and waited for an opportunity to escape.

Somewhere in the back recesses of Kale's brain, his father's voice came calling out to him, an old lesson he had learned as a young boy and later honed with the orcs as a young adult. It came to him simply now, and he gave in to it when it called – it needed to be done. His pupils grew, turning his eyes into horrific black orbs. Everything else in his mind shut down completely. His body tensed and everything slowed down.

Nexus watched him run off, and reached out to stop him, but he was too fast. He hovered back in the darkness of the alley, and kept his eye on the house and guards.

The glass shattered as he dove through it, identifying only Bri and the targets. Shards stuck into him everywhere that wasn't armored, but this didn't even register to him. He pushed himself up, completing the somersault in one motion, and pinned the woman to the wall with one hand, his grip like tempered steel. In a rare turn of events, he managed to actually speak a word in his trance, something that had never happened.

In a voice that sounded more demonic than common, he loudly spoke one word. "Kill."

Bri jerked her head in his direction, and gaped in disbelief. She stood up quickly, and then dashed to the door to try and block Katcha's escape. Her courage returned, but it was also tainted by the shock of seeing Kale fly through the window, and hold the little whore in his grip.

Katcha shrieked, and then dashed for the door, totally careless of his mate's fate in the corner of the room. Disgraceful, she thought. At least stand by her like a man. Bri held her arms wide, and two small skeletons about the size of Kale emerged from the floor boards, hovering on either side of the door. They crossed their arms, and spread their feet apart, like guards, and glared at him with glowing hollow eye sockets.

She regretted it, and realized exactly how weak the instance in the field had left her. She held onto her strength though, and pointed the blade at him. "Retribution," she said, in echo to Kale's "kill" command. The elf slid to a stop, and then wheeled around in horror.

After that humiliating mishap a few nights ago, it felt good to be in control again. The predatory side of Kale told him to crush the bitch's throat in his hand. His crueler instinct told him otherwise, and he obeyed.

He dropped his knife, lifted the elf in two hands, and threw her at her lover as hard as he could.

The soft crunch of a broken bone was satisfying. She struck him and knocked both of them into the wall. As they fell, he belted out a primal scream as loud as he could and clenched his fists. He turned to Bri and smiled, a sadistic and murderous grin compared to his usual sly expression. He couldn't wait for this to happen.

She smiled back, and ordered her two companions to guard the door. She stepped away, and slowly strutted toward them, half their height, and yet completely terrifying. She knew what she was going to do with their bones. She slowly stepped up to them, and pulled back her hood, revealing her face.

"Still playing with the dead, I see," Katcha said, and threw the elf off of him. Her yelp of pain from a cracked rib was all he noted of her. He didn't even look her way. "What a shame, Bri, that one such as you should be so in love with the black art of death."

She narrowed her eyes, a slow glowing began again in the depths of her eyes. "I don't kill people, Katcha. I use their remains to my benefit and need. Yours will be the only exception," she said.

"Oh? And what of the demon?" Nexus leapt through the window, lithe as a cat, and stood next to Bri, staring in confusion. "Ah, I see he's still around. Hasn't he caused you to lose several homes, or something?"

She fought to ignore him.

A small part of his conscious fought to gain just a little bit of influence. The word came out slowly and only with superhuman amounts of effort. "…Silence…" He clenched his teeth and stared at the bastard, wanting to jump and rip one of their spines out and beat the other with it. But this was her kill, and she would have blood long deserved.

One of the town guards happened to walk by the window. He stumbled backwards at the scene, and unfortunately found himself at the quick grasp of the half-elf's hand. Something told Kale not to kill. He squeezed and knocked the man unconscious, but spared his life.

He turned in anticipation and watched.

Nexus glared at his remark, and then looked back to her. This hadn't turned out like he thought it would, and when Kale hadn't come out shouting, he figured he'd come check on him. But now, he backed up into the shadows, and leaned against the wall, casually.

"You don't scare me," Katcha snarled, and then turned to the girl on the floor. "Get up, don't just lay there." The elf girl looked up at him in shock, and slight disbelief. She held her rib awkwardly, and then snarled at him.

"I can't move, Katcha, leave me alone. She's short, and her friend is stupid, you can handle them just fine."

"There's three of them, Ara, now get up." But she just shook her head, and held her ribs. Katcha growled in frustration, and turned back to the girl. "What's wrong with you, anyway? Can't handle the sight of me in bed with another woman? Are you still bothered by that, after all this time? What about them? You have two men following you around, and you always did fancy the taller ones." He began to laugh, then turned to Kale. "What's the matter, she too small inside?"

That did it. There was nothing else. The predatory instinct brought on by the trance was usually strong, but it dominated everything else in that moment. With a thundering howl, he pounced on the elf and began beating his face in with his bare hands. His eyes perceived nothing save for the flash of his fists and the red and white streaks of shed blood and broken teeth.

Screams, protests and pleas all went unheard. When his victim stopped fighting back and struggling, he punched his chest until the ribs broke and then tore the flesh apart.

Kale held the quivering heart of the elf in his hands and threw it against the wall, reducing it to a small stain. A part of him was satisfied with this. He shuddered and his pulse slowed a small amount. He cracked his neck and admired his grisly work.

Bri stared dumbfounded, and gaped at the bloody death. She smiled then, somewhat pleased, though she didn't quite know why. Ara shrieked and cried, and on more than one occasion tried her hand at yanking Kale off of him. When it was useless, and the man was but a pile of bones and pulp, she backed up, and scooted herself back against the wall in terror.

Nexus nodded once in approval, but otherwise solemnly stood against the wall, remaining out of the carnage, and watched.

Bri on the other hand, strode smiling over to the girl, and then crouched in front of her, looking like a child wrapped in a bed sheet. Her eyes were terrifying, slanted, and solid red again. Ara panicked, and in a lunge, dove on top of Bri, digging her nails into her face. Bri screamed, and tried her best to fight her off. But Ara's terror was too strong, and she drove them straight into her eyes, clawing them out entirely, and leaving bloody holes where they last were.

The horror of being unable to see, and the unbearable pain gripped her. She tried to cover her face, screaming in terror. Nexus pulled himself off the wall, and went to dive into the fight. But Bri had already grabbed a hold on her two minions, and had them dash at the elf. "Kill her! Kill her now!" She shrieked in horror, and continued to howl a horrible monstrosity of screams into the air.

The guards were going to hear.

The two skeletons uncrossed their arms, and strode toward the elf, who backed herself off of Bri, and was looking for a way out, that didn't involve passing by Kale. When she tried to dash to the left, one skeleton grabbed her by the hair, and proceeded to peel back her flesh, yanking her skin clear off her head, and revealed the skull.

The elf, seeing no escape, surrounded in searing pain upon her head, collapsed to the ground when one of the skeletons punched his fingers clear through her belly. She stared down like she'd been stabbed. The world slowed down, and she couldn't even register the pain. He yanked his bony hand back, and when she turned to stare at it in a daze, it slashed open her throat with a dagger.

Kale enjoyed the kill. It had always been one of his favorites. The expression of having one's airway and primary arteries cut was always the same, and it was always delightful.

He could not revel in it properly, however. He shouted one word to Nexus, "Follow," and picked both Bri and Ara up, running as fast as he could through the house. He kicked down the door, and made his way into the streets, disregarding any bystanders that happened to see him. Before he had time to think about anything else, Nexus dashed out the door with him.

The guards by the main gate saw him, covered in blood, and ran away screaming for help and more fighters. One of them was unlucky enough to try and stop him. He kicked the man into the stone wall surrounding the city and took off once more. It might have been ten minutes of steady sprinting before he finally stopped. The clearing was out in a large patch of forest. They wouldn't find them here, at least not for a long time.

He dropped them, shuddered, and fell to his knees as his head cleared itself and the stream of consciousness returned to him.

He stared at the halfling and cursed himself for not acting quicker. If this injury proved to be too serious, he didn't have the strength to save her this time.

Bri couldn't cry. There was nothing there in order to do so, and she took her tears of blood down her face as her only source of mourning. The hatred she felt still burned her chest for her loss of sight. Now she couldn't see her two friend's faces. She couldn't see the trees or sky. She couldn't see the food she ate, or see where she simply stepped anymore.

Nexus hoped she wouldn't lose too much blood, and he gave her two fistfuls of snow to hold where the blood was coming from, even though it hurt to touch. At the very least, they could clean the blood this way. They needed to find her a blindfold now.

It was the least he could do. Kale rehearsed the words in his head and cast a minor spell to stop the bleeding. As he held his hand over her eyes, a wave of guilt washed over him. The wounds closed on the surface, but they would take a few days to heal fully.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the enchanted cloak he had bought a few days earlier. He tore a wide strip from it and gently wrapped it around her head. As he tied the knot, he hoped that they would be able to find a way to fix this.

"Here. It's all I can do. I'm sorry."

She tried to sob, but she couldn't. Nothing was there. "It's okay, thank you." It felt like a suffocating shroud, unable to release her anger.

Nexus cringed. "I wonder how long that will take to heal," he said. "Bri, how do you intend to carve her skull, when you can't even see? How do you plan to practice?"

She didn't respond, but lay in the dirt for a while, the cloak over her face, and curled into a ball. She'd have a second revenge. To seek retribution for what had originally happened was a right, and fate had struck her in turn again. She understood now how Kale enjoyed killing. She began to see the darker light of it.

A necromancer deals in death. Why not deal it?

When she gave no response, Kale knew to let her be for a while. He had acted the same way when Anise had ripped the carpet out from under him. She would come out of it though, at least he desperately hoped that she would.

7: C#6 - On the Move

He gathered some wood and built a fire; he made some stew and handed her a warm bowl full of it. He added a few extra herbs to help ease the pain, and hoped that she wouldn't be too angry with him.

When all the setup was done, he pulled out a book that his old friend Darius, a powerful spellcaster, had given him. He flipped through the pages as he ate in silence and searched for a solution, whatever the cost.

After a few hours, she managed to fall asleep through the pain, and oddly enough without eyes. Nexus sat beside her, and made little ice balls, running them between his fingers like a game, and stared into the flames in a daze. Today had not gone the way they'd all planned. There was no glory in it. They'd run away with their tails between their legs in misery. The deed was done, but not quite right. Bri awoke sometime later and sat up, and fumbling around for the bowl that she could smell.

But by the time she found it, she accidentally tipped it over. Doing so made her heart ache again, and she felt the will to cry. She sat up though, and simply remained quiet. Nexus noticed, and exchanged a quick glance with Kale. He handed her an ice ball, and she pressed it up against the blindfold.

"Sorry," she mumbled quietly, and huddled up.

Kale's eyes turned down for a moment, and he poured a new bowl for her. As she tended to herself, he spoke quietly. "Hush now, no need to feel bad." He looked at his own wounds from the broken glass, which would eventually leave a few dozen jagged scars.I've had worse, he reminded himself, staring at the spots on his right arm where all three major bones had punched through the flesh once, and tore out an inch or two.

"Please, don't feel bad about this. I've had it happen to me as well. It's only until you adjust." With that, he lifted a spoonful up to her lips and started feeding her, all the while flipping through the book. He was on the right section, he just needed to find the right words.

Nexus swirled the soup around in the bowl and stared at it in a polite daze. "I have an idea," he said awkwardly. "But it's not going to be comfortable, and it's going to be stranger than the three of us all talking to one another."

Bri sipped her soup, and shook a little, still feeling achy, and baffled by the two holes in her head now. They ached, but it wasn't like rubbing them was going to fix the problem. Her brain was becoming confused by the lack of body parts.

Kale tucked away the corners of a few pages. "Well, whatever idea you've got, it's probably better than anything I've found in here. I highly doubt that we'd find anyone willing to give their eyesight to her. Also, I doubt we can find a flawless onyx the size of her eyes with virgin souls trapped in them. Or perhaps we could hunt down a dragon and use theirs instead…"

He closed the book and shook his head. "We might actually be able to find my friend Darius, who gave me this old tome, and he's, well, really skilled at all kinds of magic. He's almost four hundred years old by now. He's kind of like a lich, but without a soul container. But hey, whatever works."

"There are common pacts with demons that get mortals what they want," the demon pondered aloud slowly. "But I'm not really willing to damn her into Hell over a pair of eyes. But I could do a contract for her where she could use my eyes. As in, she'd see through mine, but her body still wouldn't have physical eyes of their own, until we find someone who can do that. And they're not permanent either, unfortunately. That's the 'demony' catch here. I'd be damning her into a contract with me for no reason, which is unfortunate."

He took a sip and then cringed. "Salty."

He bit his lip and stared off in the distance for a moment. As long as she wasn't in any serious danger, he didn't see any major problems with it. "If she's okay with it, we'll see how it goes and if we can't find an alternative."

"Contracts are never a good idea," he said flatly. "I'd rather see if your friend can set up the eye trick for her. As long as there's a way to turn it off on my end, specifically for her privacy. And mine," he added with a mumble.

Bri finished her soup, whimpered, and then curled back into a ball next to Kale's leg, shivering a little bit in shock. Wherever his friend was, she hoped he wasn't far. She didn't care how she got eyes, contract or not, so long as she could see somehow.

Before long, she began to hear their voices behind a watery film, and the warm fire calmed her shaking and shivering.

He waited until she fell asleep before he began to work. He turned to the fool and whispered. "I'm only going to be gone for an hour or so. Keep an eye on her until then." He paused and gave a sincere smile. "Thank you, by the way. It's… difficult for me to have faith in you. But I do."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Most of us are just down on our luck," he said. "Not all demons are soul-eaters. We just do one bad thing, and bam! Evil spirit curse for eternity." He patted the girl who slept, and shook his head. "Damn shame, I liked how weird her eyes were."

He tossed on his enchanted cloak and his face vanished completely. He took off and ran in the direction of Drelenor once more. This time he would make sure not to be seen.

----------

After the incident a few hours ago, the guards were on double duty. If anyone saw him, they would probably try to apprehend him for hiding his appearance. If they disrobed him, he would likely be slain on the spot. He would not give them the opportunity.

Kale clung to the bottom of a merchant cart as it made its way inside the city gates. When the driver paused to chat with someone, he dropped down and rolled into a nearby alley between two buildings. The local mage's guild was only a hundred or so yards away. Peeking his head around the corner, he checked for any people walking by before leaping up and grabbing onto the awning for the second floor.

When he found out the window was locked, he cut the whole pane from the wooden frame with an adamantine dagger, and carefully pushed it aside. He crept in and smothered the sleeping acolyte until he rendered him unconscious. He was still breathing, albeit barely; nothing to worry about in the long run. He scanned the hallway and began walking down, looking at every door for the library.

The halls were quiet, as they ever were in the early hours of the mornings. The scholars would likely all be unconscious, their faces buried in books as they tried to fight the oncoming night in hopes of study.

A few of them that were still awake saw Kale wandering and thought nothing of him. Most were dressed in a similar manner as he; his presence didn't strike them as unusual. One however, was unlucky enough to be carrying a lamp with him and saw his face, or lack thereof. His immediate reward for his astute observation was to have his head smashed into the wall hard enough to make him black out. There might be some permanent light damage, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed by any experienced healer if they tried.

When he finally did locate the library door, it was locked tight. He chuckled and carved through the hinges with his dagger. All the arcane effort in the world could be bypassed through mundane means. Kale reminded himself to thank the mages for being so oblivious to the obvious.

As he replaced the door, he started looking through the scroll shelves. There was one in particular that he had to find if anything could be done for Bri.

Thankfully the mages had the courtesy to write the spell names on the cases they were contained in. He dug through a large pile of them and found the ones he needed. The scrolls contained a spell used for sending messages over long distances. These ones in particular could locate individuals and alert them of the caster's position if they were familiar with them. This is precisely what he needed to get a hold of Darius. He would have the solution to the halfling's problem.

A group of mages peered through the dislocated door and stared at him in fear and anger. Slowly he turned to them, revealing his hollow cowl while loudly whispering a few menacing words in the infernal tongue.

Their faces paled and they backed away slowly, giving him the time to leap out of the window and make his way out of the city, looking more like a phantom than a man.

In a few moments, he found the clearing again. He pulled back the hood of his cloak and smiled at his friends. "Everything's going to be just fine now."

Bri turned toward the voice, and forced a smile. "Good," she said simply, and then stared into the nothingness again. If she had nothing but this blackness to stare at forever, she would go mad. She wondered how the blind folk of her village had once dealt with this. Of being deaf and blind, she would much rather be deaf. Less gossip, less bad news, less misery. But blind?

Nexus picked her up and carried her on his shoulder. "I imagine we're not staying here, and that we've got someplace to go then?"

Kale stood back and began to read the words in the scroll aloud. They were almost whimsical and formed a pleasant rhyme, something astounding for the infernal language. When the chant was done, a large, smooth, silver surface formed in the air in front of him. It shimmered briefly before revealing a familiar face to him.

The skull's eye sockets peered forth through the surface. The light in them grew faint for an instant, and then flared up as the mandible dropped. Darius Shadowheart recognized the image of his friend. In a voice reminiscent of cold wind rushing through trees, he practically shouted to the half-elf.

"Kaleoszar! My old friend! It's been ages! I don't remember exactly how long, and that's long enough for me! I see where you are! Find a safe place to meet, and I will see you there! Selezaan durvok!"

The image faded and Kale smiled. "I didn't even have to say anything. Okay, we're going to head out east a few miles into the forest. After that, we're looking for a giant floating obsidian castle, shouldn't be too hard to spot."

Nexus stared in stricken awe at Kale, and stood dumb for a moment. Bri's mouth dropped as well.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You just scryed a friend of yours, and he owns a floating black castle… And we're going to find said castle, and then talk with him? Did I miss some really huge detail here? The last I thought, you were just a wanderer like us," Nexus leaned away from him, unsure of how to take the scenario. Who was he?

Bri bit her lip to a laugh, the first funny thing she'd heard in a while. "Seriously Kale, who are you? Do you have a castle yourself and are actually totally rich with servants and what have you?"

Kale just smiled back and chuckled lightly. "If only it worked that way. No, Darius is merely a friend of mine. A very old and very powerful friend who happens to own a mobile castle-fortress that he calls the Black Citadel. We met over a decade ago, in a tomb where I happened to be searching for treasure."

The path was quiet and empty, perfect for telling the tale. Nexus held Bri on his shoulders as they walked. "Well, I ran into him, literally, as I was fleeing some of the other skeletons there. Apparently I was one of the few that made it to the main antechamber since a few decades before, and he thought I was interesting. The next thing I knew, the tomb unearthed itself and took to the air.

"I stayed with him for a months, trading stories and going on little adventures here and there. Then, one day he declared that he had to go, and told me only to take care, and that he would keep in touch. He's a great man, er, death knight.

"Oh, and to answer your question, no, I'm not important, I'm not rich, and I'm not that special. I just happen to have a few very interesting friends."

"Well alright then," Bri said, still slightly baffled by the circumstance. The thought of running into the floating castle was an inspiring one. She had only ever seen land-castles, and even then, some weren't very impressive. The smaller ones usually sat on dreamy hills and plains, and the really large ones were usually poisoned with some sort of corrupted king or lord, impressive looks or not.

If she could get her vision fixed when they went, then she could actually see it. She pouted a little that she would be late to seeing it compared to her two friends, worst of all Kale, who'd seen it however many other times.

"Let's hope he really does know how to fix this. I wouldn't mind hosting eyes that aren't mine. Odd as that sounds. It might actually be entertaining."

Kale couldn't help but feel terrible. Her tone held the familiar disappointed quality he'd heard so many times over the years. "Nexus, if there aren't any serious issues in a deal between you two, go ahead and enact it for now. It will take us at least five days to meet up with him, and, knowing our luck, we're likely to find trouble on the road there.

"Besides, the first time I saw the Black Citadel churning through the skies in my direction, I couldn't speak for nearly half an hour. I wouldn't want to rob her of that."

Nexus sighed in dismay. "It's a temporary thing, it won't last more than a few days, but it should be enough. I can recharge it again fresh when we actually get to the place. Bri, would you like to enter into a contract with me?"

She thought about it. "I'm already going to Hell," she mumbled to herself. "Sure, let's do it."

"It'll be broken if you happen to find another way to get eyes, and my spell wears off. Technically the contract would burn itself up that way. We'll cheat," he said, and brushed two fingers over where Bri's eyes were. She winced because of the still-tender flesh, but held off her squeak of pain.

She saw something blurry coming into focus, light too, coming through what looked like a hole. When she blinked a few times, her and Nexus both muttered, "Wow," and then looked at each other. Bri saw her bandaged eyes, looking back up at her, and then she turned to Kale.

"She feels like she's invading my brain, but she's not really there," he said awkwardly.

The rogue shrugged and smiled lightly. "Well, it'll only be for a little bit. I hope. I mean, I don't doubt that Darius will have the answers we need, but it could be quite an undertaking for us to fix. Or he could simply have a solution just laying around. I'm not sure."

The death knight certainly wasn't a healer by any means, but he had access to a myriad of tomes and grimoires of all ages and subjects. Or perhaps he knew someone who would know. Kale was glad to know Darius; over the years, the knight had seemed to know all the answers.

"Well, then, now that we're operating at better capacity, I should say we stand a chance against any attackers we should come across. Let's be on our way, shall we?"

Bri nodded her head, which she knew was her own. She felt in her own body, but she saw from his. "This is weird, and it's going to take some getting used to walking in one place, and seeing from another. I might be a little slow."

The fool picked her up and put her on his shoulders again. "I'll carry you like before."

He picked up pace behind Kale, and imagined what the place would look like. Tall? Sharp, and foreboding? He was a skeleton, from what he saw, so it was likely going to be mysterious. The first thing he planned on doing was exploring. It wasn't every day someone got to see a huge citadel with a group of friends.

The road only headed north for a short distance before cutting off completely into a thicket of trees that stretched on past the horizon. The first two days of their journey were quiet, minus the odd animal that wandered too close and had to be frightened off. They made camp and Kale answered their questions about Darius as best he could.

8: C#7 - The Black Citadel

The day turned to night, and the sun rose to greet them once more. As they stood, the Citadel could be seen in the sky, a distant dot on the horizon.

Nexus groaned. "I'm hungry," he mumbled, and looked around for a small village, careful not to give away too much of what his diet consisted of aside from the occasional sugar relief.

Bri conceded, and used Nexus' eyes to awkwardly wander to where he could see a certain tree. She reached up, going by his eyesight, and swung her arm into empty air several times before she snagged the branch, and cut off a switch to chew on. The taste of it was something she'd had as a child, when her parents told her it was a wild sweet treat, and very rare. Nexus sighed, but nibbled it anyway. "This will do."

She awkwardly stumbled her way back, and handed a piece to each of them. "Here, these taste good," she said, and nibbled on it.

The branch had a peculiar taste to it, like some of the confections available back in the bigger cities. It reminded him of home, when the town elders would celebrate the coming of fall by harvesting the sugar cane. For a brief moment, he truly missed his childhood. He looked up into the skies and saw the castle approaching slowly. He remembered then that this was everything that he could have possibly dreamed of at that age.

"I like it, a lot. It reminds me of good times. But we've got a castle to catch." He snickered. "I've always wanted to say that."

Nexus lagged a little bit behind. He could see fine, but Bri was seeing from a different body, and seemed to be having trouble with her coordination. He felt like he had a slight double vision, but other than that, he just blinked a little to shake the strangeness away.

"You should hold her hand, Kale. We'll be lucky if she doesn't fall in a fox hole along the way," he said, and watched her sway this way and that for a time, getting used to how she should set her feet.

"I honestly thought this would be easier," she said glumly, and held her arms out on each side, confused as to why the body she was seeing through wouldn't do it. "I feel like I'm two different people. How far do we have to go?"

The half-elf chuckled a little and conceded, leaning down to grab the halfling. There was an odd sensation to holding her hand in his. It fit almost perfectly in his palm, and it felt unmarred save for a few nicks here and there. Yet it had probably matched his own in skills. He smiled and looked down at her and tugged lightly.

"Only about an hour or so left to go, but then we'll be there. It's worth the wait, trust me."

As he walked, he thought back and imagined he picked up a subtle insinuation in Nexus' voice. He was going to turn to give an inquisitive glance, only barely catching himself knowing that she would see too. He bit his lip and moved on, reminding himself to ask if Darius had what they needed.

Bri totally missed what Nexus even said. She was so used to his foolish dribbling that she didn't even pay any attention to it anymore. But she noticed a strange look on Kale's face, something familiar she'd forgotten about, but couldn't place it.

"I hope," she said oddly, and looked into the distance. Nexus looked pleased with his expression, and grinned over at him with a demonic smile. It would have been chilling had Bri not recognized his mischievous face. "Whatever you did, or said, it better not get us into trouble," she warned, "or you will be a zombie again in the time it takes me to raise a skeleton."

Their little exchange brought to Kale's mind the image of a soldier hiding under a massive shield while two opposing archery squads littered the air with arrows. He laughed to himself quietly and began humming an old elven dance song to himself.

That one hour seemed to drag on forever as the hills rolled over one another, stretching on past the horizon. Suddenly, however, the faint scent of volcanic ash carried itself to him through the nearest patch of trees. His eyes widened, and looked at both of them and grinned.

"Look to the sky," was all he could say.

The highest of the spires peeked its way past the tree-line first. A huge black edifice like shimmering glass slowly drifted into vision. It looked as if every part of it were carved from one massive stone, rather than pieced together from different blocks.

Every balcony, every window, every step, banister, and beam glowed with a faint translucency at the very edges where the sun shone through it faintly. There was even a twisted fence that stretched its way up around the entire castle. The whole thing rested on a floating island of stalactites of sparkling grey granite.

It slowed as it approached them, stopping when it was merely 10 feet away, and a thick silver rope fell down from the gate to ground level.

Staring, Bri couldn't help but gape. This was amazing. Kale knew this man? Nexus was thinking the same thing, and turned to Bri's body with a smirk. "You first," he said, and shoved her forward.

She backed up almost instantly, and then while awkwardly flailing, shoved Kale. "You first," she said, and backed up a little.

Her mind flashed back to the skeletal face, and she wondered now if this was truly a good idea. She was a necromancer. An undead of a free will and spirit would likely despise her for her power. Or worse, envy it, and force it out of her.

"I hope to the demons below that you know what you're doing," Nexus said, staring up. His pupils contracted a little. "Are you sure he's really going to help, and not trap us there? I mean what are we going to do, jump out?"

Kale couldn't help but shake his head slightly. "You'll just have to trust me on this one." He stared off in the distance for a few seconds before grabbing the rope, which automatically began pulling him up slowly while still reaching down to the ground. When he was about mid-way up, he shouted down to them. "Everything seems fine to me."

Bri grabbed it, and felt the rope slide. It wasn't really going anywhere, but it slipped her up into the air as if it were made of backwards water. She stared at herself shrinking, all the while through Nexus' nervously pacing vision.

Without thinking a second thought, he grabbed the rope and felt himself slide up as well, the rungs of the ladder not even shifting under his hand. He held on, and felt the terror well up and down, and yet the amazement at the thing he came closer to fighting for his attention as well.

Bri and Nexus were a mix of confused emotions, and shock when they reached the top, at last.

It still surprised Kale every time. The gates were open, revealing a whole courtyard of black sand and finely carved marble tombstones. These were people that Darius had come to know over his many decades that he had felt truly worthy of his presence. Here their remains would go undisturbed and their memory would be preserved. In time, Kale too believed that he was worthy of being interred here during his final sleep.

There was one stone walkway that cut straight through the middle, leading to great double-doors with an elaborate silver filigree that resembled interlaced vines and dancing spirits.

Kale sighed as he admired the artwork, took Bri's hand again, and started walking. The gate shut behind them as soon as they were away from it. His heart sank a little. Never in his thirty-six years had that ever been a sign of good things to come.

Bri awkwardly toddled over to the sand, and picked a handful up, bringing it back over to Nexus so she could see it better. It was softer than normal sand, finer and it glistened a little in the light. She took some of it with her, and pulled a tooth off of her skirt, popping a tiny cork off, and pouring a pinch of the sand into the inside of it. She'd carved the sample container ages ago, and never had need or use of it.

She walked back over to Kale. "You look a little upset. Is something wrong? In particular, with the gate? You've been staring at it now for about five straight minutes with a look of dread."

He shook his head and glared at the doors for a moment.

"It's something I hadn't considered until you brought it up. He has been going around like this for almost three centuries or so now. Who's to say that he didn't go completely insane, and our meeting wasn't some brief moment of clarity? I've known him since I was seventeen. I'd hate to see him like that. I'm worrying too much. I hope. For your safety, I really do hope so. We would wind up as shredded meat if he decided to attack us."

Just before he finished his sentence, the heavy doors swung open violently. Between them, concealed partially in the darkness of the castle hall, a gargantuan ten-foot tall skeleton emerged. Its jaws were lined with cracked, razor-sharp teeth, its eyes glowed with a sinister green fire, and its hands were tipped with dripping black claws. It took a quaking step out into the courtyard and tipped its head up to the sky, roaring impossibly loud in an unholy tone akin to grinding stone and dying elephants.

When the thundering noise was done it turned its gaze to the trio, still standing in the middle of the walk, and stared.

Bri cringed at his words, and then Nexus winced. "Wait, you could have told us that down on the ground," he whispered, looking over to Kale sideways. "This doesn't seem like a party to me."

The halfling backed up one step in a brief moment of fear. "There's no way I could grab a hold of something that strong right now. If he chooses to come after us, we're done." She felt into the ground, searching, feeling, and found nothing. The bones here were at rest, so much so she couldn't raise them. And she was way too far from the ground to do anything in self-defense or distraction, not to mention her current bodily condition.

"Bri, get behind us," Nexus said at last. "If I have to, I'll charge a storm."

Bri froze in horror. "No! Nexus, don't you dare!" She whispered the words frantically. But he just stared at the hulking skeleton in the doorway intently.

It walked closer to them slowly, finger tips and jaws constantly twitching. Its eyes seemed to grow brighter as it got nearer; a deep rumbling growl grew from within its hollow rib-cage.

Kale nodded to himself, picked Bri up, tossed her over to Nexus, and drew his swords. At this, the undead giant readied itself to charge. Kale grinned and ran at the skeleton as fast as he could, preparing himself for an attack that would send him reeling. Except it never came.

The bone attacker fell, completely paralyzed, the light in its eyes shifting around wildly looking for a reason. Kale's face switched immediately to a look of pure confusion, and a voice rose from within the doors.

"Note to self, change the wording in the command line for spell 7A. The raised subject does not telepathically recognize friendly targets from the caster."

A thin, black robe draped over a bare skeleton about six feet tall. The eyes were hollow, but the skull moved to make expressions like flesh would. It shook its head and smirked at the half-elf. Its voice was pleasant, completely normal from its old mortal form.

"Kaleoszar, you haven't changed a bit. Still ready to throw yourself at the angry fist of a god without a moment's hesitation." It paused a moment, and then laughed. "It is good to see you again!"

Bri took a breath and panted. But Nexus hadn't fully calmed, and he'd charged a snowstorm during Kale's charge, something she'd warned him not to do.

He readied himself, lost somewhere in his center, and began to freeze. The ground around him crisped like glass, and it began to snow in a circle. When he opened his eyes again, they were solid blue, empty, and the ground began to crack where the cold touched the warmer air. Bri fought to escape his arms, but her cloak had gotten frozen where the line of ice was collecting. "Kale! Make him stop! Do something, he's lost!"

Kale and Darius exchanged a quick glance that, after their few years of adventuring together, communicated an entire conversation in a quick instant. Darius nodded, and whispered "Keep a clear head this time." Kale tossed his swords aside and drew his silver and cold iron daggers from his belt. The death knight, with his augmented necrotic strength, threw Kale at the demon.

The wave of cold hit him like a wall, and immediately began causing frost damage to his skin as though he'd been exposed to a fairly strong blizzard. When he landed, he reminded himself to go easy. He shifted his stance and started swinging for the fool's limbs rather than a direct kill-strike.

The ice climbed, until there was a foot thick ice column around him. Bri was merged into the ice, and fought hard to rip the cloak where it was. When it hit a certain temperature, and the ice was thick enough, he awoke again, snapping his arms and such free, and instantly allowing all of the ice to turn into water. In the instant it all melted off, he held a gigantic orb of water that he hurled straight at the castle.

Bri fell to the ground, and scrabbled away as best she could without seeing. "Kale, just hit him in the head, he'll fall over. He's way too exhausted now to do anything else." When the fool came to, he blinked, his eyes returned to normal, and he collapsed onto the ground in a dripping, freezing heap.

She lost her ability to see then, and sat on the ground with her wet cloak, and panted, shaking and angry. He should have waited to make sure they were in danger. "I'm turning him into a puppet again," she said nastily. "This is twice now he's severely screwed up."

Darius watched the water collide with his Citadel, and instantly evaporate. He shook his head and frowned, "This seems a lot worse than I remember. But it can all be fixed. Follow me Kale." He spoke a word in the vampire language and walked indoors. Two gargoyles broke free from the towers and picked their master's guests up. They chittered to each other and carried the people into their bedrooms. Nexus remained in a glassy daze, and Bri continued to mutter curses at him under her breath as they landed.

"I'm sorry that our meeting had to start off this way."

"Don't worry about them for now, my servants will take care of them. Now, come sit with me in the dining hall, it's been ages since we've spoken."

Bri sat in the room, and felt around for where the bed was. The two stony creatures helped lift Nexus up onto the bed, and then left the room for a moment. She hovered by the chair and searched for a towel. Another gargoyle walked in, this time holding a vial, and some warmer clothes for Bri to wear. Nexus could dry his own clothes in an instant, so they didn't bother.

She changed out of her cloak, shivering, and then dried herself off as best she could without the use of his eyes. When she was done, she tapped the wall and door until one of the servants came in, and she heard the door open.

She left him lay there to panic when he woke up, and then asked a gargoyle to guard him, and another to take her to where her friends were.

"Damned if I'm banished up here because of what he did," she growled, and felt around for her wet cloak on the floor. She'd hang it to dry when she found a place to lay it in the sun.

The dining room was large and cool and smelled like fresh charcoal. The fireplace crackled gently as a skeleton in a white apron brought out a dish of Kale's favorite food since the last time he had been here. He and Darius spoke while he ate.

"So, what ever happened to Anise? The last time you were here, you could hardly wait to leave to see her again."

Kale rolled his eyes. "Oh come now, you know exactly what happened. You know everything."

Darius sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I know. I just don't think you had to kill her for it."

"Once again, I thought you'd know me better than that by now. What was I supposed to do? It's not like the bastard she left me for loved her, and it's not like she told me about it. I had to find out myself."

"No, he didn't, and… yes, it would have been better if she had told you before that. But a woman's heart is a fickle thing, stranger than all the magic in the universe."

Kale chuckled to himself lightly. "You only say that because you understand magic. I do feel bad about it now though, at least a little bit."

"It didn't take you long to move on though. That much is painfully obvious." He shook his head and laughed.

"I don't really know about her. It's confusing."

"Kale, you were always great at lying, but never about yourself. You should at least tell her, it's making things difficult between you two. I can tell."

Kale choked on a bite of beef and glared at his companion. "I'll have you know that -."

"Hush and keep eating, she'll be here in a few seconds." He commanded his waiter to bring another plate for the seat next to Kale's and smirked at him.

She walked in, and had an instantaneous intuitive awkward feeling. That same feeling one gets when one walks into a classroom, and knows that two people were gossiping. She walked in, fumbled around, and listened for the clatter of dishes to find the table. "It's too quiet," she said softly, and then patted a hand around the table for something to eat. It didn't matter what she grabbed, she just wanted to look like she knew what she was doing. "The moron's upstairs in bed. Your gargoyles showed me here. Thank you, they're very sweet. I apologize for him. When he charges up something like that, he can't stop it until it's complete. I tried to warn him not to."

Kale chewed and tried to think of something pleasant to say to not ruin the atmosphere. Darius beat him to the punch.

"Ah, there you are. Bri, the bone-thief of Shade-Leaf Hollow, where many have become fond of calling you 'The Little Terror.' The halfling necromancer that single-handedly made a ninety-year turned vampire run like an absolute coward. And also saved our friend's life before. Very impressive, my dear. I know of your problem, and yes, I can help return your vision. I can also teach you a few things during your stay here, so you won't accidentally almost kill yourself while raising a skeletal horde like before. Try the wine, it's delicious. I've kept it up here especially for my guests for the past forty years."

"Will it be through my eyes, or the idiot upstairs? I'd really rather not have to rely on him for anything more than a weapon anymore," she said, and reached out into space for a glass. When Kale handed it to her, she sipped from it calmly.

She thought she felt a spark of energy from their brief contact, and fought back a startled jump at it. She cocked an eye brow to herself behind her fold, but took another sip to steady her awkwardness. "This is delicious," she said politely. The blue idiot made enough of a fool of himself to last a light-year, and she certainly didn't want to shame herself anymore. For once, she told herself, be polite. She felt around the table for a roll, and nibbled it quietly after that, unsure of what to say. There were actually quite a million things she would love to ask, but the one that perturbed her the most was the fact an undead walked around freely.

"Do you hate necromancers?" She asked bluntly. Better get that out of the way at least.

There was a moment of silence before he choked out one word. "What?"

Kale turned at him, a confused look on his face. In all the years he'd known him, the point had actually never come up, at least not that he had seen.

"No. Or at least not those who behave like you do. You seem to have the same curiosity I did when I began to study. Even if you enjoy it greatly for the power and safety it can bring you, you aren't nearly as evil as a great many of our kind. Those who care not if they need to kill a man just to command him on the spot with zero concern for their family or well-being. You have some heart in you, even if you don't want to admit it.

"As for your eye dilemma, they will be your own, at least in the sense that you will see from your own perspective. I have several options to discuss."

She was confused. "I can understand that to a degree. But you're undead, and the dead are controlled by necromancers. As powerful as you are, you're telling me none have come to take advantage of your power? Ever? Not even once? Though then again, I suppose that could be why they actually wouldn't. Are most of us really that bad? I prefer not to take a life, and up until very recently, I never have. Not that I completely enjoy it, but if it's an enemy, I basically have to."

The wine was loosening her tongue. She took her mind off her rambling to think about the eyesight problem. "So no eyes then? I guess that's okay…" She reached up and played with the silk of her blindfold. "I can have some fun I suppose, with this now."

Before long, Bri was suddenly aware that she could see and that Nexus had stumbled out of bed and was walking toward the door. "The moron's awake," she growled, and took another sip of wine. "I hope he doesn't freeze this entire room, or I'm going to take his will away again."

"Ah, yes, I need to speak with him as well. And to answer your question, no, it's impossible for me to be controlled. Many have tried over the years. They have all met their end by my blade. Then again, I was created not by mere magic, but by something else entirely. Some greatly powerful being that saw it fit to raise me like this. And you do the necromancer community a good deed by not being so ruthless."

He clapped his hands together and the kitchen skeleton came out again. He whispered some words to it, and it went out to the pantry before returning with a plate of pastries and confections. Darius waved his hand at the chair opposite Kale and waited for a few seconds. Just before he anticipated the fool knocking on the door, he shouted aloud, "come on in!"

9: C#8 - Gift of Sight and Liquor

Nexus paused at the door, a little surprised, and then very carefully peeked his head inside. Seeing Bri, and seeing Kale sitting there unharmed urged him in, but his mistake had caused him to slink in and fear a whipping. He already knew that Bri was likely to murder him, so he took a seat opposite Kale, and on the other side of their host at the other side of the table, and very carefully sat down. He looked around like a hawk, waiting for something to leap at him in wrath. "Sorry," he said impishly and shrugged his shoulders nervously with a crooked smile.

Bri wished she could narrow her eyes and blindly scowled at nothingness, but she bit her tongue from the venom. She took another sip of wine, and then edged a little closer toward Kale. She could feel the warm coming from his direction, and a draft on the other side of the room.

Kale sarcastically raised his glass in Nexus' direction and tried his hardest to keep the smirk from covering his whole face. "It would seem that we would all like to have a word with you. Some worse than others."

"Dear gods, Kale. Manners." Darius turned to face his new guest. "He is right though. I would speak with you in privacy when we are done here, later. But for now, please, don't waste the fine sweets I found for you, specifically. That would just be rude." He glanced at Kale, the same smirk crossing his face now.

The fool ducked his head, and his cheeks burned an awkward bright green. He nibbled on a small cake that he had on his plate, and felt like a child, awaiting a punishment or a scolding for saying a bad word.

Bri saw it from his point of view, but she was too angry to really care if his feelings were hurt. The embarrassment was enough as it was.

"Just don't kill my pawn," she said robotically. "I like to make him do things I don't want to."

"Kill him? No, he doesn't deserve that. I think not. No, I have an idea or two as to what's causing his problem. I think I have a solution too."

"Is there anything that you can't fix? You always seem to have all the answers. It's been this way since I first met you." Kale chuckled a bit and sipped his wine. "Is there a reason for all that?"

Darius turned to Kale and frowned playfully. "Can't just accept good fortune for what it is?" He laughed deeply before continuing. "There actually is a reason, and I think it's about time I showed you. You two should find out as well," he added, gesturing to the halfling and the demon. "I think it may do you both some good, and make explaining a small request I have of you three in the near future a lot easier."

Bri couldn't help but tip her head to the side in interest, especially at the fact it would involve her idiot friend who damn near attacked his guard.

After her near failure in simply getting vengeance, she wasn't sure this would be a good idea. Not if it was a possibility that she would lose more than her eyes. That was a thought. What if the beast came back? The vampire that she near killed herself for to defend Kale?

She winced a little bit now, and hoped it wouldn't be too bad. Nexus nibbled more of his cake, and still dreaded the scolding. But his curiosity was starting to get the better of him. Inside, he wished he could fulfill his literal hunger. The sugar was beginning to stop working for him.

Darius found himself wishing that he still possessed eyes so that he could roll them. With their meals half eaten, he stood up and pushed his chair back. "Well, if we aren't going to cooperate or be friendly, we may as well get to work. Nexus, you may turn in for the day, or head up to the library if you wish. Actually, you're free to go just about everywhere except the basement and any door made of iron. Those are… dangerous."

He walked over to Bri's chair and offered her a skeletal hand. "Come with me. We're headed to the laboratory to see if we can't get your sight back. I'm sure you don't want to waste much more time without it."

Kale opened his mouth to ask a question as the pair left for the lab, but was immediately cut off as Darius raised his hand without turning to face him. "No, Kale, you can't come with. Partly because we are going to need every ounce of concentration she's got, and mostly because I said so." He laughed and walked away.

Kale dropped his jaw, turned and shot Nexus a look of disbelief, and stormed up the stairs to his room.

Bri took his hand, and then felt her insides sink a little that Kale couldn't come. Actually, it did a little more than that, she actually began to feel uneasy. The feel of his skeletal hand, one she didn't command, was slightly unnerving, but at the same time she liked Darius, and didn't think he would harm her. She clung to that thought, and tried to make pleasant conversation along the walk.

"I can hear your heart racing, you know. You can trust me. You have my word as a Knight. Kale does, even if he has his doubts from time to time. I've seen you both put your lives on the line for one another. I would be honored to do the same for either of you. Ah, here we are."

He pushed open a massive, heavy wooden door that creaked slightly as it swung. The scents of scores of alchemical components and ingredients mingled and wafted past them like a wave.

"Let me grab my journal. I've written down several possible options for us to explore, but they're all up to you. Ah yes, here it is. But, first, I'd like to ask you something, if you don't mind. Why are you traveling with Kale in the first place?"

Bri's heart almost stopped, and at the same time she was sure he heard it. She wasn't quite sure what to say. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she said awkwardly. In actuality, she hadn't really thought about why she'd saved him like that, or felt the way she did. Actually, she didn't even really think about what she felt at all, it was just there. His words made her think on it for the first time.

"And yes, I'd love to have my eyesight back. Even without eyes, as long as I can see. Looking through Nexus' eyes is awkward, because he doesn't coordinate with where I am."

Darius looked up at her and smirked, glad that she couldn't see just this one moment. He shook his head and glared down at the pages, re-interpreting old symbols and reading his notes.

"…Right, well, there are actually almost a dozen options here, but there are three primary ones I've researched heavily. I think you'll find at least one of them appealing."

He began to pace about the room as he tried to explain himself. "Firstly, there is a simple ritual, very easy and fast to do, wherein we take some charged ectoplasm and re-imbue it with some ghostly essence. We then bind this to your eye sockets and start a psychic link with you. This will essentially give you floating ghost eyes that would stay behind your blindfold. I warn you, this isn't pretty, and it might be horrifying.

"Option two involves casting a complex spell and permanently anchoring it to you. This will enable you to see not only the physical world, but illusions and magical auras as well. This one might take some time, and it would be a constant, albeit minute, drain on your mana reserves. This might give you greater understanding with magic when you can see the energies drifting all around you.

"Our last option is a tricky one. But I do happen to have some spare vampiric eyes laying around. We would just animate them, place them in your head, and surgically attach them. You'd suffer a bit during bright places, but you'd have almost flawless night-vision. You'd probably also end up being able to see unique auras around people and creatures based on their blood.

"Go ahead and take a moment to think while I gather ingredients."

Bri thought about it for a moment, and then concluded without a doubt that option two was her best option. No eyes to irritate her, but she could use the abilities they gave her to understand just how much magic she could use to raise the dead during another fight, instead of almost killing herself by pulling too much, like last time. She nodded her head. "Oh, I like two," she said hopefully. "That sounds really good."

She was already used to wearing the blindfold, and liked to hide her face anyway. It was actually a pretty relief to be able to hide her face so easily now, even without a hood.

"Ah, I figured you would go with this one. Oddly enough, I couldn't know which one you would choose. This is the one I guessed though; it makes me feel good that I understand you well enough."

He walked over to the table with a handful of small spell components. He poured them all into a censer and sparked it ablaze with a wave of his hand. He picked her up and sat her down next to burning materials. The smoke drifted around them in a thick purple cloud.

"Now, breathe deep, focus on wanting your vision back, and let me perform the ritual. This may sting a little, and you will likely go numb from sitting for an hour or so."

He began the chanting, began drawing the proper sigils in the air, and drawing the ambient energy stored in the castle walls.

Bri sat still and allowed the ritual to take place. She couldn't wait to see again from her own eyes. The pain had subsided behind her eyes, she noticed. After a few days, it wasn't so tender now, and it would have plenty of time to heal again after the stinging was through. Regardless, she felt the tingle, and she felt that odd sensation of old pain returning lightly. She winced one or two times, but held as still as she could, focusing on her ability to see. This would help her magic beyond anything else she'd known.

"Thank you," she said quickly, before he started, and tried to relax.

Darius was intently glad that he could not feel exhaustion anymore. As he redirected energy into specific points, however, he felt something akin to weariness. Magic could still cloud his mind if he wasn't careful. This was no exception.

Over the next hour and a half, the glowing symbol in the air slowly became more complete. Like a forming word, it made more and more sense to him, until, at last, it was finished. It felt like having an epiphany. Suddenly there was nothing to worry about. The markings were perfect; it would last a lifetime, and perhaps more if she chose to reanimate herself like he had.

"It is finished." The symbol slowly swirled around Bri's head, and flared up one last time before disappearing. "Well, how do I look?"

Her eyes were covered, but she could see, which was a strange feeling. Things were blurry at first, and she couldn't tell where she was in the room. It was dark, but she saw the magic things laying everywhere, and she looked around confused. When she saw him, this time from her own coordinated perspective, she smiled. "Nice," she said. "It's so good to see again. Thank you so much." Simultaneously however, she saw something from Nexus's point of view as well for a brief time. He was on Kale's shoulders, and she could see Kale laughing with a bottle in his hand. The two were best friends suddenly?

"I think Nexus' eye charm is still in the works, if just but a bit," she said slowly. "Oh, and I think they got into your storage of alcohol. I've never seen them get along this well, ever."

"Oh, they did, did they? Kale ought to have known better than to touch my collectible liquors. Actually, that is quite uncharacteristic of him. Anyway, go see if you can close out of your arrangement with him, and then send him my way. Also, scold Kale if you feel like it, that should be entertaining. Oh, and come see me if anything goes wrong with your new vision. I doubt it, the spell was perfect, but just in case." He peered out of the window and saw the sun just beginning to set. "Good night, Bri. I shall see you tomorrow morning." He bowed and courteously held the door open for her.

----------

Nexus was relieved he didn't have to talk to Darius yet, and followed up to Kale's room, knocking lightly on the door. "I brought some of the wine from the table," he said quietly. "Did you want any?"

Kale jumped up from the bed and opened the door. "Good idea. Come on, we're going to the wine cellar to find something strong." When the fool didn't move at first, he waved his hand. "Don't worry, the wine cellar isn't in the basement. Actually, even I don't know what's in there. But I don't like that he's keeping me away, and I'm tired, and I want to sleep, and I can't sleep, so I'm going to drink until I do," he rambled excitedly.

Nexus blinked at him, and slipped down with Kale since he didn't know where to go. "What's got you so agitated? I figured you'd need a drink, since you looked stricken when Darius told you to stay behind." He handed him the wine and let him take a draught of it. "Just don't make yourself sick," he warned, and then cringed at his own future migraine. "Oh well, bottoms up, I suppose."

"I… I'd rather not get into it. He's up to something, I know it. I'm just not sure what it is. And don't worry, I've only ever been sick once. But that was actually less alcohol and more poison." He raised the bottle and started guzzling it down as fast as he could. When he had consumed almost a third of it, he stopped and shuddered. "Strong taste. Very sharp. We've got to find his secret brandy. It's what I really want."

He trotted down a staircase and found a door adjoining with the kitchen. "Bingo."

Nexus followed him in and looked around. "Special stash?" He looked around and saw something he wanted to try, taking it off the shelf and then looking around. "Are you sure we're actually allowed down here? He's not going to mind, is he?"

The wine was actually a bit stronger than he'd thought at first. Kale turned to face him, and his vision lagged a little behind his head. "What? No, no. It's not like he can drink any of this stuff. And I think we're the first visitors here in… years, maybe. At least almost two years, since I was here. I'm not sure what he does up here. Aha!" He reached behind a box and pulled out a bottle of thin, amber liquid with a black cork stopper. He stopped and thought for a moment. "But he'd probably yell at me if he caught me down here. So let's just hold onto this and run back to our room!"

Nexus guzzled down half a bottle while Kale ran for the door, and he wobbled as best he could to keep up, running into a wall and tripping as he did so. "This stuff's good," he said, slurring his words. The more he drank, the slower his speech became, and the slur worsened. He saw the ceiling shift to the walls for a moment, and he rocked to one side, collapsing by the wall, and then bursting into a fit of giggles. "Kale. Hey Kale, you got to help me up," he said slowly, and laughed to himself. "Quick, before your friend is done and finds us."

Kale saw his drunken friend on the wall and burst out laughing as quietly as he could muster, which still managed to echo down the hallway. After garnering several strange looks from the skeletal serving crew, he carefully placed a finger across his lips. "Shhhhh, shhh, shhh, shhhhhhhh… I gotchu."

He focused for a moment and the world straightened out. In one sure, swift motion, he grabbed Nexus by the shins and hoisted his waist over his left shoulder. "Hold on." Nexus burst into a fit of muffled giggling as he swung in the air and landed, burying his face into his back to muffle it more.

Kale ran his way back up the stairs, drifting from side to side as he did. When he reached the top, he shut his door carefully and quietly, almost silent. He then immediately fell to the ground, dropping Nexus, and laughed at full volume. "I can't believe I could actually do that!"

Nexus rolled over and burst into a quiet fit of laugher that shook his body and he pointed at Kale. "You sway a lot, you could barely stand," he said with slurring words. Ever slurring. He almost was unintelligible now. "Your feet sway too far, you should keep balance with your arms, like a pole dancer… That's not the word I wanted, I can't -. You know what I mean," he said and then rolled over laughing again.

"Sway like a pole dancer," he said in a sing song voice, and then took another gulp while he was splayed out on the floor. "That should be your superpower," he said, and then burst into another fit of giggles, "Pole Man." Before long, his head began to pound, and he winced.

Kale had to focus, intently, on every word he heard, in order to force it to make sense. After a moment of silence and pathetically strenuous thought, he managed to form out a response. "…That would be the worst power ever. I'm not even a woman. I know I'm half elf, but seriously."

He struggled to think of why he had started drinking in the first place, but couldn't remember. When he was almost sure he knew the reason, a slow knock came on the door. His heart should have stopped, but instead he just tilted his head up and shouted "Come in!"

A skeleton dressed in traditional servant's garb walked in and announced himself. "Lord Shadowheart is finished with his ritual. I believe he is to meet with sir Nexus next. As a favor to you, sir Kaleoszar, I will refrain from telling my Lord about your… merriment." He bowed, turned, and walked away briskly.

Kale turned lightning fast to see Nexus, his eyes as wide as plates and his pupils as small as pinpoints. "Run."

The halfling smiled wide for the first time in a long time. She walked through the hallway, and then followed a servant up to the room where the two were together. She got another brief flash from Nexus' eyes, and when she peeked in the door and saw neither of them, she'd already known where they were. She walked in and looked for the closet door. When she saw it, she opened it to see the two huddled together in the corner like two scared little kids. Their eyes bugged out of their heads when they saw her open the door, and she rolled her eyes, putting a hand on her hip. "Nexus, Darius wants you. Come on." She dragged him out by the arm, and out into the room.

He fought her out into the room dragging his feet, and stumbling, swaying around frantically. "I don't want to go! I don't want to get in trouble, it was his idea anyway!"

"Honestly, he doesn't care that much, now come on."

She lead him down the corridors, steadying him as she went, and hoped that he didn't make himself look like more of an idiot when he got down there. When she left the fool just inside the door, huddled like a child who'd just gotten a scolding, she headed back up to scold Kale for allowing this drunken endeavor.

He tried not to even breathe. When she dragged Nexus away, he shot him a quick glance that screamed 'good luck.' When she left the room, he panicked for a moment before suddenly being struck by what he believed to be a brilliant idea. He steadied himself, crept out of the closet, and snuck his way out of his room, down the silent hall, and into her room. The furnishings were the same size as his own had been, which made this easier.

He grinned, scoffed at the closet – it was a terrible idea to hide there anyway – and carefully climbed into her bed, burying himself beneath a pile of blankets. She would have to come in here later, of course, but it would buy him some time for now.

When she made her way back up, she noticed he was gone from the room. "Great," she said, and looked around. "There is literally no way in this huge place I'm going to find him, and Nexus is gone." She looked around one more time, and then gave up. "To bed it is, I guess," she shrugged, and suddenly longed for sleep. It was neat to see again, but she was too tired.

She made it to her door, and looked around, suddenly feeling very odd.

Kale heard the door open, and was suddenly incredibly confused. He tossed the blankets off of himself, unsure why he had done that in the first place. He heard a high scream coming from the doorway, but couldn't understand why. He propped himself up, saw the halfling, and plopped back down on the bed with a loud sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank gods, I thought you were Bri. She's going to kill me, for… something."

Bri stared in confusion for a minute. "I am Bri, you drunken dope. Why are you in my bed like that?" She stepped in, and looked at her blankets, all wrapped around his face.

All the color drained from his face. "Oh… I-I'm sorry…" He turned and saw the room, a grim expression on his face. "Something tells me I've done something terribly wrong." He turned and stared her in the face. "But I don't want to go. If I step foot out there, I'll disappear forever, and… I may never see you again… and I don't want that… that would be horrible…" He stared at the light pouring in from the hallway and giggled briefly. "I'm not making any sense. I think."

Bri was taken back for a moment at his words, and then shoved them out of her head. He's drunk, she thought bitterly, and then took herself to the bed. Her chest came just above the mattress, and she forced herself to climb up onto it, coming within an inch of Kale. "Kale," she said sweetly, "get out." She kicked him then onto the floor. "Until you're sober, go to bed. I trust nothing anybody says when they're drunk on liquor."

He looked up at her, then at the door. He peered down at his own hands, and shrugged. "I-I think that's a good idea. I hope I see you again…" He threw himself face first into the ground and pushed himself up to an acrobatic stand using his hands. He glared at them for a second and wondered how he managed that. He dangled himself from her door frame for a split second. "If you need anything, let me -. No, actually, they could probably do it better than I cou -! Hey!"

A skeleton walked by, grabbed Kale, and recognizing the necromancer's desire to be left alone, carried him to his room. It locked the door, came back to hers, and tossed her the key. It nodded before walking away.

Kale flopped down on his bed, felt vaguely awful, and couldn't remember why. He laid down, tossed a blanket over himself, and drifted into a restless sleep.

10: C#9 - Ascension's Arrow

Darius tapped his foot absently as he waited for the demon to come down to his lab. When Bri opened the door and dragged him in, it took all of his willpower to not burst into laughter on the spot. He almost felt sincerely sympathetic when he saw the poor thing cower by the door. He walked over, trying his hardest not to be intimidating, and offered the fool a hand.

"Come on, let's try to stand you up."

Nexus grinned stupidly then, and reached out, switching moods almost in a flash, and grabbed his bony hand, swaying to his feet, and swinging back against the wall giggling. "Kale said you had some tasty things, but he never said they were this strong," he slurred. "He's hiding from Bri in a closet," he said giggling some more, and then was guided back into the main part of the room. He flopped on a stool, and looked around.

"I must say, in all the times that saw the two of you through the veil, it was impossible to tell that you two would ever truly get along." He reached onto the counter for a small black crystalline object. "Here, eat this, it should help level your head, at least enough to concentrate. We must talk, and very seriously. I will need your assistance in a matter most dire coming up, and -. I don't want to use the word trust, exactly, but I believe I will depend on you more than the others."

Nexus quirked an eyebrow confused, and then looked around the room one more quick time to make sure he wasn't talking to someone else. When he was sure Darius was talking to him, he stared at the little black thing he was holding, and then took a lick, and almost gagged. "Oh yuck! Ugh, whatever this is, I'm wide awake now," he said shaking his head back and forth. "Do I really have to eat this entire thing? What do you need me for? Please tell me you don't want to spy."

"Spying? Oh, no, that's nothing but a petty deception done by people with no moral obligation. Before I mention what it is though, we must talk of your… origin. I understand bits and pieces of it, but the Skull does not tell me everything."

He began pacing around the table. "So, the incident that damned you to become what you are… you were blackmailed by your brother into it, weren't you? That's what the visions would imply, but I don't know. Now, granted, there obviously must have beensome willingness in it; the visions I've seen would suggest so. Is that correct?"

For a moment, Nexus caught a flash of recognition, and a horrible, bloody memory flashed behind his eyes in a second before he winced, shook his head, and shoved it away almost instantly. He stared at the skeleton who paced back and forth, and he felt himself witness a horrible notion of dread. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he pressed, and then looked about him indignantly.

The alcohol was finally out of his head now. If there was any trace left, it dried up the second his mind heard the words that wracked his brain with the awful memory. "And I don't have a brother," he pressed harder.

The room grew visibly darker. Darius's skeletal hands tensed, and he absent-mindedly crushed to rubble the chunk of stone counter top he'd been leaning on.

"How long have you been running? How much longer? Until the sun dies out?"

All light that seeped into the room abated. His body became the only source of light. It spilled from the gaps in his skull and pierced through his thin robes.

"This isn't something that you can hide from, Denji. Your foul, disgrace of a brother has resurfaced, and my god-daughter is on her way here, alone. You are the only one that knows him well enough to avoid this going catastrophic. I cannot allow her to come to harm, and I cannot risk him having an accident, if one could use the term."

Nexus glared back at him, shocked to hear that his other half walked again. How did he get out? How did he always get out? Did no one in Hell ever keep an eye on him? No, no. He shoved it away from his mind again, rebounding the thought with a fiery hatred.

"You know my name," he said flatly. "You want to know my past, you're going to have to force it out of me. I don't even think of it myself, let alone tell a near-stranger. Besides, talking of it - I've learned over the years - summons the beast whom you're trying to avoid. You want to keep her safe? Don't attract attention to yourself. He likes to play games," he said, and then refused to face anything more. "Accident," he sneered. "Never."

"Look, we're insignificant next to Katrin. She's perhaps the only living person with kotari blood left on this plane – or at least the only one people know about. I'm not sure where all the others have gone. It's like they just disappeared. Do you really want him to get a hold of her?"

He shook his head and stared at the wall trying to organize his thoughts.

"Look, I can help you, you know. You're stronger than you are right now. The little snowballs and icicles you conjure up are nothing. That destructive power out there in my courtyard… That's what you were used to. I know how you can stop these dangerous black outs." He turned to face him in earnest, the light returning to normal.

Nexus began to get uneasy. "What does this have to do with my past? Why must you know about it in order for this to be done? If the skull left out certain parts of whatever you saw, why would it matter so much as the now? And furthermore, why of any other creature here, did it reveal that particular part? Do you really want to know what happened? Because I can just take you back to see it yourself. You clearly seem to want to know enough."

He turned his gaze to the floor, feeling a familiar heavy guilt that rose in his spine when he contemplated things that went against his moral code.

"Please, by the gods, no. I… couldn't bear to watch. I didn't see it happen, but I saw you two talking. It was clear by your tone that you were shouting. Then hesitation, then a sort of acknowledgement, like a killer staring at his first victim. It didn't show much after that."

He picked up a small stone and nervously rolled it around in his hand.

"I need to know if I can trust you. I-I have faith in you. Compared to those you travel with, you're a saint. I'm not sure what to think. But I can help."

The fool tipped his head, and looked to the floor. He was getting flashbacks now, and heard but bits of what he was saying. Things he'd fought back for centuries started to come back, including the very mistake that damned him into being an incubus. The absolute pinnacle of the abomination itself, the entire reason he'd shoved it out of his head. "You brought this up, and now you're going to see for yourself. You're going to suffer through it the way I did, and see for yourself why I struggle to be a saint so that you know exactly what you're up against with that bloody fool, you call my brother. I shoved it out of my mind, and you brought it back on me full force. I want to run. I want it to completely disappear. I couldn't bear to watch either, Darius. I was a part of it," he grinned vilely. "So if you really want to know that badly, let's go."

He jumped up then, dashing from his chair like an arrow, and then grabbed Darius' arm. He swirled him around to face him, and then grabbed onto his shoulder, a dark look in his expression now. His eyes were a thin line of black, and the circles around them were so wide and thin, they were almost nonexistent.

The room got cold, winter night cold, and the light was completely faded off. They stood on a snowy, unlit street in an ancient city that had burned to the ground years ago.

On one side of the village, a large dais sat at the edge of the tree line silhouetted against the moon, and a crowd of onlookers stood in a wide circle to watch a set of jesters performing on top of it. Beside them stood a young woman of dark hair, staring and swaying in confusion, as if in a trance.

Upon seeing her, Nexus cringed, and felt the sickening feeling rise in his chest. He shoved Darius forward with a shove. "You wanted to know. Now you find out front and center," he said.

Something about the scene looked familiar. Through the haze he could remember the visions the Seeing Skull had given him. He turned to glare at Nexus, and possibly strangle him, but the image adjusted to stay in front of him. He muttered a stream of curses in various dead languages and seethed.

Nexus smiled a grim smile. "Feel it," he said, forcing the illusion to remain in place.

They danced in a circle and chanted in some strange tongue. Nexus had completely forgotten what the words even meant anymore, it was so long ago. They sang and swirled, doing small pieces of magic in the air regarding fire and ice. The fool smiled at the memory of using such trivial magic, and his grin was half-hearted and dark.

Before long, a pair of black robed figures appeared on stage behind the two human jesters, and brought with them two more women, one of fair hair, and one of a bright fiery red. The crowd jeered, and hissed in a confusing array of noise, and the red jester, an opposite in all color to Denji, put his palm in the air with a wry smile. "Silence," he said calmly in common, and the crowd hushed like a breeze.

Denji stood on the other side of him, uncomfortable and stiff, unsure of what to say or do. He flashed to three girls frequent peeks from the sides of his eyes as he struggled to remain calm now that their dance was over. He'd felt the jitters all through the footwork, and he'd dreaded the moment the drums stopped beating. The second they did, he likened it to the feeling of his heart stopping.

"Magic is a rare and wonderful thing," the red fool chided above their heads. They nodded and whispered to one another, then returned their attention back to him. "We've proven ourselves among your village as gods, and therefore, it is our time to return to godhood. First, we require sacrifices – three virgin women." He gestured then to the trembling women behind him. Horrified, the red-haired girl began to cry, and the hooded men behind them bound their wrists to their backs to avoid their escape. Denji watched in discomfort, unsure of his brother's words. He'd doubted him all this time, but then again, Denye was never one to use reason above actions. If this worked, it worked. If it didn't… he didn't know.

The crowd burst into a loud ruckus of cheers and cries, and a small chant began among them to continue on with their 'ascension.' He clapped his hands once, and the crowd silenced a second time. He turned behind him, and held a white-gloved hand out to the maiden in red hair. She stared at him, and slowly took a step forward, unsure of herself. Denji felt a pang of guilt, and sympathy, but he held his tongue, and cast his eyes to the dais floor. When she reached his side, Denye carefully and gently took her arm in his, and led her to the head of the stage, showing her off to her friends, family, and folks she didn't know, but saw every day of her life.

"Of the three, this one shall be the pinpoint of our ceremony here today," he said with a smile. "To complete our goal, our sense of touch has to be heightened to its fullest at the pinnacle of ascension, so that we may fully comprehend our mortal flesh in comparison to what will come." With a savage smile, and a rough tug, he pulled her back to his chest, and whispered something in her ear that made the girls eyes widen in terror. Denji could tell by then that something was wrong, and he flashed Denye a bold questionable expression. The only thing he got in return was a subtle wink. Infuriated, he flung his gaze back to the floor, and wondered at what would happen next. If things got too out of hand, he would force it all to stop.

The crowd only continued to cheer, and then sent jeers and shouts at the three terrified girls at the dais, who had been thrown into their position by family members who had shamed them. The three were virgins, but they were not willing sacrifices. Contrary, they were cast out, abandoned the second Denye had handpicked them to be as such, because their roles of wife and mother were forfeit.

He smiled around at the group, flashing his bright teeth in the torchlight, and threw her onto a small, stone table behind them. He gestured to Denji, and held the girl out by her hair. "After you," he said quietly. For a moment, the blue fool just stared back. When he received no response, he stepped forward, and took his place on the opposite end of the table from Denye, who dragged the red-haired girl along beside him. "This won't hurt, dear," he whispered to her quietly, "not much."

The red fool stripped her then, yanking off the small white cloth that their families had spat on in a chain leading to the dais before the ceremony. One of the other girls called out to her desperately, but a hooded man wickedly punched her in the back of the head, and held her still. "Quiet you," he snarled.

The girl fought to hold her arms over her breasts, and tried her best to turn away from the crowd, tears streaming down her cheeks in shame. But no one dared step foot near her. The crowd was no longer cheering, or jeering. They stood on silently, fascinated by the display, and watched. When Denye was sure they understood, he flung her to the table as easily as if she were a small china doll, and pinned her down by the wrists and ankles with leather strips on each corner. "Golin," he barked at one of the hooded men.

"Yes, sir?" He pulled his hood off, to reveal a young face, small scruffy beard, and hair in a long ponytail down his back. The fool pointed to the dark-haired girl, and the fair-haired girl.

"Escort them to the woodpile."

Golin nodded humbly, and pulled the two shaking girls to the edge of a pile of wood, stocked high with logs and scrap pieces of board. "Mama, please!" One of the girls forced her way out of his grip, and flung herself down to her knees at the front of the dais to a woman who stood first in the row. The woman's only response was to stare coldly back at her, her mouth a hard line, and her eyes unreadable. Golin reached forward with an angry tug of her hair, and dragged her back to her feet pleading and screaming.

"Back you go," he said with a huff, and then cuffed her hard with a piece of wood to the back of her head. "One more disruption from you, and I'll fix you good," he warned, his voice as calm as if he were talking to a dog.

Denye finished tying the red-haired girl down, who tried to peek up as best she could so she could see, and walked to the woodpile. "These two," he said with a voice directed at the crowd, "are a little more important." He looked at the darker haired girl, and grinned at her cruelly. She winced back, and turned her face away. He scratched a gloved nail under her chin, then turned to face the crowd again. "To become ascended, we must trade in flesh for flesh. Their bodies will burn, and contribute to ours in the new life," he said proudly. Denji stared down, the prongs of his hat concealing his face. Something didn't seem right. He didn't remember his brother telling him about this part. For a moment, he felt his heart drop. Was he really going to burn them?

The red, white and gold fool, as if to answer his question, shot a small line of fire from his finger, and flamed the stockpile alight in a small dancing display. The crowd cheered in response, and then a few voices rose over the din. "Send her down to Hell!" "It's the only useful thing she was good for!"

He smiled in response, and turned his attention to Denji. For a moment, he hesitated. Then he rose his hand ceremoniously, and shot a line of ice into the fire, sending a hissing spray of steam into the air around the crackling fire. The crowd about tore down their makeshift stage with cheers and delight. "Better than a hanging," the red fool commented to himself, as he stared around the savage group of faces. He turned then to Golin, and with a lazy wave of his hand said, "toss them."

The shrieks carried on over the crowd of onlookers and into the forest beyond, the twin voices an unholy sound among the already unnerving cheering and chanting. The smoke whirled and the fire and wood spit sparks into the air, obscuring what few stars had already been out that night. Denye watched on, and then when their screaming finally silenced turned his attention back to his audience. "They await in the Second World," he said darkly, and then turned to the table.

The red-haired girl's eyes turned to Denji, who stood above her. For a moment, their eyes locked, and he could see every hint of terror in her soul. The pleading expression bore into his, and he stared back in awestruck silence, unable to respond or form words. He shifted his feet uncomfortably, and turned his eyes away. Her eyes were green. A light, spring forest green. He squeezed his own shut as a feeling of regret and fear twisted his stomach into knots. He hadn't been told this part at all.

Denye flashed his blazing eyes back at him, red in the firelight. "In order for us to ascend as one, we must do it together, at once," he said calmly, only to Denji. The girl overheard, and her breath quickened. Denji could swear he could feel her heartbeat through the vibration in the stone she lay on.

"What have you done? You didn't tell me you were going to… to burn them alive!" He forced his voice down, but he could hear the panic in it when he finally spoke. He shivered, the sound of it unnerving him, and he forced his tone back under control. "Why do we have to do this? Do you even know if this will really work?"

"Denji, do you want to be a god, or do you want to be stuck pulling parlor tricks for the king as he sips on his brandy and kisses his whores?" The red fool was exasperated, and flicked his eyes to the crowd behind them, who began to chant. "Do you hear that? Listen. That's what we're here for. Don't think about it," he said, flashing the girl on the table a sadistic grin. "Just do it, and it'll be over faster."

The blue fool glanced out over the crowd, and sighed deeply, looking back down into the woman's horrified and pleading eyes. He froze where he stood, getting lost in the firelight that flickered through the green. A wildfire burning down her forest. Denye may have been the fire, but he was the wind that fed it. In a flash of an instant, he drained himself of any emotion, clearing away the analogy as fast as it had appeared, and lightly leapt atop her, alighting on her belly. She squirmed and tugged the straps that held her, Denye smiling evilly at him in response, and then turned to the crowd again.

"This village shall go down in history as the one who severed a pair of gods from their mortal bonds," he said dramatically, and the crowd screamed their applause and pleasure across the night air. He turned then, and joined Denji on the table.

Blind screams and shredded flesh flew from the table every so often, and the girl's cries went ignored. When they were done, she was a bloody heap, violated and exposed in the mix of fire and moonlight. The crowd had long since fallen silent, and awaited their final announcement. Denji looked down into her hollow sockets, and then horrified, back down at his own hands where he'd torn them out himself, lost in some blind passion. The blood dripped from his fingers, and he stared back at it transfixed and paralyzed. Denye flipped himself over the table, and straightened his uniform elegantly. "Now," he began – but never finished. Somewhere, a sound of a bowstring going taut and the whistle of an arrow echoed through the crackling of the fire. He stood, shocked, and stared down at an arrow that protruded from his heart. He coughed once, and then collapsed to his knees.

The crowd screamed, this time in fear, and backed away from the dais as a flash of red encircled it. Denji continued to stare down at his hands, and then stared down at her naked body in a sense of disgust, seemingly completely unaware of the orange and yellow tongues that entrapped them. A second bowstring went taut, and a second whistle of an arrow sang through the air, connecting with Denji's throat with a wet crunch.

The blue fool leaned back with the impact, and stared up into the sky in disbelief. Denye crumpled to the ground, and he heard the thump of his body on the dais as he felt himself falling backwards, slipping away from his body as if he were floating.

Only he never hit the table. He landed in a cell.

Before long, the smoke whirled around them, and they stood back in Darius' room, Nexus with a newfound darkness in his expression, and a grudging demon stare at Darius, backed away from him. "Now, force it out of your head, and have it reawakened again," he said lowly. "You want me to do this for you, you're going to have to understand firsthand what you throw us all into. You'll call my brother to us like a beacon. After that night, he got a taste for large crowds of worshippers and rape, even after I'd long disgusted myself with it. If he decides your god-daughter is a good sacrifice, he'll go for her. Think of a plan for protection that doesn't involve Bri killing herself, and I'll do it."

Darius was silent for a moment. "Hmmm, yes, I could see a few problems with that. Fortunately, I had actually taken that into consideration. I see now, there's just one more thing we have to do for you, and then this will all add up, and everything will work out fine." He picked up a book on the counter and flipped through the pages before finding a specific passage of only a few words. He nodded and tossed the book down.

11: C#10 - Similar Blood

"Follow me, we're going to the highest tower in here. That is where we must be if I am to assist you in your problem."

Up they went, five stories in a grand spiral staircase. When they arrived at the top, they were greeted only by a massive set of iron double-doors, roughly fifteen feet in height, and locked by an arcane seal.

"So, I have one last question before we go in there. It's magically silenced for good reason. How long has it been since you've fed in general? Your aura is weak, and I'm going to assume it's been at least two or three months."

Nexus quirked the corner of his mouth in a half grin, and a half frown, and a shadow crossed his face. "Try a month and a half," he said. "And I'm due to feed again. I normally ask the girl if she'll act as a donator, so I never rape or pillage, as often as I can. I've only had four slip ups since my death, and I've taken great care to keep those slips as few as possible. Each slip was an unfortunate case of circumstance too, such as being in a desert for weeks without another soul nearby." He stared at the door, then back at Darius.

"You're going to lock me in there. I know how this works, Darius. I was sentenced to Hell. The only reason they haven't come after me is because I'm not drawing attention to myself, and they can't find me." He smiled wryly. "Checking to see how long I can last? Or is this is a case of bitter vengeance for making you feel my pain?"

"I'd call that bare survival, not really keeping yourself fully vitalized. Perhaps that's why." He flipped through his book and found the passage. He read it quickly and nodded.

"No, you're not meant to be trapped in here. You can leave any time you want to." He glared and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying through the opening. When he heard the familiar thud of a body dropping, he shouted something in. "Listen to her, by the way, she knows exactly what she's doing."

There was no satisfaction on his face, just a pained look of regret and revulsion. Silently, he climbed the stairs to his room at the top of the tower.

Light poured in for the first time in a month. She smiled, her teeth a bit sharper than they should have been. Every time the door opened, it meant she got another thing to play with. She tossed the small book onto the table and floated over to her new arrival.

It was customary to absorb and savor the scent of her visitors before she truly saw them. In this way, each could be more special than the last. She drifted past the table, past her throne, and past the chandelier. She stood over the creature and breathed deeply; and she became sick.

A scowl crossed her face and she waved her hand at the candles to light the room. Everything was silver, from the chairs to the candlesticks to the floor. She looked down at her guest, he was clearly not intended to be her pet, and waited for him to get up.

He ached, and groaned slightly in pain. He wasn't quite sure what just happened, but he was sure he just got power-kicked into a room with a monster. He was sure this was vengeance. He sniffed the air, and caught scent that whatever it was, it was female. His words when he shut the door behind him made a little more sense now. Listen to her?

He sniffed cautiously, and sensed a monster, just as he thought. When the light came on suddenly, he blinked at the brightness, and curled on the floor over his stomach. It hurt, and he refused to move for now. He stared up at her, waiting for a pounce, some form of bite, anything.

She stood there for a moment, waiting for some sign of movement. Lord Shadowheart was strong, of course, but certainly this one was stronger than that. And definitely not mortal either. She caught a very peculiar scent coming from him, and a look of disgust crossed her face. "Are you kidding me?" She shouted loudly, and drifted over to her throne, spinning it in his direction. "Come on, get up. I'm not going to wait forever."

In a quick flash, her silk dress turned into thin white robe with silver accents. There was a rattling of chains, and a young man in manacles carried a glass of wine to her, keeping his eyes to the floor. She graciously accepted the drink, pulled him down to her, and kissed him slowly on the neck. He turned and smiled to her and quickly walked back to the trap door that he'd come from.

The fool slowly sat up, and ached. Who was she, and why did she have servants like this? "Why did he kick me in here?" His voice was croaked. For a skeleton, he kicked with an awful amount of force. When he was on his feet, he struggled to understand the chained servant, puzzled over the kiss, and felt a slight hunger rise up to his throat for a moment before he choked it down. He barely even trying anymore, the fight was a reflex. But it was growing weaker and weaker. This was the longest he'd gone without feeding, and it was taking a toll on him.

When he looked around the tiny room with no windows, he couldn't help but feel trapped here. Darius was definitely angry, there wasn't a doubt there. He couldn't really blame him for the drag to the past he'd performed, but at the same time, he felt it was vengeance for awakening a memory he had no will to ever see again. He faced the room, and chewed his lip.

----------

Bri caught sight of where the fool was in her dream, and realized it wasn't a dream. Darius had kicked him into a room, she'd seen the kick, and watched from his eyes as he flew into a black abyss. When the light returned, she looked up from the floor to see a girl sneering at him.

She sat straight up in bed, and the fire was in her cheeks. Moron or not, he was her puppet, and he did as she wanted him to. She flew out of the blankets, and dashed to Kale's room, banging on the door with a little fist angrily. "Kale, get up. Get up, or I'm going to be picking bones out of my teeth," she said acidly.

The world came back to him very quickly. Immediately he jumped out of his bed and opened the door. His vision straightened in a few seconds. His body worked just as it was supposed to. He remembered pieces of the night before, and shoved them in the back of his head. "What? What is it?"

"Your skeletal friend just kicked Nexus in the stomach, straight into a pitch black room. The lights came on, and I saw a monster. He locked him in the room with a monster," she growled darkly. "If that stupid flesh puppet is damaged, I'm going to have to borrow some parts for a replacement," she nipped. "Go talk to your friend, before I do."

He looked around the room for a while. He could recall no monsters that Darius kept in his walls. Except, of course, for the gargoyles, the giant skeleton in the court yard, and -.

"Wait a minute. Pitch black? Did you see what the doors looked like? Were they really big?"

"From what I saw, they were two double doors, but I only saw them once he kicked Nexus in the stomach, and he flew backwards through the room, and I watched him shut the doors. Pitch black, no windows."

Kale's eyes lit up in a flash of recognition. "Oh, you mean Cryia! That's -." His eyes widened and he shifted his gaze to the corner of the floor as his face flushed. "We're going to want to leave him alone for a while. He's not in any danger. I haven't known Nexus long, of course, but she doesn't seem like the kind of person he'd normally associate with. Though it may be nice for him to meet another of his kind. And that's all I'll say on the subject."

But Bri was just more confused than anything else, and walked out of the room and down the hall, still smoldering. She asked a servant to take her to Darius straightaway, that it was an emergency. When he grabbed her hand and rushed her down the hall to a room, he bowed, tapped on the door, and said, "he should be out shortly, ma'am," and then vanished down the hall for his duties.

Darius stepped out of his room quietly, looked down at her, and was confused. "What is it? I was in the middle of something important." He saw her seething for a second and knew what it was though. "Oh, that. Yes, I might have hit him a bit hard, but he'll be fine, I'm sure of that. He's in no danger right now. Cryia poses no threat to him or anyone here. If she had, I wouldn't let her stay here."

"So what was the kick for anyway? Let me guess, he broke a wall of yours," she said, this time with some bitterness toward Nexus. He was way too brash. She rolled her eyes then, and thought about it again. "So what is she? She's not going to eat him, right?" Basic curiosity now. The way Kale knew who she was, and the odd look on his face made her guess, but she wasn't sure.

His features turned downward in a great depression. "I'm not at liberty to say. He did not make me swear one, but his words indicated that he would prefer a vow of secrecy, and it is one that I am sworn to, on pain of true death. Even dead, I abide by my knight's code." He struggled with the exact words at first, but spoke a minor incantation that cancelled out the demon's shared sight with her.

He looked her in the eye and considered his words carefully. "That was for your own sanity. Cryia is a fiend of lust – a succubus. I permit her to stay here because she helps me study, and in exchange I bring her some of the fouler criminals I find in my travels. Her demonic nature should help your friend to understand his outbursts like in the courtyard, and maybe control himself a little better in general."

She felt a little better at not seeing through his eyes anymore. But his words bothered her. A question bubbled into her throat, but she swallowed it, because he wouldn't give away a secret. "I should put two and two together, but I'm not going to. Where's your wine? I need a drink," she said still a little dazed, and walked into the next room. "Men," she said slightly bitterly.

If Kale was anything like that, lusting after whores, she would have no part of it. Something about that thought hurt a little.

The half-elf knew Darius too well. If he was anywhere near him, the damned knight would figure it out. It was eerie the way he knew when he was being followed or tracked. So he followed behind Bri instead and waited for her at the bottom of the stairs. He was leaning against the wall when she came back down the steps. Something was obviously upsetting. "So, what did I miss?"

"Not much," she said, and walked back to her room with a wine bottle. "I'm going back to bed," she said taking a gulp out of it. "Moron's out having some fun, so it's nothing to worry about." She wrinkled her nose a tad at the thought. That was an odd, and very suspicious turn of events that not only confused her, but also made her ask questions. Friends were confusing, she realized. This is why I stayed alone.

Kale looked down at the bottle, which was about half her height, and knew she would get into some serious trouble. "Do you want to talk about it? I mean, if not, that's okay too. I'm just a little worried, that's all."

There was something that didn't quite click in their conversation – something he looked over that he should have picked up. Suddenly it hit him, and he wanted to defend himself without giving too much away. He hated being awkward like this.

Bri was going to refuse, but then she stopped at her door and paused. "Actually yeah, let's gab for a while. It doesn't have to be about anything in particular, but I'm not much up for sleep anymore." She carried the bottle in, and flung it on top of her bed, dragging herself up by the covers, and then sitting on the edge. "Here, you can have some. I'm about through already." She held it out shakily, and the room spun. Only about an inch of liquid was even swallowed.

He grabbed the bottle, leaned against the wall, and took a big swig before setting it down. Last night it had only gotten him into trouble. Still though, it warmed him and made him worry a little bit less. He bit his lip and stared at the ceiling for a moment before speaking.

"So, uh, just in case I wasn't clear, nothing happened between me and Cryia. She tried to seduce me the first night I was ever here. Well, Darius didn't like it, and that's why she's in the iron room now. I just wanted to clarify that… for no reason." Stop-talking-you-idiot.

Bri felt awkward for a moment, and stared at the wall. "I never figured you did," she lied, feeling a tiny twinge of relief. "I'm not entirely sure why he's up there though, and it's sort of irritating," she said grudgingly. "Darius wouldn't tell me why, and said he was keeping a secret. That makes me wonder what that stupid demon is up to." She laid back down on the bed and thought. "If he double crosses us, as a demon, we're screwed. I want to know what it was. Two demons talking alone together is suspicious."

She watched the waves of dizzy fly past her eyes. "Screw it. I'm bored, anything you want to do? I didn't bring any of my books with me, and I have no herbs with me to make spell powders."

"Let's go for a walk. The balcony stretches the whole way around the island, and the view up here is great."

----------

"I can only assume that Lord Shadowheart 'sent' you to me in order to straighten you out." She sipped her wine and walked around him in slow circles. "I'll bet you couldn't kill me if you had to right now. Maybe my guests, but they're tiny and mortal. You… ah, that's it. You haven't killed anyone by draining them in a while. Too long. So, tell me, why not? It's not like you have anything to worry about."

She looked him in the eye for a brief moment. "No, you're uncommonly good. An inspiring sentiment in our kind, but it has, unfortunately, made you weak."

"And you figured out all of that out by taking a quick sniff of me, right?" He was unnerved, but tried not to let it get to him. "Weak, yes. I don't openly go looking for trouble, and honestly, I'd rather not be a target for something that could kill my friends because it was attracted by my not-so-human scent."

She chuckled a little at his words. It had a musical tone to it. "Oh no, I think that the only things that could pick up our scent would be other demons, and perhaps really old vampires, but that's about it. Unless of course you're intentionally making yourself smell stronger to attract prey, if you can do that."

She shook her head though. "Power isn't always obvious. I think I can help you get your old strength back, and no one would ever know the difference. If you doubt me, I can show you right now."

He thought for a moment, when a whiff of the air caught his attention. Up until now, he'd been expecting a beating, or worse. Now he seemed to understand a little bit. "You can give my power back, because you're the same breed. I don't doubt you, but I'm not entirely sure I trust you either." He huddled in the same spot he'd been standing in, unsure of any territorial motive, or place to hide. There was nowhere to run, no windows, and the door was locked. The only thing he knew was the trap door where a servant disappeared into.

"Me? Hmm, perhaps. That does sound like fun, and it may actually be helpful in your case specifically." She stared at him and saw how awkwardly he kept to himself, like a child who didn't want to get in trouble. Her blood boiled beneath her skin. It was ill fitting for creatures of their stature. She scowled and threw her glass at him, giving him only a second to step out of the way. "Quit acting like a coward! What are you, a ten year old squire? By Skorm, it's a wonder that you haven't been killed already."

He dodged the glass and stared at her in shock. "There's a difference between being aggressive, and being passive," he snapped, and then stepped into the center of the room, boldly. "No wonder he keeps you up here. How many of his servants and such have you killed? I'm not entirely sure I can learn anything from you." His stomach panged in pain again, and he bent over a little, trying to hide it. Darius kicked hard…

She shook her head and ran her hands down her face in stress. "There's a difference between being confident and powerful and being aggressive. You don't have to be flashy and showy, you just have to know that the situation is almost always in your control." She looked up at the ceiling in deep thought and then smiled.

"I actually have a great idea. The best way to learn is by experience." She clapped her hands and it sounded as though the ground beneath them was shifting.

"I've actually never killed any servants, just the odd murderer and arsonist Lord Shadowheart happens to capture and send my way. That's really good for you, you know. And you don't have to feel particularly guilty about it. You get to be the harsh, swift, pleasurable hand of justice, and they get to be free dinner. Now, pick one, would you?"

Nineteen women of varying ages and body types and seven men of similar variety came walking up the trap-door staircase. They all lined up beside her, wearing fine silk tunics and manacles. A smile adorned all of their faces and they could not peel their eyes from their mistress.

He stared at their stricken gazes, and then turned his puzzled eyes back at her. "They show no fear to you? Not in the slightest sense at all?" He respected her kills of the evil sort, but couldn't bring himself to think the same way. He had always asked the victim, and if they had conceded, then he would feed that night. If not, he dealt with it until they reached the next town.

An awkwardness fell through the room then as he stared at the 'stock' she herded into her room, and then glanced sideways back over to her. "They glorify you, why would they satiate me? And furthermore, are you going to watch?" He tried to fight a discomforting wrinkling of the nose at the statement. Insulting her was not the way to go.

Cryia was insulted anyway, and stood from her throne, floating down the line in front of her subjects. "How barbaric! No, they love me, and I them. My needs are theirs, and theirs mine." She paused to give each of them a kiss on the forehead.

"You bring up a good question though. Why should they? I guess you're going to have to convince them. Tell me, when's the last time you used your seductive presence to charm someone into doing what you want? And I may watch, I may not. It depends. My mood changes very quickly. By the time you choose, I may take one for myself at this rate." At this, all of their eyes lit up and they all smiled.

Nexus cringed. He hadn't at all, actually. He'd merely asked the human when he'd made friends at the bar, or out walking among the streets. A few of the stranger outcasts of the town were fascinated by his skin and eyes, and would ask questions. And being friendly with them won them over most of the time. But he'd never actually openly seduced a woman or a man for that matter, ever.

Upon the thought of her watching, he couldn't help but feel repulsed, and at the same time feel that same curiosity that got him into trouble in the first place. He walked up to the group, and felt their unwavering appeal toward her. How was he going to do this?

"No idea at all? Aw, you poor virgin incubus," she chuckled out. "Relax, this may hurt just a little." She drifted slowly behind him, put one hand on his shoulder, pulled his collar down with the other and carefully bit down into his neck just enough to break the skin. Sharp, hollow fangs delivered just a few drops of poison into his bloodstream. Her fangs retracted and she threw her arms over his shoulder and around his neck and hummed to herself quietly.

"In just a few moments, you'll understand it all. You also may have the urge to violate everything in the room, so do try to fight that off. I don't want to hurt you. Just relax, breathe, and feel your consciousness expand beyond your body. Let me know when everything begins to look a bit more colorful."

A touch of panic caught hold of him. There was a similar way that his brother poisoned others, mortals, into feeling this way, though for the longest time he was sure it had to do with syringes when he was tagging along with a vampire lord who liked to experiment on his prisoners. That must have been his secret. He'd never bitten a human to know whether he'd had any sort of venom at all to do what Cryia had just done, least of all to eat them as he knew he was supposed to do.

Before he could think too hard on the subject, he began to feel himself sinking. He was spiraling into something warm, and bright. The room felt more contrasted with the light, and the smell of the humans began to burn sharp in his nose. The warmth traveled, and the more relaxed he got, the more he unclamped the hunger he'd pinned down inside. It began to struggle.

Her arms didn't help, and he stiffened, wishing her to let go. His eyes hazed over, and he breathed a little deeper. If his eyes were black and blue in his hunger before, they were a raging, glowing pit now. "Let go," he said rushed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that. What you're feeling right now is the same novel sensation that my loving subjects feel when I bite them. You, however, are different."

She tightened her grip, her arms like steel holding him in place. "In a moment, it should subside, or at the very least, you'll be able to control it. Try focusing on something calming, if you can. Actually, wait… I changed my mind, I think I will join you."

She pushed her presence into her voice and called out for a young woman with sleek black hair and startling green eyes. "Shari, my dear, get yourself ready for me, won't you?"

The girl jumped a foot into the air and squealed in excitement. Her fellow followers all let out a small sigh of disappointment.

He watched the girl squeal, and then felt a weakness in his control. Now it wasn't such a disturbing thought to have her in the room, it was a little exciting. His senses heightened some more, and then began to ebb down. All the time of fighting it off was helping, and he held onto his dignity pretty well by the time it began to fade a little bit. Practice, he thought with a grin.

But there was still a question with her strange little herd of humans. Why did they follow her like that? He'd never had any human he'd ever gotten a donation from act that way. It was basically a 'use me for money, and go' kind of thing, or the occasional friendly romp with a new friend. But there was never an adoration quite like this. They were like vampire thralls.

Cryia closed her eyes, felt for the pulsing of his being, and reached out with her consciousness to mingle with his. There was incredible resistance, but in his condition it was almost negligible. It was slow at first, like a thread made of molasses, but eventually she reached him.

There we go. Very impressive by the way. It normally takes the men nearly half an hour to calm down properly. Feel how my spirit stretches, and I want you to try as hard as you can to mimic it. Pick a girl – or guy if that's your preference – and reach out and touch them with your consciousness, your infernal presence. Be careful, this is incredibly tempting. Your contact should be brief, but when you do, you will feel a pull from them toward you. Then you can insinuate any thought you would like. Go on, try it. Then you'll understand why they look at me the way they do.

He felt her there, and a slight violation of thought occurred to him, before it vanished like smoke. When his hunger reached a taunting peak, he reached out, at none of them in particular, to weigh which one fit him the most. When he touched base on a girl toward the middle, he focused on her. It didn't take much. The second he touched the edge of the wall, she turned and stared directly at him.

She was hypnotized, and he felt a break in her barrier where her distraction let him in. Brief, he told himself. He lightly allowed a tendril of his ideas to brush across her thoughts. The tiny flash revealed everything he wanted, and implied. He set the idea in a spark of touch, and then left instantly, just as he'd come.

Yes, exactly like this. You catch on quick.

She watched the girl's knees buckle slightly, and she picked herself back up. Poor Maria had no idea what she was getting herself into. Cryia chuckled to herself quietly and waved her hand at the girl. Talented though he may be, they were all attached to her. Almost instantly she reached for her manacles and took them off. They weren't locked at all, it was a symbol of submission they chose willingly. Once she was free, she flexed her wrists and ran up to her new idol.

She grabbed him by the wrist, forcibly dragged him across the room, and took him down into the now empty cellar where they had all stayed. She turned the corner, led him into her room and locked the door.

The demoness waited for the audible click of the lock and let out a sigh of relief. She took her robe off and cruelly let the others watch as Shari served her mistress.

12: C#11 - Three Past Shadows

Bri stared up at the sky, and wondered quietly to herself about trivial things. The night air felt good, but her sleepiness was dragging her down pretty hard. When she began to sway a little bit, she wondered if she would have time to dream before she had to wake up again the next day. She almost reached up to rub her eyes, but then remembered the still-tender holes, and lowered her hands. Her eyes weren't really there anyway, and this was going to take some conditioning to get used to. Touch the holes, feel pain. That simple.

But she was so glad to see again.

Kale peered down over the railing and wondered just how long it would take him to hit the ground if he fell suddenly from this height. He picked up a small rock and tossed it down and stopped counting after 10. "It must be great to know what's going on around you again. I'm glad that you can be happy and see. I felt awful about that whole situation. Maybe if I'd acted faster, or used my head, I might have been able to prevent that from happening."

She shrugged her shoulders, and stared out over the edge with him. "It's not that big a deal now. Actually, it feels pretty good to know that I have one less weakness for an enemy. They can't touch my eyes to blind me," she said with a smile. "They already have. If it didn't hurt so much, I'd do this to my whole body somehow. I feel like his skeletal form is the right way to go."

Being undead. That was a thought. But along with the bad, the good sensations would pass too. No more wind, no more water, no more rain or warm sun. She cringed away from it then, and preferred to be herself.

He nodded in agreement. "I've actually always been jealous of Darius for that. It must be nice to not have to worry about blades to the heart or arrows to tender ligaments. The body is too fragile, I think. But I like it. There's something about the rush of anticipation that you need to feel in your heart when you stalk something. It's better that way. I'm sorry, I'm rambling again."

He pulled out a small watch from his belt pocket. "Dear gods, is it really only a few hours till dawn?"

She wobbled again. "Yeah, that too. I like to feel the rush, otherwise it doesn't feel like living." She began to see strange, and when she looked at him, he smeared, then came into focus again. "I can imagine that pretty easily. You might have to carry me," she mumbled, and then seemed to slightly doze off where she stood.

"Well that's certainly a better idea than letting you fall asleep out here and risk you accidentally rolling off the edge. Come on, I'll take you in." He smiled to himself and picked her up like the knights did with princesses in the stories he'd read as a child. "I knew that would be a little too much for you."

He carried her through the door, back down the hallway, and arrived at her room. He paused for a moment and gave the moment some consideration. "…Would you mind if I stayed in here with you? It's weird being alone. The rooms here all feel too quiet."

She hummed a response, but it wasn't a dissuasion. She leaned on his shoulder a while and began to fade in and out. When his words rang in her head, she couldn't form words, and simply hummed at him. When he laid her down she shifted over a little to make room, and then grabbed a blanket, a comfortable smile on her lips.

Today had been eventful. Very much so.

He pulled his own comforter from out of the closet, laid down, and covered himself up. It took him forever to find a comfortable spot. It still felt strange. For nearly an hour he lay there, trying to fall asleep and pondering what tomorrow might bring. Finally though, he rolled over and drifted into a pleasant dream.

----------

With everybody asleep, Darius wandered back into his most private chamber. He turned all three of the locks to the door and walked into the very center of the room.

The memory came back to him and he fell to the ground and wretched. A vile black fluid poured from his open jaw, coming seemingly from nowhere. It was a very painful experience. Tears of black pitch poured down from his eye sockets. He just sat there trembling, waiting to push the thought from his head.

And then his music box began to play, which always meant he had company. He turned to the massive mirror that covered a third of the wall in his small room and saw them standing there.

"Selene? Tyras? Why did you come here, now of all times?"

The woman gave a look of concern to him and spoke. "Dari, dear, you know why I'm here. You have strayed from the path again. Don't hate him. You're not so different, honestly. I know it's difficult for you to witness something so appalling, but -."

She was cut off by the young boy of fifteen standing next to him. "It's not like you're not just as awful. Go, ask the pile of bones in the basement for sympathy and agreement."

"Hush, child," the woman scowled at him.

"No, I'm sick of waiting. How long as it been now, mother?"

Darius looked at him with a look of shame on his face. "I-I will be back. I will meet you again… I-I just -."

"Need to fulfill another promise. Need to wait for another person to die so you don't have to feel guilty."

Selene glared at him angrily. "Tyras Decon Shadowheart, I will not have you speak to your father that way!"

"Who is it this time, father? The elf? The demon? The wizard's daughter? How many more friends will you put us off for? Just… do me a favor and stop talking to me until you're ready to apologize." The boy turned and faded away in the image, leaving his mother standing there alone.

Darius struggled to look her in the eyes. "I-I'm not that bad, am I?"

Selene smiled with a knowing glance. "No, my love. You're doing something great. I know how you feel, and I've always known how you went out of your way to do good. I understood that when we married, and I will always accept and admire that. But the boy does not, and perhaps never will."

"I'm just… worried. Solgrin was one of my greatest friends, and I made him a promise. I have to save Katrin somehow. I need to."

"I know, dear, but that will not bring us back to you. It's not your fault."

These words made him buckle to the ground once more. His whole body shook violently. "Yes, it is. Otherwise, you would still be here."

"No, Dari, it never was. You did what you could, and it was our time. And until you can come to terms with that, you will never let go." She raised her hand and held it up to him, touching her side of the mirror. "You're getting better, I know that now. You'll see us again sooner than you think." She smiled lovingly, and began to fade just as he raised his hand to match hers.

His jaw dropped for a quick instant. "No, please, don't leave! I can do better! I promise!" He fell to the ground completely this time and curled into himself, staring at the glass where they stood, black ichor pouring heavily from his sockets. "…I promise."

----------

Nexus was relieved, and when he stepped out of the trap door, he felt warm, full, and there wasn't a hole in his insides somewhere. He felt whole again. He hadn't noticed it before, but he had been carrying something. He knew this because of how it felt lighter, like something had been taken off of his chest. He looked around, breathed out, and then to his horror stared into the mirror.

His eyes were white again, and his glowing white iris contrasted his skin like moons. His skin had taken on a bluer hue, and the green tinges in his flesh where his blood boiled were glowing on his cheeks. He looked healthy for his species, not sickly and frail.

Cryia shuddered and lifted Shari off of her feet and sat her across her lap in her throne. "That was wonderful darling, I swear you get better at that every passing day." She heard the footsteps and watched her student begin admiring himself in her large mirror.

"Don't feel bad, I couldn't help but stare at myself the first few times either. I'm usually quite tan, but having a decent meal gives my skin this lovely porcelain tone. What you're feeling right now, it's never really happened to you before, has it?"

He looked at himself some more, and touched the glass. He watched his arm then too, at the grace in which it moved. Like water, his body felt like it was floating a little bit. "No, I've never been this full. At least not that I can remember. Maybe I was at one time, but I'm not sure. All I'm aware of is that my eyes change, not my posture, or how I move."

He turned and looked around then, and in a broken, rattling heartbeat, he saw the red fool, standing in the door, swinging a key around his finger. He hadn't even heard the door open. He hadn't even heard Cryia say anything.

"I smell dinner," he smiled sweetly. "Evening brother. You smell savory."

She perked her head up at her new guest. "What's this? Did something get cut in half and both of you grew back like some kind of worm?" She chuckled for a moment and sighed. "Okay my darlings, time to go back to your rooms."

Silently and quickly they all bowed and walked back around, avoiding the two others in the room, and down into their chambers. From the floor, a very loud click resonated, followed by a very low thrum. Cryia nodded in approval. A comet could smash down and on that spot and the trap door wouldn't break.

"I think you should know that your intrusion here, no matter how talented you might be in the art of infiltration, has been alerted to Lord Shadowheart." She spoke casually and watched the doors, the only exit from this chamber, slowly lock from the outside.

But he only leaned on the door and swung the keys. "Don't worry lass, you're in no danger from me. I'm only here because I smelled something unusual. So unusual in fact, that I, his brother, have but witnessed it three times in the five hundred years we have been in existence. You may have fed before, but there's a difference between eating your fill, and merely getting by."

He slowly took a few steps into the room, stepping softly like a cat walking on needles, and kept a watch on Cryia in the corner. "You've somehow managed to get him to do something I never could for centuries. I'm dying to know your secret."

"Oh, that was easy, you have to work with your student, not against them, like I'm sure you obviously must have. You reek of sulfur and arrogance, and I can automatically tell that it's fiends like you that give the rest us the horrible reputation that gets us shunned everywhere and spoken of in horror stories."

She stood up and put her white robe back on, disdained to even give the intruder a good look.

He laughed loudly then, and watched her. Nexus hovered by the mirror the entire time, motionless. He could hardly believe he was there. Standing in the very doorway that he thought was safe. "How do you do this? How is it that no matter where I go, you find me?"

But the red one just smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Because unlike you, I don't shut out the world. I follow and smell you everywhere. You just choose not to acknowledge my presence in return. Which honestly, is actually rather stupid of you. There are worse demons than us living in that little lava pit that I've seen." He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Like the imps, whose only job is to do simple tasks like pages for the upper demons. Pathetic."

Disinterestedly, he looked Nexus up and down then, admiring his skin. "Tasty. I don't think I've ever seen you glow quite like that before." He put a finger to his chin, and thought dramatically.

"You show up unannounced and obviously unwanted. I've run into your kind before. There's nothing to threaten you with, nothing I can say or do that could change your mind. So let's cut to the chase. What is it exactly that you want here? You didn't come in just to say hi. Or maybe you did, I'm not sure, it's hard to tell with the heavily unstable ones," Cryia spat.

He gasped dramatically, and looked offended. "Unstable," he huffed. "I merely showed up to check on why my brother was so happy!" He strolled over purposely and grabbed his brother, throwing him on the bed dramatically. "You're lucky I'm not hungry," he said in disdain, and then flipped a hand at him. He looked back over at Cryia, and then sniffed the air. "Where's your skeletal friend then, hmm? He knows I'm here, does he not? Amazing where you find keys laying around, by the way. Disgraceful."

"The key was only laying around because Darius didn't really lock it. Your brother could have left at any time he wanted to, but I knew that my offer was too tempting. If he does lock it, we'll be stuck in here forever. And this isn't like Hell, where the designers intentionally leave back doors, however well hidden, for ones like you to get out. This particular room is sealed seven ways to Oblivion as soon as he locks it from out there. My, wouldn't that be fun." She smirked and rolled her eyes and waited.

Almost as if on cue, Darius stepped through the door. "What have we here? Another wandering soul seeking shelter? A broken heart seeking companionship? Or just another spine and skull to mount on a pike?"

Splice turned with an awkward puckered lip at the door, and thought for a moment, tapping his chin. Interesting. He took a quick sniff, judged his power, and then couldn't hold back a huge, cheek-cracking grin that stretched to his eyes. All of his fangs gleamed. "Ah, you smell amazing. No, I'm not here for companionship. Although if he wants some, I suppose I can lend a little." Nexus cringed then, and grabbed the sheet, covering himself up quickly, then backed up to the headboard.

That was not the first time he'd heard that. And every single time he heard it, it happened one way or another, now or later. Sickened, he curled to the headboard.

Splice smiled at his retreat, then turned back to Darius. "I'll leave now. There's not really much else to do here, honestly. Mostly I just came to see the huge secret behind why my brother smelled so satisfied. Your demon pet is impeccably boring. Hasn't even called me many names."

He shrugged then, and Nexus prayed Darius would stop him. He threw him a pleading look.

Darius bowed his head and stared at the floor. "You are a foul creature, vile even among your own kind. You are a far greater stain on this world than even I am."

He walked over very casually and looked the devil in the eye. "But, I know you enjoy games, so how about we do this your way, hmm?"

Cryia turned and faced him. This was very unlike him. He was usually the kind to charge in, sword drawn, and slay his foe honorably. The tone in his voice was unsettling after hearing his stable tone all these years.

"Stay here for even another moment, and I will kill you where you stand. I know you will be back, there's no stopping that, at least not yet. Or, you can leave now, and I will not destroy you. But I will send out a pack of hunters of my choosing to track you down wherever you may be, and they will kill you."

He cracked his neck and squinted his sockets. "You're older than me, I'll admit that, but I haven't squandered my time. I've been practicing. Your move."

Splice's eyes sparked then, and he perked up brightly. He cart-wheeled to the door, and then did a backward handstand, facing away from it, and used a toe to push the door open. He smiled up at him from his position toward the ground, and chirped happily. "Oh, I'll leave! Nothing quite like a long, adrenaline-filled game of tag." He flipped back up onto his feet on the other side of the door, waved, and then spun away like he was dancing. "Catch me if you can," he screamed down the hallway, and vanished out of sight, smiling all the way.

Nexus hovered on the bed, shaking and still naked under the sheet. Humiliating. He blushed green, and glanced back and forth between the two awkwardly. "I'd really like my clothes now."

Cryia turned to him with an incredulous look. "There's an asexual skeleton and a succubus in here, and you feel uncomfortable with your nudity. Your insane brother just came in here and wrecked any concept of peace any of us will have in a while, and you're concerned with being naked. Dear gods, you are confusing."

Darius turned to them and chuckled quietly. "No, we have nothing to worry about, at least not for a while. Unfortunately for him, I did not specify which hunters I had in mind. He will be most displeased when they find him, I think."

Nexus scowled at her, and then ripped off the sheet, spreading out his arms, and standing on the bed. "Take a good view. You're two aren't the reason I'm disturbed, thank you much. I've been sexually assaulted by him for years. Do you know what happens when our skins touch? He's hot. I'm cold. It's not a pleasant feeling."

He jumped down, and ran down into the trap door where his clothes were still thrown all over the floor. Geez, I didn't even bother to put them onto a chair.

"Yes, I understand that. You can try that will-influence power I just showed you to change his mind. I know it doesn't make much sense, but I've seen it work before."

Darius shook his head at Nexus' concern. "He won't set foot in here ever again. You know that massive giant skeleton that tried to attack you when you came in here? There are actually a dozen of them, and they will recognize him as an enemy from now on. You are safe within these walls, at least for now. I should do some research and try to fortify our defenses further. But, for now, you two should stay together here. You'll be safer that way."

Just as he was about to leave the room, he turned back to face the succubus. "Oh, and Cryia, you have my express permission to contact Kylin if you need to."

Nexus calmed himself, sat on the bed, and sighed. He looked around the room, watched Darius leave, and then perked an ear. "Who is Kylin, and why do I feel like whoever it is, they're worse than you?" He smirked at her teasingly. "Is it someone my brother might actually fear?"

"Kylin makes the whole world a worse place in general. We should all be afraid of him. Lord Shadowheart is afraid of him, and I've seen him fight the avatar of a god before. Kylin is the oldest member of the Shadowheart bloodline. It's actually because of Kylin that they got their name. He's evil. So evil in fact that every last one of the men for the next thirty generations took up the responsibility of being a paladin in an effort to remove his awful stain from the world." She cringed. "Yeah, he's worse."

Nexus grinned and looked around her room again. "So are you going to keep me in here, and just continually feed me until I'm 'stronger' so you say, or are you going to just let me go?" He stepped to the door sideways, and rolled his eyes nonchalantly. "I have a short friend with an even shorter temper who's going to be wondering where her puppet went."

She cocked her head to one side. "No, you're free to go, I should think. I just wanted to teach you how to sustain yourself better. Feel free to come back and visit Maria any time you wish, I'm sure she'll like it." She gestured over to the girl with her hands held behind her back, biting her lip with her eyes beaming in their direction. "Do stop by and visit once in a while though. I'd like to think of you as one of my few friends that isn't trying to peel my corset off."

Something bothered her. "Wait… you just said puppet didn't you? That little thing… she has you bound?"

He felt a small sink at the corset thing, and then a disturbing excitement to it. He shifted uneasily, and at the change of topic, he perked back up, glad for the distraction. "Yeah, she's got a temper, that one. Not quite a friend, but still a friend, I suppose. I'm not quite sure what she is, but she's more terrifying than most demons I've run into in my time. And she's a hell of a lot stronger than she looks too."

"Hmm, yes, I know exactly what you mean. Not really nice to one another, but there's something there, a certain chemistry, that you'd miss if things suddenly changed. I used to know it quite well, but he got a little too attached, got jealous of the others I fed from, and I had to leave him tied up in a bordello. But oh well, that was sixty years ago." She genuinely smiled and walked over to him. She leaned over, bent down, and gave him a slow kiss on the neck.

"You forget that I know that look of disappointment a little too well. Yes, we can have a bit of fun during your visits if you'd like." She dragged one finger from his ear down to his chest. "But for now, let's go say hello to the waking world. Besides, I've been dying to see Kale again."

13: C#12 - Elvish Licorice

Kale stretched and yawned, waking up from a strange dream in which everything in his life was going right for a change. He opened his eyes and let his vision adjust to the darkness for a few seconds. He rolled over on his side and immediately recoiled and fell off the bed with a loud thump. He could have sworn he was in his own room.

Bri blushed and stared at him, trying to awkwardly shift her ribs into the proper position, and reach into her hood to fix her skirt without it looking accidentally tempting. "I have to use the bathroom," she said, and slid off to the small room in the corner, locking the door behind her.

When she finally shifted all of her pieces back in place, she stepped back out, and her cheeks were still warm. "Okay. Good morning."

Kale turned and faced her now. "I think I'm hungry, and my head is pounding. We got trashed last night, didn't we? I hope I can stomach some eggs and bacon." He looked up at the ceiling and desperately tried not to think about what might have happened. "So let's head down and try not to look embarrassed or undeservingly guilty or awkward."

She nodded her head, but felt no queasiness. "I could eat an entire hog right now. Tusks and all. Let's go, I hope your friend can cook well, even though he has no tongue."

She slipped to the door, and started down the hallway. More than once, her mind shifted awkwardly at a thought she repeatedly pushed aside. Did something happen? What if it did? Did she actually care whether it did or not? That last one evoked an image she blushed purple over, and she shoved it out of her head hoping he didn't see it.

----------

As they walked down the stairs, Darius was in his spot at the table. Light poured through the great windows, and the cool morning air drifted in, creating a pleasant breeze overhead that kept the hall cool. A few skeletal birds tweeted their songs on the windows.

The table itself was covered in large bowls of scrambled eggs and fresh steak, bacon, ham, sausage, and jellies of all kinds. Darius took one look at the pair as they entered and immediately decided that Kale needed his buttons pushed once more. "It's about time you two showed up. Did either of you get any sleep?"

Bri gawked, and then the image popped up again. "Yes, yes we did," she said, and then walked over to the table. She sniffed the ham, and then felt her mouth water. "I am so hungry. I'm amazed my stomach can even work right now. So how was your… awakeness?"

Nexus dizzily wandered into the room, head abuzz with the confusing nibble earlier and sat at the table across from everyone in a dreamy daze. He picked at a few things he smelled at the table, until he found the sweet rolls at the bottom end. "There we go, sweet sugar." In a personal awkward moment, he blushed, and concerned himself. "Uh… right, yeah, sugar."

Cryia waited behind the corner and contemplated how to open up. Then she saw Kale and Bri next to each other. Whether or not they knew it, their postures and scents both indicated a particular interest. Yet there was no obvious sign of it, at least not that she could see. Then it dawned on her. She felt, at once, a particular excitement, and a sense of caution.

If the halfling was as strong as Nexus suggested, then she might be able to get ahold of her as well. This would not do. That and the fact that people rarely liked their suitors associating with her kind. A thin grin spread across her face. Then again, she could be the spark that led them to act upon their suppressed emotions.

With a musical tone in her voice, she drifted over to a chair closest to Darius and picked up a piece of toast. "Hello everyone."

Kale's grip on his knife tightened. He cut a piece of steak and chewed quietly while he considered the situation. She hadn't really done anything just yet, but there was always a reason to doubt with her. Then again, with Darius so close, she couldn't really do anything. He would kill her, or at least lock her up again. He relaxed and gave a quick nod to her, responding with a curt, "Good morning."

Nexus tensed, and then chewed on the sugar. It was sticky and warm, and the cinnamon was delicious. He groaned in hungry contentedness, and chewed slowly. "This is delicious." He looked at Darius a moment, and then puckered his lips then in thought. "Who cooks? Who tastes things?"

Bri noticed the strange look and glow on him, and she squinted hard. "What's wrong? You're different now." When she saw his eyes, she tipped her head. "Your eyes haven't looked like that in a pretty long time."

He looked over, and tensed again. "I ate a little better than I had in a while."

"You 'ate'? You eat nothing but candy, and as far as I know, your taste buds for human haven't been used, ever. What do you mean, you 'ate'?" She leaned over the table and took a quick sniff. "You smell like… something."

Darius caught a quick glimpse of Nexus's face and chimed in. "I think he got into my stash of elven licorice. I'm not sure how they pack so much sugar into the things, but they're sweet enough to rot teeth in weeks. It'll take quite a while to find a good replacement." He shot a false glare in his direction.

"As for the cook, Marius, he's a vampire who wanted to perfect the art of cuisine, and so he has. I feed him, and he feeds our guests. Unfortunately, he's also horribly antisocial, so we'll likely never meet him."

"So, Kale, were you ever going to tell me that you stopped by again? Darius, why didn't you say anything? It's been years!" Cryia smiled teasingly.

He glared at his cup of tea and lied through his teeth. "I would have gotten to it eventually. It's not like we're leaving tonight or anything."

Bri noticed the girl up front, but calmly ignored her. Something didn't feel right, and she didn't want involved. This was the monster she'd seen from Nexus' point of view, and she remember what Darius had said. She nibbled some more ham, and then grabbed the toast and eggs. "This is the best meal I've had since Knilingtin. You're so lucky you get to eat this every day," she said with a happy yet still nervous sigh.

Nexus was relieved for Darius' rescue, and continued to eat his roll. When it was gone, he looked around some more. "Yeah Darius, you really need to learn how to hide those better. I can sniff out sugar better than a hound can blood," he said with a grin, and a narrowed stealing glance at Cryia.

Darius cocked his head at Bri. "I don't get to eat like this. I haven't in… let's see. Three hundred and ninety-six years now. I have it specifically for my guests. I'm glad it's good though." He turned to Nexus. "I did hide it. It was locked in a box, behind a locked door, in a floor that had a sign on the entrance door to not enter. You're just rude." He turned to the succubus next. "And Cryia, quit antagonizing Kale. Or do you want me to lock the doors again?"

Bri scrunched her nose, and threw Nexus a sideways glance. Darius had already told her she was a succubus. Elvish licorice? Quite.

Cryia shrunk in her seat a little. "I didn't mean anything by it. I know better. And I'm insulted that you'd think I was. Kale, darling, I promise I'm not being mean."

Kale bit his tongue and sipped his tea. "Very well." He tried not to call her a few unsavory names and keep his emotions from poking out in his speech.

When Nexus finished, he glanced about the room, and then rested his head onto his arms on the table, exhausted. He hadn't slept much. Something caught his attention then when he relaxed that he hadn't noticed before. He sniffed the air a bit, furrowed his brow, and tried to figure out what it was. It came from Kale, and especially Bri. Whatever it was, the scent was familiar.

Cryia looked around and sighed. "Nobody's going to say anything. By Malfegor's Breath, what is this, politics? You're all supposed to be friends." She looked between Nexus and Bri. "…Ish."

Darius looked at her with a face of disbelief. After a half a minute of silence, he spoke. "I'm not sure what you intended to do there, but this is about as good as it's going to get, I think."

Kale sighed and sipped from his cup as loud as possible to break the silence.

"Well," Bri said slowly, "we are. In a way. In a way that's at least mildly beneficial, if not convenient. She looked over at Kale. "That, or we're just not quite sure what to talk about, here. I think it's time we went on a small trip of some sort. I'm getting antsy sitting."

Nexus groaned. "No, you're just used to wandering because towns and villages grab their pitchforks. Relax, we're doing fine here for once." He took a sip of wine and toasted the air. "Besides, it's pretty comfortable here, compared to the tree branches."

Bri nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's true. We're all we got, after all."

Cryia grabbed some tea and grapes and casually began eating with a look of exasperation on her face. Oh well, I guess we'll have to try a different approach. "So, what brings you all here? It's been ages since we've had visitors. This is like a holiday for us."

Darius turned to her. "You fail to realize the irony in the word holy-day, then. All the same, it is pleasant to have company and talk again, even if it's not all merriment and frivolity."

"I thought we had our own reasons to come, but knowing how this works, I wouldn't be surprised if Darius didn't just happen to find us when we needed him. That and, I think, you said you had something you needed us to do for you?"

Nexus accidentally spit the wine he was drinking at Kale's words, and then coughed a few times. Right. He'd almost forgotten. Best no one else know.

Bri cocked an eyebrow. "Well, I'm here because I was badly injured." She remembered the exhausting fight and her raising of a whole miniature army. "Ugh," she said suddenly embarrassed. "That was really stupid. I shouldn't have done what I did. It was nice to have a break."

"Oh, yes, that's right. I was going to have you escort someone over to me, but since a small incident last night, I found that your interference will not be needed. With the assailant out of the way, and currently preoccupied with other matters for a good while, I should think that Katrin could get here safely. Now, there's only the matter of me getting my flesh back on my body, even if it's not living, so that I don't scare the poor girl. So, you can relax, for a while at least."

Kale stared down at his plate. "Katrin? That sounds familiar. Solgrin's daughter? But she was an infant the last I'd seen."

"Yes, and it's been almost eight years. You forget, she's going to be strange for her age. Children of mixed kotari blood always are. I doubt we could even use the word child to describe her anymore."

"She sounds positively strange. I'm sure she'll fit in perfectly around here."

Bri remembered then her entire reason for coming out this way, and was glad for the death. A small flashback of walking through town together passed through her mind. There were more than a few concerned stares at their size difference.

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter what they think," Katcha told her, and smiled. Bri looked back up and smiled to him in return, dressed in normal peasant garbs before she'd even revealed her trade.

Nexus caught the scent of distress, and when he glanced over, he caught her in a blank stare at her plate, lost somewhere in thought.

"Yes, well, she'll be with us by this evening or this morning, I'd think. So, until then, there's not much to do except relax, enjoy the time off, practice honing your skills, or - I don't know, have fun I suppose. Though our definitions of fun might differ greatly."

"Ha! You're telling me, Mr. Nose-Bone-in-the-Books. You still haven't told me what the problem is, and what we should be worried about."

Darius nodded very lightly. "That's because there's nothing to worry about at the moment. In due time, I think I can tell you all. Until then, let's all enjoy the vacation, shall we?"

Kale nodded. "Very well. I feel cramped. Do you still have that practice room on the third floor I could exercise in? The skeletons there shouldn't feel anything."

Cryia glared at Kale, then to Darius. "It's no wonder you two got along."

Nexus looked around the room, and caught the scent again. When he looked around this time, Bri was sitting as close to Kale as she could, and he noticed her shudder while staring down at the table. "Kale, I think your friend may be troubled," he whispered with the back of his hand, and pointed with the other at the little red hood sitting next to him.

Cryia got up, hovered slowly behind the necromancer, and tapped her on the shoulder. "I think we'll let the men poke things with other sharp things and potentially injure themselves. Come up to my room and we can talk? It's got to be incredibly hard to not have another woman to talk to for so long."

Kale's face twisted into an expression of intense shock. That didn't happen. It couldn't. Cryia wasn't nice. He imagined Cryia turning over a new leaf, and then laughed inside.

"That's probably not the worst idea in the world."

Bri was taken by surprise herself, having never really spoken a word to her in actual conversation, and nodded shyly. "Yeah, I suppose I could do with some fun girl night activities," she said with a smile. Awkward, but good enough. Not having much experience talking with people sort of did that after a while. She grabbed a donut from the table as a snack, and nodded to everyone there. "I'll see you later."

"Good, come on!" Cryia practically shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders and flying off as fast as she could to her chamber. She paused as she got to the door, gave a quick tap on the handle, and opened it. As she expected, her servants had rushed back to their rooms.

She plopped Bri down on a massive padded armchair, and hoped that she hadn't left any scent or stain on it from her earlier activities. I definitely could have thought this through a little better. She shrugged and pulled out a silver dish of cherries and began eating.

"So, tell me a bit about yourself!"

Bri sat on the bed awkwardly, and looked around while thinking. Her room was gorgeous. Bri had never owned a room as grand as this one. She tapped her chin. "I'm a necromancer, an outcast, and I travel the woods usually with my fool. That's about it really. Nothing overly interesting to tell here, except that I live like a wild person would. I actually had to make my own miniature version of armor to protect my sensitive areas, but since I don't fight often, I didn't need full armor." She lifted back her cloak to reveal the animal ribcage over her chest, and the string of teeth and claws that served as her skirt.

Cryia balked and blinked a few times. "I don't think I could ever travel like that. I would get too filthy." She unconsciously began looking at her hands for dirt. "I don't think I'm that interesting either. It's mostly been drifting around until I found myself here, and then, I'm not sure. Life here is pretty sweet. I have everything I need delivered to me, and it's fun."

She stared at the bone-work and admired it. "Oh, and you should make me something like that. It's primal… I like it. I'm not sure why I never considered it. Maybe because it's not the silk I'm used to."

Bri looked at her skirt, and then touched the bone. She didn't have to carve anything but the holes through them in order to get the thin rope through. And the ribcage was made with a carved bone hinge on the back to take on and off, something that had taken the most time out of everything. "I could try," she said, "but it would take a while. It took me about three weeks to carve the holes and the hinge. What are you looking for?"

"That's okay, I'm sure we could meet up by then if you have it ready! I need to find something to accurately repay you with though. Although I think I have an idea already." She looked off behind her with a wicked grin on her face. "I'd need a corset, a pair of boots, and a skirt, kind of like yours, but split on the sides. It needs to be flexible, and maybe a cloak too… something to impress the boys, you know?"

Bri's eyes widened and she gawked for a moment. "What? Why, are you going to dress me up?" She huddled her cloak closer to her, and felt safe within its unrevealing confines. "I seriously hope you're joking. It's not like I'm even very good with men," she said with pink cheeks. The image came to mind again, this time with a newfound audio that she hadn't even considered, and she felt the awkwardness rise again when she shoved it out of her mind. "Yeah, I'm really not good at that type of thing."

"Hmm? Oh, no, not unless you want to." She took a sip of wine and tapped the glass in thought. "Although, I did notice that earlier." She paused and looked and grinned. "You don't think I wouldn't notice? Not only do you give off the scent of attraction like a territorial animal, but your body language doesn't help either. Did you know you lean very slightly in his direction when you walk beside him?"

Bri squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. "Please tell me no one else noticed that. Nexus gave me some weird glances when I was in the room, but I just assumed he was cranky or something." She'd have to be more careful now lest he found out. She wasn't sure Kale was the type to love someone, especially after the crisis with his little wench. Very similar situation to hers, but also different people.

Also, scent. She mentioned a scent. If Nexus was a demon, did he smell it too? Cryia was different though. She was a special kind of demon. Nexus appeared to be just an average one that happened to not actually eat flesh. Then again… what if he was like her? Darius kicked him into her room after all. It would explain a bit. She sighed and pinched her nose a brief moment, and then blushed again. "So what about dressing me up then?"

"Ah, so you do have something for Kale then? And you want to do something about it? Thank Malfegor. I was seriously about to bite you, poison you, and just sit back and watch you maul him. Figuratively watching, anyway…unless…" She paused to stop talking and took a heavy drink.

"Anyway, I'm glad you brought this up. Kale won't make a move. He's stubborn. He likes you too. It's actually almost painful to see him like that. Last time was with that bitch Anise. I always knew she would break him like that. But enough about her, you're in the spotlight, and he's a coward."

Bri opened her mouth to stop her before she went too far, but then just clamped it shut. He apparently liked her too? It must be nice to have a nose like hers.

She looked back down at her armor and then wondered what she was up to. "I hope you're not going to make me look too crazy," she said timidly. "I'm not quite a dominatrix like you."

She smirked and put her hands on her hips. "I am not a -. Well, a bit I suppose. But not in the violent punishing sense. I like to be in control."

She offered Bri a cherry as she spoke. "We actually don't have much for you to wear. If anything. He's a simple man from my experience. He always scoffed at my fancier dresses. But, I think I might have something you'd like." She drifted over to her closet and pulled out a thin, scarlet, silk cloak. "I may have to trim it for you, but what do you think?"

Bri's eyes lit up at the pretty fabric, which had the soft shine that silk carried with it. She lifted it up, and felt it. Thin, airy, and comfortable. She tried it on, and almost half of it dragged to the floor like a train. She walked over and stood in the mirror and admired it. Until she saw that it was slightly transparent, and that she could see her armor underneath.

She turned then, pink, and stared at Cryia. "So, how do I go about doing it then? Just walk in?"

Cryia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Waltz right in? No, no, that would never do, you'll give him a heart attack! Well, either that or he'll call on someone else for protection and run away, or try to throw you out of the room… literally…" She scowled down at the ground at her words.

"This is going to sound really awful, but you're almost going to have to force him into a situation where he can't escape or say no." She tweaked her mouth to one side and shrugged. "If he wants this, and he does, he won't push you away for too long."

Bri blinked and then winced. "How am I going to do that? Sneak into the bathroom when he's in the shower and then slip into the water with him wearing it?"

"Nope. Wait until he's asleep. Walk into his room, hop onto his bed, and tell him you had a nightmare. Seriously, that's it. Trust me, I've done it plenty of times. And then you just wait. Make sure he's awake enough to notice, though, otherwise he won't have the time to think about it."

Suddenly panic hit her. "Oh!" She flew over to a cabinet of white birch wood and scanned the shelves, taking out a large black ring. When she returned, she tossed it to the halfling. "Have him wear this. It'll fix any size issues. I made it myself."

Bri handled it and then looked around. The blush in her cheeks was burning. She knew there was no way she would be able to hide that. She looked around the room, shrugged, and then tried to smile. This was a good thing, right? This wasn't meant to be weird or anything.

"Thank you," she said, and then looked to the door and stretched awkwardly. She forced a yawn, and then back-stepped toward the door. "Well, I should be getting there now. I'll come by tomorrow to gab about it," she said oddly. "That's what girls do when they're friends, right?"

14: C#13 - The Fool's Blade

Somewhere in one of the darker parts of the world, an old soul stirred, restless in its tomb. The lid shifted, and the wraith witnessed the world once more. Wreathed in black mist, the foul being drifted out into the sunlight, though it did not pierce the darkness about him. Somewhere within, the knowledge was contained, and he knew what he must do.

Kylin smiled, though this was not something that could be visibly seen. He turned to the surrounding eleven tombs, and beckoned with one withered hand. Silently, the other wraiths rose and bowed to their master.

There was a demon to be hunted, and another soul to steal.

Splice dodged between the trees and through the wildlife looking for cover. He grinned and tried to quietly chuckle the whole way, reveling in the hunting game. If Darius did send his minions, now would be the fun part of the game. The best part was chasing the prey, not actually catching it. That may have been the climax of all the fun, but without a goal it ended too soon.

He finally found a tree, and climbed up into it, hiding from a hound. It had followed him when he slipped into a town to try and find a midnight snack. When it got too close, and he was high enough in the tree to avoid the fangs, he engulfed the beast in fire, listened to it yelp in pain, then climbed down and clubbed it to death with his scepter.

He huffed, and then looked around, hoping no one followed the bellowing noise. If they did, and weren't here, he'd have to move fast to avoid being seen now.

He fled into the trees.

Distance seemed irrelevant. Moving as perhaps only they could, the wraiths drifted through trees, mountains, buildings, even people if it was faster. Always they pointed in the direction of their quarry. Twice they found unlucky people in stage makeup that had fit the description. They glared into the souls of the poor bastards, leaving them feeling hollow and cursed. Unbeknownst to them, they had also had their lifespans cut by a number of years.

Kylin felt the pull in his core. It would be perhaps another night still if his target remained in one place until they met.

He ran for a good long time, until he was sure it would take a while to be found. He rested by a river, stripped, and then stepped into the water. It was freezing. He gasped several times in discomfort as cold as it was, and then let his skin become mildly accustomed. His brother would have no problem with this, but the temperature of his skin didn't allow it as easily as he did.

When he finally became tolerant of it, he rinsed his white hair quickly, and then flung it back. It smacked against his skin in a cold curtain, and he shivered. When he was sure he was clean, he pulled himself out of the water, and sat on a rock to stare into the black water. The moon refracted off of it, and he grimaced.

Splice walked out, grabbed a towel, and relaxed on the grass. Tomorrow was going to be a rest day, and a supply-salvaging one too. The next town was only a half hour walk away, and there was no rush.

A tent or bedroll was first on the list. The towel he stole from the tavern a few days ago wasn't enough. He laid awake and stared at the sky. Hopefully this chase would get more interesting soon. He'd run now for a good bit of time, and nothing seemed to have even remotely caught his scent.

Inside, a storm built up – Kylin was disappointed in his task. His target did not move very far, or very fast even. It made the hunt incredibly boring. With his thralls trailing behind him, he drifted lowly above the ground for a few more hours. The sun would be coming up soon, and he may need to find a decent host to blend in.

Something changed though, as he got within a few miles of his target. This may not be as bad as he imagined. The aura was not mortal, rather, it was something sinister and… old. If Kylin had ever smiled, it would have been now. It was, perhaps, a shame then that he would have to kill the poor creature.

He chuckled, a low sound that would remind a person of a person's last words being whispered as they slowly died. In a few moments, he would be there.

Splice sniffed the air then, and caught the scent of something coming on the wind. He narrowed his eyes briefly, and then smiled cunningly. I guess he's still chasing after, he thought, and then leapt to his feet to grab his towel. He dressed himself quickly, and then bolted into the forest. He smiled as he went, chuckling evilly. Fast. The thing was fast. That made it all the more interesting now.

His smell told him that it wasn't human, for sure. And coming from the skeletal monstrosity that sent it after him, he didn't expect it to be. Opposite, he either expected a small army of monsters, or one large monster. He bolted, and then leaned his back against the tree, laughing quietly as if he had just fed on a human in euphoria.

The wind shifted, and the tug was stronger now. A chase. He turned to the others and nodded, causing them to disperse and follow in a large circle. They did not share his gift, and could not hide the way he could. They flew as high up as they could and drifted around the clouds, staring down.

Kylin stayed near the ground and focused his form for a brief moment and watched himself slowly fade from view. His victim was a clever one, however, and would likely sense him as well. This, too, made things interesting. He would need to find flesh to wear temporarily.

Somewhere along the road he found that a body had recently been buried. He reached down into the earth and forced himself into the corpse. It would do for now. He exhumed himself and started running with the inexhaustible stamina of the dead.

Splice's curiosity got the better of him. He laughed some more, and rested down beside the tree, looking forward, and waiting. He would show eventually.

His sense of smell concealed then, and he lost the scent. Something else was coming now. He tipped his head to the side musing. Did he change shape? Shape-shifter maybe? No way would he just vanish.

Finally, after waiting a while too long in boredom, he shouted to the trees, "Come out, come out! I want to play," he cheerily added.

Too easy. But also…

A middle-aged, dirt covered orc in tattered robes stepped out of the forest line and stared blankly at the garishly garbed figure. For a moment, all he did was walk casually out to him until he was within perhaps ten paces. He breathed deeply, opened his mouth, and let his jaw hang slack, widely agape at an unnatural angle. A voice resounded from inside the ribcage, but it didn't actually speak.

I've been looking for you. But you already knew that. Otherwise the hunt would have been a disappointment. But here we are, and it has been too long. Tell me, why should I spare you?

The delirium was starting to take over, and Splice stared at him like a confused madman for a moment. He smiled large, and swayed a little on his feet before responding, rather slowly. "So I've been followed by a zombie orc? I can smell you're not really there. He's been dead at least a week." He sniffed and then scrunched his nose. "Really, you could have chosen better. There's a village a half hour from here."

He tapped his chin, and his eyes glassed off elsewhere for a moment while he thought.

Perhaps you are right.

The jaw cracked and Kylin poured out slowly from the corpse, standing about equal height to the fool, hovering silently in place. His ghostly, skeletal face did not move when he spoke. So, once more, explain to me why my spawn would send me to kill you, and why I should directly abuse the surprising vague wording used for my summoning. A slight anger began to bubble in his voice.

Splice's eyes sort of widened at that, and he feigned slight amazement. "Well, let's see. I raped numerous women, I plunder, steal, cheat, lie, murder, eat people, trespass, and burn villages down… I once started a cult in order to gain ascension into godhood, which I suppose half-worked… I slipped into the skeleton's home and almost had a chance to rape my brother. Again. I can't really think of anything else right now, but if you can, that'd be great." He smiled large then, and his sense of reality started to come back a little. "Oh, you'd twist a contract, would you? How rude. I really don't have a reason to not die, so I can't give you an answer to that, really." He tapped his chin again thinking some more. "I really don't have anything else."

A galaxy would not be enough to explain how far they were apart. They were both foul, of course, but in different colors of evil. Kylin looked at the fool and gauged him.

It was all about personal indulgence. Vibrant shades of red and crimson, working themselves around a single point in a chaotic miasma. You sicken me. Your way of life is atrocious. I imagine you don't care.

He considered himself, and his bleak rainbow of blacks and greys. Ultimately, he had dedicated his life to making the world a worse place overall, knowing that it was the right thing to do. Without its humanity, the mortal races could achieve great things, andmany had to suffer if this was to happen. Cold, calculating, he was like a black cloud of righteous corruption.

To some extent, I can respect that, however. I was told to kill you. They did not specify when. I would also enjoy a chance to get back at my traitorous spawn. The coward still lives, yet he can be made to fall once more. What do you believe?

He feigned a gasp, and his cheeks turned a light purple in blush. "I disgust you? Shame, I should try harder next time." He thought for a moment with a calm smile. Calm, yet his eyes were menacing. He finally nodded his head and looked him up and down. "I think this could work, if only for a while."

For a brief moment, he paced back and forth, thinking some more. "But you're eventually going to kill me, right? Or at least, kill me in the sense that you can."

That is what was commanded of me, and so I must obey. This cannot change, such are the laws that bind me. The only exceptions to these rules are that he who gave the command is either destroyed, or he retracts his command. Should either of these events unfold, you would not meet your temporary fate by my hand. And yet… There is something missing in the Old Words, otherwise you would be decimated by now… I cannot say.

One lures an animal with meat. People and monsters are no different.

Splice nodded his head in agreement and calm understanding. "You're not the first, believe me. Five hundred years, you're not the first. But seeing as we have a little bit of time to play, I suppose I could tag along." He tipped his head then and leaned in almost nose to skull with him, staring into the sockets with a determined expression, narrowing his eyes and scrunching his nose. "Do you ever smile?"

Smile. It's an illogical thing to do. It serves no purpose other than to stoke the ego or relish something with emotional intensity. Either way, it is a completely pointless endeavor. Why waste time using the heart when the mind would suffice? He turned and faced the sky and watched a few clouds roil overhead. I did smile once. It was awful.

Splice blinked with an empty stare and then leaned back with a puckered lip. "You sir, have not quite found something suitable to laugh at. Therefore, I endeavor to crack your cheekbones with some amusing contest." He flew his arms out grandly, and smiled at him with the most obnoxious grin he could muster. "I'm going to make you laugh, smile, whatever. And I'm going to do it one way or another, through any means necessary, except," he said raising a finger, "touching you. That's just cheating."

The body shuddered and dropped as Kylin shed the dead flesh, exposing his unnatural form. He nodded and held up his left hand for a moment, revealing dried, semi-corporeal flesh clinging to the bones. I think that would be in your best interest as well. He reached out and touched the tip of his finger to the fool's arm and watched it become withered and emaciated much like his own, the form-fitting cloth suddenly hanging loose. Yes, I think so quite a lot. He pulled his hand back in the sleeve and saw the arm mend itself once more. So, what's first on the list?

Splice's eyes widened, and he stared in shock and admiration. He barely heard his words. His eyes followed the skeletal arm, and then he continued to stare at it, glancing back and forth from his arm to the bones. When he finally recovered, he looked up at him, and then reached out to touch his arm again, watching his flesh and finger rot all the way to the elbow. He gaped again and then pulled his hand back, watching it mend.

It hurt, but for some reason it was too fascinating. The pain deadened after the first few seconds after the flesh rotted anyway. And it only itched when it grew back.

"First on the list is you're going to be quite fun, and I'm going to do whatever you want right now," he said with a chipper tone, and smiled excitedly. "Your way, sir. I'm but a mere follower," he grinned.

Kylin shook his head from side to side and sighed, something oddly human for a being as long dead as he was. I forgot. No immediate motives aside from… hmm… petty vengeance. But even that seems to be set aside in lieu of more interesting, momentary things. I do not expect you to follow completely. Do chime in if you have any ideas.

He drifted back and forth and scowled at the ground in concentration. The traitor is likely concerned in the matters of others, as he always has been. There is the girl, but by this point, she is probably too close to his fortress to abduct reliably. He will seek advice against you to ensure his safety. I believe he knows you well enough, or at least the thought process of your type.

He turned to him with his next comment. I don't condone that, by the way, but it is your freedom and right to do so. I know those words don't, and likely shouldn't mean anything to you, but they did to me once. Regardless, he will turn to her for advice, and she will know. Your pathetic brother – yes, I know about him, your soul bears his color and his distinct signature – will likely be the one encouraged to deal with you.

He stared at the ground and contemplated the possibilities, remembering an old legend he'd seen once in a book. We've got to find the Fool's Blade, first relic of the Errant Fool's Relics before they find out they have an equal, and hunt for it.

Splice's gaze glazed over, and he shook his head bored. "Sorry, what? I don't know what a Fool's Blade is, but it definitely sounds like something my brother would want."

A realization hit him and he froze while a grin crossed his cheeks, slowly, like a developing ravine. "If you want to get him out of the way, you're best luck is to tempt him."

I figured as much. You lot are oddly predictable. I could do the same of you, if my wager was appealing enough.

He drifted over a few feet and gazed at the sky. The Fool's Blade is likely obscured from even the Traitor's view, but perhaps not the girl's. It is an instrument of chaos most pure. It might turn you into a god for a few moments and make it rain frogs, or it might turn you into a sheep until sunrise. Without invoking its unpredictable power, it should amplify your own. Make you more. It would definitely turn the tide against him, and by extension, the Traitor as well. So there is a way we can both benefit from this.

He merely scoffed. "Predictable," he said snidely. "My brother is far more predicable than I am." He strolled over and looked up. "Although to be honest, being a sheep would be interesting for a day. Get to hear all the gossip, who's fair meat, and who's fair fun. But I'd much rather hit a god status," he added lowly, and with a hint of menace.

15: C#14 - The Endless Library

Kale struggled to catch his breath. He traded his armor for a thin tunic with the sleeves cut off, and his pants had been cut off at the knee, though they were soaked in sweat at this point. He struggled to grip the adamantine shortswords in his hands that were steadily getting heavier. On the other end of the room, the skeletons were pulling themselves back together. They had weapons of their own, as it wouldn't be much use training if there wasn't a real threat.

He grinned and dashed at them, jumping over a few and slicing through the thick skulls of another. Thus far, they hadn't touched him once in the past hour. He considered this a personal best.

Nexus clapped, but lazily rested down on the ground. "I'd rather not move. I think I ate entirely too much." He looked at the skeletons, and then puckered a lip. "Though I doubt they feel anything, I can't help but feel sort of bad for them."

As he parried the blades of his attackers, he replied. "They're actually not intelligent, at all. Kind of like puppets that act as directed. I'm not sure how they still manage to know what they're told, but they do. In any case," he stabbed one clean through the face and kicked it away, "they make for excellent practice."

When he finished with these, he spoke the word that Darius told him, and they all lined up. He set his blades on the table and caught his breath. "Damn, I'm already worn out. It's only been an hour or so, and I need to keep myself occupied until at least tonight." He paused to consider his words.

Nexus sat up a little, and looked at him with a crooked brow. "Until tonight? Sounds like a party," he said half joking, but took a sniff of the air anyway. "You better invite me, especially if it's going to be a fun one." He laid back down and considered his words on the skeletons. "You don't think I'm like that, do you? What if we're just not really existing right now, and someone's controlling us? Sure, Bri can do that to me when she wants, but what if I'm actually something else?"

Kale stared very seriously for a moment. "Perhaps you're right. There's always the chance that everything we know could be a lie." He gazed up at the ceiling and the mural painted on it. "Perhaps we're all just figments of the dream of a dying god somewhere, staring shortly into the abyss until we fade away."

He reached over to the weapon table and pulled out a cold-iron dagger, a nifty little metal that burned demons and devils the way that holy water did for vampires. He pressed the blade against the back of the fool's hand for a moment and watched tiny wisps of smoke rise up. "Nope. No existential crisis here."

He yelped and yanked his hand back, staring at the blade, then glared at him. "You'd think after all I've done to try and repent, that wouldn't hurt. Even just slightly less would make me feel better, somehow." He rubbed his hand and stared at the darkened skin. "Ow. Kale, I'm going to make you pay me back for that."

"Hey, no offense intended. I tried to help, and now you have your answer. I'll make it up to you somehow, I'm sure." He picked up a towel and dried himself off. "Also for the record, you're doing astoundingly good. You haven't tried to stab me in the back or eat me yet, you're pleasant with everyone we've come across, and, well, after last night, I trust you, sincerely and completely. And this is coming from someone who had a racial hatred for tieflings for the past twenty years just because of their bloodline."

He tossed him a thin elven blade and adopted the sparring stance. "So, please don't turn out to be a serial killer or something horrible like that. I'd hate to have to kill you. Granted, if there's something awful from a hundred years ago, I won't blame you. I've murdered a woman so that her child wouldn't be born, so I'm not in any place to judge."

He gawked at it and stood up then. "I'm not real good with a blade. Not a small one like this, but we can figure it out as we go I suppose," he said shrugging, and then took a stance. He glanced around, feeling a little self-conscious. "You watch. I'm going to fail horribly at this, and that little red monster's going to catch sight of it. I'll never hear it down," he rolled his eyes.

Kale blinked a bit. "Wait, what? Who? Did I miss something?" He squinted his eyes in confusion. "Wait a minute, this has something to do with what Darius wouldn't tell us, isn't it? If it is, well then, we'd better start practicing as much as possible."

Nexus blinked in confusion for a minute, and stared at him. "What? No, no, I mean the little woman who might just laugh her ass of at my failure," he said shaking his head. The sword he held was thin, weak, and meant for stabbing through ribs rather than metal. He growled at its flimsiness, and then held it out. "I'm no good with a sword, so I hope you're prepared for a good laugh."

Nexus swung again and again, but always his blade seemed to hit air. Daggers were short, and he missed his long-range magic to help him. Again and again, Kale jabbed him somewhere. He couldn't even pinpoint where the pain was exactly amidst the flurry of blades and movement.

Kale took a step back and caught his breath. "I would have figured that as long as your limbs are, you'd be pretty good at this." He reached over for a towel and dried his head and hair for a moment. "You're actually a fair bit better than most of the people I've practiced with."

He played with his blade, checking the balance and grip. "Honestly, this shortsword is about the only weapon I'm really good with. Daggers are nice for stabbing and cutting throats, but that's it. I can't really fight with them. Any longer, and I get thrown off balance. And I hate axes and maces, they're so… barbaric. So, what's you're weapon of choice?"

Nexus thought about the dagger. No, not a dagger, "I prefer knives. They're a little more sturdy and thick, and I don't have to worry about them breaking. They're common, you can find them anywhere at any size, and any shape. So for convenience and performance, I'd say a knife, definitely. Besides, since I'm not good with man to man combat, I'm much better with stealth and magic. So even though I'm bad with a sword, a knife can slip into a pair of ribs and travel with you quietly without being seen. That's something a sword doesn't have."

Kale shrugged. "I see your point. It's hard to find a cold iron shortsword anywhere, let alone common enough. I don't like the shorter reach though. I have pretty good luck, and I can fight with my hands well enough, but after the first time against an armored target with a long sword and all I had was a knife, I gave in." He pulled up his shirt to reveal a thick, jagged scar that ran most of the way across his stomach. "That one nearly killed me, actually. It's why I started wearing armor wherever I went."

He peered out the window and saw the sun setting, and got a strange feeling in his gut. "Oh well, I think it's time to turn in for the night. I have this strange feeling that we're going to be busy, or… something. I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out."

Nexus nodded. "Yeah, I imagine." He sniffed the air. Definitely. "Okay, I'm going to go read or something. I'm not tired yet, and honestly, I've been meaning to look up something in Darius' library. I saw it while we were running around during our... special time. It's driving me nuts. I'll see you both tomorrow."

Kale shrugged. "If you're going to go in the library, there are a few things that you absolutely must know. First, do not deviate from your guide. That will get you lost for a long time. Secondly, do not raise your voice. Some of the books like to attack loud guests. Lastly, do not touch or pick up any book without a title on the spine. They will attempt to trap you inside of them forever. Got all that?"

The fool blinked and nodded with a distant look of fear.

With a nod in approval, he chuckled a bit. "Sometimes I think it's not worth the trouble, but it can and will answer all of your questions. In any case, I'll see you tomorrow."

He walked up the steps and into his room, flopping down on his bed still dressed while he tried to catch his breath. He folded his arms beneath his head and began to drift off to sleep.

Bri had already slipped under the covers. "Kale? I-I had a pretty nasty dream. Do you mind if I just hover here for the night?"

"Whoa!" With a loud thud, Kale flailed in surprise and fell out of bed for the second time that day. He lay there for several seconds, trying to catch his breath anew. He pulled himself up and looked her in the eyes. "Wha -, huh, uh… What are you doing here and how long have you been here?"

Bri's cheeks flushed again. "I-I had a nightmare…" She looked around awkwardly, and tried to fumble for her match in the darkness to light a candle. When she finally got one, and swiped it to light it, they could see the room. "I can go if you want." Under the blanket, she slipped the ring on. Too early? She yanked up the blanket to hide her cloak. She began to wonder if this was actually a good idea.

Kale shook his head and chuckled. "No, no need to leave. This place can be pretty creepy, I don't blame you. Just, try not to sneak up on me. I've killed enough people for doing exactly that, it's almost an automatic reflex." He thought about what he just said. "Sorry if that came out harsh, I'm kind of tired." He slid under his blanket and shifted around a bit before finding a comfortable spot. "So, what'd you dream about?"

Oops. "I don't really want to talk about it," she said strangely, and then huddled as far into the blankets as she could, laying as flat as possible. Maybe she'd disappear. "Sorry I startled you. I was really spooked and didn't want to stay in there by myself literally another second."

Kale shrugged. "Some things are better left kept secret. Others not. I didn't really want to be alone either. It started reminding me of my old days as a mercenary. Fun as they were, it left a lot of time for negative introspection. Not the greatest idea for a would-be assassin."

He rolled over and looked at her. For a split second, he could have sworn she'd grown a bit. He chuckled a bit and shook his head, chalking it up to being more tired than he thought. He took a deep breath and caught a faint scent, akin to lavender and… something he couldn't quite place. It was exotic, something he hadn't smelled for a few years at least.

"I'm glad you're here. We've all been very busy today, and I missed you."

Bri shifted closer, and then checked herself. He shrunk. She looked back at herself and noticed they were about equal height now. She shifted over and threw an arm over his chest, daringly. "I missed you too. Today went very, very slow." She glanced around the room, and saw a huge grandfather clock with a glowing face in the back corner. It was very late at night now. She looked back over at Kale, and then snuggled close. He was warm, which was something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Kale's eyes shot open for a second at the action, though he felt surprisingly at ease. He shifted closer, sighed and relaxed, and merely enjoyed the moment for what it was, trying not to get ahead of himself. He peered down and laughed silently at the fact that she could reach around him at all.

Wait. What?

He looked down and confirmed what he thought. Something was strange. Wrong, maybe, he couldn't tell at this point. Suddenly the fragrance made sense to him. One of Cryia's old perfumes. He stretched and shifted his arms under his pillow and carefully felt for the dagger underneath. Just in case.

He relaxed, aware that if things went wrong, he could handle it. Immediately after, he realized the immensity of the situation and the possibilities, and began panicking.

Bri held her breath when she felt him shift, but tried not to panic or tense up too much. "Sorry if I woke you up," she said into the dark. It was all she could muster out, and she tried to act as if she were shorter in bed by shrinking down in her blankets. Please don't notice, please don't notice…

Kale stared at the ceiling and paused for a moment, truly relaxing in spite of the situation.

"When I was a young man, about fifteen, I found myself fleeing from the countryside because I couldn't come to terms with something. There was a thing I wanted, a nifty little jewel about the size of my fist that was on display in the king's court in Zengrahtual. It wasn't so much the gem itself, but the fact that I could have something if I wanted it, consequences be damned. That wasn't me back then. I was a good boy." He turned to face her in the darkness.

"Since then I've been running. I started small, and I told myself that one day I'd come back for it. It doesn't matter now, I've had things worth a hundred times the value, but I lived by that dictum my whole life. I've been running for twenty or so years by myself, and then you stumble along." He picked up her hand and smiled. "I'd rather not spend the rest of them alone. You defy everything I thought these years, but maybe I need a change. If we want something, we should have it, consequences be damned." With that he leaned in for a kiss with newfound confidence.

For a quick moment, her mind panicked. Bri was awe-stricken, and thrown off guard. Cryia made it clear he wasn't into anything regarding females, and it was an awkward lesson in her room. She kissed him back half in a daze, completely forgetting where she was. That would be a story to keep to herself. She still wasn't sure whether Cryia was the jealous type, especially considering how easy that had been compared to what she was told. She slipped the ring off, and let herself shrink.

She waved it in front of him, then sat it on the bed stand. "She tried to help out, really. But I don't think I need it right now," she said strangely distant. Her head was still floating.

His heart skipped a beat and the whole world seemed to quicken with it. Ever the paranoid one, he made a note to ask her about that in the future, assuming he could remember.

It was easy, actually, like breaking a dam and letting the water return to its normal flow. He sat himself up, leaned against the headboard, and slid off his shorts all at once. He held a hand out to her, pulled her close to him, and sat her in his lap while he held her in his arms. Her face held his attention for a brief moment, beautiful as it was. He gazed down at her then, admiring the slight curves. He traced his hands around and around as he let the tension and anticipation build.

"This may hurt a bit."

----------

The books attack? What? Nexus had to triple take on what Kale told him. And the way he said, "the library" made him quirk a brow. He walked back to the strangely runed door, and then gawked at it for a bit. He didn't know the characters, but he knew what it was. Odd. When he twisted the knob, it opened. The room was massive. And the first impressions he had were, "quiet," "dim," and "spooky." He slowly walked to an old wooden table with multiple scratch marks from use, and then stared at the endless bookcases. "Yep. I should just turn around and leave. Right now. Leave it to Darius to have something like this in his castle."

"You're a strange one," the fairy chirped, not looking up at the new arrival. She lay on one of the larger tomes near the lobby counter and read the pages almost as tall as she was. "The doors traditionally only open to ones who want to. You seem confused, as if you've merely stumbled across this place." She got up, turned the page, and looked up at her guest. "So can I be of assistance?"

His head snapped up, and he saw a little person with insect wings standing on a table. A fairy? He hadn't seen a fairy since he'd traveled with Bri through the Black Forest, which was full of traps and trouble. It was before they'd even met Kale, it was that long ago. "Er, I'm actually here to look something up. Particularly about how to kill something that's technically immortal. Where do you live exactly? Here?" His quick evaluation of the room was that it was endless. And there didn't seem to be any sort of kitchen around to eat from.

She turned her head to the ceiling in a pensive expression. "That's a good question. Unfortunately, one of the few that cannot be answered here. Now, when you say immortal, what class and rank are we referring to? There are traditional undead, undying aberrations, lifeless constructs, deities of seventeen different ranks and structures, angels with seven different ranks and structures, demons with – and I swear they do this just to be annoying – thirty seven different ranks and structures, and the beings that are and were and will be."

She shook her head and cleared her throat. "My apologies, did you catch all that? I talk too fast for some creatures at times."

"Yeah, the demon thing actually. I'm not quite sure what rank, but I can give you the structure. The same as me, actually. Pretty much a punished demon with a sentence in Hell. I have a little necromancer that can control me at will, technically because I guess I'm a form of undead. Quite confusing actually - here let me just get to the point. I want to kill my twin, and I have no idea how." He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge between his eyes. This wasn't going to be easy.

The fairy pulled out a small notepad from under the book and flipped through the pages. "A common problem, actually." She cocked her head and thought for a moment. "Well, over the ages… eons? I'm not sure. People ask every now and again, we'll leave it at that. There are no clocks here."

She tapped the top of her head and took a step forward, leaving an illusory copy of herself where she was standing. She turned to face her creation and spoke. "Sorenis ven vusxi haldyaar esnu eldraz kar ven infernus og malterim. Val furis kalamtaer nauh saeland." The illusory thing nodded and drifted over to sit on the patron's shoulder.

"She'll take you where you need to go. Whether or not you actually find your answer is up to you. Don't search too fast. Keep quiet. The dawn won't be here until tomorrow." With that, she went back to reading.

He looked at the little apparition funny, but then watched her point to an isle of shelves. Somewhere back there then? He took one last glance around the large place, and thought back to what she said about those coming in and asking the same question. Clearly there were demon hunters out there.

Would doing this make him one? Would he count as one if he killed his own brother? Maybe not, considering he himself was. That complicated things a bit. He detested others of his own kind. If it were possible, he'd destroy them all and make a living off of it.

"That-a-way, yes?"

"Perhaps. None can say." It floated up towards a case and flicked a hand in its direction. Twelve tomes flew from the shelves and stacked neatly on one of the nearby tables.

"You may find your answer here. We can check elsewhere if you'd like. These ones contain the most written references to demon. Perhaps these contain your answers." It sat on the table and idly scanned one of the other shelves for other things that might be relevant.

He picked up a book and began to browse through it. There were a few definitions and old tales from a time before he and his brother were around, along with some stories of artifacts and warding spells. One in particular caught his eye browsing the page - the Fool's Blade.

He thought for a moment on it, and then continued reading, shaking his head a bit, and scrunching his eyes. He wasn't quite sure he wanted to know what it was. Some demon king's blade perhaps.

When the book failed to give him any slaying information, he browsed another shelf, and found another book written by a demon slayer, Ramon Tanigo.

Like a shadow she crept around and stood just behind him. She stood on her toes and peered at the writing in the book, the strange words that made sense despite their age and untranslatability. The knot in her stomach came loose as she re-assured herself. Eventually all events must come to pass; knowing the outcome did not make it easy to deal with or ease the sensations, however.

For a moment she studied him, Denji, Nexus, The Teller of Tales, The Light in Darkness… She nearly shook her head at the slew of names he had – and would have – that were so typical among his kind. He was just as she remembered.

"Yes, that's the one you want."

Nexus whipped his head around to stare at her, gasping as he did so. He took a quick glance at her carefully, watching her. "Who the hell are you? And why are you reading over my shoulder in a place that gives me the goosebumps to begin with all by itself?"

The girl crossed her arms and frowned. "Well that's pleasant. Oh, yes, I remember now."

She stepped back and took a sarcastic bow. "I am Katrin. The answers to your next questions are: yes, the one Darius mentioned, yes, I know who you are, and lastly, the Library has more entrances than just the main gate. I doubt even the Librarian knows. You can speak now."

He stared at her for a moment, unsure how to respond. "I see," he said blankly. "Okay, so you were the one I was supposed to escort, before I threw Darius a loop." He nodded, and then thought about that. "Well, anyway, interesting that you can see the future. Any clues on my next meal?" His grin was large, and cheesy, and remarkably awkward.

As he thought about her, a scent breezed by his thoughts, and he made a face. "Wow. So it finally happened. I'll have to congratulate the little midget when she comes back downstairs."

Katrin glared at him. "You're going to run into a woman with raven-black hair when we begin our journey. She will be enthralled with you and give willingly. You will not shut up about her. You don't for the next four hundred years – if things progress as they should." She rolled her eyes. "And leave those two to their own devices. We'll be lucky if they're still stable after this conflict and Kale's transcendence…"

She hopped up on the table and flipped through the pages. "And in case you're wondering, no, nothing happens between us. Ever. We do eventually become the best of friends – assuming we don't die soon. Relax, and try and be less… crude." She looked up and honestly smiled. She was too harsh.

He was baffled again, and awkwardly stared back at her. "Okay then," he said, and contemplated all the women he'd fed from, donor or not. He'd had plenty of women with black hair, and as far as he knew, they either screamed in terror, or let him feed, then let him go. "I am slightly confused. If I meet this woman in the future, she's not going to stalk me is she?"

Once again she shook her head as she searched the words. "No, though I recall you telling me that you'd known her before you run into her again. I'm guessing she's important if she'll come back into your life. I can't see the circumstances of your meeting, unfortunately.."

She shrugged and sighed at the passage she was looking for. She slid the book his way and pointed at some old text in the infernal tongue, complete with a picture of a man in a garish outfit dancing and juggling knives. Beneath them was a picture or a wavy serpentine dagger with a jeweled pommel.

"You're a lot of trouble, you know that?"

He stared at it. "That's my brother," he said, leaning over the pages. The red and white ink outlined him well, even without any filling color or shading. "Let me guess. That's the Fool's Blade?" For whatever reason, his brother was pictured, not him. He flipped through a few more pages, looking to see if there was another section with him, but there wasn't. "Why? Why is only one of us there? Oh, wait! There!"

On one page, he found a similar looking weapon to the Fool's Blade, but the blade wasn't waved. It was shaped more like a falchion, but slightly smaller. "You're kidding," he said to himself, and browsed through the description. The demon holding the blade was… him. The black, blue, and silver outline was clearly him. He held the books side by side to compare, and gaped. Below the image, he found the name of the blade. The Laughing Knife. That was it then. Splice would find one, and he would find the other.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know where it is, what it does, how it was made, how to destroy it. Nothing. If we wanted any info, we'd have to dig up this Tanigo fellow, slap his spirit back in his body and ask him. The text below merely says, adjusting for translation of course: All ye are surely dead, who see the burning man in red. Pain and fear his laugh does bring, while crimson blade does rend and sing. Pretty morbid, even for fiendish, huh?"

But Nexus already knew this tongue, and he slowly shook his head, mouth agape. "So even if I go for his, it's not meant for me. Okay, so then I go for mine, then." He sighed in frustration, and then looked around the library. "Why are those two never here when they need to be?" He shook his head in resentment. "I'm always left to do the work," he said. "I'd better wake them up and tell them. Better yet, I'll go see Darius first. He'll likely know something we won't, as smart as he is. If he hasn't, we're done for."

"Like I said, go easy on Kale. He has to sacrifice and risk quite a lot in the upcoming encounter. Hell, he may not even be the same person when we're done with all this. I hope so, he does deserve it. In any case, I'm sure this is the day I'm thinking of, so we should leave them to their devices. You should rest too. Maybe ask Cryia if she's had any contact with other fiends and see if she can offer advice. And wash your hands after you're done being in her chambers. Yech."

He nodded. She had a better idea. He walked to the entrance, and nodded to the little fairy before stepping back out, and the little guide on the table vanished as he walked away. At the door to Cryia's room, he knocked carefully and quietly.

"It's me, I need to sleep, and honestly, I feel way safer in your room right now. Plus I have maybe one or two questions," he said, and then realized exactly how tired he was. It'd been a while since he'd slept, or relaxed at all. He couldn't even remember when it was.

"You know, custom dictates that you wait at least three days so that you don't seem clingy." She smiled and draped a sheet over herself and chuckled. "The maiden you ruined is still waiting for you in the basement. I forgot to tell you, but if you forget to specifically withdraw your presence from a victim, it tends to linger. In any case, I'm sure she'll be thrilled. You can rest down there until morning. Until then, I may as well be speaking orcish as far as any of your questions are concerned."

She drifted up to the top of her cabinet and pulled out a silver tea set and began boiling something. "As old as you are I'd figure you'd have grown out of that. It's one of the simpler mortal needs one can shed over time."

She dropped two sugar cubes in her tea and sipped daintily, a hint of humor in her manner.

"That's the problem," he groaned. "It's not some mortal nightmare, it's one of our own. Did you know that miserable little red devil is going for a blade that I have an opposite for? I looked in a book. Apparently what it said was pretty cryptic. I'd really rather him not slip into my room at night, if he has this Fool's Blade or whatever it is before I find my pieces to put mine together, because I'm completely defenseless until then. He always was the nasty one with beating me up as a child, even as a human," he grimaced. "Honestly, I'm not very hungry. Not much of an appetite. I'd rather spare her flower if it means she'll sleep well, rather than try to force it."

"It may just be a guess, but I don't think he'd be back this soon. I doubt very much he'd even find it. I doubt if he even knows someone who can get it, or who would even help him, mad as he is. The name may not mean much to you, but my mentor mentioned the thing he seeks once. Reig'l'ahtwoorji, in our tongue. The name is up for debate. It may mean a blade for fools, or a blade of fools. Could be a big difference – our words have a way of insinuating their meaning on things. He may become the literal laughing god, or he might just do something stupid like try and break the world. In either case, I haven't heard of it in two and a half centuries, so I'd say he's far away from us. I haven't heard anything about a counter-weapon though, the one you said fits you."

She sipped her tea and smirked. "That's if of course, Kylin doesn't find him and drag him back to Hell where he belongs."

It didn't make him feel any better. "Look, my little mistress is in the other room with Kale all cozy and comfy, and I'm feeling pretty sick right now," he frowned irritated. "I'm not going to bother some poor girl in your cellar if I could just curl right on your bed there. I won't touch, I promise," he pointed, and then slipped his entire top off, throwing it into a corner with a loud jingle. Then he flung himself onto the bed belly first, and laid there.

"Ah." The retort was short and curt. She finished her tea in one quick gulp, set it down neatly on its dish, and proceeded to stand up and flip the whole table across the room as she ripped her sheet off. Her expression darkened, physically, her eye sockets darkening and her face becoming more emaciated, a sickening ash in contrast to the usual lustrous pink.

She leapt the distance between them and pinned him down, one hand on his neck with a knee on his back. "Don't you ever touch my bed without my permission again." She barked out a command in infernal and several of her servants came up. Without word they held open the door and waited.

She scowled and bit down into his shoulder, venomous fangs releasing the vile poison of her kind, a different, nastier poison. She scoffed and threw him down stairs where her followers would guarantee her will was enacted.

She sat down at the edge of the bed and glared at the mirror. Seeing herself in such condition, she hated it.

He landed down in a daze, not completely sure of what happened. His shoulder stung, and he scratched at it, watching the girls file around him, just as confused as he was. "What a way to be woken up, huh? I didn't want to bother you," he growled, and sat up. Everything hurt. "No wonder she's up here by herself. I wonder if Darius has ever been tossed across a room."

The one girl he knew from before watched him carefully, but he ignored her looks. He wasn't hungry, nor interested in anything other than sleep. "You relax, I'm not going after you tonight," he groaned.

Several of Her Subjects, as they formally called themselves, shuffled about disappointed and retired to their chambers. Alzuda, largest of the group, propped himself up against the stairway and took watch for the night. He fiddled with a small satchel of fire-powder in his hand and wondered what was going on in the world around them that had caused such a commotion. He shook the thought away and awaited a pleasant reward for a job well done.

16: C#15 - Seven Years

Darius stood himself up from his plush-lined coffin. He didn't sleep, per se, but meditated in an effort to focus, regenerate, and strengthen his energies. Over time he noticed a quite marginal effect, and he didn't want to waste it. He moved over to the mirror in his bedroom and noticed that his enchantment on the ring was complete. He smiled and slid it on his left hand, backing up to watch.

From the ring, flesh, blood, and sinew weaved themselves around his body anew. It was not alive, but it suited its purpose. A less unsettling guise for him to parade around in, something that he could traverse the lands in without question or recognition. He smiled at his face, mildly heroic and with a full head and goatee of tomato-red hair. He gazed at his body and frowned at the fact that he had to wear clothing now.

He got dressed in simple robes and headed down to the table for his first meal in over three hundred and seventy years.

Nexus knocked and wandered into the room without looking up, disoriented, tired, and slightly irritable. "Your pet threw me down the steps into her cellar, and then proceeded to inject some sort of poison into me," he grumbled. He sat down in a chair, dizzy, and watched the fruit on the table spin.

When he finally raised his head, he saw someone else standing there. He froze for a moment, stared at him unmoving, and then shifted eyes side to side, looking for the hidden joke. "So, are you his cousin or something? Does Darius have some family member living here who's still alive?"

Darius chuckled aloud. "Apparently turning back the centuries will do that to you." He held his hand at eye level, showing off the ring, and smirked. "I studied more than just how to kill and reanimate while I was here." He took a note of his guest's battered appearance. "I apologize for her behavior, but she doesn't attack without cause, so you probably offended her. She's a finicky one, so I'd recommend more caution next time. There's also a tailor on the third floor that can fix your suit if you'd like. Doesn't look like something you can pull off the shelves."

"I made it myself, technically, I can fix it. But still, ouch." He rubbed his shoulder. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about. But first, have you seen the monstrous midget, and her weird consort? They had a doozy of a time last night."

Bri appeared behind him, hair a mess and cloak all rumpled, and smacked him in the back of the head with a wooden staff. "Shut up," she snapped, and toddled over to a chair, hoisting herself up. Everything hurt. She nibbled at an apple, and shifted her legs, a strange pink to her cheeks.

"And clearly this morning too," he muttered under his breath. "You stink."

The growing thud of running came from down the hall and into the corridor. Kale jumped from behind Nexus, flew over the table and rolled on the other side before getting up and sitting in his seat. "Someone needs to learn to silence their tongue." He chuckled.

He looked at Darius and smirked. "You know I never did quite believe you when you showed me that old portrait you had in the attic."

Nexus stared blankly at him, unsure of how to react. Bri snarked, and continued eating her apple, while watching Darius. "Fake skin? Interesting. I should look into that sometime if I ever turn all bones. I'd rather not lose my face," she said with disdain, and then reached for an egg across the table. When she was too short, she crawled up, grabbed it, and sat back down.

"Both of you are strangely chipper. I wish that worked for what's-her-face upstairs," he growled, and then began to viciously scratch at his shoulder. When he pulled the fabric back a bit, he saw that the skin around the bite mark was black, and oozing something green. He sighed.

"It would have worked if you wanted to play and relax instead of throwing a tantrum." She drifted down the stairs and picked up a plate of diced steak. "It's remarkable that you aren't still unconscious, that's what usually happens. Treat it with any alcohol, it'll heal up in a few moments." She rolled her eyes and ate above them a few inches below the ceiling, glancing down with amusement.

Dressed in black robes and bearing a large bowl of grapes, Katrin walked in and sat herself down at the table. "No one invited me." She paused for a moment, watched the exchanged glances, and continued. "You may all begin asking your questions now."

"I didn't throw a tantrum," he said awkwardly, and then glanced at Katrin. He leaned on the table on his elbows, and dabbed napkin in wine, dabbing at the itching spot.

Bri looked at her, confused. "I don't think I've met you yet before. I'm Bri."

Katrin bowed her head lightly. "Glad to know one of you has manners. Remember that when you want to kill me one day. Probably soon." She glanced up and scowled at Cryia. "You come nowhere near me. Not until you've cleaned yourself. Thoroughly. And not in blood either."

She got up and grabbed a plate of bacon as Darius rushed to her side.

"What? When did you get here? I didn't expect you for another day or so! Where's your bodyguard?" He stopped and gave a puzzled look at the terrace outside. "How did you get here?"

She stopped chewing a strip and retorted. "That's exactly what I was talking about. Anyway, what you need to know is that I got here last night, I let myself in, my escort is off living a new life in a village we passed by, and now we can finally get something done around here."

She gave Kale one look and winced. "Kale, sweetie, the sands are running low. The time is nigh, I fear, and the workings of the Sire fade fast. Seven years is almost up, I think you may have to speak once more."

Kale gave a confused look at her and merely said. "Uh, okay…" Internally though, he panicked.

Bri watched the exchange curiously, but continued to chew her food slowly. She pondered that for a few minutes, but didn't want to stick too much thought into something that she knew nothing about.

Nexus chewed, but glanced across the table, level with Kale.

"So, you're here now, Katrin. What does this mean? I'm sure our friend here has filled you in on the details of our most recent incident," Darius gestured at Kale.

"Hell, most of them even I don't know. This shouldn't be too bad though. Looks like a decent chance for us all to get out into the world and start another adventure, eh?"

"…I don't know if you're trying to be funny, or positive, Kale, but I dare say this doesn't seem to be the time to do so. Portents of fate have been revealed to me, but there is really only so much the Seeing Skull will say to one person. I believe we must all travel down there and speak with it, that we might have a better grip on our situation."

"This means I get stuck on make-sure-no-one-kills-us-all duty, isn't that right?"

"Yes, it does, unless we learn of a role of key importance you may yet take. Until then, do what you do best… Er, second best, I suppose," Darius shrugged.

Katrin nodded. "Perhaps it can fill in the gaps between what I do and don't know. It may just make sense of some memories though. In any case, I can't help but get this nagging feeling that time is of the essence."

Bri finally spit her wine, and stared around the silent table, who were now staring at her. "Care to explain what you're all talking about now?"

Nexus held his gaze with Kale, and raised a painted brow. "I'm guessing something either really horrible is going to happen, or you've done something incredibly horrible, and it's going to cause a horrible thing to happen."

Kale scoffed. "Don't look at me, you're the one that attracted a monster to us. Nothing I've ever done could possibly have any effect on anyone else but me." They promised that much at least. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try and be productive." He started walking out to the tower, leading up the spiral staircase into the Antechamber where the skull was kept.

A moment of silence passed. "The last time he got that defensive, the guards labeled him as a suspect for a murder. Something is definitely wrong with him. Whether or not it's the cause of all our problems, I don't know. But you do." Darius shot her an incredulous look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. All I know is that I felt it fair to warn him about his own affairs." Katrin slinked off the chair and began to follow him.

Bri stood up, and walked out without a word as well. She tried to follow him, but got lost down the hallway when she'd taken too many turns. She sat down by a wall, and thought for a bit. When Nexus came looking for her, she shrugged and stood back up. "I imagine we should go find him and talk to him about this whole thing. I don't know what's going on."

"I don't either, but given no one's given us a clear answer, I'm imagining it's not a good thing. And according to Darius' statement, it really isn't."

High up in the tower, Kale stared at the immaculately carved object before him. A skull, clearly human, roughly the size of a small elephant, made from what looked like malachite. Before anyone else got there, he stared into the eye sockets and thought about his dilemma.

Hello again, Kaleoszar. Much time, to you, has passed since our last meeting. Once more you would ask something of me. I have the answers you seek, if you should speak the words aloud.

"I hate that you know everything. I know you already knew that too."

Indeed. Go on.

"So what's going to happen at the end of my sentence here? Seven years was a long enough time, for me, I thought I'd have figured it out by now."

Time, so fickle to your finite kind, has eluded you and slipped through your grasp once more. It would seem that your luck has run out, and yet not so.

A puzzled look crossed his face. "What do you mean? Mordius promised seven years, that's all over starting… damn, tomorrow."

It would seem so. Yet your dire circumstances seem favorable to them in the long run. You could benefit from the tragedy soon to befall, as long as they might as well. And they will. Remember, if you can, the musings and tales of your great grandfather, Sulareial. Across ages, the daemon spans, and remembers fondly the workings of your blood. He will strike a deal with you, spare you his judgment and collection, and allow you to go seemingly free.

"Seemingly?"

There is always a price, dear Kaleoszar. Always.

----------

Nexus' ears pricked up, as he thought he heard something. "I think we're close to the room he ran in. I can hear a… voice. It's not really a voice, so don't quote me on that," he said, and then sniffed the air for a hint of Kale's trail.

Bri stood and followed him, dwafed by his height. She peeked around his thigh into a door that he'd cracked open, and was peering into. He waved her back, and continued to spy. Kale was staring into a skull, and even though he heard Kale's words aloud, he could also hear the skulls. Damn his demon ears. He backed away, put a finger to his lips, and dragged Bri back to the dining room.

"What the hell did you hear? You look spooked."

"I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, and grabbed a loaf of bread. "I'll ask Kale about it later, when we're alone. I don't want to scare you," he said, and nibbled.

----------

Kale sighed and looked out of one of the windows. For a moment he watched the clouds drift about, both above and below them. He held his left hand out in front of him and stared at the palm. "Malzedzlor." A large red emblem began to glow in the center of it, looking much like a deformed outline of a heart.

"I thought so. I didn't remember this, but from the books I'll read, I remembered seeing the signs now and thinking it was pretty obvious. What will you do?"

Kale jumped at the first sound and braced his back against the Seeing Skull. "Devils take you, don't sneak up on me like that." He caught his breath and scowled. "How did you even get in here?"

"Assuming all goes well, you'll find I have a knack for this sort of thing. Never could quite figure out why, but I do. Now, tell me, what will you do? Judging from the command word, I take it you took a deal with a Scion. I know the name, Mordius, it's a popular one among desperate folks. Must have been pretty bad to make you strike the deal."

"We're not getting into that. Ever. Unless you have any actual advice, I'd like to be alone for a while."

She scoffed and smirked. "Honestly? Beat them at their own game. You don't have to deliver a sacrifice, just think of a tempting reason why they should let you be."

He stared at the sky again. "Is it really that simple?" He turned and she was gone. That was going to get really annoying.

Nexus had left Bri to pout at the table, and walked around trying to find Kale. He slipped in, and then shut the door loudly behind him, making it apparent he was there. "You mind telling me what kind of deal you struck, and why? As a demon who has a real demon for a brother, I'd like to live my life in peace. If you're one of those, I'd really just rather go my own way. Me and the midget."

Kale kept facing the window, shifted himself to stand with his hands on his hips, and quietly, cautiously, drew the cold iron dagger he had strapped to his belt.

"You would do well not to make assumptions unless you know the full story. You would also do well to mind your own damned business. I told you once before, nothing I did has any consequence to any but myself. It doesn't even concern you. Let's keep it that way, or we'll find out really quick just how fast I can send you back to Hell."

Nexus shook his head, unafraid. "Do it, Kale. It'll hurt, yeah. But I'll just come right back, such is my curse. Assumptions on the full story are all I have go to on, hence you're telling me of minding my own business remark. Here's our problem, Kale. Bri is involved with you now, so what happens to you matters to her. And I'm sworn to watch her. That in turn affects me. So whether you want to hide inside yourself with whatever punishment was dealt to you, is up to you. But whether you like it or not, you're going to have to explain what's happening. We're all in this together now."

"Punishment? You think I did something wrong? Sure, I've taken way more than my fair share of lives, but that was all in good sport and work. No, this is something I needed to happen, and I made a bargain with someone who could guarantee it, no expenses, no tributes, no sacrifices. Now I'm running out of time, and I have no idea what'll happen next. So if you politely leave me to be, I'll go take care of this, alone, and see if I can't fix this."

Both of you are only wasting time.

Kale sighed and shouted. "I know, dammit!"

The fool pricked an ear in annoyance. "And what, leave her here? Alone? Wondering what in bloody hell is going on? Not after your little bonding time, you're not. You're taking both of us with you. And I'm sure everyone else will want to tag along as well, Darius included. And no, by punishment, I meant punishing yourself. Not the act of being punished."

"You know what? Fine, let's just go ahead and knock this out now. I was going to wait at least until tomorrow. But just you two. No one else."

He stepped back and cut his marked palm. The blood dripped into a neat pattern identical to the one he bore. "Etho'n. Halzar ut'tiir ut'haros." The words came out in a much deeper tone than his own. "Invocations, fun."

A large purple doorway burned its way into reality in the center of the room. Everything was intricately carved, depicting various scenes of some unknown tale.

"Go fetch her then, and come back in. I'll be waiting."

When he dashed out, and came back in five minutes to a protesting halfling, he pointed to the door. "There's your answer," he told her, and looked at Kale. "We're going on a little trip."

She stared at him for a minute, bewildered. "What about everyone else?"

"They're not going," the demon said, and pointed to the door. "After you, Kale."

He scowled in his direction and knocked on the door. After a moment, it opened. The room inside was surprisingly well lit and well furnished. It looked like a wizard's study with an enormous marble table.

Sitting at the end were two large creatures, roughly elven, but with more vicious looking features and angles. Their eyes were shiny, black orbs. The one in the largest chair chuckled as he scanned his new guests.

"I knew it would come to this," Mordius spoke, "I just didn't expect you so early! Come, come, sit, all of you! We have so much to discuss!"

Three large wooden chairs melted their way up through the floor on the opposite end. The fiend pulled a piece of paper out of his tunic pocket and set it on the table.

"Now, I'm sure it would bother our guest of honor quite so if you two were to ask questions, so by all means go ahead!"

Bri stood silent. This was bad. Just the feeling crept up her spine. She tugged Nexus' skirt bells. "Please tell me this isn't what Hell is usually like."

He hushed her, and stepped inside, cautiously stepping from side to side. "Glad to see I'm not the only elvish looking creature here," he said carefully.

Kale sat in his seat in the center. "You know the rules, you leave them out of this."

"Asl'ashtir zun ven'ahl! I know very well what I can and cannot do!" The anger in his voice was apparent, but it did not show on his manic expression. "Now, if you don't mind, you're being very unpleasant guests. Sit."

Nexus tightened, but sat down close to Kale. Bri followed suit in the higher chair, and waited. From what she could see, Kale knew him. And by their demeanor, the visit wasn't a happy one.

The fool eyed around the room, taking in the details, ready to sprint without a seconds notice. If he was killed, he'd send the Devil a postcard.

"Thank you. I take it you two aren't much fun. Tisk, tisk, Kale, you never were any good at picking out companions. Hmm. Or have you brought them as a gift for me? The demon, I see, won't do me much good, but he would net me a nice reward for turning in a troublemaker. Her though… Most entertaining she could be."

He paused for a moment and looked around. "Baal almighty, you lot have no understanding of the word joke. Or maybe I don't. You creatures and your fickle personalities. In any case, let's get down to business shall we?"

He cleared his throat and opened up the parchment in front of him.

"It has been seven years, precisely, since Kaleoszar Castion – quite a mouthful – entered an agreement with myself, Mordius, Agent of Malphedes. The arrangement was to offer seven years of, quote, good fortune and favor, unquote, for the signee. Do you agree with that, Kale?"

"Considering the position I'm in now, it's a bit up for debate. Yes, for the past seven years, I have found myself in good fortunes."

Nexus glanced at Kale. "Good fortune and favor? I can quite imagine what would have happened tomorrow when it wore off," he muttered.

Bri scowled at the table, and remained silent.

"Ah, yes, it does say here, in a section that our dear friend completely overlooked in his desperation, that a pittance was to be paid in order to avoid the oncoming backlash, should anything negative happen in the time following his fortunate period. The sum was to be of equal or greater value to one extra-planar soul. This averages, right now, to about five thousand mortal gold coins, though certainly not actual gold. No, we have no use for that. Magic weapons, fine jewels, human sacrifices, anything that we could actually benefit from, and it all had to be earned by himself."

Mordius shook his head. "He found this out later, of course, after a period of regret from the ordeal, but that was far too late, you see. Now, I can only assume you're here to renegotiate or reinitiate your agreement? What have you brought us in terms of payment?"

Kale folded his hands and stared at his contractor. "To put it quite simply, I'd like to take up the mantle of Sulareial."

17: C#16 - Sulareial's Burden

The demon's expression broke form for a moment, twisting into a look of awe and shock, before turning back into his usual grin, this time with more malice in it. He tapped his servant on the shoulder without breaking eye contact. "Go fetch me a new contract sheet."

Bri snapped to attention and glared at Kale. Another contract along with the one he was already in deep for? Nexus tapped her leg under the table, and shot her a warning look. He shook his head mildly, and carefully watched Kale with a feeling of nausea. Whatever this was, was just calling for more trouble. He wondered how Darius would feel about it.

"You seem to like dipping your hands into the pool of temptation."

"Trust me on this one." He turned to the demon lord. "Now, tell me the catches before I agree to this. All of them."

"Ah, so you have learned a bit since our last visit. Very well, the rules and regulations are as follows. Firstly, while using your new powers, your skin will become transparent, glowing from within. You will basically look like a paper lantern. This is your bloodline's visual designation.

"Second, you may never attack any creature of fiendish heritage unless it directly threatens your existence. Do so and you will find yourself in excruciating misery.

"Third, you may never lie if asked by anyone where you received your formidable powers. You don't exactly have to tell them the truth, but you may not deceive them. Think of yourself as our crier. We can't have you giving us a bad reputation.

"Lastly, you are to bear the sentence of your great grandfather: a service to me and my subordinates of twenty-five years, upon the time of your death, or upon your one hundred and fiftieth year of age, whichever comes first.

"In exchange, you will be granted Sulareial's knowledge and abilities as a warlock. You will have mastery over hellfire, and you may command fiends of lesser power than yourself. If left alone, your lifespan will increase sevenfold, and you will never need to fear the wrath of time during that time.

"Do you find all these terms to your liking?"

"And my current debt to you?"

"Stricken from the record permanently, and just because I like you, I'll toss in an extra seven years of good favor for you."

"What happens in my years of servitude is going to be downright horrible, isn't it?"

"You cannot even begin to imagine. We have been waiting for so long to take out what is owed on one of your lineage," he mused.

"Well then, what say you two?"

"He's blunt," Nexus said flatly. "And I imagine that tacked-on seven years is going to come back to bite you fourteen times harder instead of seven, am I right?" Deals with the Devil were something he was used to hearing. Every loophole would be taken advantage of. "At least you're not a liar when it comes to his servitude."

Bri continued to glare at the table, but she lifted her head to the demon across from her. "Don't cross me," she warned. "I'm very short tempered, and I don't like being crossed. Any hidden motives, and I'll find out."

"Oh no, everything is right here, plain as sin in blood on parchment. Kale's additional prosperity is a gift from me, nothing more, nothing less. I do it to sweeten the deal, of course. This is something we've been waiting a long time to fulfill. Two thousand years, actually, when we signed our deal with his ancestor. We thought he would die soon, but two millennia later and he skipped town, having left behind a single spawn beforehand. We thought we would miss out on it until our friend here came to us in search of something to bring his life into better terms. Any other questions?"

Nexus shook his head. "None here."

"No," Bri said quietly, and let her stare back down on the table. This was going to be a long night. Nexus nudged her under the table lightly. It was barely noticeable.

"Well, this all sounds well and good, but I'm not entirely sure. I can find a few rubes to con out of their souls. That should do just fine, I think."

"Ever the scoundrel, Kaleoszar. I was hoping it wouldn't have to come down to this, but I should let you know two things. Firstly, you may tell your friend Darius that Kylin has been formally released from his service. Not under any influence of mine at all, but merely something I took note of. The other piece of info involves your blue friend here."

Mordius sat back in his chair and rested his feet on the table after sliding the contract to Kale. "Your wretched sibling should have his hands on the blade any day now. Once he has that, there are three other items he will be compelled to gather, whether he realizes this or not. If you fail to stop him from those, at least, you will find your world crumbling beneath ash and fire."

Nexus felt the blood drain from his face, but he forced a flat expression. "I knew he was after something, but I didn't think he'd be after three. I can't help but actually be a little relieved. That gives us time to find him, while he's out."

Bri perked her ears. "Are you talking about Splice? No one told me he was after some blade of any kind. What blade is it? What does it do?"

"Go on, I actually hadn't heard any of this. So much for being bitter about being secretive." Kale glared in Nexus's direction.

"My, my, you are an interesting bunch. Well, first, the blade isn't a weapon so much as an instrument. It will allow him to channel his will into other things and beings. He could open doors with it, move objects, kill from a distance, or more cruelly, submit his dementia onto others. He could start a cult, if he wanted to, but I doubt that so much. Most importantly, though, is that as long as the blade is his possession – and it will be for six nights after he holds it unless you do as well – if destroyed, he will simply reappear within a few hours' journey from the blade. It almost works like a lich and their phylactery, except more cruel, as it should only take him a few hours to regenerate."

Nexus looked back at Kale. "I wasn't hiding anything, actually. I'd just researched it last night, and planned to ask Darius about it first. But we ended up here, due to your… problems," he sniped. "I didn't know much about it until just now. The ancient book it was in, given to me by a fairy in an endless library mind you, didn't have a single description of what the blade did."

For a moment, he took himself back and tried to think of what Splice would do with it. Anything. That was the problem. Whatever was 'fun.'

Kale grabbed the contract and signed, consequences and inevitable misfortune be damned. "I really don't care, I just want you to know that I hate you and that I respectfully request your assistance in the matter."

"And your offer?"

"Just shut up and help me."

"Sorry, but you know the rules. I can't help out. I can do this, however." He reached into a coat pocket and pulled out a map with a flourish. "Here you go, here are where the pieces are that he needs, as well as yours, Denji. I suggest you three hurry. Not that Imind very much, but it may get you killed quicker," his haunting grin stretched.

Kale snatched the map and looked around the room, trying to comprehend what could only be lessons in extra-planar travel his ancestor bore.

A ring of red fire surrounded Bri's chair, and within a few moments, she sank back through the floor with a small shriek, leaving behind a scorched and smoking section of the ground.

"I have no idea what that was… that's beyond even my power," Mordius raised his palms in the air. Kale and Nexus exchanged glances, and inspected the charred circle on the floor where Bri vanished.

"Any ideas?" Kale touched it, and winced at the mark it left on his finger.

"Yeah," he said, feeling the blood drain from his face. "It has the same specific smell of my brother's particular type of fire."

"Su sel dil graz en zos. Tel ahrajir mus al zen. He can't be far. The jump would be too strong for him through all the negative energy around here otherwise. Problem is, I can't tell where. Likely closer to the 'surface' if there was such a thing down here."

"So I'm guessing we're walking, then?" Nexus looked at the map, and sighed. At least he didn't have to ask Darius about it now. "They're so far apart from each other. One's over here in the jungle, the other's over there in a damned swamp of all places," he shivered," and the last is in a desert. A desert. Swamps are disgusting, true, but a desert is flat deadly. I'd rather not go back to Hell any time soon, because oh goodness, I'm thirsty," he sneered. "I only have ice abilities when there is water nearby. You'd be on your own out there. Look, the crowns are in the same place together. Of course, in the damned desert."

With that, the fool was the first to disappear. Before he knew what happened, he stood back in the room as if they'd never gone anywhere, turning this way and that trying to locate his friends. Alone again? He shrugged, and waited. They'd show up soon enough, and he rested, dazed, against the wall. How had he gotten here? One moment he was talking to Kale, the next he was whisked off into nowhere.

Kale ran as hard as he could through a narrow corridor. Darting just around the corner, he was thrown across the room. Strange, they'd just left, but it seemed as though he tripped and now slid across cold stone. He brushed himself off and walked against the wall of the pitch black chamber he found himself in. No one was anywhere to be seen, and there was no obvious reason for what just went on.

He pounded on the door and tried to get out, hoping not to waste any time in finding her.

----------

When she opened her eyes, she saw two glowing red ones staring back at her, upside-down, and smiling. "Well hello again, walnut," the taunting voice said.

She stared up in a daze. "Where am I? What happened just now?" She sat up, and rubbed her hand. One of them was burnt, and it stung. She wrapped it up in her cloak, and looked around. She was in a cave, with a small fire. Something gleamed near a small natural shelf on the far side.

"You're a special guest," he said calmly.

Kylin hovered amongst the shadows in the corner of the cavern. He was surprised things had gone this quickly. The few guardians the blade held offered no resistance, easily turned on one another by simple manipulation, much to the Beast's amusement.

He drifted close and inspected the dark figure before them. Much potential.

Your questions are of little consequence. Keep silent and listen. The Beast's babbling could be maddening and hypnotic at times. A fair way to lower the will.

Much potential. This one had to be saved. Corrupted. She could prove pivotal in the Great Upheaval. Bri remained silent, and felt something cold creep into her skin.

"We brought you here, because we need your help," the red fool chirped. "And it's regarding your friends, and my little blue splat." His voice lowered into a soft whisper. "Kale isn't who you think he is. Everything he's told you is a lie."

"You think I don't know about his contract," she said flatly, holding her face as straight as possible. "I already know that. And no, he explained it all," she bluffed.

"So you're fine with a man who makes pacts with the Devil? Do you know what he's like?" The red demon quirked a white brow. "I do."

Bri half-smiled, but said nothing. Instead, she leaned her back against the wall. She knew what he was trying to do. But Splice couldn't see her thoughts on his own. The best course of action was silence. Splice confusedly turned to look at Kylin, then turned back to the halfling.

Kylin turned to face his companion. With no expression, sometimes the conveying of ideas was difficult. He thought to himself for a moment, and drifted down to the floor, donning a more humanoid guise. In a few seconds, he looked something like a featureless mannequin. He spoke, but nothing moved.

I see. He is clearly outclassed here. That I must commend you on, but unfortunately, you cannot be allowed to leave here unmarred. His hand shot out and rested gently on her forehead. The thoughts he imprinted on her mind was so crackling, it was hard for her to understand. Alongside her tongue, she could hear something else on the side, something she couldn't make out.

Among the fizzling and crackling, she heard him whispering to her in what sounded like it was echoing in a bell tower. He doesn't need you anymore… he could find her and bring her back… he could win her back and leave you behind…

She struggled, squeezing her eyes shut in horror. The echoes came from everywhere. She didn't know which way to look or listen. The more she fought it off, the more she heard. Splice stood back and watched in interest. The more she squirmed, the more he raised an eyebrow in approval. "You've got quite a pretty talent there, Kylin. Maybe you should use that a little more often."

Kylin shot the Beast a look of anger, invisible though it may have been. It's a dishonorable thing, I hate to do it. Alas, it is one of the stronger tools available to me. This one is strong though, and I must have her malleable. If things are to progress as planned, she must have doubt in her heart.

He wormed through the incredible labyrinth her mind had become, tried to find the weak spots, tried to find an unguarded memory or emotional trigger to exploit. Several minutes had passed already, and yet she fought tooth and nail.

Bri could feel him poking in every spot he could manage to dig himself into. She tried hard to focus on useless things, simply to pass his attention off, and throw him off track. She knew one way or another, no matter how much time passed by, he'd get in. Time wasn't an enemy to him as it was to her. The demon behind her as well. Instead of fighting, she smiled evilly, and grinned past Kylin to the red monster behind him.

"Take me then. I bested you before," she smiled cruelly, "and I can best you again. Come for me. I dare you."

He barely had time to register the words before he dropped his focus. True, the halflings had always been a daring race, but this was practically suicide. He cocked his head ever so slightly and wondered how the Beast would react.

Careful, I don't want her to kill you. I won't defend you though, either.

He refocused his thoughts and began again, at the forefront of her mind, and tried once more to find an elusive entryway, this time more confusing than the last.

There was a sinister edge to Bri now. She wanted the challenge. The incident back in the field stuck out now, and she continued to smile. She'd had time to recharge.

Splice recoiled a tad, and stepped back, heeding Kylin's warning. "You did best us, little one. I remember you now. You're the evil little monster that has the blasted Key." He began to gather a touch of fire, just in case she decided to spring.

She shook her head. "That's right," she gleefully began, "and I'm more than willing to unlock the Cage as well. So I suggest you put down your hands."

It had been ages since he had made any contact with the realm of the living. For this reason he excused himself for not seeing it sooner. He released his grip and drifted back into a corner, unlocking the ghostly chains that held her down.

Quietly he began to calculate, judging the future for what it could be in this moment. Certainly this one was important, not on the mortal scale, but in the grand scheme of things, it would catch His attention. This opportunity could not be wasted.

He reached through the veil and placed upon her his mark – a ghostly, near imperceptible image. It would ensure her general safety while in this realm so as not to hinder what might come.

Bri felt the pressure subside, but noticed nothing else. When Kylin stepped back, Splice watched with curiosity, and quirked a white brow at her.

He looked to Kylin with a silent question as to why he'd let her go. Bri relaxed, and waited a bit, holding on to that one thread, ready for anything. But she was bluffing. She truly didn't want to use the Key… but if things got out of hand, she felt she would have no other choice if it meant protecting her friends. And in actuality, it really might just end them as well. The power she held wasn't something to be used more than once. It was a one-time thing, and it held a heavy price.

He turned his gaze toward the Beast and shook his head.

I can hold no true dominion over her. Her will is bolstered by the soulless art she practices, though there is something deeper to it that I cannot know. He paused to glance at her and then turn back. It would be wiser to seek the others, or perhaps to wait for her to make progress and intercede then. I will tell you this, you would merely be wasting time by killing her. She would not stay down.

Splice fought to keep his face still, but his pupils narrowed to thin lines. He actually felt a twinge of fear. What in Hell do you mean she wouldn't stay down? He glanced at Bri, and waved a hand in dismissal. "I've had enough of you," he said calmly, and extravagantly yawned, making a show to look as bored as he could.

But she could tell she'd done her work, judging by their strange, silent exchange. "Let me go," she warned. "This is your only and last chance."

What's your plan now? Patty-cake and a keg of beer?

Condescension will get you nowhere with me. You would do well to remember that. We wait, we observe, we use our heads and we learn. We strike out at others and be patient. He shuddered lightly at using the term we so often.

My sincerest apologies, child. He said aloud, and reached out to the air in front of her and drew up the portal leading to wherever her friends were. You may return to them if you like.

A thousand thoughts raced through his head. Alone, they might not have done much. But between her and the attention the Beast would draw, it might be enough to tip the scales in his favor.

Bri cautiously peeked into the portal, and saw Nexus standing by a wall, and Kale just walking up to him. The two of them looked confused, but they were really there, and apparently their meeting had ended. She looked at them both, and glared. "Any funny business, and I'll know it. I won't say a word about this whole situation to them and let you off if you don't cross me." She boldly stepped into the portal, and came out directly in front of the two of them.

Splice shook his head. "Did you want her to say something? Because you're a little too late now," he gawked, and then flung a hand into the air. "That was entirely pointless."

Kylin shook his head and wished that he could make this creature know fear and respect.

Just because trying to get her to turn on her friends didn't work, didn't mean nothing happened. I learned where we are meant to go, what we should expect, and a few other details. Also, we are going to be greatly outclassed if we don't tread carefully. For now, we head far south to the barren sands. We have a crown to steal for you.

"I can hardly wait," he breathed, and relaxed a little more. If she was going to be taken care of later, it would come. For now, he had business to run.

18: C#17 - A Shadow in Hell's Ballroom

Bri leaned back on the wall and took a breath. Nexus snapped his head around in the dark, waiting for something to spring out, but nothing came. "What in the bloody hell happened?"

"Absolutely nothing," she said calmly, and then looked around. "Where's Kale?"

Almost perfectly in tune with her question, he materialized a few feet off the ground and landed with a heavy thud. He pushed himself up and looked at the pair, as surprised as they were.

"You'd figure short range teleportation would be easier. Also, less exhausting. I suppose that'll get better with practice. So, is everyone okay? That's step one. Step two is, we find Darius, fill him in on all this, and see if we can't find a way to fix this mess we've all wormed our way into."

Bri nodded her head hard, and concealed her zeal. Definitely something to look into, that was for sure. Nexus blinked a few times, and then looked around the room some more. "I don't smell anyone else right now. We're alone. I have a feeling we were separated along the way. We're definitely back in the castle, but I'm wondering if they're really here at all. Or if this place is real. We kind of came here out of nowhere, didn't we?"

For a moment, she slowed her breath, thinking. That wasn't good, was it? She listened, and heard nothing but the familiar quiet of the hallways. "Do you think they're looking for us?"

"They can't look for us if we're not really there." He stopped to sniff some more, and felt a cold sensation crawl down his spine. "Guys, I really don't smell anyone else. This looks like the place, but I don't think we're where we think we are."

Kale stood up and pondered for a moment. "Illusions are always fun. They have this strange ability to warp the mind of the viewer…" He got up and placed his hand on the wall. "…And the way we can influence them…" The wall rippled under his touch, sending a shimmer along the way.

"I wouldn't have thought of that, but it's good we know that now." He held his hands to his sides and conjured up a black flame in each. "I suppose we'll have to force our way out of here then. Any ideas?"

"So we really are in an illusion? How did we get here, did your friend do it?" Bri stood up and glanced around the room, touching the wall only to come into contact with normal stone. "I can't break anything here. This isn't my specialty."

Nexus glanced around. "It looks like the normal castle. What would happen if we walked around a little while to find the door out? We could be in some other dimension."

He shook his head. "I'm going to be honest, I have no idea. We might all be sitting in our chairs and drooling while we're here. We're going to need to find the anchor, the focus of the spell."

He peered around and looked out of the window with a sneer on his face. "Black. That's it. I don't know if it's just while we're in here, or if things will change when we go outside, if we even can." He launched a bolt of fire at the wall, watching it scorch the stone like normal. "Whoever did this is good, but there is always a clue leading home."

Nexus stood up. "You realize this is set up like a cell in Hell, right? A black hole of no escape, with what tortures you confining you inside of it?" He got up and sniffed around, trying to find a hint. "I don't think we're in Hell, though. I think this is someone else's work."

Kale scoffed at the notion. "I don't really think there would be much to haunt me inside of mine." He wandered around and plopped down by the door, giving up, before noticing a small detail. Annoyed, he stood back up and walked over to Nexus.

"You have pockets now, odd. Reach in and take out the object inside. It's a key, isn't it? It should open the door."

Nexus stared at him, then glanced down. A pair of them had appeared on the bottoms of his top. "You're kidding." He pulled a key out, and handed it to Kale. "Are we in some sort of dream then? Do we bullshit a way out while talking about nonsense?"

Bri looked around, but didn't notice what Kale did. "I feel like I'm the only one who thinks we're in a normal castle room. But the key thing is kind of strange. So I could definitely be wrong here. I hate that I can't use my necromancy to figure out what's going on. Playing with the dead is kind of a limited joy."

He shook his head again and went to unlock the door. "No, it's not nonsense. Our way of thinking is too limited to get through here normally though. Luckily, we're all pretty smart, so we should be able to figure out a way to leave, even if it is insane."

He reached down and discovered that the keyhole for the door was missing. He looked at the key, then at the door, then at his companions.

A figure much like the demon in the room but with white skin and a black and white outfit walked in. "One of us shouldn't be here. Will you know that?" It took the key from Kale's hands and laughed as it swallowed it. "The essence is all wrong. It could be different, if not for us." It turned to the group and gestured to the door. Nexus paled. It shared the same voice he and his brother did. "You have all the time in the world, but the world will not wait for you."

Bri recoiled, the hair raising on her neck. For a moment, her gaze drifted through the figure in recognition, but she calmly collected herself as quickly as she could when she felt no soul. "You're not real," she snapped flatly. "I know demons are a form of undead. You are not what you seem." She backed up, unable to feel anything making him move. Nexus backed up and watched her eyes widen in fear.

He'd known the form from somewhere, but he couldn't remember exactly. The memory was so fuzzy, it was barely there. There was another attachment to his sentence, but he couldn't quite find the right words for it. Nexus backed up, and stood in front of the door. To answer the words the black and white figure spoke, he laughed. "That depends on where in the world you are," he said, and placed his palm below the knob.

They keyhole appeared as if it'd always been there.

"You know the way, yet you cannot remember. There are things that you must live through once more if you are to be whole again." The creature frowned. "Or maybe you are just lost and dreaming, forgotten to the world you once knew." It blurred around the edges and darted off.

Kale turned and stared, both at his companion and the large ballroom chamber that was opened before them. "I really don't know what just happened, but I know I'm kind of worried. Let's head out, and we'll figure insane riddles out later."

He stepped out into the room and began looking for the next door.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something," he said, and fought harder to remember it. "What he said kind of made sense, whatever it was."

Bri shook her head, feeling the hair raise on her arms. A memory of something she once did, something she mentioned to Splice in the room, flashed across her mind in vivid detail. She shoved it off. "Where are we? I don't remember this room. I didn't even think Darius had use for a ballroom. It's not like he ever has guests over, I imagine. And if he does, I sure never met them. He seems too much the quiet type." She cautiously stepped into the room, and listened to the echo.

"No, you're right." He walked around and noticed the carvings on the walls. "Aside from that, this is far too big to be in his castle. Still though, I feel that this is slightly familiar. I hear a tune in my head, though I can't quite place it." He walked over to the center of the room and began wondering.

"There's a dance to this room, something specific to this exact place." He took a step forward, then two steps back, he turned to his right, slid forward on the right foot and extended his right hand slowly, pointing in Bri's direction. Abruptly, he placed his left on top of his right, and drew it in an arc over his head before spinning completely and facing the wall behind him.

There was the door. There she was.

"Don't stop dancing now, my love," Anise spoke with a sweet tone, "You always were quite good at this." She was dressed head to toe in a form-fitting dress and formal gloves all in a scarlet red. Her hair cascaded down her pale face, matching her rust-red eyes. She held a hand out towards him and smiled, unmoving.

Bri stepped forward with a small grin to take his hand, but froze in place when she saw him stare into nothingness on the other side of the room at the wall. She glanced back and forth, and then tipped her head back. Something wasn't right. "Kale?"

But he vanished. In his place stood a boy, nowhere past age 10, full of stitches and a missing eye from his socket. He held out his hand with a soft smile. "Don't blame yourself, Bri. You tried." She gasped, stepped backward, sinking down against the wall. He gestured behind him then, and continued to hold out his hand for her. "I can get you out of here." A door appeared behind him.

Nexus watched both of them in confusion. What was happening? "Bri, snap out of it, there's nothing there. Kale? Hello?" He waved his hands in front of their faces, but they saw right through him. "What is going on in here?"

Kale waited, for what seemed like an eternity. He could almost hear the sands of the hourglass falling in their slow rhythm.

She would not move, and so neither would he. Wait.

The delicious shade of her smile gave way to a subtle thought. He needed to let Bri know. A twinge of guilt stuck.

Wait…

He shook his head as he stood straight once more. He looked at Her, at Her eyes. They were wrong. They were blue, not red. She whispered the words in unison with him, like he had so long ago. "Like sapphires plucked from the heavens."

His fists clenched unbelievably tight by his sides, he brought them in front of his face as the image shifted. There he was with ebony skin and eyes of white, bared to the world from head to toe, slowly crossing the floor from the door to her. He placed his hands around her waist and buried his face in her neck as she turned to face him.

The fire slowly crawled up his arms, up his ankles, surrounding him and engulfing him and the world in a black haze. Aloud, he spoke the words.

"And that is why you shall burn!"

A torrent of black flame sprung forth from his being and burned the image, burned the stone, scorched the wall and where he stood.

The halfling was so tempted, so desperate for forgiveness. She stood, and faced the child, her shaking legs staggering onto their feet. His expression was all wrong. Everything he told her now wasn't what he had shouted at her that night, crying for vengeance in another life, telling her that he would destroy her. Was that true now? Was he finally coming back to get her?

There was a slight fire in his eyes that she recognized as she thought it to herself. Aloud, she whispered, "you've finally come then?" And as she spoke, his mouth and voice echoed her words like a soulless mirror.

Nexus grabbed her, and shook her, throwing her into Kale to knock them both into wakefulness. "You're dreaming! Wake up!" He winced at the black sparks that bounced from the walls, and let loose a loud snarling roar like a tiger. "It's not real!"

Kale snapped up from the floor in a quick hop and glared at his attacker, all color void from his eyes, leaving behind what looked like black pearls stuck in his eye sockets. Through them he perceived beyond sight.

He breathed into his hand a vile red mist and pointed at the demon. "Sil infernus domine. Sil daemone kalastiir." A tiny red strand shot forth and hit its target in the head, splaying out thin veins and making the connection.

I will destroy this place and you with it. Bend to me, foul creature.

Nexus' eyes widened, and he felt the ground give way. Whatever had hit him, it knocked him so hard, he didn't feel it. Before he could understand where he was, he was staring sideways across the room, where Bri writhed off screaming of forgiveness, and Kale had shot him.

It began to spin. The world was tilting. In the corner of the room, he saw a shadow of what he thought was a bound, bloody woman in ropes, sitting on a stool, and soaked in a clear, unknown substance. She sobbed silently, her glare accusing him of something he'd tried so hard to forget about.

"You," he whispered to himself, and watched her grip the edge of her stool with her free fingers. She lifted a finger, wiggling free of her bindings, and then lifted a hand to point at him. Her brows were knitted down in anger. He didn't fight it, but laid where he was, shocked and defeated.

Bri screamed, throwing her hands over her face. Kale raged. The fool crumpled helplessly against the wall. There was no door, and no way out.

"Look at you all, wallowing in your miseries. This is not what I had intended. Not at all." The figure emerged from the floor, rising slowly up from the marble, clad in simple black trousers and wearing a silver amulet that bore a charm in the shape of a scroll.

"Weak. All of you. This is not what I had intended. Not at all."

He snapped his fingers, and the real became unreal once more. All returned to the common stasis. He sat on his throne and watched as his guests heaved on the floor before him, delusions and madness slowly fading.

"How simple it would be to destroy you." He breathed life into their lungs, that they might know peace once more. He waited as they adjusted to the power, that they might be audience once more, and not merely victims.

Resplendent, he lay back against his throne of ruby and bone with a face of perfect features. His silver eyes had endless depth, his hair was like night sky woven into fine strands of silk. His teeth were like polished ivory, and his forked tongue pronounced every syllable like music. "My sincerest apologies, my familiar friends. The zeal of my followers and children knows no bounds. Rise, that we may speak."

Nexus was the first to rise, glancing around the room in a dreamy daze. He'd known she wasn't real, yet her vision sank to his bones. He shook his head, the fuzz beginning to clear.

Bri sat up, panting in horror, the tears streaming down her cheeks. When she could think again, she snapped her head the speaker's way with a vicious snarl. "I don't know who you are, but what did you do to me?"

Kale stood, briefly, before falling down. He felt hollow, as though he were made of parchment still feebly trying to support itself. He propped himself up, kneeling, and stared up at the figure before him. A void inside of him in the center of his chest drew his mind downward with what he witnessed, despite what had occurred.

He spoke quietly to the halfling. "Again, I say, it was not my bidding. The fervor of the damned leads them to take actions that I would not permit. I apologize, hollow child."

To Nexus and Kale, he shouted. "You two, stop feeling such in my presence. It is not as I would want it. The past is the past. Move on."

The rogue stood finally and shouted. "Who are you to say this of us? How can you know our -?" He was cut off by shock. He was not the tiny figure before them. He was gargantuan, truly massive, and bore a form too terrible to gaze upon. He stared down at the floor as the image faded, and their host looked normal once more.

Nexus felt himself smirk, and he let out a small chuckle. Instead of looking up, he kept his eyes down, but he could feel a recognition now. "Hello, Master."

Bri straightened her back but held her teeth in place. She glanced around the room one more time, and then forced herself up on her feet, leaning against the wall. She felt as if she were tipped to one side, as if she'd twirled too long on the playground.

"Your humility suits you, Denji, but I disapprove of it in my court." He chuckled lightly at his choice of words. It had been far too long since He had spoken with those quick of wit.

"You disapprove, yet here I grovel," the fool snickered.

Kale looked up and spoke. "I don't understand, why are we here? This… this is what I think it is, right? You are who I think you are… Why have you saved us?"

He raised a hand and had wine and grapes brought in by a large shadow. A bowl and bottle was set in front of his guests. "Your tales tell of me all wrong, in every way. Indeed I am what you fear the most, Kaleoszar. Indeed I am what the bone-thief fears the most as well. Indeed I am what Denye does not fear, though he has come to respect, if not begrudgingly."

He stared at the ceiling and watched the cosmos it displayed shift slowly.

"Truth be told, you are here because I willed it to be. I have need of you, of all of you, and others. The tides of fate are so rarely forgiving, that they have forced you all together in these dark times." He paused and smiled at the trio. "I intend to fix that."

Nexus rose to his knees, careful still to keep his eyes down. "Don't look him in the eyes," he warned the others with a grin.

Bri turned her face to Nexus, and narrowed her eyes. "You know each other? That's pleasant." She shifted closer to Kale, and kept her eyes to the floor.

"You know my brother is loose again then," he added, and then peeked up a tad to at least stare him between the eyes, and raised a brow. "I hope you're not planning on dragging me back down there without at least dragging that monstrosity with you too."

"You give me far too little credit, Fool. Assist me in this manner, and I intend to let you go free. I may even include your 'master' as well." Bri felt her ear twitch, and her heart stop. "There is something you would know that would set your wandering, listless spirit to rest, if only it could be known to you. I hold the secrets, and all I ask is a favor from each of you."

He conjured forth a bit of parchment and tossed it to the necromancer and her minion.

"I will return those to you if, of course, I have your loyalty and word in the matter."

Kale turned to face her, seeing the contract written before her. He looked back and felt the weight of His gaze upon him. "What would you have of us?"

"I knew I could count on you, Warlock. So easy to manipulate if you don't realize it." He shook his head when he saw his fist tighten. "In this case, not on my part. Ask the Fates, for they decide when this cosmic farce we all play part in takes action. This is something you would do, but there will be complications. I need to know you will follow through, in spite of the difficulty."

"Why wouldn't I help you? We're after the same goals anyway, you and I. It would be a shame not to. I do this more so for the poor souls who meet this beast more than I do so for myself anyway. I deserve what I got," Nexus smirked to himself, understanding full well the consequences already.

Bri tilted her head in his direction again, then lowered her voice, signing her name at the bottom of the sheet of parchment. "What did you do?"

Nexus smiled and wrote his name as well. "Ask Darius."

The warlock looked around and opened his mouth to talk before He spoke first.

"You volunteered for your sentence. That is something I cannot change. Your sibling brought to me ill will undeserved. He will suffer for it still, if he can be found. You need not share that fate or take it in his place if you can find him and bring him to me. Until such a time, you must accept responsibility for your actions and bear his misery."

"I accepted it then, I accept it now. No use trying to change it." He poured a glass of the wine and sipped, regretting the decision immediately. Nothing on the Prime would compare. "I ask again, what would you have of us?"

He leaned forward and pressed his fingertips together, smiling. "I am delighted to hear that you all consented. Quite simply, I need you to bring Denye back to me. He has had his fun, I admire his jaunts and the salacious and brutal things he does and inspires, but he is going too far. It is all the fault of Kylin, which your host, Darius set upon the world once more.

"He seeks to become king of a world which is to be mine. This cannot be allowed. It will draw far too much attention. That I cannot afford. You are to take my blessing so that you might be evenly matched, and you are to stop him. Understood?"

Finding his brother was going to be a trick all its own. Bri felt herself tighten up, and she chewed her lip. "I might make good use as bait," she said slowly.

She didn't want to break her swear not to mention anything, but she didn't want to deny the chance that they could catch them if she showed herself, or made herself appear vulnerable. It just wasn't a chance she was willing to lose.

"And why would you make good bait?" Nexus narrowed his eyes.

"Because I'm small," she snapped.

Kale glared at the ground and nodded. The same reason he had to kill his father when his sister was raised. A knot grew in his stomach and acid rose to the back of his throat. He gulped back the rest of his wine and set the glass down.

"Any ideas, Lord, where we might find him?"

He nodded in response to the anger he felt harboring in the half-elf, and to his question. "Where the sun and sand collide beneath the stars, untouched by the waves but graced by the rain and darkest fog." A sinister smile spread across his lips as he anticipated the scene that would follow Denji's arrival. "You should know that he has the amulet already, as he has help beyond his own abilities. He only needs the crown now. Worry not, the charm does nothing on its own, and he hasn't the magical capacity to use it. If you find yours, Denji, you will more than likely be able to match him. It is why I ask this of your group. More than that I cannot give, for it may be too much to interfere."

Nexus winced. He had the amulet too now? Bri glanced around at her companions. "He found it that fast? How are we ever going to catch him before he finds his crown?"

It didn't seem possible. A shadow passed in the room, and materialized in front of them in a puff of smoke. A gleaming white mask, decorated in the classic theater-laughing smile, adorned where his face should have been. It bowed to the Master, and then turned himself to face the rest of them.

His body looked solid, completely black, as if he were a missing piece in the air and not a black object. Tendrils floated above his head, and his body gave off a small wave of it every movement he made. He was adorned with black, leather armor, and Bri could see on one cheek of his white mask was a red sun under the eye.

"I hail from a bastard's hunting party." He pointed with his left hand, and a black, shiny tonfa swiveled over his right, at Nexus. "Your hunting party."

Nexus stared at the black, sleek leather, and the white and gold chained belt. Two tasseled, red rapiers hung at the sides in narrow sheaths. "Who are you?"

"I am your assassin," he stated simply, a soft calm voice, and half-nodded at him.

Bri flung herself in front of Nexus, and narrowed her eyes. "I bet you think you are," she said nastily, but the shae only raised his palms in peace.

"You misunderstood, child -."

"I'm not a child."

"…Being," he corrected calmly with a tilt of his head. "I hail from his party, but I am not the Red Devil's minion any longer. I am his assassin, Denji's." Nexus quirked a brow distrustfully.

"Why should I believe you?"

"Would I wander in the Master's own presence so thoughtlessly? Where I could be struck down the second he asks you to do him a favor? Quite the stupidity," he scoffed, and waved a dimensionless, black, featureless hand. Bri was fascinated. "No, I saw you a ways away, and knew who you were immediately. I followed, because I wish to destroy the Red Devil and hoped the Master could reveal a way. When you were summoned here, I slipped in the shadows, and came along."

The Master nodded and smiled. Endless scores of creations, and somehow the shae and their ilk were among his top hundred or so. "I had not conjured you here to kill you. I wouldn't even have to kill you. You would simply cease to exist if I willed it in any form."

Kale turned around and thought for a bit. In the past month his life had gone from bad to good to strange to stranger. "So let me get this straight. He had minions? How exactly do we compete with that? I mean, even with Darius and Inky… here on our side, we might still end up as ashes in some gods-forsaken cavern."

He turned to Kale and scoffed. "You have no idea what you inherited when you signed that contract, do you?" He folded his hands and turned to the others. "I said, also, that each of you will be going with my blessing. That should certainly even things out. You might also seek out Cryia, she's certainly a lot more helpful than you could imagine."

The shae nodded his response to the Master, and bowed. "I came here because I can't stand the complete lack of respect that beast has. Or truly how unpredictable he is. It's maddening. I can only graze the ideas of what could possibly float past his jittery head."

Nexus nodded, and grinned again. "That little, red idiot may have a legendary weapon coming his way, but it still can't be more powerful than being granted an ability by one of the largest gods in this plane of existence, now can it? Relax Kale, we'll at least beready, even if we're not completely matched yet."

Bri shook her head. "What kind of power are we talking about? Magic? Weapons? Armor? A special sort of summons, or scroll?"

The god cocked an eyebrow at the demon. "One of the most powerful? Clearly you have not done even a little research. Either that or you have never played a hand of cards. I could fix all this in a matter of hours if it wouldn't give my position away. Alas, I have you as my new servants, and so you shall receive a modicum of my power."

He reached his hand up and chewed off a chunk of his wrist. Black blood dripped into the other hand and danced around the fingers in a spiral. When the flesh had healed, he split it into equal measures, and gave a small glass to each of his disciples.

"Drink of this, and you shall find stronger will than you have ever known. As the lucid dreamer can control the dream, so shall you bend the world to your wishes, as long as they do not oppose mine. This will not be natural, you must learn to think like a god. Achieve this though, and little else will be able to stand against you."

Bri pinched her nose to swallow, trying her best not to accidentally inhale it. Of all the dead things she'd ever touched or raised from the earth, she hadn't matched anything quite as bad as this liquid. When she managed to swallow it, and gag it back down several times, she sat down on the ground and panted a little bit.

Nexus easily swallowed, and snickered as he did so at Bri's reaction. He'd had to have done way worse before. "I don't know the entire line of gods the way you do, but to us, you certainly are," he laughed. "And to demons, who are basically demi-gods anyhow compared to most other mortals. You're basically the puppeteer."

The shae took a sniff, and jerked his head. "Bottoms up, I suppose," he said cautiously, and poured the entire glass in one large gulp without bothering to think about how awful it would be. He coughed, and some of the black liquid sputtered from the lips of his mask, but he fought it down. "No wonder you have no predators," he said simply. "That, or you actually do and they have terrible, terrible taste."

"I have no predators because I do not allow for it. That is why." He paused for a moment, as if to continue, but said nothing further.

Kale shrugged and swallowed it down, attempting to put a name to the taste. It went down smooth, and he decided that this is what stars must taste like. He shuddered as it burned in his stomach, nearly doubling over. He stood up and stretched, feeling… more.

"I assume that our business here is done?"

"Unless you have any other questions, yes." He spoke symbols into the air that drifted into a neat archway some distance away. They stuck in the air and opened back into the castle. "No ruse this time, that is your true destination."

19: C#18 - A Means to an End

Nexus breathed a sigh of relief, and felt the strangeness swell. He felt all over at once. He stood shakily, and struggled to control his movements. "I feel like I'm coming from everywhere, but have to move each limb manually," he said awkwardly, and then swung himself to the doorway. "We'll be on this as soon as we figure out how to move right," he said with a goofy smirk.

"I feel funny," Bri said simply. She felt she didn't even need to think the words, that the others could understand her face.

The shae moved with them. "I don't know this castle, but I imagine I shall here in a few moments, considering I'm coming with you all." He bowed to the Master, and crookedly shouldered his way through the doorframe into a hall.

"We should really go find Darius right now. He's bound to be wondering where in the bloody hell we all disappeared to. And who the hell he is," Nexus pointed at the shae. "What is your name?"

"Shae," the shae said simply. "My memory was cleared before I came into service with the Red Devil, so I honestly don't know."

Kale felt strange, suffering no immediate side effects. He flexed his fingers, wiggled his toes. He felt perfectly fine, if not a bit constrained by his body, as though he were much larger but being forced into a smaller form.

"He'll definitely want to ask us questions. So will the girl. I wonder how she'll fit in to all this now."

He guided them down to the main chamber, next to the kitchen, where they found Cryia, Darius, and Katrin all sitting at the table.

"I told you they would be here soon," the girl piped up. "Don't worry, I told them where you all were. I told them not to worry. They didn't listen to me, they never do, they never will."

Cryia sniffed the air and cringed, then bowed her head in Nexus' direction. It was intended as a sign of subservience and respect among their kind, even if he didn't know it to be.

Darius stood, patiently awaiting them to tell their side of the story.

Nexus walked in, dipped his head to Cryia rather awkwardly, and then stumbled into a chair to relax his strange-feeling legs. Bri followed suit, preferring to sit on top of the large dining room table, simply because she could reach the food without having to get up multiple times.

"I'm starving," she apologized, and then grabbed an apple.

The shae wandered in then, and looked around the room at the other three occupants, and bowed deeply to the floor, exaggeratedly. "Hello," he said swaying a bit, and then remained standing at the entrance.

Kale rolled his eyes and began to speak.

"I had some problems. We went to see the Seeing Skull." He noted Darius slowly charring the table where his hand was, unintentionally. "Yes, without your permission or attention. I knew it was dangerous, but…"

He stepped back and conjured up a tiny imp-like shadow that danced by his feet.

"I wanted to be prepared for this. Remember that trip we took to the Tomb of Silus, and I was all but totally useless? I hated that. I couldn't let anything bad happen."

"So you took upon that bleak curse that runs through your family?" He caught a surprised glance. "Thought I didn't know, did you? In any case, what kind of horrible price did they demand of you for this old power?"

The warlock shook his head. "Twenty five years of servitude. I get to keep my soul, I get to go free. After a hundred years have passed, or after I die, whichever is first. Assuming I can't find my bastard ancestor who owes the debt and skipped town to take my place."

He picked the imp up and sat it on his shoulder. "We disappeared, were tortured by horrible visions and riddles for an eternity, and we had a personal audience with the Dark Lord. He gave us his blessing that we might have a solution for the coming conflict."

"That's why none of us have solid feet right now," Nexus said, gulping down a mug of ale. "Once we get used to it, we're on our way to stop my beastly brother before he does any more harm than he already has."

Bri quietly sat by the table and awaited the judgment. Shae remained standing, unaffected by the punishment, but still hoping to avoid a conflict. "If it helps, sir," he said calmly, "I'm from the beast's personal guard. I was under his employ as an assassin when he held the city of Al-Sadan for eighty some odd years until he became bored. The man is indeed quite mad." He shook his head, remembering the beatings and berating name-calling. "I prefer structure."

"I knew something drastic was going to happen, but nothing of this magnitude." Katrin shrugged and thought for a moment. "It never changed anything that I remember, so I guess I can't comment on it right now."

"There is another matter at hand, as well. I should have heard from Kylin by now. No word is given. I fear tracking the red bastard down will be more difficult than anticipated."

Kale hesitated before answering. "Actually, that's a point that He made. Kylin is the cause of all this. Well, the reason everything sort of spiraled out of control anyway. The wards and charms that control him ran out some time ago, thought we don't know if he knows this or not. Apparently when you released him, he wasn't really under your command. He's actually helping him. And from what you tell me, that might make things a lot more difficult."

Darius stood from his seat in a quick jolt and stared, slack-jawed. He bolted from his spot and ran up the stairs to his chambers.

Cryia shook her head with a look of defeat. "What are we supposed to do then?"

The shae raised a finger, given he hadn't mentioned it out loud, but Darius was gone. "I really should have said that." Nexus and Bri turned to face him.

"What?" The fool put down his mug.

"Yes, he's working with him. Kylin and your brother argue a lot, and without even saying a single word aloud. Kylin despises him. Your brother is a means to an end."

"What end?" Bri stopped chewing and spit out her ale. "So all this trouble? That's just Splice being a nuisance as a puppet?"

"Yes. And he doesn't know it yet. Meaning if he finds out and he's angry enough, there could be even more trouble than what's going on right now."

Kale nodded to himself after a moment of contemplation. "We definitely don't want to tell him that." He surveyed the confused looks from the crowd. "He'll blame himself for all of this. Splice is one thing, that's something he couldn't control. If Kylin is pulling the strings, that's entirely on him. He'll never forgive himself. He'll go mad. We'll lose him entirely. It's happened once before, in ages past, and it can't happen again."

Cryia sighed and nodded. "He's right. I've seen him upset at things before. He's a deeply passionate man. This could break him entirely."

Katrin threw her hands up in the air and got up to walk away. "This is just fantastic. I'm doing fine for years and I come here for a day and now this. I'm going to see if I can't talk some sense into him and try and figure out a next point of action for us." She stormed off after her host.

Shae nodded then. "Okay, so it was a good thing I kept my mouth shut. I will remain doing so." Nexus tapped his chin.

"This is tricky now. No matter what we do, we have to be careful that Darius doesn't lose himself in it all. Keeping that tidbit of information quiet is going to be very hard once we get closer to fixing things." Bri jumped down and began to slowly pace back and forth, thinking.

"So, what now? We go after them alone?"

The succubus drifted around listlessly. "I think I'm coming along. Those two can figure things out here. They should be able to, through divination of all kinds, determine where we are to go next."

"Well, we're supposed to be heading out to find these blasted crowns, right? Sand and rain and awful things, isn't that what He said? Closest place to here that meets that description is the Sareshi Drylands, and that's still a week and a half's worth of travel away."

He turned to Cryia. "You sure about this? I know you're pretty much used to your… privileged life around here."

"Oh come now," she chided, "When was the last time I truly made myself useful? At the very least, I can act as the speaker for the group, if not a decent backup."

Shae nodded. "I'm definitely going. If I can happen to get some sort of repentance for the names and being thrown into a mud puddle at one point to see if it would stick to me, that would be quite lovely." He strolled to the table then and sat down. His gaze drifted into nowhere for a time.

Nexus eyed his expressionless mask with a sense of unease. "You really should change that to something with no smile. Or maybe a half mask that covers above your cheeks, but not your mouth. If you have one."

Bri punched him in the arm. "Don't be rude," she warned, and then got up to stretch. "I imagine I should clean myself first and pack. Anyone else?"

Kale got up and paced. "I'll go let him know the plan. I think I can talk him into calming down about all this, and doing what he can from here. I'll meet you upstairs. We should wait the night and rest. It may give us time to find a better route and be more accustomed to ourselves again."

"I worry about him sometimes. I worry about both of them. I have this strange feeling that all men think of themselves as characters in great stories, that every action must have consequence. I wonder why." Cryia drifted towards her hall. "I'm going to let my thralls know that I will be some time before returning. They will miss me."

Bri turned to Nexus, who nodded to her. "I'm going to pack with Bri. We need to make sure the provisions are clear before we set out, or we'll be in trouble."

"I'm going to shower, then sleep when we're done with the packing. I don't want to pass out on this trip. I'm smaller than you, and I run out of stamina faster than those of you who can walk twice as fast. And I imagine I'm not going to be able to tell you what to do anymore when this is all over and done," she sulked.

Nexus just shrugged. "That all depends on if we're successful or not anyway. It's very likely we're all going to die."

Shae chuckled, and then remained in place. "I don't need much else than what I have currently with me at the moment. Food however, I am quite in need of." He grabbed a small plate, and loaded it with meat.

"You eat?" Nexus quirked a brow.

"Of course."

Kale trudged up the steps slowly, exhausted, both mentally and physically. It took nearly an hour of talking, debating, shouting, and wrestling to get Darius to listen. It killed him to leave him here as much as it killed the death knight to stay here and not actively fight for the cause.

He painfully scrawled through what was visually a spellbook in his head. Pages flipped as he walked until, at last, he found what he was looking for. It would cause a crash in the end, but it would certainly be worth it now.

"Sil incarnum tel'avan caafii'ne."

Kale exhaled a black cloud as he finished the chant, and then breathed it back in, deep. Like a bolt of lightning to the brain, he suddenly felt incredible. His mind stopped wading through fog and his body responded without delay.

He chuckled to himself, I could definitely get used to this, and walked himself to the washing chambers.

After struggling to shower and pack her things, Bri collapsed on the bed, eyes wide open to the ceiling. Nexus had long since gone after he'd packed his suitcase, and left it in her room for easy access the next morning. It was too much at once, and it was extremely hard to force her lids to close. The next week's travel was going to be harsh, and on rations.

She imagined what sort of dangers they would come across as she lay there, and then turned her head to gaze out her window with a sigh. The moon was bright and it lit the room.

Kale couldn't help but immediately try out his new abilities. He stood in front of the mirror after he was clean, and focused. It took some effort, but he managed to create something. A thin, grey silk robe that split down the front. It was cool, comfortable, and made him relax a little. He smiled, a questionable thing, and wondered what all this would do to him in time.

He laughed at the stupidity of the question. He would be the same, regardless of what happened. He was Kale, and that's all there was to it. The tiny imp at his feet nodded, sharing his memory and reassured him. It scurried off to his personal chambers, while he walked down to meet Bri. There was no point in being alone tonight.

----------

When he left her to her bed, Nexus wandered with Shae, trying to locate where Kale had gone. He was going to sleep, but the wonder of whether he'd calmed him down was eating at his brain. Shae agreed to go with him as mild company, and to formerly meet the man himself in person. He knew a little bit about the Red Devil, so he imagined he could be of some service.

Cryia drifted her way through the hall to catch up with them. "So, I'd like to be filled in on all the details, if you wouldn't mind. Come, let's retire to my chambers. There is plenty to discuss and…" She quirked her head upwards, "I think we should leave those two alone."

Nexus shrugged and agreed with her, yet his questions still bothered him. Shae reluctantly followed suit. "So the two of you are demons, eh? I feel quite out of place," he said jokingly. He summed up how he had been tasked with assassinating people, and how he had decided once finding the master was searching for Nexus, he hoped to join for vengeance. Splice to the moment didn't know he was here.

Nexus summed up their meeting with the Master to begin with, explaining how the power was given to him, Shae, Bri, and Kale to fight. "Long, long trip," he moaned. "I could feed too, if your stock doesn't quite mind, Cryia."

"…Feed?" Shae carefully asked.

Cryia nodded. "Adlustrium Incarneta, the Spawn of Indecency. Here we are, and here they are." She tapped her feet on the ground and watched the trap door give way to her minimally clad servants. "They give freely to me, for I love them, each and every one, and they return it."

She signaled a pair of them over to her, including Shari and Maria, who had been a gift to Nexus earlier. They came up and curtsied and smiled patiently, eyes wide with eagerness.

"Relax, Shae dear, they won't hurt you, or even touch you without my permission."

The Shae stood still for a moment. "What?" When Nexus smiled, and took the girl's arm, he just shrugged.

"Each of us feeds their own way. I get mine through this, but there are others of my type who would rather feed on flesh." He winced. "I find it no more appealing than another human would, thinking of eating a human steak, personally."

"What of them? Do they get weaker when you do?"

"Yes, and no. Depends on how hard you push them," Nexus grinned. "My brother likes to play with his food. I just take what I need and move on."

She chuckled at the comment, drifting up towards her mirror and withdrawing a pair of sheers. "It depends on what you mean. My subjects are certainly exhausted, no more so than a few hours would do though. I never killed a person though, and I know most do. If you ever do run into one of our kind, they'll most likely be nowhere near as nice as we are."

She disrobed, took one last look at herself, and began cutting her thick, black hair into a shorter style, just to the top of her neck in the back, coming down to meet her chin in the front. She watched as the last of it fell to the ground and winced at her reflection. So unrefined.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked, turning to Nexus. "I hate it, but it's nice enough, I suppose. I really didn't want to be miserable in the desert."

He puckered a lip and pinched his chin, staring at it. "Why exactly? Traveling reasons? It's not like a zombie's going to want to swallow it. Although in a desert I guess I can see why. Seriously, you could have just asked, and I'd have put a cool circle around your head."

Shae glanced at her strands, and held them against his skin. "Your hair's as black as my skin is," he said with a touch of amusement to his tone. It was horrible for people to not read his face. He hoped he could have his mask enchanted someday to make up for all the trouble it caused folks.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Of course you could. I prefer to keep a low profile outside of these walls. The less I give off the impression of, 'I probably have some good stuff you can steal at sword-point or loot off of my corpse,' the better." She looked the fool head to toe and shook her head. "I shouldn't have expected any less from you though. Too flashy."

To Shae, she chuckled. "I have no idea why, but that's the way it's always been. Well, after dying anyway. I used to dye it that color with the pigments used in ink. I suppose they thought it would be fitting then that I obsess over it. I guess that's fair."

Nexus frowned. "I'm not changing. You're not sticking me in one of those things you call clothes, which are tight, itchy, and can't breathe worth a damn. You can wear your leather and chains, I'll stick to my garish, stretchy fabric. And my hat."

Shae shook his head. "I probably stick out more than you. I smoke. I'll also need another mask that isn't as frightening."

Her expression was flat and irritated. She darted over to her cabinet and grabbed an item from inside and put it on. "It's cotton. It breathes. It's lightweight, and it's white. Please, tell me what is so bad about this." She smirked and shook her head before drifting over to a table.

"Do you actually have eyes?"

Shae shook his head. "I have no mouth, nose, or eyes. I'm as flat-faced as you can get. In fact, I shouldn't even have a physical body, apparently. From the few who recognized what I was, I am an anomaly among my own kind."

"That sounds like something my brother did too, as you said before about losing your memory," Nexus rolled his eyes. "And yes, plenty wrong with it. I get lines in my skin if I sit too long, I can't stretch my legs over my head without ripping anything, and nothing ever fits me right." He stuck his tongue out and crossed his arms. "I made this myself because I knew I'd do it right."

She merely chuckled. "Can't sit still, has to wear eccentric attire, the ladies must love you." She giggled harder at that as she lowered herself to the ground.

She walked over and opened up a chest and pulled a large white block from it. She carried it to Shae and held it up by his head before scratching the surface with a small knife. She looked between the two and nodded. "I can't guarantee perfection, it's been a long time since I've done anything creative. But it should be a more suitable replacement than the porcelain joke you've got on now."

He would have smiled if he could have. "If there's a way you could ever enchant it to make expressions, that would be great. Even if it doesn't move fluidly like a face, just a quick change or mild expression difference would do fine."

"How do you talk without a mouth? What do you look like under there?" Nexus walked over, and lifted the mask, only to find a smooth, flat surface. "That is undeniably creepy."

"I find your taste in meals quite 'creepy,' but I mind my own business," he snapped calmly, and then made his way over to Cryia. "Are you going to sculpt it completely yourself?"

She smiled and nodded in agreement and gestured up toward the needlessly intricate marble carvings surrounding the walls of her room. "I used to be incredibly bored with all the time I had on my hands. I found something to pass the time. Eventually, it became something I was quite passionate about."

She cut a mass from the block in the general shape of the mask-to-be. She held it out and dusted it off. "You get a rare opportunity that most people do not. How do you want your features to look?" She started sketching out ideas on the table to provide a base.

"Normal shaped eyes, rather than these upside down 'U' monstrosities, and a less horrible smile, for sure. If anything, a neutral expression that could change later would be fine."

Nexus yawned loudly, stretched, and slipped back into the room Cryia had given him before with his guest. "I'm going to go occupy myself with something. I imagine you're going to be busy for a while anyway," he said, and then looked at the clock. "And I refuse to be tired for tomorrow, for sure."

Shae sat at the table and watched her work, admiring the carvings around the room, and the detail they took. All that time. He didn't even remember when he met the Red Devil. He didn't remember much of anything aside from what he was told to do, and the killings he'd had to complete in his agonizing time there.

As she carved bits and pieces from the stone, she wondered how pleasant it would be to not taste the activities of others in the air. A hunger pang struck her and she waved it away, staying on the task at hand.

The first one would not fit what she had in mind. She picked it up halfway through and smashed it against the wall. The second and third did the same. With dust and rock pieces everywhere, she started on the fourth, and found it to respond to her wishes.

Everything came out, at last, like she imagined in her head. She held it up, perfectly carved, beautiful, neutral, but speaking more than the obvious.

"Ha! Take that artist's block." She set it down and turned to Shae. "Just one last thing. I need to attune it to you before it can begin to switch with you." She held out her arms to her sides. "I need you to hug me."

Shae winced a little at the notion, but conceded he had no choice. When was the last he'd had any sort of physical contact at all? Aside from the slaps and whacks with staffs? A fuzzy memory seemed to elude him.

He reached over, hugged her, and waited.

Nexus blew through the doorway and past her room to the entrance with a small growl. "Still hungry. Going hunting for a while I guess. Don't want to hurt any of them -. I clearly interrupted something," he smirked.

A scowl crossed her face. "Have fun, darling," she shouted and waved a hand at him, throwing him through the doorway and slamming her room shut.

"Ignore him, and then laugh at him when we're finished." She closed her eyes and concentrated. "I know this must be awkward for you, even an alien concept at the very core of your being. But until we can make this work, I'd like you to feel comfortable."

She breathed in deep, through the physical barrier, and drew out a piece of his vital essence. She shuddered at the aberrant feel of it, but managed to keep it stable. She let him go and breathed it out onto the carved marble before them, much to her relief. She fell back, laying in midair only a few inches off of the floor with a loud sigh. "It should start to change color to suit you now."

It began to settle to a silvery alabaster. He picked it up, turned it over in his hands, and noticed a pearlescence alongside the silvery metallic texture. When he placed it on his face, he smiled. And felt the corners itself curl up with his fingers. "Wow, it moved…" The grin morphed bigger, and his eyes changed shape as well. "Perfect! Thank you much, ma'am."

She smiled and propped herself up. "Entirely flexible, should prove to be nigh-indestructible too." She reached over to the table and picked up a pad and pencil. After some quick scribbling, she turned it around and showed him the work.

"That'll be three hundred and seventeen gold pieces, please." She tossed the pad back to the table and smiled. "I'm not serious, of course. But I do expect payment. My price is that you not kill me for what I'm about to do."

She sprung up, wrapped her arms around his torso and kissed him, testing the malleability of her creation while admiring the creature she held. After a few seconds, she pulled back and bit her lip.

"Welp…" That was all she could muster before she bolted to her underground chambers.

He gawked for a moment, stunned, then awkwardly reached up to feel the mask. The eyes were wide open, as was the mouth. "Thank… you?" He wasn't even sure what happened. What did a kiss mean? Why did she run away? He back-stepped to the door, and carefully made his way back out into the hallway, and made his way to another chamber to sleep.

Several twitching bodies made her snap awake. She tried to run her hands through her hair, to find that what little of it was still there was stuck together. She looked around and smirked, last night was pretty bad. She pushed them all off and got up, leaving sticky footprints for them to clean up when she was gone.

As she drifted up the stairs and through the doorway, she thanked the gods that she had her own washroom.

20: C#19 - Onto the Coals

Kale awoke to the sound of rain gently plinking against the window, and smiled at the clinging he felt against him. He looked over at her and listened to the rain again. For a long while, this might be the only time he had to relax. He nudged her until she stirred, hoping not to get smacked.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she took a moment to survey her surroundings. She'd fallen asleep at some point. She glanced to her side, and saw Kale. She smiled. "I'm glad you came. I had such a hard time falling asleep."

"I would have, I assume. Last night was not the time to be alone. You set me at ease." He turned to the window. "We've got about an hour left before breakfast. I just wanted to savor this. We've got quite the road ahead of us, and I doubt sleeping in the back of a travel caravan is going to be anything more than necessarily tolerable."

"I know," she said with a small groan. "I'm not looking forward to the desert. Did you get any sleep at all? I packed, so I'm ready to go tomorrow. Luckily there won't be any running around looking for things I thought I lost." She relaxed back into the pillow. "I don't want to wake up yet for breakfast. I just want to lay here, snug in the blankets."

He shook his head. "I don't really need anything else. My pack is in the den, it's got my map, my journal, all of my daggers, and that's it." He tugged at his robe. "Oh yeah, I made this. I feel awesome. If I could have told myself that I would be this lucky years back, I wouldn't have worried at all."

A sly smile crossed his face. "What's your favorite color?"

Bri blinked in the dark, a little confused. "Purple, but I normally go with red honestly. It's a tad more sinister," she smiled in the dark. "People tend to associate death with red or black anyway. I grew to like it over time more than purple, but I still have a soft spot for it. Why?"

He chuckled. "When we met, you caught me at a bad time, I didn't really have that much on me. I didn't want it to turn out the way it did." He rolled over and took his hand in hers, covering it between them. "I feel like I owe you this much, at least. I wanted to, but, we never really had the opportunity to do much field work."

He closed his eyes and concentrated on pulling the right strands. He felt lightheaded, which was good, that meant it worked. He tilted his hand back to admire his craftsmanship.

The band was mithril, shining like bright silver. The amethysts mounted in the center sank into the metal, that they might not get caught on anything. The center was the largest, with a smaller one on its sides, and smaller still ones on theirs. He produced a light and smiled.

She stared for the time being and looked at the delicate design. "I don't know how you did that, but it's amazing," she laughed. "I don't know much outside of dead things. It's beautiful, Kale!"

He shrugged and chuckled to himself. "I'm not really sure either. It's just something I know how to do now. Probably not to that scale and magnitude, at least not for a while, so it's not like I can make us rich like this or anything."

He rolled the ring around in his palm for a moment. "It was either buy one – not likely on my meager findings – or steal the one I thought fit you the best, which I could have gotten away with. But I like this better. It means it's unique, and most importantly, no danger."

"And that's where you're wrong," Shae said, stepping into the room unannounced. "I just got news of a bunch of villagers downwind of us talking about an explosive monster destroying about half of their town. Apparently there was a vile thing there that had about four people wrapped and bound. All female." He turned then and gestured toward the door. "The best part? One matched the description of our red friend, and it was only yesterday the word got here."

I cannot catch a break, he thought to himself briefly. His mind then returned to Ejmidan, the fiend-traitor whom he had to fend off one day after months of service as a servant and oracle under the employ of his father.

He shook his head and glanced at Shae. "Promise me you won't turn on me too?" He stood up and held out his hands to his sides, "Ae ghartok altadoon," and watched as his armor materialized over his form. This puzzled him for a moment, but he turned to Bri and chuckled. "Come, let's go find your minion."

Shae simply smiled back at him and shook his head. "I don't really see why I would ever turn on you, and whoever did, shame on them. Come on, hopefully we can rescue their little pets, because if not, I highly doubt they're on their way for tea and wafers. If he's the same as his blue brother, then he's probably hungry."

Bri glared at Shae for the time being, and then stood up and grabbed her cloak. "Sleep would have been nice. Change of plans, I suppose." She strode out of the room to find the blue fool.

Kale notified Darius where they were going, to which the death knight simply sighed in disbelief and awoke his gargoyles for extra security. He ran quickly then to Cryia's chambers hoping for assistance in the matter which she might know better, but found no response.

He dashed back to the balcony and joined the pair waiting for him. "Down we go then." He clung to the silver cord and cursed impatiently at how long it took to reach the ground. When he landed, he strung his bow and held a few arrows just in case.

Bri followed, and Shae afterward. The groggy and cranky fool just stood up top and glowered at the ground. "I don't want to do this, you're lucky I hate him." Too lazy to use his physical strength, which he usually preferred to do rather than float like Cryia or Splice, he plummeted down to the ground, and then swiveled upright. When he finally touched feet to ground, he sighed. "I'm so tired," he growled.

"Deal with it. The four women he took could probably give us a clue of something if they overheard where the next piece to the puzzle is. They already have two of the three things they need," Bri snapped. Shae stepped to the side and looked up at the stars. "The village is said to be that way," he said, pointing down a path through the trees.

The trip was longer than necessary, roughly four hours, and having almost gotten lost twice. Once they got close though, it was as easy as following the sickly smell that clung to the smoke drifting through the seemingly unending thicket. The nightfall had surrounded them, and gave them cover.

Kale turned to Nexus. "You may want to stay back, at least for the time being while we figure out what's going on. No need for you to turn into an arrow pin-cushion."

He stepped forth through the tree-line with the other two and let his mind wonder at the large crowd dancing around the bonfire in the center square.

Nexus held back, sleepily, and willingly. He didn't even want to be out here. Given the chance, he'd likely fall asleep behind the bush. Unless his brother magically stepped out of the trees and announced his presence, he didn't feel the need to stay particularly alert.

Bri followed Kale out into the center of town, and cursed at her bright red cloak. "I wonder what they're dancing for," she whispered through the dark. Shae slid up silent as shadow, and watched the goings on.

"It may be some type of banishing ritual native to the area."

Among the performers, one stepped out in a bold red and white toga. In her arms, princess style, she carried a nude, young woman, unconscious, gagged, and with her hands and wrists bound. On the other side of the fire, a similarly dressed woman carried another nude captive.

They shouted foul words to the crowd, which then cheered what was apparently the name of one of the captives. The performer held her prisoner close to her chest while her opposite tossed her victim onto the bonfire, burning her alive. She awoke at the touch of fire, and her screams tore through her gag, and she thrashed on the fire, trying desperately to escape. They were ignored.

More foul words were spoken ominously by the crowd in unison, and a faint jingling was heard approaching the site of the fire. The people bowed, and the second bound woman was offered as a sacrifice to their master.

Bri stared, mouth agape, and felt herself retch at the smell of the charring flesh. Shae glanced over and kept careful eye on the folks around the fire. "No, that is indeed not a primitive ritual of the native villagers," he said with some sarcasm.

"You're kidding," Bri whispered quietly.

The red fool stepped out among the crowd, a smug grin spread cheek to eye across his face. A sword was strapped to his waist, and he held out his arms to receive the girl. He smelled her like an animal checking for something rotten before taking a bite of flesh, to which she screamed in agony and attempted to pull away from him. The crowd cheered savagely at her cries. When she was clear, he threw her onto a stone table nearby, scraping her skin as he did so, and stepped up onto what the villagers had made a dais.

"I'm going to be sick. Let's go, quick."

Kale blanked briefly, reliving an old memory and simultaneously scanning through old lessons in his head. He shook it in disgust and ducked back behind the trees.

"Okay, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we should move, and also possibly burn this whole village to the ground." He turned back to the scene behind him and shuddered. "We ought to do at least something to help her. I think so at least."

Nexus slipped out from the trees. "So, I happened to smell something I'm quite accustomed to, and I'm guessing you walked in on something disturbing my brother is doing." He took a peek over the brush, and noticed the girl there, trying her best to scream through her gag. "Oh, goody."

Bri gagged onto the ground, fighting hard to hold back vomit. "There are still three more of them, her included. They threw the other on the fire. What do you think the other two are for? If they killed one, I could only imagine."

"The possibilities are endless," Shae agreed, and then pulled out a twin pair of blades, thin and long from his belt. "I work better with two. One for the ribs, and the other for a nice, simple distraction. The goal then is to rescue her? What of the others?"

Behind them, the red fool held his naked prize above the crowd. He had cut her binds off, and ungagged her. She gasped in horror, and tried to run, but he merely held her in place by pinching her collar bone. "N'yechout virhahtslen yeht keibah hahsleh," he hissed. The crowd cheered.

Kale paused for a moment as he turned back at the scene. This had to stop. He drew back an arrow, then reconsidered for a moment. He lashed into the bolt a searing word, and changed aim. There was nothing he could do against the demon, that much was evident already.

He let the arrow go, watching in satisfaction as it struck the performer in the forehead and began cooking her from the inside out. The damage was so swift, she only made a quick sound before she collapsed to the ground. If he couldn't kill him, maybe he could distract him by killing his subjects.

His head snapped to the side at her shriek, and he looked out into the group of onlookers. "We have a spy," he said in common. He pulled his meal back, and placed her on the table to await his return, rebinding her legs so she couldn't run. He grabbed her by the hair, and leaned in to her ear. "If you can crawl away, feel free," he whispered and laughed.

Bri stared out in disbelief. "That's his response? Just to search for us? He doesn't seem to care much about the girl in the robes." She hissed something into the air, and raised the dead girl off of the ground, the arrow still sticking from her forehead.

At first, she swayed, staring into the sky. Then she lowered her head, eyes forward, blank. Bri hissed something else, and the girl turned her gaze to Splice, who in turn stared back startled. He blinked a moment, and then glanced around his bustling group, who were busy dashing into the woods and around the perimeter looking for the enemy.

Oh gods, you're one of those crazy bastards that doesn't think before he acts, aren't you?

Kale ignored the musings of the imp in his pack and shot two of the bizarre cultists in the chest as they ran his direction. They shouted and fell, and he cursed as he dropped his bow and pulled out his short swords. It would be impossible not to determine where they were now.

The entire town was in disarray now. People ran in all different directions, shouting, screaming, and pointing into the darkness. Bri wasn't sure if they could tell it was them or not, but no one questioned the trio in the center of the town. She smirked at their stupidity. They think we're hiding behind the tree-line. Good, we have the advantage of surprise now.

Kale glanced at the zombie that was raised and glanced in the necromancer's direction with a nod of approval.

She grinned a little, then raised two others up from the ground, arrows sticking from their chests like quills. They turned then to face the red fool as well. He stared in disbelief. "There is a necromancer nearby," he shouted to those who could hear. They turned their heads, eyes wide. "Kill the necromancer, or be a puppet. Those are your choices," he snapped.

They ran in every direction with no care as to order or stealth, shouting orders to each other and pointing in directions they thought she may be hiding.

Nexus nodded. "Impressive. Do you plan to grab all of them?"

"If need be to trap him where he is, yes," she said with a smirk. "I did a whole army once, though it nearly killed me. I can handle a few cultists. Most of the villagers can run away if they will. I doubt they really wanted to be out here anyway. Focus on the cultists, not the innocent townsfolk."

He whispered over to her, "Let's try not to have that incident happen again, shall we?"

Ducking behind one of the thicker bushes, he watched one particularly brave man peer through just where they were resting. Before he could shout anything, however, he found himself being spun by the wrist with a hand over his mouth and his torso stapled to the tree with Kale's blade.

"Well, all except this guy, I suppose." He turned to face the crowd, only about six strong now that the zombies were chewing on their formerly living friends. "This may not be all that bad."

His attention turned to one of the men who walked back towards the fire, where he gestured forth six additional men with razors in their hands who joined the effort.

Perhaps you shouldn't speak. Truly.

Taking the time to dodge back into a bush for cover, Bri took control of the man who Kale stabbed to the tree, and then let him loose among the crowd to wreak more havoc. There were enough of them now that they had begun to sustain themselves, killing friends that were already walking around without her command. But she steered them onward anyway, guiding them to avoid Kale. She could feel her strength beginning to ebb away again, but she focused. The zombies seemed to be handling themselves well, she just needed to be sure she focused them on getting specific folks too.

Nexus held a hand over his mouth to stifle out the laughter. "This is funny. I figured this would be way harder, but really, you're just making it a game," he said gleefully.

Splice looked around at the chaos, and shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You lot were a disgrace," he mumbled, then smashed the girl's head into the stone table so hard, her skull cracked. "We can do this another time, when I gather a good group of followers that aren't as squishy as the lot of you were." He began to dodge his way through the trees to escape.

Kale growled in anger, this was exactly what he was trying to avoid.

No, you cannot burn down the whole forest to trap him in it.

"Keep one of them alive for questioning," he whispered over to her as he cleaned his blade.

He couldn't help but agree, however, this whole fiasco actually wasn't that bad, especially considering what artifacts their enemy held. That meant they didn't hold the power to actually use it yet. He watched as people were torn apart, save for one panicked man who had his arms pinned behind his back.

Kale stepped out and tossed the other remains onto the fire and let them crisp as he let the other two captives go, carrying the body of their friend with them.

His skin began to glow paper thin as he approached his captive, fire illuminating the back of his throat. "You're going to tell me everything you know, or I will quite literally melt your face off."

Bri took careful control of the two zombies that pinned his arms, to be sure he didn't move or run away, and also to be sure he wasn't bitten by one of them at the same time.

He struggled, trying to escape. "Everything about what? The Red Devil?"

"That's what you've taken to calling him? How apt. Yes, him. Firstly, however, what's with the sacrifices? Surely you all can't be doing this willingly?" He dropped his pack to the ground and the imp leapt out of it, standing behind his leg and listening to the situation.

He blinked, the zombies gripping his wrists tighter. He winced, but clamped his mouth shut. "We don't know. That's what we thought everyone called him, that's what he introduced himself as. All we know is that he's hungry," he gritted his teeth as one of the zombies began to twist. "I don't know anything else. If you want to know whether they wanted in on it or not, you'd have to ask them. And from what your necromancer did, you're never going to find out now."

Bri watched from the brush, and didn't show herself.

The imp nodded and Kale closed the distance between the two. His face only a few inches away, he glared into the man's eyes. "Yes, I can see that now. You are afraid, but not of me."

He considered the ramifications behind the actions and wondered just what exactly the devil was capable of, or how much resistance he could expect to find elsewhere.

"You acted with decent enough cause, I suppose. For that I'll let you live. For your cowardice, however, giving in so easily to the demands of a delusional maniac…" He pressed his hand up to his captive's face and let it singe the flesh just enough to cause a light but permanent scar. "Good luck living with yourself."

He stepped back and sighed. "Let him go."

The man screamed out, but then snarled in response. "I'm no coward. I told you the truth simply because I have nothing to fear. I don't know much in order to talk, so how could I be punished for talking then? I do what I did simply because I was told to by someone who was stronger than me." He stood up, and felt the scarring with disgust. "I've only been in this crazy mess for the last three days. He hasn't been here that long. It was a new system, apparently, that he'd recently decided to create. That's literally all there is to it. If you're looking for some deep meaning, you have to ask the red psychotic for yourself. And from what I'm guessing by his absence, he left."

Bri narrowed her eyes, but allowed the zombies to let him go, holding them where they were to keep them from attacking.

He shook his head and scoffed. "You could have tried to do something at least. Even if you can't contribute, you could have alerted those that can." He turned and surveyed the wreckage. "You can leave now, we'll try to clean up this mess."

Kale calmed himself and tried to make sense of things.

"If he was here, it means he may be planning the next steps as we are. We have to get to the crown before he does. I say we charter a ship to take us there tonight. We've got the coin for it, and unless he can teleport there, it's probably our best bet. Even twelve hours may make all the difference."

Bri came from the bush, and watched the man bolt away in a hurry. "I agree. Except I get really horribly seasick, and unless he has the same idea, it may turn into a race."

Nexus slipped out and sniffed the air. "We can't be far from port. I can sort of pick up a faint whiff of salt water from here."

Bri held her nose to the air but shrugged. "I personally don't smell anything, but it looks like off to the sea we go, eh?" She looked around. "Are we going to stop for supplies back at the castle first, or head straight to the shipyard?"

Kale shrugged. "I keep everything I need in my pack at all times. Unless there's anything really important we need, I've got a decent bit of gold too. Should pay for our fare and maybe a few things here and there."

He turned his head southward. "Probably about an hour or so travel from here."

"What about Cryia? I thought she was going to come with us or something. We should stop back and ask anyway. I left some things back in my room that I'll need. Like a second cloak and possible outfit," she said, turning slightly green at the thought of the roiling water.

Shae nodded. "I only had enough to tote along for this trip, really. I expected it to be short, considering the news had gotten to us at a reasonable enough time."

Nexus smirked. "I could take my little companion with me if she's willing to let her out of her room to come along. I wouldn't have to terrorize the ship's residents that way."

The half-elf tossed his hands up and started heading north to the keep. "Just be sure not to kill her, we're strange enough as it is, we don't need murder to confirm everyone else's suspicions."

The walk infuriated him, wishing that he was a lycanthrope, or had wings, or anything to not kill so much time. After an eternity they reached home and climbed up. When they informed Darius of their predicament, everyone hurried back to their rooms to pack a little more gear for the travel. The desert was going to be miserably hot, and dry. Bri filled eight canteens for herself alone, making sure Kale and Shae had the same. She imagined that Cryia wouldn't have much to worry about, and if they ran out, Nexus could pull what little he could from the air.

"I've prepared extra necessities for you all. Run out and be quick. The girls should be out soon." Darius gestured towards a humanoid gargoyle that carried supplies in a large pack. "Do be careful, I'd hate to lose any of you."

Nexus nodded, then winked at Kale. "I'm not going to kill her. Hopefully. It's been a while in any case since I've ever done so."

Cryia drifted in and smacked Nexus with a scowl on her face. "Do that and you won't have to worry about anybody else. She trusts me, and I trust you not to ruin that for me." She hovered over towards the servant and began making sure she had everything she needed.

The halfling hobbled in, and sat down on the ground. "I'm preparing myself. I hate the sea. I hate the gulls. I hate the water, and I hate how the ship creaks when it tosses and churns." Her cheeks puffed, and turned green again. "I can almost taste the acid that's sure to be spilling from my gums at the edge of the wooden rails. Joy."

Kale chuckled. "Well, that takes care of that problem at least." He walked over to Bri and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll buy all the medicine I can to help alleviate that problem."

Darius sighed. "I wish there was something more I could do to help."

She silently gagged. "Don't worry about it. I've had this problem all through growing up. I'll deal with it again. As long as the trip isn't longer than a week, I won't have to jump off the side." She groaned and rose to her feet. "I'm assuming we're all ready to go then?"

Shae checked himself to be sure he had his weapons on hand, and then nodded silently, eyeing Cryia a little oddly as he did so.

Nexus rubbed his smacked cheek, and obnoxiously swooned, grinning widely at Cryia, and batting his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll keep her nice and safe," he said, and looked around for her. "Once she's here, we're all ready to go. Adventure ho!"

Kale shrugged and raised his fist in the air with a bit of a chuckle. "True, we may as well enjoy it, even if it's going to be miserable. At least it's an exotic locale. Even considering the violence and heat, it'll be like a mini vacation."

Cryia sighed and drifted about lazily. "I've been there once before, only to the main coast city of Lut Gholein, of course, but it was nice enough. Can't really imagine civilization past there."

She turned to the keep door and gestured, "Shari dear, come quickly now, we haven't got all night."

The short girl darted out to join the crowd in a white robe and held her hands behind her back. "Sorry, milady, I was trading departures with the others."

"Don't worry dear, we'll be back soon enough."

Nexus smiled widely at her, and teasingly slid up closer to her, making her blush. "Don't worry, we're all set and ready to go."

Bri rolled her eyes, and took her place by Kale's side. "You're on vomit duty," she said, and fought off the nausea. "The second I look like I'm about to chuck, you're going to have to lift me up so I can reach over the rail. I'm too short."

The shadow couldn't help but snort, and tried his best to hide it. "I'm sorry, little one," he said through a tight voice. "I don't mean to laugh at your misfortune, really."

Kale paused for a moment, imagined it, and laughed at the notion. "We should actually see about getting a room with a window. That way we don't end up rigging a little rope and pulley system to manage from a distance if need be."

"Everything set? We'll do what we can from here, I wish you best of luck. Come back soon," Darius sighed. "I mean that too. Come back."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll do fine. It's what we do, remember?"

21: C#20 - Delvin

The journey there was bad enough taking so long, especially at night when the roads were difficult to travel. After a while they managed their way to Prav, where the docks stretched seemingly from one end of the horizon to the next.

Shae took a deep breath. "I don't think I've seen the ocean a single time in my life," he said with a sigh, and stretched, watching the waves come to and fro. "Not a single time."

Bri tilted her head, and watched the waves crash with some unease. "I think what bothers me the most are the waves. Not so much the salt or gulls, though they definitely play a part," she sneered. "The creatures below the surface are what really scare me. Let's hope we don't crash and sink, yes?"

The fool walked to the edge of the beach, and picked up a ball of salty water, freezing it and rolling it between his fingers idly. "It looks a long ways from here," he said, peering where the water met the sky. "I feel like we'll be on that wretched thing a long time."

From behind the group came a quick laugh. "It all depends on the person doin' the sailin'!"

A man pushed his way around the group with a bottle of black liquor in hand. "Ah can tell ya one thing, if it weren't for me sense of haste, among other things, Ah likely couldn't make it around these waters. Delvin's mah name, and I'm the builder, owner, and captain of the Black Mary."

Dressed in rich black boots and fine breeches, but little else save for a rag atop his head and a few rings, he gestured toward the ominous looking vessel at the end of the docks.

"Ye've all got a strange look about ya. Wait. Let me guess. Ye're goin' ta -. No, can't be Rastin, that's a little too exotic. Probably Gholein then, where lots a' chumps go and find their death in the sands looking for glory."

Bri raised an eyebrow. "That's right," she said. "We've got some business to take care of. Less glory hunting and more ass-whooping someone who's really been asking for it."

Nexus struggled to control his snarky reply, and focused on the look of the man. He'd been around about a thousand times. He could smell the salt and sweat on him. "So you're the captain then. Well, better watch for the little hood, because she's a sick one on waves."

The shadow merely remained where he was without speaking. He nodded his head in the captain's general direction, but kept his voice hushed. One of his lessons in assassinations was to keep quiet, and observe. One heard a lot when they said just about nothing.

"Ha! That's the spirit! There's always some'n that needs their head bashed in or a sword put in tender places!" He pulled out a wand from his pocket and aimed at the sky, releasing a green spark into the air.

"The ship'll be ready to go in a sec', just give me deckhand a chance to undo the ropes. As for payment, Ah know ye're good for it. Head over to the Drunken Dragon and pay up mah tab, that'll cover the cost of the trip, and it'll stop me from gettin' a new metal decoration in me stomach, eh?"

He took a swig of his bottle and started walking toward the boat, shouting back, "Just hop aboard when ye're ready and we'll make way. Shouldn't be more'n three days, tops." After this he began singing a sea shanty in a demonic tongue peppered with angelic words, laughing when it was finished.

Kale stared at the captain, then back at the group. "We're seriously getting on board with that maniac, aren't we? I mean, we do some stupid things now and then, but… Oh hells, who am I kidding? I'll stop at the tavern and be back in a minute."

Nexus' ears perked at the demonic tongue, and the corner of his mouth curled. "I could make out small bits of that," he said. "That's the same tongue my brother addressed his cult followers with. It's called Kahl'oos'kahr, and its meaning is Secret Word. I don't know the angelic tongue, but apparently it's pretty flowing sounding wherein this is choppy, and tires out the throat." He chuckled.

Shae shook his head. "It's vile sounding. I understand it's demonic, but it's absolutely horrid to hear. Amazing you can even stand that coming from your mouth."

The halfling looked around, and shrugged. "I've heard worse. You should hear the orcish language. It sounds like a bunch of frogs mixed in with the sound of lions growling. I couldn't even hear a difference between sounds they made. It just sounded like noise."

Kale chuckled. "Merenselvetierenashaarieltanaskamranulzanisaarukva anmeren…It's a greeting in the dark elven tongue. I picked up the language a long time ago, it's handy because no one can ever know what the hell you meant without knowing it. Anyway, be right back."

He was only gone a moment, in the building less, but when he came back out he smelled as though he might combust. "Also, I don't think there's actual air in that tavern. It's just alcohol vapor."

Nexus blinked. "Our greeting for hello is simple. Eishous'. That's it," he laughed. "The less formal and the shortened version most use is eish, which simply means, 'hi.' I think that's all you really need to say," he laughed.

The wispy creature winced. "Honestly, the dark elvish sounded better. I would hate to be in the midst of a group of your kind hissing like that."

The fool shrugged, a smug grin widening his cheeks. "There are few who can speak it. And those that do, almost always have some form of accent or other, even if they were raised on it."

Bri pointed to the ship. "Let's go before they leave us. Don't mention the language, we don't need people asking questions, or having to answer something uncomfortable."

"Och, good, Ah was startin' ta think ya got lost and didn't see the giant black vessel parked here. Although, to be fair, Ah'm not gettin' chased by the port guards, so that means ya did good. Give yer things over to th' deckhand and we'll be gettin' on our way!"

Cryia and Shari carried their belongings on board, and wandered into a cabin which Delvin pointed out to them when they asked, and disappeared silently below decks.

Kale looked around for a moment until he saw the 'deckhand' the captain spoke of. It looked roughly humanoid, but it was made entirely of crystal clear water, constantly bubbling up toward the surface.

"You have an elemental under your service?"

"Eh? Oh no, it's not a real elemental by any means. Just somethin' Ah bound up to the ship for giggles one day. It lets me keep more coin instead of payin' a crew, and Ah can haul more folks or things this way. In any case, it knows well enough not to damage anything or anyone, so no worries."

True to his word, Delvin had them ocean-bound in less than twenty minutes, and after their nightly travel, she was glad the sun had finally returned, even if they hadn't gotten any sleep.

She blinked. She'd never seen anything regarding elementals before, false or real. In a way, it puzzled her. As often as they spent outside, she would have expected to see at least one nature elemental by now, or something water related. She shrugged, a little unnerved by its blank gaze.

Nexus was fascinated. Dangerous. He wondered if it was truly brainless. "Things have a way of… surprising you. Are you sure that thing's stable?"

"Pfeh, ya come onto mah ship and ask me if Ah know what Ah'm doin'. Trust me Outsider, the Black Mary's been sailin' this way for nigh on three decades. If there was any danger, it woulda killed me by now, doncha think?" He rolled his eyes and briefly made a small correction to a chart he had nailed to the table.

Kale shrugged. "What's the worst it could do, drown us? Not like a harsh storm wouldn't do that to us anyway. Besides, I'm sure we can all handle what amounts to a golem, no?"

Nexus shrugged and put his palms in the air. "If you say so. I've never encountered something of the like of it before. Never hurts to be cautious. Especially with the enemies we have."

Bri dug a nail into his rib as hard as she could muster, and silently hissed at him between her teeth. "Not now, not here," she warned, barely audibly.

The black shae walked to the railing, and looked over at the water. The stink of fish wafted from below, mixed with the strange smell of salt that came with the waves in puffs of mist. He took a deep breath, and then smiled. "The ocean's lovely," he mused.

Bri could already feel her stomach begin to turn.

Delvin shook his head and reached into his side pocket to retrieve a small wand. He waved it about as he spoke. "Nope, the only thing we've got to fear – and Ah use the term lightly – is that." He gestured up at an enormous bird drifting in their direction, likely about as wide as the ship and twice as long as the captain.

He chuckled and let it get a bit closer. He ignored the rogue behind him drawing his weapons and preparing a spell, and aimed the wand at it. The gap between them shortened further before it erupted into flames and disintegrated before it got within wing's reach of the ship.

"It's a shame the little trinket's so potent. They'd probably taste good roasted up."

Kale nodded his head with a smirk on his face. He could definitely appreciate Delvin's sense of style. He made a mental note to himself to pick up a similar item when they docked.

Bri envied the ability. She hadn't expected it to disintegrate. "Imagine what we could do with something like that. One night camping, say a bear were to come raid our camp's stash of meat. It'd be no problem."

"I could just freeze it," Nexus said flatly, and sneered. "It'd do the same thing, only we'd have more meat to salt and stash away. Bear meat, in particular, is quite fatty, but delicious."

Shae hid a snarky laugh, and continued to gaze at the water with a grin.

A painful knot in Kale's stomach caught wind of the conversation at hand. "Speaking of which, what do we have to eat on board? It's been… a full day? Yep, breakfast was interrupted and then we had to travel and we had no time to grab anything at the tavern."

The captain stomped his foot on the deck and the elemental emerged from below-deck carrying a plate and a sack. "That's what's for today, and we'll be fishing proper for tomorrow. These waters hold fisherskant, if ya can believe it. One of them'll probably hold us up for a week, though the trip should only be about two and a half days, most."

Kale helped himself to the grilled fish and what he guessed was beef jerky. It didn't matter, it was tasty and it shut his stomach up.

Bri took a whiff, and her mouth watered. "That smells so good." She took a few bites and groaned in happiness. "Love this fish. The last I had it was at the goblin post with you, Kale. That was a little over a month ago, I think."

Shae walked over, and sat down, taking a few bites himself. Nexus resisted for a while, not too keen on fish. "I think I'll hold off until I'm really hungry. Better, I'll likely just catch myself a few gulls. Fish doesn't sit well with my stomach," he stuck a forked tongue in the air in disgust. "It was alright when you gave me a bite, but as a general meal, I'll pass." Bri shrugged.

"You're missing out. It's pretty damn good. I wish we had some of this more inland. You have a hell of a cook. Unless it was your little friend there who did it," she gestured to the blank-faced 'elemental.'

Kale tried to speak, but kept devouring whatever salted meat was being served. After a few moments, he finally paused to say something between savoring it. "Fisherskant eh? I love the things, but uh, how exactly do you plan on catching one despite its namesake?"

Delvin smiled and shook his head. "Trade secret, Ah'm afraid. Ah can't go about tellin' everyone that asks, otherwise Ah'll lose part of what makes me so valuable to the dockworkers. Hell, nearly a quarter of my wealth comes from those damned monsters."

He turned to the halfling with a puzzled look, "Cook? No, we don't actually cook anything on board. We chill it in an ice box and heat it up on a grill. Most food is actually done by a fellow Ah know on the docks by the name of Jack. His food is worth every damned outrageous gold piece he charges for it. That's partly why Ah trust 'im so much."

Shae thought for a moment about the beasts they were talking about. "I'd seen them drawn in books once or twice, but I'd never thought to catch one and sell it for a profit. I don't think I'd be able to. It'd snap me up in a flash. They're rather large, and I'm rather… not."

Nexus nodded his head. "Yeah, same here. I'm not exactly meaty, so I doubt it'd care much to take a snap at me, but that doesn't mean I'm strong enough to fight one either. Yikes."

Bri stopped chewing, feeling out of the loop. "I have no idea what a fisherskant is. I've eaten it, but never seen it. Do I even want to know? Because it sounds so big it could gobble up one of you whole, and I'm half your size." She could feel her stomach squeeze.

Kale chuckled at the notion. "No, probably all of us and a few roaming fish if they cross its path. That's rare, but certainly a possibility, and also probably the reason there are so few sharks in the area now that I think about it." He caught her expression and stumbled on his words. "Not that it should be any real problem, if at all, isn't that right?"

He nodded and yawned. "They're not so dangerous, it's pirates ya got to worry about. Fangs and scales are no match for cruel intentions and well-placed knives as far as threats are concerned." Stretching, the sailor got up and walked to the hatch leading below deck. "Well, Ah don't know about you, but sleep sounds like it's on the menu for me. Ye're all fine as long as ya don't touch anything. The deckhand'll take care of any adjustments that need to be made."

Bri finished swallowing, and shoved her plate away. "I'm good now. I hope the sea lets me keep it."

Nexus scanned the sky for any type of large bird. "If one of those giant things comes nearby here, I'll be sure to nab one for the ride," he said and shrugged. "If not, I'm fine until we reach land." He regretted not bringing anything sweet for a sugar spike. Regular food just didn't do the same. He may as well have eaten nothing by the time he was done. Waiting wouldn't be a problem if he didn't catch a bird. If anything, the bird was just something to chew.

Shae looked out to the water, and shook his head. "I won't sleep, I'll stay on guard in case something happens. Not likely, but I'm not exactly tired, so it'll give me something to do."

Bri glanced at Kale, and blushed. "If you're going to bed, I'd rather not be alone."

Delvin paused in the middle of the staircase and turned up to face them. "On that note, and Ah mean this as serious as Ah can be, if ye're goin' to be playin' around, keep it quiet. Ye're below deck, ye're below water, and if ye're too loud, ye'll attract merfolk. Don't trust the stories ya mighta heard, they'll claw their way on board, crawl through the cabins as quiet as the wind, and drag ya back into the sea before ya can scream for help. Ah'm not about to get killed for your mistakes today." He paused and glanced at harsh claw marks scaling up and down the banister and shuddered. "Just thought to let ya know. It doesn't come up often, but… Ah'd rather not have a repeat of that incident."

Kale wordlessly watched him head to his cabin before turning to face his friends. "I legitimately feel terrified."

Bri felt the ice crawl up her spine. "You're kidding. Merfolk? That's one more reason to absolutely abhor the ocean and everything that lives and breathes that salty nightmare."

Nexus couldn't find the right words. "I think I'll just, you know, stay as far back from the railing as possible. I didn't even think they really existed."

Shae nodded his consent. "Yeah, that about sums it up. If I'm on watch and get dragged in, I'm pretty much useless if I'm dead before I can scream, no? Also, I'm sure there are folks who didn't think demons really existed either, until they met you," he sneered at Nexus. "Don't be so quick to call hogwash when you yourself are technically 'just a story.' You never truly know."

Kale shuddered at the thought and turned to Bri. "Yes you can stay with me, if only because we have a better chance of not being devoured by fish-people."

Cryia drifted up the railing and leaned against the mast. "It seems I've missed the interesting topics. The captain filled Shari and I on all the details. I just came up to make sure you hadn't been devoured by fish-people. I can't believe you all didn't believe insahagin, I mean really."

Nexus glared. "No, we in fact haven't been devoured by fish-people, though I can't necessarily say I'd be sad if you were," he snarked.

Bri waved her hand. "If we were actually going to be eaten by fish-people, I'd be hanging out there on a hook as bait. So no, I'd say we're pretty okay at the moment."

Shae tapped his mask's chin. "Actually, you would make good bait in case of something like that occurring, but I wouldn't actually dare dangle you over the water like that." He waved a hand at Nexus. "I'd actually much rather dangle him out there. We'd perhaps need to pack his clothing with potato sacks to make him more appealing I suppose as a meal, but…"

"Clam it," the fool snapped.

She chuckled at the note. "You know, fish bones are one of the key ingredients in shark bait, so you would be a pro using Mr. Snippy over there." She absent-mindedly chewed a fish steak and delighted in the salt-air.

Kale shook his head with new perspective. "We're never going to take anything seriously, are we? I mean, what we're doing has a huge impact, not just on us but on the rest of the world. We quite literally hold the fate of millions in our hands. And we're just living it up like this is all a joke."

Cryia drifted over to him slowly, intentionally disregarding the tension in the air. She cocked an eyebrow and closed her eyes. "…What is wrong with you? This is the grand adventure you craved mere years ago. You're getting it firsthand, and now you're being all mopey, and quite frankly you're cutting into my good mood."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back, laying in the air and drifting up towards the railing. "Bri, darling, be a dear and fix Kale's bad mood, would you?"

Bri's cheeks burned and she froze for a moment while she held the thought aside.

"Too late," Nexus smirked. "No really though Kale, you need to unwind once in a while. Seriously, taking everything so seriously… It's probably why you appear older than you really are."

Shae sucked his teeth. "You're going to get a beating for that one, buffoon. I can't wait to see it too. That was too sharp."

"Too sharp my eye. The bottom line is he's got more lines than the canyons do back home. Relax, we'll get there and do what we need to do," he waved it off, and then glanced around a little more. "However, we do need sleep or that'll never happen. The sun's gone down forever ago again, and I swear I can hear Delvin snoring already. We're really far behind in rest right now."

She rolled her eyes once more and got into a comfortable spot before floating down the staircase and into her chambers, humming a lullaby all the while.

Kale sat at the table, shocked, and thought about it for a while. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Good luck teaching my brain to think anything different though." He stood up and watched as the elemental dripped up through the wood of the deck and made a small correction to the wheel before drifting away once more. "Well, on that note, time to crash." He turned to Bri and smiled. "Shall we?"

She smiled, and then yawned loudly. As much as she hated the sea and the constant rolling and rocking, there was one time she actually enjoyed it, and that was bed time. The soft rock back and forth put her right to sleep, like an infant. Nothing better than enjoying that with Kale.

Nexus glanced over the sky again, and then wandered down into his own chamber where his consort was resting. Without so much as a sigh, he collapsed onto it, and drifted off.

Shae simply vanished as if he hadn't been there, and Bri shrugged. "Was going to say good night, but looks like everyone was more tired than we thought."

He nodded in agreement, "Definitely. I guess being on edge for the past day or so left us all drained and running on adrenaline. We'll probably fare no better."

He picked her up and carried her along with him as he went to find his bunk. The rooms were surprisingly large, which gave him plenty of room to eventually roll around in when the ship heaved. He chuckled as he flopped them both down. "Guess we don't have to worry about falling off."

She paled a little. "We do have to worry about fish-people though. I'll love you up when we find a nice inn when we finally land," she groaned.

When the sun shone the next morning, Shae was already standing on the deck and enjoying the view. "Only a little more to go now," he said with a sigh. "This trip's been pretty uneventful, thank goodness." Nexus, who stood beside him, nodded.

"For once."

"I'm curious about your friend, the halfling… Does she own you?" The fool laughed, but said nothing.

"Ah! Good to see ye're awake! Well, at least you two are. What of the others? They're about to miss out on breakfast!" He glared off the side of the ship and smirked. "They're also about to get a bucket of cold water to the face if they don't get themselves in gear. No layabouts on my ship when daylight's burnin'." He snapped his fingers and the deckhand brought out a large platter almost as tall as a man.

"Fresh fisherskant steaks – Ah caught the bastard in the wee hours of the mornin'." He gestured to the large mass of fish hanging off the side on gargantuan hooks. "Oh! And Ah also took your suggestion, and I nabbed one of the giant gulls with my bow around that time too. There's a chunk of bird in the pantry about twice your size, so help yourself, I tried my best to spice it up."

Cryia drifted up to the deck and stretched lazily in the sunlight. "Dear Malfegor it's nice to be able to have fresh air and daylight for a change!" She shuddered and propped herself up, groggily looking around. "No one got dragged away in the night?"

Nexus blinked, surprised. "You did what at the wee hours of the morning? You are a crazy, busy man," he said. "I think I'll go test your cooking now, no?" He wandered down, and brought a large piece of the bird on deck with a smile.

Shae glanced at the hulking fish chunks. Amazing something like that could live in the water. For a moment, his mind drifted back to Nexus' brother, and he felt his stomach begin to churn. His brother was basically that fish. Dangerous, but dead. His mask smirked with glee at the thought. He had what he deserved coming.

Bri stumbled out of the room, and tried to get her balance from the moving boards. "Well hello," she smiled sleepily, and yawned.

"Mornin'! Chow down lass, can't get any fresher!" He stepped up to the navigation table and studied the lines as he chewed off a bite. "Also, Ah think there's good news in store for us."

Kale leaped up the stairs, feeling surprisingly energetic despite having trouble falling asleep. "Good! We can always use good news. Seems kind of rare nowadays." He grabbed three large fish steaks, getting halfway through one before even sitting down. "I could live on this stuff. I would if I had the coin, too."

"That kinda thinkin' is what keeps my coin purse heavy, so by all means go ahead. But anyway, lookin' at these charts here, we got lucky and caught a swift current. We should be hitting the Sareshi port by midnight instead of midday tomorrow."

Nexus swallowed. "Good news indeed," he muttered. "I'd rather stay and eat bird all day."

Shae shook his head. "I personally can't wait. I've had way too much on my mind for how to exact vengeance, and now the time will come sooner than planned. Couldn't be better."

Bri chewed slowly and thought about it for a minute. "Let's just hope we catch him off guard, or at least get there before he does, yes? What are we going to do? Ambush?"

Kale cocked an eyebrow with a look of humorous disdain on his face. "In any case, I'm not sure how to handle this. I mean, I have yet to be able to do anything really meaningful in the sorcery department, which kind of grounds us to the basics. Unless… Delvin, the badlands are where the pyramid tombs are, right?"

He paused for a moment before staring in disbelief. "Ya don't get out much, do ya? They're the main reason headstrong adventurers, by the dozen, end up paintin' the sand with blood. Granted, there's one that they cleared out that they give tours of, but beyond the Neyond line, ye're on yer own."

Kale turned to Bri and smiled. "Sounds like a good place for you to work your craft, eh?"

Cryia put her face in her palms. "You didn't hear a single word of what he just said, did you?"

He placed his hands on his hips, and shook his head. "Tell him the whole story, why don't you."

Bri's eyes widened. "A tomb? A pyramid? You're joking right? In those things, the only things dead are the ones buried inside of them and the idiots who wandered into the layers upon layers of traps. Meaning, us going in there makes us the idiots. Unless that's where the crowns are, I'm not stepping a single half-foot in there."

Delvin shook his head. "Seriously, ye're worried about me findin' out what it is ye're all up to? Oh come on. Ye're not the first band of strangers chasin' something of dire importance. Ye're not the first buncha misfits to hide from someone or somethin' malicious and dangerous. Ah've escorted kings to safe lands from assassins, escorted assassins to remote lands to find hidden kings, brought witches and wizards to crazy places where the water turned to blood and ley lines from other planes broke through to ours. What ye're all goin' on about is commonplace for me. Maybe because Ah'm the only one crazy enough to go along with it all."

Kale nodded and considered the captain's words for a moment. "So what do you think our chances are in all of this, then? If you've seen this all before, what's to become of us?"

"Ah can't say, honestly. Ye've all got your heads together, as far as Ah can tell ye're all leagues better than any of the other fodder Ah've toted around, and there's somethin' a bit… more about ya. Ye're pretty nice folk, haven't tried to put metal bits in me or steal my stuff, and ya even listen to me. Ah think ye'll do just fine. Hell, Ah even hope ya do."

Nexus quirked a brow. "If you're used to this sort of thing, may I make a suggestion? If you catch someone across the sea from here that looks like me, but isn't, don't pick him up. Actually, you're better off just sailing in the opposite direction or hiring more of those," he pointed to his little elemental companion, "to protect you." Bri agreed under her breath and nodded.

"What he said. If it looks red and white, stay away from it," she added.

The shae simply chuckled under his breath. "No, no, don't do what they said. Send him my way," he said with some glee. "I'm not afraid of the bastard."

"Oh, no need to worry, Ah'm usually a decent judge of character, and Ah don't charter for anyone Ah don't like. Although, knowin' the type, he'll probably try to bribe me first, then threaten me afterwards. If that doesn't work, he'll just kill me and be on his way, right?"

Kale shrugged. "Sounds about right, to me anyway."

"What a wondrous impression we're all making now," Cryia smiled, and pulled Shari closer to her hip, and twirling a lock of her hair.

"Oh, don't worry milady, this is pretty tame compared to the time Ah accidentally let a serial killer aboard. Pretty normal guy, it seemed, until he was arrested not an hour after making port for peeling the skin off of some poor girl that happened to be cleaning the inn that day. One maniac isn't too bad."

Nexus shook his head. "No, he won't bribe you. He'll order you, and if you ignore him he'll either brain wash you with whatever new cult thing he's into, or he'll do exactly as you said, and murder you. Then he'll brain wash a crew to take your ship to wherever it is he's after. He's a nasty one."

The clouds cleared a little, and a touch of sunshine hit Bri's cheeks as she was staring off into the distance. "I suddenly dread this trip." For the first time during the voyage, she felt her stomach heave, and she vomited over the side. "Ugh…!"

Shae ran to her side and held her over the edge so she could finish without sullying her clothes further. "You poor thing."

"I was actually doing really good until now," she choked out.

"Either way, Ah'm fine. No way Ah couldn't handle myself. Honestly, if Ah couldn't, well then the Black Mary deserves a better captain then, doesn't she?" Delvin watched the girl retch and couldn't help but chuckle a little. "There's a cure for that, you know."

Kale was going to say something and suddenly his thought process jarred. "Wait, really? I've never heard anything to fix it."

"Yep, get as drunk as ya can, as fast as ya can. Ye'll be so off balance that ye'll actually be walking better than usual. If the world shakes after a bottle of rum, the sea's already been there, so really it's just helpin' ya along."

Nexus burst into a loud bout of laughter. "And she only takes half as much as we do," he said, digging in his pack for a bottle of brandy. "Here, give her that. It'll knock her out faster if you shake it first."

Shae shook his head. "Vile! I'd never heard of such a thing, and if she toddles her way off the side of the ship, she's a goner. Especially with those things swimming around." He pointed to the fish steaks lined against the side. "I'll just hold her, lest she accidentally spin herself off."

The fool merely shoved past him though, and poured a fizzy mouthful into her. Bri coughed and choked, but then felt the warmth spread through her middle. She could feel she was still queasy, but her lack of senses relaxed her a little bit. "Actually no, I'm fine."

"Huh, well what do you know? I guess that's why pirates never get sea-sick. I'm lucky I never had the problem. No amount of movement in any direction can shake me." Kale puffed out his chest proudly, and grinned at the rest of them.

Cryia laughed quietly to herself as she hovered in one spot, anchored in the air despite how the ship moved. "Tell me when the conversation has moved back onto something I can contribute to."

Kale glared at her, got up from his seat, and pushed her as hard as he could. This resulted in her drifting only a few feet over the side of the boat, where she remained at the same height regardless. He threw his hands in the air and sat back down.

"Nice try, but you should have thought that out a bit further," she spat venomously. Suddenly she perked up to a standing position and closed her eyes. "Does… does anyone else hear chanting of some kind?"

Delvin laughed. "If ya do, that means we got company. Probably going to be the Skalds or Romani crew, they both like to sing and play music as they travel. Looks like we may be in for a bit of a fun evening!"

Bri perked her ears and listened, but all she heard was rocking, and the sound of water in her ears. "I… no, I can't say I do, but that doesn't make me feel any safer," she said. "Hopefully it's what Delvin says. I'd rather not face Mr. Smiley right now." She thought back to the chanting chorus of the cult back in the village, and realized that he could very well be following them at the speed they were going. She uneasily glanced around in case she caught a glimpse of him.

Nexus listened, and took a few sniffs of air. "All I smell is salt."

The shadow passed by, and watched over the side, hand on the hilt of his sword. "Bad company, Delvin? Or did you mean literal fun evening?"

A bemused look crossed the captain's face. "Oh, did ya think Ah was bein' sarcastic? No, Ah meant literally! They're stone-cold crazy, of course, but they're fun as hell to be around. Just uh, watch yer belongings, they tend to go missing if ye're not careful."

He reached under the navigation table and pulled out a large blue flag, waving it in the direction of the vessel behind them. He waited for a moment while the folks on the ship scrambled about like madmen. One of them, at last, retrieved a similar flag and waved it about erratically, while shooting a dozen flares off into the sky from a wand.

Kale watched awkwardly. "That's probably not safe to do on a wooden ship. Are you sure these guys are good company?"

Bri relaxed. "As long as they don't go rocking it or whatever, I don't really care what they do." She sat down against the edge and tried to calm her swimming head.

Shae watched the lights fly into the air, and he recoiled a little. "Yeah, I agree with Kale, there. That doesn't look real safe. I wonder how many ships or boats they've gone through now."

The ship caught up quite fast. The crew, if they could be called that, kept silent until the bridge between them lowered. Immediately following the clash of wood a group of them started playing a hasty tune on flutes and lutes while singing.

A woman dressed in wispy black robes somersaulted across the bridge and spun around in a flourish.

"Delvi! It's been ages! Well, it seems that way anyway. Fun guests you have! I see you have fish. I'd like some. We all would. We'll pay of course. You still like that gold stuff, huh?"

He ran up and hugged her and laughed. "Miram, it's good to see you're still well, but then Ah can't expect much different of you! No need to pay, take what you all need and we'll all play until our courses diverge."

Kale looked around and sniffed at the air. "You… you smell of something familiar. Tsaeci?"

Miram cocked her head to the side. "Tsaeci? Oh, that's how you say it. I always said say-chi. But yes, we make it on board! Wonderful stuff! You want? I can trade for it!"

Nexus covered his nose, but didn't say anything. "I guess I should find something to play then," he said, and wandered back down into the cabin to see if he had brought his flute.

Bri heaved over the edge again, took another long swig of alcohol, and then forced herself onto her feet. Shae helped her up, and chuckled at her.

"You don't want to miss the fun by holding your head over the edge of the railing," he laughed, and then helped her hobble over to where the rest of the group was gathering. She shook her head in protest and her cheeks were still green, but she could think a little clearer. "Drink more of Nexus' brandy, and you'll feel okay again."

Miram popped back aboard carrying a satchel full of bottles and walking away with a pouch full of herbs the rogue gave her in exchange.

Kale sighed, opened a bottle, and took a heavy drink before replacing the cork. With a shudder, he smiled and plopped down on the bench. "Haven't had this since I was twelve. Snuck some from my mother's cabinet. Delectable."

Cryia immediately bumped into him and peeked down. "Well if it's so damned good, why don't you share?"

"Can't touch the stuff, it's too strong, and it makes my head feel funny," Delvin laughed and started slicing up fish for the crew. "Well, fun times then!"

Below deck, Bri could hear a flute playing. As he came up the steps, he danced and whirled around a little while playing. "Found it," Nexus smiled. "I'll pass on the stuff. Just the smell enough is overpowering my nose, and I'd rather not smell it on myself when I try to sleep or so."

Shae on the other hand was interested. "I'll taste it, but I'm not much for strong liquor so much as fine wine. You can just blame the royal snob in me for that," he ducked his head and a wry grin crossed his mask. "When I was in the court of your brother, Nexus, I learned he has a very strong taste for simple drink, so I got used to it. Wine was his favorite."

The fool stopped playing, and gave him a crooked smile. "That's the one thing about him I'm glad for. I'd hate to see him down a bottle of whiskey. His temper would be even more unbearable."

Kale shrugged and opened one. "That's the thing, it doesn't taste like grain alcohol. I have no idea how they do it, but there's a fruit that elven farmers grow. It's utterly disgusting but the pit is sweeter than sugar by a long shot. They boil it down and ferment it, and it's like peaches and pineapples and limes and cherries and grapes and who knows or cares what."

Cryia took a swig and shuddered before dropping to the floor. "Whoa!" She stood up and fell onto the bench, dazed. "Why did I never know about this stuff before?"

"Hmm… One taste. I'm not entirely sure it'll be my flavor, but I can't say no to something that's already fruity." Shae took a sip, and held the bottle away from him, the eyes of the mask widening cartoonish-like. "I am impressed," he said, and took a larger gulp.

"I'll still pass," the fool said with a grin, and inspected his flute for scratches or cracks. "That smell… You're all going to make me pass out just breathing on me."

Kale shrugged and laughed. "That's not the best part. The world starts changing colors after half an hour or so. That's when everything is fun." He stood up and let his body get adjusted to the shifting and smirked.

"Exactly why Ah never touched the stuff. If we stay on this course, we'll be at docks by midnight, so let's just take it easy then shall we?"

Cryia chuckled and raised a hand up, laying down on the bench. "Already done!"

"There's a play my crew are putting on! We're having fun, and it'll pass the time, and also my crew is bored and need normies to talk to. Because we're all - I think it was the Baronian mushrooms that did it this time."

Kale sat and listened in intently, watching the world shift to higher contrast. The sky was brighter than usual, and the shadows on the boats were very dark. "I for one very much would like to see a theatrical performance. Sounds like fun, and I haven't done so in… eleven years?"

Nexus' ears twitched. "Mushrooms…? You're all a crazy bunch," he shook his head and grimaced. "I'm a demon and I've done less than you have."

Bri shook her head. "I'll pass on that. I accidentally took too many herbs for a headache once and saw a giant spider sitting in the corner of my room. It was easily half the size of my wall." She shivered, remembering it's beady eyes gazing down at her, while rubbing its front legs over its mandibles.

"That's not saying much for your size, gnome," the fool poked.

The shae however looked at her with some hesitancy. "I happen to have a… well, a problem so to speak with a certain kind of herb. I'm imagining you have it? It's not so much a plant so much as a liquid in its form, and it's extremely rare. I haven't had it in forever. I left off the stuff ages ago, I'm afraid, and now I can't track anyone who has any."

Miram shrugged. "The Baronian incident wasn't intentional. Our cook bought them from the wrong merchant. Said that was all they had. We ate well that night, and now they're still lingering. That was… two days ago? Fun stuff. Also, most of what we do is harmless, just things that spring forth and make life interesting. Although, everything does have a second purpose. How are you supposed to transcend the mundane without assistance?"

She turned to Shae and quirked her head. "Speaking of which, what does it do? Names mean nothing, but effects, visuals, tastes, and smells we document. I'll speak to our gardener and inquire."

Shae tapped his chin. "I believe it was blue. It had no flowers, but the leaves were a brilliant azure with cyan highlights and speckles in them. They were sharp edged, like a serrated knife, and if you picked them from the ground wrong, they would slice you wide open like a fishes fins. It was normally ground into a powder and mixed in tea." He thought again. "The effect was visual and emotional. It tasted bitter, not something most people would try on their first time. It gave the impression you were both floating, and falling, so walking would be affected as well. I don't remember the name anyway."

The fool stopped playing his flute to stare in revulsion. "You're joking. You have to be. You know so much about this plant, yet you're the quietest, most normal one of this entire group of misfits. I'm actually disappointed now. Bah to you and your strange drinks. I drink alcohol. That's good enough for me."

"Hush," Bri snapped, and all at once his voice vanished. He held a hand to his throat, and then tried to speak a few times before finally turning and glaring at the halfling. "We know how you look at it. Bottom line is you're the only one here who's a demon, now aren't you?"

Her eyes widened and her jaw hung open. She stared in disbelief for a moment, trying to regain her composure. Suddenly, she stood up and arched an eyebrow. "Two things: firstly, yes, I know the kingsfoil plant. Rejel grows it in his spare time. Hard as hell to do wrong. Had to pick it up in some crazy dwarf country out east. The sensation you describe is an important one for us. It is the tension, the sense of being drawn into many places at once. It is along the first step to enlightenment.

"Secondly," she continued, turning to Nexus, "You're a demon? Seriously? You're a bit rude at first glance, but certainly not what I'd chalk up to an incarnation of evil. Damn, we'll have to rewrite our chapter on you. Can I ask you some questions later?"

Cryia chuckled. "Me too, although I may be a bit worse than him. Just a bit. I'm certainly open to asking questions, sounds like fun to me. Actually, it's just nice meeting someone that doesn't want to grab their pitchfork and gut me."

He shrugged and gave her an imp grin. "I can be nasty, but I try my best to put that behind me, really. Her, yes, she's way worse. So worse, she could probably usurp the Master and take over the entirety of what he does just by whipping her hair back from her face."

Bri shook her head. "He's a demon. Rude, but not necessarily evil, and only really rude on occasions where he feels he needs attention. Don't worry, I have him on a leash, he won't touch a hair on anyone's head."

Shae snarked loudly, and put a hand to his mouth. Nexus gave him a sideways glance, and quirked a black brow. "Problem, invisible man?"

"Nothing."

She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. "I'm starting to think that we know infinitely less than we thought we did. Oh well, fresh perspective is always good!" She paused for a moment when a thought hit her. "I think you should speak to our Archivist. This is weirder than usual." With that, she darted back to her ship and returned with a young boy trailing behind her. "Well, what say you Ebrus?"

22: C#21 - Actions Have Consequences

The boy said nothing, but stared at each of them in turn, appraising them in his mind. He closed his eyes for a second, nodding. When he spoke, his voice was far deeper and older than his meager frame. "The tides of fate are a fickle thing. How strange that we should run into you today after our scribe drafted up a piece about you. How strange that your next great turmoil is about to follow, and we should cross paths that I might warn you. You will triumph in your next ordeal, but do take caution, for it will not be easy."

He turned to Nexus directly. "I fear for you. You of all know that every action has consequences. Had you planned for what will happen tomorrow? Had you ever given it any consideration? You have the capacity to come to terms with it, but maybe not the ability. Tread carefully, Asur."

Bri blinked and watched his expression carefully, completely serious now. Shae leaned back, and stepped away a bit.

Nexus merely stared. They'll win, but then why worry about the consequences? He thought about it again. "You're saying I make a mistake, and it costs us," he said flatly, without a question in his tone. He thought about what it could be. Any mistake was dire, especially dealing with his brother.

Shae squinted, and waited, unsure of what to say. "Will there be a death?"

Ebrus shook his head. "No death that I foresee, certainly not among your group. You can relax about that at least. No, the mistake has already been made, and you shall pay for it. Depending on how you take it, it may not be so bad. You may find your mind taking a similar route as the Crim, your other. Regardless, your choice won't affect anyone but you, your burden alone."

Delvin sighed. "Ah notice ya never have good news to share with anyone. It's always grim and gloomy. How long've ya been doin' this to folks?"

"I cannot remember. And good news needs no warning, that's my reasoning. You should know this by now."

Kale stood up and clapped his hands together. "Well, at the very least we know we're not in any immediate danger. That's something to be happy about, I'd even take the risk of calling it good!"

"You should be the last to speak. I can only say this: take care how you use the power in your blood, spawn of Castion. The others have the proper tempering, in time they will find themselves able to work wonders. You, however, are a bit too reckless. Caution in your sorceries, Kaleoszar, lest you weave something you regret." He smiled to himself. That should fix that problem anyway.

Nexus was taken back, and thought hard on what he'd done to set things in motion. Thinking as his other? Splice? He winced hard at that, and almost gagged.

Bri took note of the wording, and watched Nexus' expression carefully. If something were to come to pass that would endanger them all because of a mistake he made, she was prepared to destroy him in the snap of a finger. No sense in risking everyone's lives for a pack mule.

On the other end of the ship, Shae looked out at the water in dismay. "No death, but a cost is coming. That's nothing to look forward to," he sighed. "Whatever you did, Nexus, I hope it has nothing to do with joining forces with your Red Blood in the future."

He held his face still, but there was a sinking feeling and a heavy rock in the back of his throat.

Ebrus glared at the floor. "I wish I could say more. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to do so. Just… try not to panic." With that he bowed and walked back to his cabin on Miram's ship.

The girl just stared at the group for a moment. "I wish my life was even a quarter as exciting as yours." She walked over to Shae with a pouch full of kingsfoil the size of a melon. "This should last you a while, I think. Consider it a gift."

Shae took the bag with some dignity, but Bri could tell there was a touch of eagerness as well. "I didn't know you were addicted to any type of drug," she said with a raised brow. "You don't seem the type, at all."

He shrugged, ashamed. "I used to be, but not anymore. However, we all have our weaknesses."

"I wouldn't really call this exciting. I'd say it was interesting if it were part of a storybook, but not when it's happening to us." He took another sip of tsaeci and nodded. "I do have to admit though, this will certainly be a story I can tell my nieces and nephews. Assuming we live that long, that is."

Delvin cringed at the notion. "Oh, and Ah suppose ya can tell them the monsters under the bed are real and they'll peel off their skin if they don't go to bed early enough! Cripes, there's things ya do and things ya don't. That's one of them."

Bri watched Shae inspect his bag, and take a whiff of the herb's aroma. "Do you know what the side effects of those are? I read about them in the lab when I was being taught how to preserve skin and bone. One of the worst I read was that it deteriorates your own skin over time. You're going to be full of holes."

Nexus was still dazed from contemplating what the boy had spoken of, and when he finally turned his attention back to Bri, Shae, Cryia and Kale, his gaze was far off somewhere else. "I think I'm going to take a nap in my room for a while. If anyone can play, I'll leave my flute here for now."

Kale sighed. "Don't panic, remember? Just don't do anything crazy and we'll all pull through this, trust me. I don't know why, but I've got a good feeling about tomorrow."

He threw Kale a nod, and shook his head. "No, I'm not panicking. Just trying to think back. I've lived a long time you know, and done a lot of things. It's hard to determine which one he meant." He rose then, and stumbled his way back down into his cabin, collapsing on the bed in thought.

Miram raised her hand and looked at Bri. "Actually, those 'reports,' if you can call them that are all wrong. Tether takes six times what I gave him when he does his vision readings, and he's never been sick at all. Either that or they were talking about the compound in an improperly prepared state. As long as you let it boil for two hours, the toxins catalyze in a proper manner."

Cryia slowly drifted over to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder, laying in mid-air at face level. "So… what will you give me for a bottle of succubus venom?"

She thought, puzzled for a moment, and then shrunk where she stood. "I-I'm sure we can find something you'd be interested in. I know I am… follow me." She immediately darted to her own ship with the succubus in tow.

"Aw hell, why don't we start our own trade routes while we're at it? Nary a soul on the entire coast is going to be left in a right state of mind at this rate," Kale threw his arms in the air in exasperation.

Bri burst into laughter, and shook her head. "Two demons of… that nature on board. I was waiting for something to finally happen to someone." She looked at Delvin, and pointed to the quarters where Nexus disappeared to. "He's got a 'cow' in tow with him too for when he's 'hungry.' Welcome to our dysfunctional family."

Shae thought about what the girl said, and then contemplated the consequences of his actions. He'd started drinking this when he was a boy, and has been since. He hid it the best he could for as long as possible, but he knew one way or another, it would catch up to him. Withdrawal usually took a few weeks, but when it hit him, it hit hard. After he'd stopped drinking it a few years prior, he decided he could handle it again without abusing it. He half-smiled, knowing better.

----------

"Oh hell, where'd the day go? Night's set in, and Ah barely noticed. Port should be in about four hours. Let's try not to get hit by any giant beasties in that time, eh?" Delvin glanced around up at the stars, and then back down to the group.

"Damn, really? I kind of don't want this trip to end. This is the most fun we've had in a long time. Oh well, duty calls. Actually, not really, it's something we kind of found ourselves in and we don't want the world to end. Well, maybe not the world, but a large portion of the population, which is bad enough…" Kale stopped rambling, and peeked around self-consciously.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, we're honor bound to stop the misery of others, and everything is one giant disappointment followed by another catastrophe. That's the way the world works, dearie, get used to it and live a little!" Cryia laughed, holding up a purple amethyst the size of her palm.

"I wish I could come with you, but… I can't even hold a sword much less fight with one. Also, we have a show to put on in a week I think, so, sadly can't happen."

"The show was lovely though," Bri mused. "Took my mind off the rolling waves for sure." She daydreamed over the show, and smiled a little. Hopefully she would be able to sleep for the four hours left. The last thing she needed was the need to conjure a skeleton, just one, and collapse.

Shae staggered left and right, everything hazed in purple, blurry, and accompanied by the sensation alcohol gave of spinning. "This fruity liquid is lovely, and I definitely missed this, thank you for the bag of it. This will last me months." He held a glass of wine in the air in cheers.

Poor Shari stumbled up the steps, ragged, tired, and looking awful. "Milady? May I stay in your room for now? He's absolutely… crazy right now." She looked down at herself, and groaned in her soreness.

Bri blinked, and fought back a snicker. "So we see."

The shadow led her away from the door, throwing his jacket over her shoulders. "You must be freezing. It's bloody cold out here, please tell me that's just part of the climate we're at."

The captain laughed out loud at that part. "Ya couldn't be more wrong. We're gettin' winds from the desert now. It'll get good and hot and dry in an hour or so. Ah think ye're just loopy. A nap sounds good, actually. Miram, ye're more than welcome to take whatever ya need, but Ah'm headin' down."

Kale stood up and stretched before nearly falling over. "Indeed. I'm surprised I'm still conscious. Also, Miram, if I live through this, I'm definitely following you guys on the road when you do your next tour."

Cryia drifted over to Shari with an expression of bemusement. She removed the jacket and guided her subject down to her quarters. "I expected as much. It won't be too long before we find a proper inn and we can rest."

"He's blubbering something under his breath, and his eyes are haunted. I'm actually a little frightened," Shari mumbled under her breath. "It felt like he was only half there."

Shae perked at the chill, and then snapped his head around to what Shari said. "Sounds like he's panicking to me. I'm going to check on him," he said, as Bri rose to her feet to follow Kale to bed. "I'll see if he's alright. What that boy said really bothered him, apparently."

He clambered down the steps loudly, and when he finally stumbled to Nexus' door, he winced at the smell. "Nexus, are you alright? Your cohort came upstairs a bit ago."

"I'm fine," he said, sounding half asleep.

"…We're about four hours from our destination. You might want to sleep for now before we get there, lest you pass out from exhaustion."

When no affirmation came, he walked back to his own room, concerned.

Cryia drifted past his room. Wasn't this the person who just told his friend to relax just a few hours ago? If he wasn't fine by tomorrow, then she'd try to intervene.

Kale headed down to his room and plopped down on the bed. He wondered what exactly could have gotten him into such trouble. "Maybe he burned down an orphanage or something. That sounds like the kind of thing that would trouble me. Then again, knowing him, or not knowing rather, it might be anything. Guess we'll just have to hope for the best and support him, huh?"

He looked out the window, still seeing the horizon unending. "Can't decide what I want to do first when we hit land." He turned over to look at her. "Well, almost."

Bri merely smiled at his insinuation and shot him a daring smile, then shrugged. "When I found him, he was sitting in a gutter under a village, dirty, and smelling of mildew. I don't know where he really came from or who he was before." She bit her lip at the last statement, and looked away. "The bottom line is that he's dead and I'm able to mildly control him when need be. If he gives us any more trouble, I'll steal his mind like I did when we first met. He won't be able to do anything then, like a cat grabbed by the scruff of the neck."

Cruel, but Bri didn't much care for him in any other way than a slave. It annoyed her occasionally that he was able to move and do as he pleased, especially considering what came from his mouth was normally sarcasm.

"I hope he isn't miserable of course, he's part of our group, but at the same time, he's the last one I'd lay my life down for," she said, snuggling into Kale's blankets. "Come what may."

He sighed and relaxed, settling into a comfortable position. "Sounds like a decent plan to me. I'd rather keep everyone in our motley group, but… I don't know. Let's just try and make everything work for the best."

----------

The ship docked, unknown to the passengers. Their evening would turn over in an hour or so, if not for the loud shouts and crackling of magic in the air at the dock. Kale snapped awake as a large jet of flame roared just by the side of his window. He jumped up and looked around to make sure everything was okay.

"Wake up, princess, the action's picking up without us!"

With a jolt, she sat upright in bed and looked around. The flaming wall caught her attention, and she flung herself out of bed in time to grab her cloak. "What the…?"

Shae joined them in the hall, and then rushed out of the door to the deck. "What's going on?"

The captain darted out to the deck with a scimitar and a torch in hand. "Ah should've expected as much. Sorry gang, Ah shoulda warned ya. Infightin' between local guilds and whatnot. In this case, Ah'd say the Sandspeakers and the Crimson Tides by the look of things. Regardless, it's neither of them ya have to worry about, it's the bandits. Stab anything that isn't wearing colorful attire if they come aboard."

Kale shook his head and drew his bow. "We cannot catch a break, can we?"

Nexus stumbled out shortly after, dazed, and holding a dagger in his hands. "Wow, a fight already?" Bri turned and shot him a weird look, shaking her head.

"At first, I thought you did something."

Shae glanced around, and watched the two sides fighting on the bank. "Do you want us to stay with you for a while Delvin, or are you alright now as soon as you shove off?"

"Huh? No, Ah'm due to stay here for a few days, three at least, four at most. Right now, we've just got to wait it out. The fightin' should subside in a few minutes. These spats never last too long. Only thing ye've got to watch for is the damn mages, not carin' where they sling their spells."

Almost to prove his point, Kale dropped on his back as a large ice spear flew by his head. "Whoa, how often does this happen?"

Cryia drifted up from the cabin and up to the front of the ship. "How does this community still survive with this kind of fighting going on?"

"Sev es aie kiep!" A large white barrier raised along the border of the ship. "That'll stop the spells at least. Ah was hoping to avoid that, but it's looking pretty bad. In any case, they'll run out of bodies soon enough, and then we can actually relax."

"They lead very interesting lives," Bri groaned, and watched the goings on outside of the barrier. "I'd hate to live in turmoil like that all the time."

Nexus turned and stared at her. "Really? Yeah, you live so peacefully."

Shae watched for the fighting to stop. "We're here. That's something. I almost dread running into him now that we're actually touching land. I hope we reach that crown before he does. If he even took a ship when he ran off anyway. I haven't seen him at all."

He tapped his chin for a moment while doing some thinking. "Yeah, Ah'd say ye'll have at least a two day head start if he's comin' from the same place. Knowin' the other ships at the dock, they won't take him. Certainly not voluntarily anyway. The guards are pretty good in the area too, so I doubt he could force them. Ya should be fine, really."

"Huh, you know, that's actually some good news. Well damn!" Kale turned, drawing an arrow and sinking it into a man dressed in a grey tunic climbing onto the side of the ship. "Why would they be coming to us?"

"Probably tryin' to take the ship after their haul, they are. As if they'd be lucky enough."

Nexus nodded. "I'm really glad they have some brains. But I can imagine he'd try to force his way on, even if that meant kicking them off and just taking it himself rather than holding them all hostage. Pretty unpredictable, honestly."

She watched them fall as they tried to hop on. "They aren't very smart," the halfling observed.

With some acknowledgement, Shae waited until the fighting had begun to die down. A few of the stragglers had begun to divide out and disappear into the desert. "Well, we're obviously close now. So the closer we are the better, no? I say we should get moving."

"Aye, that ya are. It'll actually only take ya a few minutes to hit the sand line, but of course what ye're lookin' for is probably much farther in. Ah'll stay here for a while. If ya can make it within three days, Ah'll still be here and take ya back home. Beyond that though, Ah got a schedule to keep."

Kale grabbed his things and strode out to the bridge between the boat and the dock. "If that's the incentive, we'll be as fast as we can. Too many times I've sailed under awful people, but you're the best one thus far. Stay safe, we'll be quick."

Cryia shrugged. "Once you've been on a goblin-made zeppelin, you really can't compare sea travel to air travel, but I'll concede that for the method, it's pretty good. We'll see you around, captain."

Bri and Shae waved, and Nexus nodded. "Hopefully we'll still all be here, if what that boy said was true," he smirked impishly.

For a while, the thought of hitting sand seemed like it was so far away, she hadn't really thought about it. But now that they were closer and closer to it, she began to double-think the place. "Let's hope I don't sink into it when you aren't looking," she thought. "Although, I'm so light I'll probably just sit right on top of the dunes without much trouble. If it has dunes, that is. If not, then I'm not much worried about it."

Shae scoffed, and pointed around. "This isn't that type of desert, Bri. It's just a whole bunch of baked ground and cacti. You'll be safe, minus the snakes."

Kale shook his head. "Not true. The outlying part that covers the horizon, yes, that's all just dry dirt like in Nei'Avada. What we're aiming for is actually quite sandy. There used to be a mountain there, but a few dozen centuries of harsh wind will grind you down. In any case, there are giant geometric tombs of long-gone kings and priests there. Somewhere on the outskirts is where we'll find what we're looking for. Not entirely sure on the exact location, but I'm sure we'll know by then."

Cryia cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "You've been to Nei'Avada? Well that's certainly strange. You certainly don't seem the type. I thought only merciless cut-throats and social rejects were attracted to the dying city."

"I followed a guy out there once. He had something that belonged to me… Or rather, it should have, and I ended up there. Pretty boring place, actually."

Shae tipped his head. "The last I'd been here, it was all flat land and cacti. That was so long ago, none of you here would have been witness to it. Has it really been that long?" He tapped his chin, and thought. Nexus stared at him in disbelief. "Yes, this was so long ago, I wasn't even in your brother's employ at the time. This was years and years ago."

"How old are you?"

The shadow turned, and narrowed his 'eyes.' "How old are you?"

"About five hundred years, friend. You would have had to have lived three times that to remember it the way you did. The desert was new at the time you're talking about."

He puckered a lip, but didn't answer. The fool wouldn't relent.

"I'm serious, how old are you?"

Bri turned to watch the shae shift his feet uncomfortably. "Time doesn't seem to do much for me. It skips whole generations before I've realized I haven't eaten. It's just not something I'm worried about."

"Then you're the exact type my brother is attracted to. Exactly how did you come under his control then? Did he track you down and trap you?"

"I don't know," Shae lied, trying desperately to dodge his questions.

"The seas will swallow the desert and the world will rain fire by the time we're done talking. Let's get a move on and discuss paranoia and phylogeny later, okay?" Kale moved forward.

Cryia tapped him on the shoulder and pointed toward the main entrance to the city. "Kale, darling, I'm not sure there will be a later."

23: C#22 - Village Legends

Several large men with swords and maces walked toward the group, faces blank but perceptive. The lead among them seemed more giant than man, his thick, black beard reaching down to his chain shirt. "Another guild feud today, and you lot happen to show up, obviously not from these parts." He drew his sword and tapped the blade on his opposite glove. "What have you come to Aras'Nevac for, travelers?"

Nexus pointed to himself. "Have you seen someone red that looks like me come through here? If not, then we're after something he's after, and if he gets it, all literal Hell will break loose."

Upon seeing him step out and speak, several of the men gasped and took a step back. Only the commander's stout heart kept him from following suit, but his expression did change into one of horror and disgust.

"What are you doing here, Yslrand? I thought we told you never to show your face in Sareshi lands ever again! You received the ancient city of Tatuet, and you were to leave us alone!"

One of the men, seeing his confusion, spoke up. "Liege, I-I don't think it's the Yslrand. His resemblance is striking, almost flawless, but…"

The man nodded. "Of course. He would have attacked by now, and certainly wouldn't be coming from out North." He took his time to glance toward the docks, and study his face. "Nevertheless, you will come with us, or be executed on the spot. Understand?"

The confused fool blinked, and then turned back to his friends. "I'll take that as a yes. Okay, so where are we going exactly?" Bri shook her head.

"You're kidding. You have to be. We left so early, I didn't even see him pass us by. How in Hell's Fury did he get here before we did?"

The shadow cursed, something in his own native tongue, and the silvery tones of it flew up and down in the air. "When I get my hands on that Red Devil, he will be so mangled, the Master himself won't recognize his face."

Nexus just shrugged. "I've seen him do way worse and more surprising things than this. If he's already been here, we may as well check the tomb anyway." He turned to the captain. "Clap me in irons, chief."

Again, one of the men interrupted. "Red Devil? No, surely you're mistaken. The Yslrand is the same stark blue, him and the Seistura."

The captain nodded and replaced his sword. "I've got archers everywhere in the city with crossbows. They won't miss. Either you follow or you end up a pincushion, but there's no need to waste precious iron on manacles. We're taking you to the Broken Road, where you will march until you find Tatuet, so you can be where you belong, away from society."

The shadow's mask twisted in astonishment. "The what? He's blue too?" He tilted his head sideways, only barely able to see Nexus out of the corner of his vision, who raised his painted, black eyebrows in shock.

"I… what?" Nexus turned and looked around to his friends. Bri stared up at him, and crossed her arms, puckering a lip.

"Don't look at me. I have no idea. I found you in a gutter, so whatever heinous thing you did prior to that is way out of my jurisdiction, and I am not saving you if you dug yourself into a hole. We're in a deep enough one as it is because your brother is causing a ruckus all over the land."

Shae tilted his head to the chief, and quietly leaned forward, whispering. "What exactly happened? What does Yslrand and Seistura mean?"

Kale stood up straight as he was thinking. "The words are there, but the spelling and pronunciation is in a different regional dialect. Ezila and Sesta are the words you mean."

As they walked through the city, guards and citizens alike stared at the procession and began chatting in hushed tones, and darted away when they recognized their horror among them. The captain sneered at any that tried to get close to the group, keeping a firm hand on his hilted sword. "The words do not have direct translations. They are names we gleaned from the banners they carried, although I'm not sure even they knew what they meant. It is old and foul, I can say that much. The words are a curse, and any here, or among the entire province, will tell you the same."

The captain turned his head toward the half-elf. "The words are still nonsense around here. The only tongues spoken are Common and Russic."

Cryia cringed as she heard Kale speak. "…It's in the ancient tongue devils taught to mortals. It means Brother and Sister."

"Oh yeah, I remember that now. Oh gods, that was before the language we speak now, Kahl'oos'." Nexus turned then and shivered, wondering just how old the words really were.

Shae tilted his head again. Questions pressed against his head.

"Brother and Sister. Banners. That doesn't remind me of anything I'd ever heard of. I'm guessing this is only around here then," Bri said, and kept a careful eye on her jester. "You do anything stupid here, when everyone is already on edge, and I will steal your mind again, if it means we'll avoid steal in our ribs," she warned.

The fool winced. "Please don't. I don't even know what they're talking about."

But Shae nodded. "That's a good idea, actually. Sorry, Nexus. If they're afraid of you, and Bri has the ability to control you, then what they should really be worried about is her," he chuckled.

The captain chuckled at the notion before leading them to two archways leading south out of the city and into the dry lands. One faced south-west, the other straight south. The captain stopped at the southernmost gate, and turned to the group. "We have nothing to be worried about at all, now. Leave here, go to Tatuet, and leave Aras'Nevac alone. Head south about forty or so leagues. You should have no problem finding it. Just look for the piles of skeletons in the area, thinking they could make it inside the gates."

He turned back and entered the gate, staring at the group as it slammed shut and barred.

Kale kicked a rock and cursed under his breath. "Well, the bad news is that I just heard about fifty or so crossbows being loaded in-case we try to break back in. We couldn't take them all if we tried. The good news is, based on what I read from that book we found in the library, we're heading in the right direction to find the crowns."

"Well, it's not like we're going to die out here, is it? I think the distance should take us until about morning to get to if we keep a decent pace."

Nexus still blinked in confusion. "I have no idea what just happened. I don't remember ever being here in my entire life, and yet all those folks back there looked at me with such… horror. What the hell happened out here?"

Bri shrugged. "I don't know. It sounds like they got raided by a demon. One that looks like you. This may have something to do with what Ebrus said on the ship, you know. Something you may have done years prior that you forgot entirely about."

"If it was recent, which by the expressions on everyone's faces was, I'm guessing was at least in the last 60 years, then I still don't recall. Let alone what I did? If it was a demon like me, then I'm kind of dreading running into him if he turned an entire village into a fortress. I'm going to be honest, friends. That sounds worse than anything my brother's ever done, including his strange little holed up city he took for eighty years. Because at least he left them alone after a while."

The shae shrugged. "I personally don't see anything scary about you. Maybe the Master knows."

"Let's just keep going. I'd rather find a crown your brother could use against us than wonder what some desert dwelling town is worried about," Bri shrugged. "The one threat we know of right now is Splice, who I'm sure by now heard of our getting here from somewhere. If he's on his way here, and we have to assume he is, then we're in a race. If he is already here, well damn. We better move then."

"Well, none of the guards there knew of him, that much I could tell. Also, I'm certain that if he had been here, everything would be on fire and the population would be a quarter of what we saw. I say let's keep going. I don't know if anyone else does, but I hear a strange sort of music coming from the south, like a violin being played unbearably slow in a mellow tone," Cryia said, pricking her ears downward, and tilting her head to listen.

Kale turned his head around and listened in. "Nothing that I hear of except a few scorpions skittering around, but that's all."

The fool tipped an ear in the direction she suggested. "I hear something. Not clearly like Cryia can, but I can hear something."

Bri lifted up her cloak from dragging along the ground and groaned. "I'll need to trim this later. It's hot, and it's getting all sandy. Off we go then?"

The distance seemed much larger than it should have. The heat, already insufferable, intensified as the time passed and the sun began to rise. Soon the barren stretch gave way to sand dunes and intricately carved stone tombs in the distance.

"Well, these are all impressive, and maddening if you stare too long, but the gentleman from the city said we should be looking for a mound of bones…" Kale fanned himself, and shaded his eyes as he looked around the landscape, scanning.

The halfling cooked in her cloak, and she whipped it off. "You can all just stare at my bones for now," she said, showing her rib bones and teeth skirt. It's way too hot to be wearing this thing around. I'd rather crisp up and turn red than hold all my body heat to me."

Shae laughed, and then turned to scan the horizon. "Somehow, Bri, that outfit doesn't surprise me. I'm not seeing a pile of bones though. I'm guessing the one with bones is the one we enter?"

"I'm with her, I thought I planned well, but this is awful." She shredded the bottoms of her pants and tunic off, leaving just shorts and a sleeveless tunic. "Much better. Good thing I don't actually burn. Sorry, dearie."

For a moment, Bri looked Shae up and down, folding her cloak over her arm. "You're all solid black. How the hell can you stand it? You must be soaking rays like a damned sponge."

But he just chuckled, and spun in a circle, spreading his smoking tendrils in different directions as he did so. "I'm not completely solid, lass. It doesn't bother me nearly as much as it does the rest of you, black or not."

Kale shook his head. "Nothing's going to get me out of this armor. I'll boil alive before I leave myself open to attack."

Cryia lightly smacked the back of his head. "We've been travelling for hours. How many people have we seen? How about monsters? I'll not listen to you whine the whole time about it."

"…I hate you." He paused for a moment and set his armor into his pack, switching them for his loose sparring clothes. "…Still hate you."

"Don't care. Also, there are some bones around that one," she said, pointing to a cubic stone edifice, "but they're arranged quite carefully. Not really a pile, I guess."

"I have no idea how far we've come, but it feels like forever. Further south, I suppose."

"Would that be Tatuet then?" Nexus blinked. "I'm not entirely sure what he'd meant by that, but he said to come this way and we'd find it."

Shae shrugged. "It could be. I'm not entirely sure myself."

After thinking a few moments, the halfling shook her head. "I think he said that was a town. That's what he seemed to imply, anyway. I don't know either. They spoke so little and said such strange words that I missed half of what he'd told us."

Nexus nodded. "Yeah, same here. They themselves weren't even really sure what the words they said meant, so…"

"There's something he did say though that makes me doubt that's it. He said you should have no problem finding it. Well, we can all see this, right? I'm thinking… I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I think we're looking for something we can't find."

Cryia cocked her head. "Well, if it's something he can see, I should be able to see it too, unless it's specific for his bloodline, but then, what are the odds of that? No family that might have settled in this area that you remember, eh?"

Nexus raised a brow. "I'm not even entirely sure it was me they were talking about, being as I have no memory of ever being there. So if I'm supposed to see it, I don't know what I'm looking for. And also, I don't really have family. That I know of. Unless some of my… well acquaintances, haven't told me something I don't know. And frankly, as often as my brother has raped and pillaged, you'd think I'd have run across family of his rather than mine. I don't even think that's possible, given what we are. It's not like we're balors or what have you. We're punished demons."

Bri looked around. "Whatever it is, at least try."

He shrugged, and then scanned around. "Not sure if it's the structure with the crown we're looking for, or this so-called town, but I'll try and see if I see something out of the ordinary anyway."

"Well, I'm not sure then. Let's just keep an eye out and hope we don't pass it by."

The next few hours were daunting. Every now and then a bit of carved rock would catch their attention and do nothing but disappoint. High noon came and went. As the sun was setting, the air began to cool.

"I'm starting to get really sick of this endless sandy landscape," Kale groaned.

Like a punch in the chest, it hit. "Wait! I hear it now. As soon as we crossed that ridge, I heard the music again, doubled in volume. Coming from… there." Cryia pointed out towards a valley between two large sand dunes, at least three leagues across. "Anybody else?"

Nexus nodded. "I can hear it now, clearer this time. I still don't have as good hearing as you do, but I can catch some notes coming from the air again."

With some disappointment, Bri covered her slightly pointed ears, and grimaced. "I still don't hear anything, but I'm not about to argue otherwise with two demons that have dog hearing that it's not there. Although honestly, there's something sinister about the fact there's a violin playing in the middle of the desert. I can't say I heard anything about that mentioned anywhere."

The shae nodded. "Agreed. That, in and of itself, is quite unnerving."

Kale shrugged. "I still just hear scorpions, so let's head down and see if the only hint that we have might add up?" Twenty minutes later, he immediately regretted this decision.

The wall of bones stretched for a league in either direction, standing about a story high. Skeletons, some whole, some broken apart and tread on by those who would join them later, all jumbled together next to a small archway of black stone, untouched by sand or time. It stood alone, empty on either side and through. Bri stepped forward and circled it in confusion. "It… doesn't go anywhere," she said with a shrug, and scanned the walls of bones again. "You've got to be kidding."

"Dear gods…"

"I'm damn sure this is the place now. I've never in my life seen a line of bones like that in my entire life, and I've traveled to some pretty damn gruesome places."

Some of the bodies that had been rotting recently stank, and she held her nose. Shae dug around looking for any weapons they may want to take in as an extra in case something broke. "You'd think those poor souls would learn from the ones who came before them not to bother," he said, looking at the recently decomposing. "I don't trust a single blade to defend me. Where one fails, you're left unaided. I'm taking that rusty one over there. Rust would make a nasty wound anyway if my normal blade fails."

Nexus agreed, and rummaged around for a pair of daggers. "I feel like these crowns are going to be the bane of my existence. My brother would probably just light these all up in a magnificent show of attitude. I'd rather just scamper away, but I'd be letting him take what's his."

The shae glanced around, looking for guards. "So far, I don't see anyone. That's not to say there aren't some folks inside of here that would cause us some grief."

"Like me?"

24: C#23 - The Crown's Bluff

The voice came from above them, and the sleek voice of the Red Devil perched far above them on the highest skeleton. "I see you finally made it all the way into the deadliest place imaginable. Come to join everyone else?" He gestured around him at the dead.

Nexus whipped around, and paled. "How did you…?"

Deep inside Kale, something snapped. In the devil tongue, he spoke aloud. "I am sick of running into you when it should not be. I am sick of things always playing out against my favor. I grow tired of seeing your sickening visage wherever I go."

His mind churned, a voice fed him the words that he needed to make the spell, and he spoke it aloud. "Del interis malaar." He lifted himself in the air from the dune and dashed toward the fiend, sword drawn and body ablaze.

Cryia cringed at her earlier statement regarding armor, and readied herself for a warding or healing spell. "If this is where we're going to die, let's at least make it a good one." Shari gasped, and then huddled close behind her, eyes wide.

The fool dodged to the side, and flung himself into the air. "It's not my fault you don't watch the skies when you sail across an ocean on a ship. It's not like I had many places to hide. You've just got absolutely horrid vision," he smirked. "I followed you here because you knew where it was, and my friend is busy at the moment. It pretty much gave me plenty of time to handle my own problems."

Nexus watched Kale fly up, and then followed. "Kale! Stop, now is not the time!"

The sky seemed to turn red, and she could feel a heat rising on top of the desert's own. Watching the red fool, Bri caught sight of what looked like a tornado of fire descending from the clouds in a swirling pool. "How did he do that?"

Shae stood beside her and looked up. "Power. That's how. I almost guarantee he'd already gone through and found the crown while we were held up in town. It's not like many people here would stand up against him, if he was meant to have it."

Get it together boy, you're fighting like an idiot. Kaleoszar Castion does not fight this way.

He shook his head and darted after him, regardless of the immediate danger. Don't worry about the fire, just distract him and nab it. He charged in, matching his level and keeping his distance. "What's the matter? If you beat us here, why don't you have it already?"

"He does you idiot!" Nexus flung himself through the air and tackled Kale, dragging him back down to the ground on the other side of the archway. "Look what's on his head! What makes you think he doesn't? Do you not see the swirling whirlwind of damn near liquid fire above him?" He stared at the gate then, understanding there was a magical field on the other side. Splice couldn't have flown through to get the crown…

Bri rushed through on the other side, to see if they'd landed alright. Shae remained where he was, poised below and looking up into the sky.

The red fool looked back down. "Oh, would you look at that. It's my assassin," he said with a sneer. "I always wondered what happened to you."

The shadow narrowed his eyes, and stood poised ready to strike. "Now you know," he said simply, and tugged his tonfa back out of his armor, swirling it in the air for a touch if he came too close.

Kale pushed himself up and scowled. "Damn… I don't… Fuck."

He paused to listen to the voice in his head and repeated the words. "Ug nostrum viela."

Tiny black shards rose up from the skeleton mound and launched their way up to the demon, hopefully doing something, anything at this point.

Why is it that everything falls apart without my hand to guide it all? Kylin thought to himself as he drifted over the mound and joined the unruly scene below.

He turned his head to Splice. I told you, we need them alive for now. We have zero chance of finding the binding tomes without them… Turning to the vortex in the sky, he nodded in appreciation. I see Leoric's Crown is working wonders for you. Relax, soon this will be as child's play.

He turned his gaze to the ground and shook his head.

Splice grinned widely. "I wasn't going to kill them Kylin, what do you think I am, crazy? I'm well aware. I just came by to wave my prize over their little, stout heads." For a moment, he scanned the group, and landed on Kale's angry face. "Relax, Kale. I'm not out to de-ball you in front of everyone right away. I just didn't want any of you to waste your time," he smiled.

Nexus felt a spark of anger, but held his tongue, choosing instead to whisper something in Kale's ear. "Don't listen to a word he says and don't let it get under your skin. That's his favorite game, you should know this by now. Just keep your voice calm."

The shadow simply cursed, and held Bri behind him. "Let me go," she warned him. "If I have to raise an army again, I will. I have plenty to work from here, and Kale already beat me to the punch a little bit. I'm not a helpless child," she snapped. Shae turned to face her.

"You… what army?"

"An army," she said darkly, and turned to watch Kale. "He hurts Kale, and you'll see first-hand."

Kale shook his head. "I don't care what happens to me. Worst comes to worst, I worm my way out of whatever nightmare awaits me the same way you did." He focused for a second and dropped the flames surrounding him. "There is one thing I'm curious about though. What are you going to do when we finish our half of the ordeal? What happens when he becomes your equal?" He asked, pointing to Nexus.

Kylin turned toward him and feigned surprise. He turned then toward the Beast and uttered a curse. This had never occurred to me… We may have less time than we thought…

Splice waved a hand dismissively. "As if he would ever wish to take on such power anyway. What would he do with it? Nothing. At least I have a use for whatever I got my hands on. All you'll do is whine about how awful the world is and cry, and then come after me as if that's all it was meant to do. So what?"

Bri grinned. "You're not smart at least. That's one good thing on our side. Weren't you ever taught to not judge books by their cover?"

"I've seen this one on the inside before," he said with a grimace and a smirk. "But believe me, it was nothing impressive. We're made of the same blood, but he's too much of a crybaby to ever do anything useful." He turned back to Kylin. "That said, I don't think he's much to worry about."

A growl resonated from Nexus' throat.

Kylin's form shifted and blurred with anger as he glared at the Beast. While he may be of no threat of his own volition, there are certainly those that could take a hold of him and use him to their purpose. The halfling has already worked out the barest of binding rituals, though she could quite easily extend it to complete domination if she tried. I'm not about to let your arrogance displace what we've managed thus far, at least not until we find a way to shield you from the same weakness.

The fool sobered his expression and shrugged disdainfully. "If you so see fit. I personally believe the halflings hold on him didn't involve his brain," he said with a sneer. "Amazing how something so small and insignificant can control a monster. Pray tell, how did you do it? I'm legitimately interested."

But the girl just stood, holding her cloak in one hand and glared. "Why would I tell you? I could grab ahold of you, possibly, and test that theory out for you," she snarled.

Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, Nexus felt a nasty resentment starting to rise, and he in turn stared at Bri with eyes similar to a hawk. "Yes, actually, I'm quite curious how you did so too. All I know is one moment I'm fine, the next I'm in some airy space, floating about while you parade my body everywhere."

She turned back, startled. "And I've let you go this entire time. The only time I threaten you is when you could get us into trouble. Like whatever thing the townsfolk were gossiping about before."

"Not before just stealing me away from wherever you found me," he mumbled under his breath, and glared back up at his brother.

Shae tightened, awaiting a fight. This isn't going well, he thought to himself quietly. There's already fighting between our own friends.

It was a difficult thing to do, but centuries of practice had made him proficient at it. Kylin split his mind into two separate halves and spoke with each individually.

To Splice, he retorted, We have all the time in the world to figure that out. I can take a guess, but without time to practice and research, we wouldn't be able to do that to him quite yet. I guess that's the idea that's roiling around in that maddening head of yours…

To the group only, he spoke in a quiet whisper. Stay your blades now, fight when you will, but not now. Though you have no reason to, I ask that you trust me in this regard.

Kale scoffed at the idea, then thought about it for a moment. He sheathed his blade and turned to face the archway. "If you're not going to kill us, then at least leave us to die out here, won't you? I grow weary of your theatrics."

The fool shrugged and smiled. "As you wish. I personally just came to brag, and now I've done so. Congratulations on losing your temper so quickly though, you match my brother with that. In fact, you kind of give him a run for his money. His temper's the only thing he has going for him," he snickered, and turned back to Kylin. "I'm done now," he said, waving his hand again in their general direction. "Let them bicker amongst themselves."

Nexus snarled, and forced himself to relax again by shutting his eyes and concentrating on the brown dust below him. He had brought up an interesting question. One he'd had at the back of his mind now for a while, and her control really took something away from his nature. Why didn't he remember very far back to when he was captured? What were the townsfolk talking about? He held his tongue, but also held onto a new type of anger he hadn't felt before.

Cryia relaxed a bit and watched as the fiend and the phantom drifted away over the large dune, leaving them stranded once again at the archway. She absently kicked a stone by her feet while thinking. "I take it back. I want my room with its boring consistency back."

Kale swore as he punched the black stone edifice and listened to his thoughts. "What are we going to do now? Here we are wasting time having to go back to that damned city where we'll be shot at. Then, what, we take a boat back and give him time to do what exactly? Wreck everything. Every single goddamned thing we've done up until now has no purpose. We should just dig ourselves a village beneath the sand and quit."

Do not be so hasty, warlock. You each have a part to play in this. Don't be as easily deceived as he was, although that much may be apparent already… Kylin's hidden second half peeked in the direction his other split half wandered off with the red fool.

Bri pricked an ear. "Oh? Interesting to bring up such a thing at a time like this, ghost," she said narrowing her eyes.

Nexus flicked his ear, annoyed. "Not everything, however, was a waste. There's still a way to defeat him. If we can find what we need to allow me to match him in combat, we can fix things. The Master wants him dead. Let's not forget Bri's eyes, and the fact that we now have some of the Master's power. We just need to learn to unlock it."

The shae nodded, amazed. "I had forgotten entirely about that. And what about Bri's eyes?" For a moment more, Nexus explained the magic, and how she'd lost them. "Ah, I would have never guessed. Her blindfold makes more sense now, and the fact she can see through it… Alright, then we should have more than enough on our side." He extended his hand to Kale.

His form drifted up out of the bone pile and he hovered in place as he spoke to them. Don't be so foolish. You couldn't defeat Kale in one on one combat when you were both sparring. As for the Master giving you his power, that may be the trick to defeating him.He made a mental note to take that into consideration for future planning.

I should tell you, he does not have Leoric's Crown. It is a crown, it augments his power considerably, but it is not part of the trinity that he needs. I know where it is, he said, gesturing to the archway, but I cannot access it. Your crown will also be down there, Denji. We will need to see how that plays out.

"What are you talking about, there's nothing out here but sand, blood, and stones. Also, why are you helping us? That is entirely uncharacteristic of the stories I heard of you and your treachery." Kale remembered the tales Darius once told him of his ancestor, and held his suspicion.

Smart. True, it will come to pass when we may cross blades, but for now, I'd rather there be an alternative in case the Beast's ambition outgrows his usefulness. Anyway, Denji, you are the only one who can open the gate. The Ezila ensured only an incubus could open it. But your hesitance and fear prevent you from seeing it. Know in your heart that you want to find what lies beneath, and the way shall open…

His ears pricked at the word. "An incubus would find it? Then what's stopping the Red Devil from doing so, some type of ward?"

No, something far simpler. If he wanted to, I'm sure that he could work his way in. However, he has no desire to do so. This is more your territory than his. Also, I'd rather see his crown in your hands, at least for now.

Shae stepped forward. "And why is that? This sounds like a trap to me. I've worked for Splice, Denye, before. I know his chaotic way of thinking and he is bored easily. He will eventually discover your ruse with that false crown and come straight after us. So who's to say that it will work for Nexus anyway? His abilities are that of ice, not fire. I'm pretty sure it would have been attuned to his brother alone."

There is no way he will know until the binding ritual fails to complete, and even then, it would have been a harmless mistake. He's just been following me along this whole time anyway, with daydreams of fire lolling about in his skull. I've been doing the work, he's just along for the ride. Safe to say, by the time we have to come for the crown, you should have your pieces gathered by then if you're worth anything as adventurers. By ensuring he does not have his, you will be at an advantage. It will force him to make rash decisions which will further the -. Never mind. As long as you have his, he can't bind them to him, and you can, ergo, this plays out better for you.

Bri smirked then. "Denye's not the real enemy," she said at last, nodding in understanding. "That stupid red idiot is your puppet, just as I thought before. So what is it exactly you want to do?"

Nexus stood up and glared. "She's right, actually, as much as I personally could destroy her right now. So why do you care whether I find the parts I need now or not?"

For the first time in centuries, Kylin laughed. You are of little consequence in the long run. This decision is twofold. Firstly, if I make you a clear enemy, it gives the Beast something to look forward to, as obsessed as he is. His motivation is hard to earn and maintain, but you proved to be a worthy tool in that aspect. Secondly, if he does get to the point where I cannot stop without endangering myself, I trust that you will be able to, thereby saving me and my other minions the trouble, and removing a nuisance all at once.

"So what is your exact motivation? What is your end goal then?" Shae pointed in the direction his other half and the red fool ventured off in. "If he finds out, you're going to have more than us to worry about."

"I don't feel the need to consult with one enemy to keep another enemy at bay. This is madness. Both of you are dangerous, so why are we talking to you?" Bri snapped, and then gestured around the rest of the desert. "You have us alone. We're tired, hungry, hot, and miserable. If you wanted to crush us now, you could. If we're protecting you from any confrontation, and you're the main enemy, I say let him have you."

As far as he is concerned, my goals are the same as his. I let him burn away at the world, have a bit of fun, and drag the greater forces to the ground. From there, I'm not sure what we'll do with him. I plan to rebuild the world after he lays waste to it, but in my own method. I seek a more efficient and ordered world, one where our forces are free from gallivanting heroes seeking to do things the 'right' way. Sure, there will be sacrifice and the weak will find it ostensibly revolting, but that's what this is all about. Good luck.

For the first time in a long while, Bri was stunned speechless, then turned to Nexus. "This is not what I had thought this was going to be," she said flatly. "Your brother is more of a moron than I gave him credit for." She turned back to Kylin. "And you, you impress me. You managed to control a maniac, and still allowed him the leash of being said maniac at the same time."

For an instance, Shae understood. After living so long with Splice and seeing his madness, he could see how Kylin would want order. But the way he planned on exercising it made him feel ill. "When we're through sending his brother back to his cell in Hell, we'll come looking for you."

I appreciate the sentiment. If only you were redeemable. But alas, there is too bright a spark of good in you to be of any use to me. He turned to Shae with a smile on his face. As far as your inquiry is concerned, by that time, I hope that you won't have a say in the matter. With a deep chuckle he dematerialized from where he was and rejoined with his other half.

Kale looked up from the sand and sighed. "How cryptic."

Torn between being relieved and dreading the inevitable, Nexus sank to the ground and tapped his chin. "So what now? Do we figure out how to get in, find my crown, steal it, and haul off to find the rest of my things? Because frankly, there is so much trying to kill us, I'm not sure which foot to put forward."

Kale shrugged. "We can sit here and die, or we can try to fight back. Personally, I've never been one to back out of a fight. I'm pretty sure that'll be the death of me. Besides, worst comes to worst, we probably find a decent amount of treasure down here and use the money to find a few mages to help us along with whatever we might need."

Cryia nodded and examined the archway. "That might be true. Honestly, Darius could probably help a lot, being tireless, brilliant, and damn good at near everything he sets his mind to. Otherwise, we've got quite a daunting task ahead of us. If you want anything as motivation, just think of the people he's probably tormenting in that town behind us."

Bri shrugged. "So we either go in and fight our way through whatever made this carnage, or go find Darius? I'd rather not go all the way back to the castle to come back here again," she groaned, and almost felt the sand shift like ocean waves below her feet.

The shadow nodded. "I agree. I'd rather figure this out. When we come back out, maybe we could liberate the village we passed through of whatever pest they were so afraid of."

25: C#24 - Cerulean Mirrors

The archway fluctuated, the tiny glyphs on it shifting ever so slightly as a low rumbling sound ran through the nearby air. A smooth wooden door with an ageless weathered look to it sprang up between the posts. Out of the door came a creature standing about ten feet in height, resembling what might have been an old world gargoyle carved from bloody clay. It hunched forward, its gaze never shifting. With a deep growl it spoke a word, the syllables forming in glowing runes above his head. They drifted about him in a circle, and slowly shifted over to the blue demon standing before the gate. It roared and turned about, walking into the shadowy hallway, leaving the door open behind him.

Kale couldn't help but cringe. "That thing was awesome, if not terrifying. What's scarier is that I don't think we have much of a choice anymore."

Nexus watched the runes vanish and then turned to the opened gate. "No, I'm pretty sure we don't now. That was really cool though."

Shae looked around to be sure there were no snipers haunting the grounds before they stepped through. "Keep your wits about you, there are likely traps all over the place. And if not traps, supernatural beasts that are going to try to kill us."

The halfling shook her head. "Not if he's meant to be here, I don't think."

Kale shook his head and walked over to the door. "Hang on, let me take a quick look inside." He darted in for a second and walked back out, a bewildered look on his face. "Okay, this place, wherever it is, is certainly not an abandoned crypt full of monsters and traps like I thought. It's like a goddam palace. You need to see this, right now."

Nexus walked through, interested and surprised. "You're kiddi—wow. I would not have guessed something that size would be hidden between two dunes."

A few seconds later, Bri stepped through as well, Shae tagging silently behind her. Regardless of the situation, he held onto his assassin's caution. "Wow, indeed," he said, but a touch of nervousness still tainted his voice.

"This is definitely pretty," Bri smiled, as they slowly made their way toward it. Nexus felt strange as he did so, and felt himself shrink farther and farther into himself the closer they got.

Something's not quite right…

At the opening, they stopped and inspected the gigantic door. "Who knocks first?" Bri joked, slowly turning her gaze to Nexus.

"Of course," he said, but before his hand touched it, it slid open on silent hinges. "Oh, look, I… didn't have to," he said, and felt the strange feeling again.

Inside the main hall through the entrance corridor, two large men with ghastly white skin stepped forth, each wearing a sleeveless leather jerkin and holding a large falchion roughly their heights. One of them had dark hair and iridescent white eyes and smiled at the crew. "It's been far too long, old one. Our master has been awaiting your audience for quite some time, though he could not quite be sure when you'd show." He turned to his opposite, who bore similar eyes but with a shaved head and a long beard and nodded. "Definitely within the first century, now pay up Raust."

"Oh, shut up Maalin, we never agreed on whether or not it was from when he arrived on this continent, or when we had our base of operations. We're about two decades over if we're going by my reckoning."

"Always trying to get out of losing, aren't you? Let's ask the others once we turn them over to Azren, yeah?"

Raust shook his head and grumbled, throwing a switch on the wall and eyeing the front gate to make sure it shut properly. "Do you lot want to head in on your own, or do you need an escort?"

Nexus raised an eyebrow, and then stepped inside on his own. "I can handle myself, as far as I know, but thank you. Honestly, I didn't expect to run into anyone else down here." They were waiting for me? What? Their eyes are strikingly like mine…

Bri followed, and continued to gawk at the building, trying to understand. Shae was calm in his demeanor, but she knew better. An assassin kept his wits, regardless of whether they were truly needed or not. Reflex, she supposed.

The shadow eyed the white-skinned people, and noted their eyes to himself silently. He glanced at Nexus once, and then shrugged. First, the village had barely let them pass, and now he found another who shared similar eyes. His sense of detail was sharp, but he also noted to keep it to himself until he had him alone. If he needed to extract information at the point of a blade, he'd do so quietly.

Kale rolled his eyes and murmured to himself as he treaded down the plush, black carpeted hallway. "I hate not knowing what I'm walking into. Back home I knew what I was up against at any given moment or region. This though, this is bizarre."

When the hall turned and lead into a large set of double doors, he was about to ask which of them wanted to head in first, until they swung open slowly on their own accord. The sound of slow clapping by two people filled the otherwise silent room. Upon seeing it, he understood why it echoed the way it did. The ceiling was massive, higher than most two-story homes. Giant pillars that bore carved poems on every inch dotted the floor and served as a post for what passed for guards.

In the very center of the room, a large two-seated throne sat on a raised section of flooring. Its occupants caused both Kale and Cryia to double take and then shift their sight from Nexus to their new hosts.

Azren and Cordia held their arrogant gazes affixed on their new guests, uncaring of their current condition. She adjusted herself, sitting in her king's lap as she prepared to speak. The king looked at his queen and gave a devilish grin as he wrapped his hands around her waist and leaned her against him. The burning brazier on either side of their throne shone with white light, revealing black hair, shining white eyes, and cerulean skin.

"Speechless. Perfect. Almost exactly as I'd imagined it. I told you the day would come, dear Cordia."

She laughed and nodded. "Indeed you did, dear Azren."

For a moment, Nexus was sure his heart stopped. Bri turned her gaze slowly toward him, and Shae's wish to corner him at the point of a sword for answers vanished in his throat. The halfling turned her gaze to Kale, and then back to Nexus. Her mouth formed words she choked on and didn't say aloud. 'What. Did. You. Do?'

Shae glanced around the room again, and out of habit, bowed to the two of them out of respect. "Greetings," he said simply, and rose to his feet again. "I am Shae. These are my friends, Bri, Kale, Cryia, and Nexus. The girl there is his consort, Shari."

Azren bowed as best he could in his position without disturbing Cordia, who followed suit while holding onto him. "Greetings, kind Shae," he spoke, "It is good to see some courtesy among travelers these days." He looked around and cocked an eyebrow. "Certainly a pleasant change of pace, but… you are too tense. Relax. This place is certainly safe. After all, would we truly kill the company of our progenitor as our first act together?" The king rolled his eyes.

"Their fear is probably a culmination of all those damned townsfolk saying that we're monsters for taking a few people for ourselves every now and again. Look, if we were going to kill you, we would have let Cage do so already." Cordia gestured up to a boy sitting on a ledge high on the wall, playing with an illusory dragon.

Cordia snapped her fingers and gestured to the group, summoning a large man who took their packs and belongings.

Cryia eagerly handed her things over and took a step forward. She looked deep into the eyes of the pair and winced, but a strange smile crept over her face. "You have got to teach me how to do that."

The queen's face lit up at the realization. "We'll see about the lessons once we've formally exchanged pleasantries," she smiled, smelling the succubus for what she was.

Kale sighed and rested his hands on his face. Just once he wanted to fight demons that were monsters. All the books he'd studied after Ejmidan were pointless if this was what the infernal realm had in store for him as an adventurer.

Bri held her caution, but stepped forward to bow slightly as well. Demons. She fought back an urge to say something smart, but couldn't help but hold her stiffness. Nexus was clearly from around these parts. "I take it my pet is actually a friend of yours." She turned then sideways to glare at Nexus.

Shae grimaced. "Don't mind her. I'm not quite sure whether it's halfling nature or necromantic, but she's quite a little firecracker."

For a short moment, a burst of anger welled up into her throat, but then she couldn't help but laugh it out. Shae was right, apparently.

The fool stepped forward. A question hovered in his mind, and he paced the room a bit like a cat, wondering exactly whether he should trust them enough to turn his back. "So… who are you? I can't say I remember. The village clearly recognized me as you, from the look of terror on their faces and the sword-points we rode through there with."

Cordia turned to her king and shook her head. "Looks like you were right. I had always figured that he would have remembered, but it looks like he was as irresponsible as you claimed he was."

Azren nodded and sighed. "I know, my dear, I know, but who can blame him? Can't you smell it? He's certainly not quite the fiend that he could be. I doubt he's done more than roam around the lands like some kind of beggar. It is hardly befitting one of his station."

Cordia chuckled and addressed him at last. "It was, from what she told us, a warm springtime evening, and you happened to be wandering through town. She was, naturally, enchanted by your exotic appearance, especially among the boring southern human lands. Conversation took off quite happily. She was a bit shocked to find out what you were, and despite that, you found yourself in her home for the evening. Your honesty surprised her – that much she had made very clear. She was also surprised to find you missing the very next morning, much to her disappointment. Even more so a few weeks later when she began to turn ill, and even more so than that when she noticed her body changing. The greatest shock was six months after that, shall we say, fateful night, when we were brought into the world."

Azren glanced around the room and gestured at the grand architecture. "I'll spare you the full story, but needless to say we weren't very welcome, especially since the whole community knew of her actions and we were branded as unnatural abominations. We travelled around, much as you did, but left a swath of destruction and chaos in our wake. Eventually we found the Silver City and settled."

Cordia piped up and smiled. "We were honestly hoping to see you one day, and now here we are. Don't worry, we're not expecting anything from you. We're also not blaming you for your actions. If anything, congratulations, because without them, we wouldn't live in such decadence."

Nexus winced, as a quick memory flashed through his head, and for the first time in a long time, he felt a pang of pain inside his heart. "I remember her now," he said slowly, and then glanced back around the room. "I don't know you, and apparently I wasn't aware of her pregnancy… but I sincerely apologize." He thought back to the night he'd left, and had figured she wouldn't want to deal with the baggage that came with what he was at the time.

Bri's mouth dropped, and Shae couldn't help but stare in his direction for the longest time. "You… wait." He stepped forward a ways, and then glanced at the two of them. "So you're his children? Are the two of you mates? I'm… I'm terribly confused."

The halfling turned then, and stared up at Nexus. "Well, congratulations on this one. Didn't you think at one point your philandering was going to land you a family somewhere? And you don't remember? The poor girl must have been miserable when you were gone. Ebrus was right after all. You truly don't understand that actions have consequences."

Kale turned to him and smirked. "If it makes you feel any better, you're about a hundred times better than my father. I think his presence actually ruined my sister's chance at a decent life and turned me into the careless bastard I am today. That's not even mentioning my poor mother, whom he basically treated like a house-worker. At least they have a decent living space to show for it."

"Yes, dear Shae, he is indeed our progenitor. I can't exactly use the word father, that would be wrong," Azren said calmly, "And, yes, I suppose you can say that is what Cordia and I share, though it's not in the conventional usage of the term. For the longest time in the world, we were all we had, and it has made us stronger because of it."

Cordia turned to the halfling with a puzzled look. "That's just the thing, too. We appear to be a unique case, or at least a very rare one. No other records of spawn like us have ever surfaced, at least not to our knowledge."

Shae contemplated what he'd said. "That's… different. I suppose immortal rules don't apply to the mortal realm. And being what you are spawn of, I think that's only fitting, personally." He shrugged. Bri raised a brow.

"That's truly amazing. Where is your mother now? Has she passed on?"

Nexus' heart sank, but didn't want to admonish her. If she was gone, he owed a huge debt, and it had to be paid immediately. My burden to bear, he thought. His mind backtracked to the night it happened, and felt a pang of guilt. He'd cared for her. A thing out-of-character from normal incidents. He'd left that night on the count that he didn't feel it would ever work, and yet here two spawn of his were. Was that the key then? Was that why none other was recorded? He didn't quite fit the bill for normal demons, especially his brother.

"A secret ingredient," he said with a groan, and pressed his fingers to his temples. "That would explain a bit, if that's the reasoning for it."

Azren shook his head and growled to himself. "For the longest time, we didn't care. She had done nothing to attempt to save us, merely given us what she could and suggested that we run. Sure, she had her own problems, but it's not like we couldn't have devoured the villagers in time. No, she was lost to us, and all for the better."

"It was a tremendous surprise to us, then, when she showed up at our doorstep," Cordia chimed in. "Some fifty years ago, she appeared to us and asked us for forgiveness. By that point though, neither of us truly cared about our upbringing anymore. We live like gods in a land of strife and suffering, and we have all that we need and more. If you really want to see her, she is still alive. She lives in isolation in the farthest tower of the east wing. I'm not quite sure what you did to her, but she hasn't aged a day since then, and that was over a century ago."

The king raised a finger and paused. "I'm not quite certain on how she'll take your arrival, however. Do be careful, we'd hate to lose one or both of you after so long."

The fool's mouth dropped open. "She's alive after all this time and she hasn't aged either? That must have been a strange side-effect of the two of you. I'm going to talk to her, and find out what happened since then. Also, I'm going to apologize profusely, and then when I get home, I'm going to punch Katrin for not telling me this was in my future so I could have prepared better."

Bri smacked him. "I'm sure she didn't know either. There are things she just can't see, Denji. She can understand something in the future, but not completely see the details."

"Actually. Wait! She did tell me! That's what she meant by finding a raven-haired girl! She told me this in the library when I was looking up information on the Fool's Blade. Oh," he smacked his head, and growled loudly. "Why didn't I see that?"

Shae nodded. "If you like, I could accompany you. I imagine you'd like someone to babble to while you go, and I could stay outside the door to allow you privacy if you wish, once you're there." Nexus nodded, and then grabbed his hand, dragging him through the doorway.

"I'll join you again soon, and we'll talk," he said to the two on the throne. "I imagine we have a lot to be filled in with," he said again, and then he and Shae were gone.

Bri stood awkwardly with Shari and Cryia. "So… interesting family reunion," she said and nodded, looking about the room. "Your uncle's a real sweetie pie too," she said casually.

Kale barked out a laugh and dusted the singed edges of his tunic. "That's for sure. Speaking of which, have either of you heard of Leoric's or Bartuc's Crown? We have need of them to save the world, because that's what such upstanding people as ourselves apparently do nowadays." He took the dagger from his belt and flipped it around in amusement.

"Careful now, you might be giving us too much credit. Also, didn't we just reprimand you for being so negative? Look we're out of the desert, we're in a palace not seen since times not recorded, and we're not being threatened, can't you just be happy? Besides, I'm sure the beds here are nice and comfortable," she chided, nudging Bri's arm.

Azren caught a wicked gleam in his eye. "Dear Cryia is right and wrong, as are you, Kale. We have heard of the crowns you seek. They're actually in one of the catacombs some miles beneath us. In that, you may have hope. They are, however, difficult to reach through the nightmares that still walk those halls, be they undead or some shadowy abomination. They've been here for a particularly long time, but we couldn't be bothered to do anything about them."

"Besides, she has a point, you've had a long, arduous journey," Cordia added, "you should relax a few days… or nights, and begin your trials after you're ready."

Kale shook his head and tossed the blade into the air. "I honestly don't think that… Well, actually, if what the wraith said was right, we're pretty much holding all the cards right now. They need some book that they can't find, but we will. If we have the missing piece to his set, then he's out of luck, and we still have time to look around. It's not like he can barge his way in here, can he?"

The king chuckled and called for his servants to bring out food and drink for the guests. "The stars could die out and the cosmos could be reborn a hundred times over before anyone could force their way into Tatuet. They need the right incantation to open the gate, and even then, the guardian you saw has been in here since before we were. It is absolutely indestructible. Now, relax, and drink."

"Yes, Kale, seriously." Bri shook her head. "You worry way too much. He was clearly here and didn't get in. That's all the leverage we need. And frankly, I'm tired of constantly moving. That stupid ship is still making my stomach rock," she said, turning green again.

26: C#25 - Distant Flames

Shae and Nexus dodged this way and that through the hallways. He followed a scent that was so faint, it was almost gone. She clearly hadn't left her rooms in a very long time. "She's this way," he said, and took a wrong turn into a dead-end room. "Dammit." His eyes went from white to blue, and the black pupil narrowed to a slit in frustration.

"You're terrible at this," Shae chided, and glanced around. "She probably traveled into one or two of these one time. You should be searching for something stronger."

"She should be around here," he said, and tapped his chin. "I know that's got to be it." He pointed to a large set of double doors. An engraving of the letter C was on it. Shae's mask raised a brow.

"If any room, yes, that one. But if her smell isn't strong, I don't think that's the one she's in currently," he warned. Nexus took a deep sniff, and then nodded.

"If you say so." Under his breath, he muttered, "for the tenth time."

When they were close enough, Nexus involuntarily shrank into a crouch, and then leaned a pointed ear on the door, listening for a moment. When he tapped his claw on the door three times, he awaited the sound of movement. Shae yanked him back from the wood.

"You truly are quite jostled now," he whispered. "I don't think I've seen you like this in a long while. Relax, she will speak to you. I'm sure."

Celia snapped out of her trance. Soft footsteps graced the stone flooring. How much time had passed? She reached out to the table and took the small silvery knife from its place, surprisingly clean. There were no obvious sounds, a stark change from her children who announced themselves. She debated for a moment before reaching the most logical conclusion. Someone was here to kill her. Either they had grown tired of her presence, almost nonexistent though it was, or the place had been taken and was being meticulously cleared out.

She shook her head, inky locks swaying with her, and reminded herself that no one could get in anymore. It was a small miracle that she had gotten in. Accepting her fate, knowing that even if she did manage to kill one of their minions, there would be a hundred that followed, she kneeled down on the floor and unlocked the door.

In a loud whisper, she spoke, "Come in then. Make it quick at least."

Nexus was about to step blindly into the room, but Shae's arm barred his way, and he placed a finger over his silver lips, shaking his head. He had experience with this type of challenge. 'Brains first,' he mouthed, and then stepped in before Nexus did, prepared to burst into a shadow if need be to avoid her blade.

"Hello, ma'am," he cheerily announced. "We're not here to harm you. Rather, I brought someone who is pretty intent on seeing you, if you will see him." He awaited the familiar, quiet ring of metal that subtly announced a blade being swung, and prepared his body to vanish.

Nexus hovered behind, confused, and watched the doorway cautiously.

"What is this, some kind of joke?" She stood up and gripped her dagger at the strange black monster. "Who are you? You don't look like one of their followers, but you can only be here because they sent you. If you're not here to kill me, then you can only be here to take me from the only place I've found solitude. I can't allow that. I won't -."

She took a step back and caught the faint shade of another standing behind him, and focused her eyes for the first time in years. "Wait, who -?" She dropped the blade carelessly and pushed past the shadowed man in the doorway, turned her head, and froze. "You… can't…" She tried to mutter something else, but found herself spiraling to the floor and fainting.

"You broke her," Shae said simply, and crossed his arms. "Congratulations."

Nexus stared at her, and then lifted her up from the floor, placing her on her bed in her room. "Well, I can only gather two things from the short spurt of words she stammered out. One, that my," he winced then, "children, apparently sent guards up here before, and they've threatened her. Two, she is incredibly lonely, and it's my fault." He sighed, and sat down next to her bed on a chair. "I can only wait until she gets up again. You can go if you want." They… would send someone up here to kill her? What…?

The shae put his hands on his hips. "What? After you were carelessly about to just stroll on in here when she held a weapon because you were too stupid to think of caution first? No, I think I'll stay. We can't destroy your brother without you," he said sarcastically, but his mask held a hint of a smile.

The dreamscape was a strange one in comparison to the past few decades. This one was clear and simple, a direct contrast to the strange haziness that poisoned her subconscious usually.

Everything seemed still, and yet she could see movement. There stood a stranger that she knew for years. Always quite out of reach, yet here now after much time that didn't seem to pass. The stars in the sky drifted languidly and shone down their small lights in rays.

The thick black cowl beheld something less sinister, she knew. She ran toward him like moving through honey, and grabbed ahold of the cloak, turning him to face her.

There was a flash of color, and suddenly the waking world struck her once more. She opened her eyes lightly and saw him. "So, I really am dead after all."

Shae backed to the door, and slipped out, awaiting just outside like a guard in case something were to go horribly wrong. He doubted it, but he waited nonetheless.

Nexus stared back at her, confused. "No, you're not dead. At least, I don't think you are. You haven't changed in the least since I'd seen you last." He held back, unsure how to respond. His heart not only ached, but it spiked in its beating upon sight of her eyes again. Regret, and shame swallowed his insides, and he cast his eyes down.

She shook her head and sat up. "Well then, you can't be real, and this is all some kind of crazy nightmare… But I know better. If it is, then it's been going on for a long time."

She straightened herself and quickly lashed out, her hand striking his face as hard as she could muster. "Unless you're an illusion, you've got quite a damned bit of explaining to do."

Shae giggled outside the door, hearing the smack, but then hushed himself.

Nexus rubbed his cheek and left his face turned away from her. "True," he said simply. "This definitely isn't a nightmare, otherwise everything I'd been through up till now is all a figment of your imagination. Which would be a damned shame." He sat up, and then looked out the window for a moment. "I didn't think it would last," he said as calmly as he could. "You were human. You're clearly not now, but you were then. I don't die, Celia. I live on forever, even if I'm cut down. I didn't know what would happen if we had remained that way. I have hunger pangs most normal demons don't, you know. It wasn't fair to you, and I didn't want you to feel pain every time I went 'hunting.' If I had gone, it would have been to save you the exhaustion that comes along with it, but I didn't know if you would truly understand…"

"I knew that. If you remember, you made damned sure that I knew that. I knew what I was getting into, and I didn't care. I just… An explanation would have been nice, you know? A note on the table, a letter from the courier, a message from a wizard… something," her voice cracked.

She ran her hands through her hair and breathed deeply. "I know what we might have had wouldn't have been anything close to normal… But, I could have dealt with it. I would have, in a heartbeat. You certainly weren't the monster the books and stories suggested. And now… here you are…" She held herself straight and fought to keep herself stable.

Her withheld passion burned him. He remembered then how he left her, but he figured it was for the best at the time to simply disappear and let her move on. At first, he hoped she'd just forgotten. Instead, he was the one that had lost all memory of everything. He shook his head. "I apologize for that," he said slowly. "When we came on a mission through here, I didn't even remember where I was. I met my son and daughter down in the main throne room, and when they said you were their mother… it came back. And it came back hard." He struggled to think clear. "When they said you were still alive, and that something had changed you, I came looking for you immediately. I literally only just got here a few moments ago, an hour ago at the longest."

She chuckled aloud, despite herself. "That doesn't matter. I thought something far worse had happened and that I'd never see you again. I feared I'd be stuck in this place forever, with only a hazy handful of memories to go by. None of that matters."

She grabbed his hand and smiled. "I imagine you're still in some kind of trouble like you said you always were?"

Her hand sent a shock up his arm, and he fought it off. How long had it been since he last took care of that? The last was on the ship. Wait… that wasn't so long ago. Why am I so hungry all of the sudden? He growled at it, suddenly in the midst of something so important. He shook his head clear. "Actually, yes, quite so. So much so in fact, that my path lead me straight here on a mission." He thought for a long moment. "Come with me," he said, yanking her close. "I don't want you to stay here alone after so long, and I don't want to leave you here again. Just come with me."

Shae raised an eyebrow outside the door, and then strode away, heading down the corridor. He wasn't needed now, and he beamed a smile the whole way.

She heard the soft sound of footsteps retreating from where she sat. Her gaze turned up to meet his and she glanced back at the door for a second. "I take it you have company then? They're out in the main hall, right?" When he nodded silently in agreement, she smiled again, the same playful grin she'd had all those years ago. "The east wing is completely abandoned save for me. You know that, right?"

A half-smirk lifted one side of his mouth. He hadn't smelled anyone else. "If I know Shae well enough, he left on purpose," he rolled his eyes. "I'm certain he'd tell the others to leave us alone a while." He wrapped her up close to him, and then felt the hunger begin to grab charge, his eyes melting blue and black again. "It's been so long since I saw you," he said with a full grin. "I sure hope I haven't gotten rusty or sloppy."

----------

Shae almost skipped back down the hallway to where the others were. Bri looked at him questioningly, and then he scooted to a stop beside the throne. "I do love a good romance and a lovely happy reunion," he said with a wide smile.

For a moment, Bri almost didn't understand what he meant, and then she remembered. "Oh. Wow, poor Shari and Maria," she said lightly with a smile, and poked her in the elbow.

Cryia quirked a brow and frowned, "You almost make it sound like I don't attend to their every whim as they do mine. What a horrible person I must be."

"I meant the rejection, Cryia," she smirked back.

Kale shrugged and chewed a piece of cactus from the table. "I suppose it's better than him being miserable like he seemingly has been for quite some time. And, yes, actually, you are pretty horrible, Miss let's-try-to-seduce-the-only-guest-we've-had-in-a- decade-on-the-first-night." He grabbed another piece of cactus and reminded himself to get some of this for the road. "At any rate, I assume there's a library in this gargantuan city?"

The queen waved a dismissing hand. "Oh yes, of course, it's on the second level in the west wing. It has texts that were here since this place existed, but nothing too interesting."

"Cordia, dear, you don't find any literature interesting," Azren chided.

She scoffed and turned her back to him. "Well maybe we ought to write some, or go out looking for something interesting."

He rolled his eyes and wrapped around her from behind. "We're always far too busy for long expeditions unless it's to find more subjects."

"And just whose fault is that, I wonder?"

"Yours, and now is not the time to be fussy. It's a good day to celebrate, wouldn't you agree?"

Kale rolled his eyes. "I usually celebrate things like the solstices and equinoxes, along with the death of great heroes. Not my parents hooking up again."

Cryia reached out and smacked him lightly. "Just because you don't have parents doesn't mean others can't be happy for theirs you know."

Bri nodded, but choked back a touch of fear. Finding more subjects? Did he just say… finding? "Actually, Kale's kind of right on this one. I can't say I've ever heard of a celebration based on that." She turned back to the twins. "I am glad for you though, actually. I think I'll release my hold on him. When I met him, he was in a gutter, more miserable than he was before this whole ordeal, and now he's not." She tapped her chin, half annoyed she lost a valuable undead puppet. "I'm going to have to find a new toy. I suppose his brother would do quite nicely."

Shae laughed aloud. "Ha! If you can bend him to your will, I will truly be impressed. That would be a feat. Still though, if you got his brother, you should be able to tell Splice what to do with ease then."

A growling noise made Bri look down at her stomach, then at the table the servants set up with food. How long had it been since she ate something? She looked around the large room. "I think in celebration, a meal would be a pretty good start," she said seriously. "Not a meal so to speak, but a feast… um… what subjects, exactly?" She glanced around at the guards, and then noted she hadn't seen anyone inside the gates.

Azren took a heavy sip of his drink and gestured toward a door of silver to the left of his throne. "I suppose that's not the term you would think, exactly. Cryia should know exactly what I mean."

Kale paused his chewing for a second and interjected. "Actually, I think she's a bit nicer to hers than you two are, or at least it seems that way."

The queen glared at him for a moment before clearing her head and speaking. "Do tell where this assumption stems from. Everyone is brought here entirely willingly. Whether or not they're up to our standards is a matter of selection and conditioning. What, do you think we just tie them up and drag them here against their will? Stop one of them and ask them how they like it here, and you'll see how quickly your notion is dimissed." She popped an olive in her mouth and pondered, calming herself. "We actually just made a trip into town, and they're turning out rather nicely."

Cryia shifted her gaze around. "You said it was through that door, right?"

Azren nodded. "No need to feel so embarrassed, I assure you, you'll not find much resistance. Some of them might even be willing. It should give that poor girl you're toting along with you a chance to relax and maybe feel complete again. Just don't try any of them that aren't wearing a leather bracelet, they're exempt unless they offer."

Needing no further encouragement, she grabbed Shari and bolted through the door as fast as she could, muttering something about feasts after famines.

Kale threw his hands up in defeat, knowing and enjoying that his company was far beyond what he would have expected. He grabbed a plate and took a seat next to Bri. "I'm with you, darling. I have no idea what kind of beast this meat comes from, but I could devour one whole."

She chewed a piece and nodded vigorously. "Whatever lives around here is delicious." She glanced Cryia's way when she vanished behind the doors. "I feel like we're surrounded by… nevermind," she groaned and rubbed her temples. "You, me, and Shae seem to be the only normal ones around here." Shae sat down next to her.

"I can't say when the two of them will come back down, but I imagine it won't be for a while. We may as well explore a little bit while we're here. If we're going to track the crown down, that is." He thought back to what Azren had said about the bottom of the castle, and cringed. "More monsters. Feels like it's always monsters."

Bri nodded then, and swallowed another bite of meat. "We continually seem to run into the worst of things, don't we?"

Kale scoffed. "Shae, I'd rather it be monsters. Most monsters are stupid, acting on instinct, and very rarely are very dangerous if you know how to handle them. I've fought trolls, zombies, nightmares, worgs, and I swear even a hydra once. You know what? I'll pick one of them any day over a vampire, an assassin, a serial killer, or a wizard that has a plan. Honestly, it'll be a refreshing change of pace."

Cordia giggled at the notion. "My, you seem to be a feisty one." She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned in a bit closer. "Care to regale us with tales of heroism and victory?"

Azren glared at her and she recoiled slowly. "Honestly, I say that I'm looking forward to this. If you manage to get through and clean up down there, we may be able to use it for something. It's probably just wights, ghouls, maybe a phantom here and there. What you need to watch out for are the shades that dwell there. They're not exactly dead, but certainly very malicious."

Bri felt something flare at her touch on his shoulder, but she shoved it back down. There wasn't a need for her fiery temper right now. She glanced down at the floor, imagining how many there were below her right now as she sat. How large was this place? Miles, he'd said earlier. "Shae… you're a shadow, aren't you?"

Shae shrugged. "I'd rather anything that didn't have a brain honestly. The things that think; they're the worst. But still, it seems as though we fight the ones that are both monsters and intelligent. Take Splice's little friend for example. He sure as hell looked undead, but he was also so smart, he conned the Red Devil into being his puppet. Think about that for a moment. Also, there are two different types of shadows. The shae, like me, aren't necessarily evil. It's the actual shadows you have to worry about, not the ones that can form themselves into a being."

Bri nodded. "Fighting a bunch of ghosties in the down-below is probably better than that, I will admit. How bad can that possibly be? I guess it depends on how long it takes to clear it out. And I also imagine there aren't very many lights down there, considering you never go." The more she talked, the more she started to feel a dread climb down her spine. "Which means it'd be pretty hard to see, and we'd have to make sure we had plenty of candles, and not wind up split up at all, and hope that something doesn't appear from the dark and drag one of us off, and…" She trailed off, stared through the table, and took a long swig of ale.

Kale chuckled and put his hand over hers. "You need to relax." He brought up his other palm and conjured up a bit of fire that danced around his fingertips. "I'm pretty sure I can burn whatever crosses our paths, and we'll bring torches once the bodies smolder out."

Cordia looked surprised at the display. "You're a warlock? Hmm, and here I was almost worried about whether or not you would all make it. Although… you're not just a warlock, are you?"

Azren wore a concerned look across his face. "Good, I was beginning to think I was crazy. There's something incredibly peculiar about the three of you."

"How very perceptive, although it doesn't surprise me you two would have picked that up. Long story short, her, myself, that shadow, and your father might have acquired a vast amount of divine power that we have no idea how to use."

Immediately, Cordia bit her lip and glared at the pair of them. She turned to her king and noticed the scowl he wore, even if it didn't show on his face to anyone else. She regained her composure and thought for a moment. "Perhaps there's something we can do to help you practice in that endeavor. I don't know why I want to, but it seems interesting, definitely something I don't want to miss."

Azren stretched and rubbed his hands together. "Also, if this lunatic uncle of ours is as dangerous as you say, I'd rather him be out of the picture in case he decides to try and find us someday."

Bri thought about that. "I don't think he knows you exist to track you down. He would have used you already as a means to draw his brother out, so I think the two of you are safe. And if no one can get in here through the front gate, I'm sure the two of you are safe regardless. We met him just outside there before we got in, and from the looks of things, and from what his monster told us, they couldn't get past. The most trouble you would have from him, is killing one of your parents, particularly Nexus."

Shae noted their expressions, and stored the memory away for future use. Their reaction bothered him. He'd noticed the subtle change in Azren's expression, as he'd studied expressions for his training with learning who were friends, who were enemies, and who were faking. "I'm amazed the two of you haven't heard any rumors and stories lately about him. He's gathered quite a little cult of followers."

"The implication there is that we would actually care about most of the news regarding the world beyond and also that we'd be around for long enough to hear it. I was actually surprised last year to find that the king had put down a large rebellion that would have thrown most of the continent into a civil war. We rarely adhere to the times." Azren noted honestly.

To Shae, Kale chimed in. "I suppose it would affect them too, if not directly. If he burns the world, or dominates each and every person he comes across, there'd be no one for them to take as thralls or stock."

Cordia let those words sink in as her face twisted into one of deep concern. "I honestly hadn't thought of that… Azren, dear, I fear we may actually have to take a stand on this one and… contribute."

"As far as I know, that's why Nexus is after him. Which I find strange, that the two of you are so detached. You have one strange family." Bri shook her head. "He's on the edge of destroying everything and taking it for himself. The problem is he has a 'companion' that follows him around and 'advises' him. Basically, your uncle isn't the real enemy, he's just the one with the power to do what the puppet master wants. He'll wipe out everything, including that little village."

Shae felt a wave of exhaustion threaten to throw him from his seat. "I think I shall rest now. I can't remember how long I've been on my feet, and if we're going down into the bowels of this place tomorrow, I want to be able to stand properly."

Bri nodded. "I feel the same way. I just wanted to eat first so I wouldn't have to hear my stomach nag me in the middle of the night."

Kale stood and realized that they were right. He didn't feel it right then, of course, but as soon as he lay down and relaxed, it would hit him. "I must ask, you do have normal guest rooms, right?"

Azren paused and furrowed his brow. "I don't actually think so. Closest we've got is a string of chambers that we used for a few nights each when we first found the place. They're all cleaned, I'm sure, I think we arranged for that a while ago. In any case, the entire room is basically a bed, with a small recessed pit in the middle, which is also covered. So, that'll have to do."

"I should have figured as much," he shrugged. "When those two finally come down, do let them know that we'll be waiting for them in the morning. I don't think Cryia will ever be done. We'll fetch her when we start tomorrow morning."

Cordia led the trio up the west wing and up to the second floor, across from the study and the library. "Here you are. Your things are being kept in the foyer, there should be a spare change of clothes in there if you absolutely must, and… try to get some sleep."

With that, she bounced happily down the hallway, humming something to herself as she descended the staircase.

"Try? I'm pretty sure we'll be dead as soon as we walk in." He set one foot in the room and let himself sink in. "Yep. This is like a cloud. We're not waking up tomorrow."

Bri whistled. "This is a nice room though," she said, glancing at the decorations. "Old looking, but still nice. It has to be amazing to be able to live in a castle. Let alone find one. How do you simply find a castle?" She collapsed in the cushioned bowl, and let the feeling of floating overtake her. Before she could mumble anything else, she'd already passed into the in-between of wakefulness and sleep.

Shae wandered into his own chamber, and collapsed on the bed. Tired though he was, he couldn't help but wonder what the next few days would bring them. He felt as if he hadn't even been on this journey very long, and he was as jaded as an old man. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow. Or long few days, actually, if we go by how far down this castle goes." After a little more thinking and preparing himself, he felt his consciousness wane. Bri had already fallen into dreams, some of which weren't entirely pleasant.

Before Shae even had time to truly dream, he saw a touch of light come through a small window in his room, and he groaned.

Kale stretched lazily and flopped back down. "Not getting up, already decided that. Just five more hours, please." He rolled over and grabbed Bri, pulling her next to him. "How on earth did they muster up the energy to pull themselves out of these things?" He lay there for a minute and wondered. "Oh… right."

As if on cue, Azren knocked on the door, disregarding their current status. He sniffed the air and frowned. "Hmm, that's a bit disappointing. In any case, breakfast is being served, then we're going to search the library for a book to help you, then field practice, then… Well, we'll see where the day takes us. Sound good?"

Bri groaned. "What's disappointing? Wait… Oh, come on," she groaned. With effort, she shoved herself up, and held a blanket to her face, savoring the smell of sleep and comfort. "I don't want to move," she mumbled, but forced herself to roll out and stand next to the indent in the floor.

Shae stood behind Azren at the doorway. "Morning," he mumbled sleepily. "Sounds like a plan to me. I didn't have a plan at all, so anything's better than my plan. Should I go find Nexus?"

Cordia shrugged. "You could, but I already sent Brandt to go alert them. They should be down very shortly. If not, I'll paralyze them and put them on display – in position – for an hour or so."

Bri stared and paled.

Cryia waved to them all as they came down the staircase, holding a mug in her hand and looking so bright she practically radiated light. "Good morning!" she said with a musical tone, "You all need to try this stuff. I think the serpent people that live in the valley to the south made it, but dear gods does it perk you up! Not that I needed it, mind you, but why not, especially since it's so good."

"Ah, yes, you've learned our secret. That and our daily proclivities are what get us out of bed in the mornings." Azren grabbed a mug and took a huge gulp.

Kale grabbed one and sipped without bothering to smell or taste it. It was like lightning running through his body, almost painful, but it set the nerves into a state of full awareness. After he stopped cringing and managed to open his eyes, he finally spoke. "Ouch."

Bri seemed to be the only one cautious. She took a sniff, sipped a bit, shook herself down and shuddered. "Yikes," she said, and then put it back down.

Shae held a hand up. "I don't need any now. Just takes me a moment to comprehend my surroundings once I wake up. I'm not a morning person," he grumbled something under his breath, "but I wake up once I move around a bit."

"Hello," Nexus said, wandering down into the hall, and appearing behind Cryia.

"You know, you could at least -. Whoa." She fell to the floor and held herself up while she collected herself. Her face was flushed, her pupils were dilated, and she was hyperventilating as she turned to face him. "Sweet Dagon, what did you two do?"

Azren and Cordia grinned at their guests, and then at each other, but couldn't help agreeing with the woman. "I don't know about the others, but that is palpable. I can feel that in the air. Sweet Dagon indeed."

Kale paused in between bites of cactus and smoked meat. "So glad I can't detect things like that."

He grinned wide, and felt his body hum. "I am… completely at peace right now," he said. Bri nodded with Kale, and was grateful for not having a sensitive nose.

"Yeah, I bet you are," she said. "You look like you're made of liquid."

Shae nodded. "Actually, the way she worded that really fits. You don't look like you're really standing straight. More like wavering."

He just shrugged, his cheeks a bright shade of green, and looked away. "She should be down sometime soon."

Bri raised a brow. "She's coming? Huh. Our party just grows and grows, Kale. Honestly, I'm pretty glad to meet her now."

"The more the merrier. At least this way he won't secretly hate us for being happy." He stood up and gave the demon a pat on the back. "I really am glad to see something work out in your favor for once."

Cordia innocently looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "I cannot honestly say that we haven't been about as bad before."

"Yes, but that was at the first anniversary of our establishment here. That was a special occasion."

"And this isn't?"

"Good morning everyone," Celia spoke as she dropped down the stairs. "It's good to finally meet you all - and every last one of you knows already, don't you?" She said, her eyes downturned and face flushed.

"His fault. Go wash him. Please," Cryia joked.

"Good morning Celia," Kale shouted, intentionally overpowering Cryia. "Uh, do you still eat human food?"

Her heart silenced for a moment as she turned to Azren and Cordia. She smiled meekly at them and prepared herself to say something, but couldn't quite manage the words.

The twins exchanged looks and smirked. "Good morning, mother," they said in unison.

Bri was taken aback by the twins words to each other, and then their response to their mother. "Odd family. Odd. The human world is such a boring place nowadays." Shae nudged her.

He bowed to the woman, and his mask smiled warmly, though he was pretty sure in some way it would have the opposite effect. "I'm Shae," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you." He sneaked behind Nexus and poked him. "I can't smell you, if that's any consolation. It seems to only be your kind that have any sort of weakness to that."

The fool grinned, but was too high in heaven to notice much of what Cryia said. "Clearly someone had a better time than you," he said. "That must be pretty strange, coming from someone who has an entire stable." He turned to Shari then, who blushed pink. "I'm sorry dear," he said sincerely. "You can have your mistress back now, I won't be bothering you anymore."

Cryia patted the seat next to her and her consort awkwardly walked over to her and began eating. Shari looked up at her mistress and smiled. "That was fun, but I missed you." Cryia melted inside and reached an arm around the girl. "And I, you, darling."

Kale muttered to himself as he drank. "This is certainly going to be a tale I'll look back on in sixty years and wonder if I was hallucinating the whole time and made it all up."

When the meal was over, and more than a lot of conversation had been made, Azren ordered his servants to clear the room. "So, now we're going to head up to the library for practice and research. Hopefully we can get the bottom levels cleaned out and we can make a bit of progress here."

Cordia punched him lightly as they opened the doors to the study. "You certainly do know how to ruin fun, don't you?"

"We'll see if you can muster up the courage to say that later, dear."

Celia nudged Nexus and gave him a concerned look. "Does that… I mean… They're happy, and I think that's all that matters to me… but…"

Nexus was a little more than puzzled, but he shrugged at Celia. "Honestly, I have no idea what to make of that. It's different."

Bri poked him in the hip. "Figures, you'd be the one to spawn something strange," she teased. The barb in her voice this time was meant more at fun than malice.

He grinned back down at her. "I'm pretty much on Celia's stance with that, but I'm going to still have to ask them a few questions about it later. I'd at least like to know the story," he shrugged.

Shae slid up behind him. "I don't want to eavesdrop or anything, but I overheard you two talking about… them. Basically from what short bit they told me, they only shared their own company for quite some time. Besides, they're not human, Nexus, it's not going to hurt anyone." He laughed. "What human would care anyway? Their appearance enough sends them running. It isn't like they travel around town telling anyone anyway, right?"

Bri's thoughts drifted to the creepy cavernous castle, and down into the depths they were all about to dive into. "I seriously hope my candle doesn't go out down there if I'm alone in a room… worse, bonus points if I drop it. Yeah, that sounds like something I'd do."

"Luckily, that's one of the first things that we're going to go over here. We don't really have any enchanted gear to do that, never really needed to. But apparently Cage found a book of common spells that everyone with a bit of patience can accomplish. You'll need to read through this page and learn how to conjure up a floating light, because we don't have torches."

"Okay, I understand that everything else here is perversely decadent and everything nice has some kind of alternate purpose, but seriously, no torches?"

"You understand that we wouldn't actually go down there ourselves if need be, we'd send thralls to do that. And since we had no desire to anyway, we simply didn't. Everything else is well lit, but that's just something that never came up." Cordia shrugged and opened up the first book to its proper page.

It took them a few moments, but Kale and Cryia managed to get a hold of it in the proper manner. They both knew a way to create light, but theirs were inefficient and never would have lasted the duration they went diving. "You know, I always thought that demons had incredible night vision."

"I can't speak for the rest, but I can see in magically conjured darkness, just not regular shadows. Night still gives me trouble," the succubus shrugged.

Bri groaned. "I can raise a skeleton, and I can make illusions to make myself look more terrifying. I don't think I can conjure any type of light though. I'm not real knowledgeable on any other type of magic. I think I'll tag along wherever Kale or Nexus go."

Nexus created a glowing ball of ice, and it hovered off his palm a ways. "I can do it, I just have to do so a round-about way. So I guess that solves that for me."

Shae was used to conjuring darkness, and he struggled a lot to get any sort of light. When he finally got a tiny orb to glow, he sighed. "That's too small to lend any kind of light for me. I'll have to practice this a few times a day to see if I can get any better. Otherwise, I'm tagging along with someone who can as well." He tried again, and growled at the tiny point of light in dismay.

"Well, that's what you keep a well-balanced team for instead of venturing off alone. Besides, I'm sure the time will arise when you need to improvise to survive, and you all seem to do that pretty well," the queen smirked.

Cryia smiled, and glanced around. "So, now that we can actually see where we're going, let's figure out the other specifics. I'm certain Bri can handle a good bit of the zombies down there. What about the ghost things? Any specific method we handle them?"

Kale nodded and pulled out his silver short sword. "Use one of these. Not really sure why, but silver can cut spirit-y things like normal. Tried it with cold-iron, adamant, mithril, and a slew of other things, but this is the only one that works. So, if one of you sees one, just let me know, I'll take it."

"Good to see that you're well-prepared, although that might seem a bit on the paranoid side if you ask me," Cordia chimed.

"You forget that we also haven't actually been in a fight in the past thirty or so years." The fangy smile Azren flashed sent a chill down Bri's spine, and she looked away, feeling the goosebumps rise on her arms and neck.

"Yes, that's true. Let alone leave the grounds and be in any real danger."

"I envy you so much on that account." The half-elf quirked a lip as if in disappointment. "I like adventure, but sometimes I wish I had my own fortress where meaner goblins and drakes don't try to eat me. But anyway, does anyone else have any questions or things we need to address? I've double checked the book here on our enemies, so I have a good handle on them."

Bri perked at the zombie comment, and nodded. "Anything past a body though is out of my command, so it has to have a physical form. If Kale and I team up, we could make a good team that way."

Shae pointed to the two blades on either side of his belt. "These are silver as well," he chimed with some cheer. "That makes two of us who can handle those at least." Nexus decided to team with Shae, and stay close. If he was too near Bri when she would take command of the undead, he'd fall under her control. That could end ghastly, he thought miserably.

The group murmured together on whether they had any questions, and Bri shook her head no, still uncomfortable, but ready to take on whatever zombie decided to cross her way. With enough of them, she would have an army to fight the rest of the way back down through the rooms. It was enough, definitely better than worrying about silver or light, if she had a group of them surrounding her in a circle. "I could make a barrier, if anyone cares about that. Sort of a meat-shield."

Cryia laughed at the comment and then reeled back at the horrifying image it brought to mind. "Well, that's certainly one way to go about it. If worse comes to worst, I have a trick or two up my sleeve that I can work."

"Looks like we're ready then, let's see if we can't come back with something worth it," Kale said with a greedy grin.

"And do us a tremendous favor that we may or may not have gotten around to doing without your intervention," Azren added, palms upturned.

27: C#26 - Tatuet's Underbelly

As soon as Kale saw the entrance to the basement levels, he immediately took back everything that he had said about being prepared. At the bottom of the staircase, the rotting wooden door seemed to make the surrounding area darker. "Well then…"

Cryia peeked down, whistled, and then turned back to Kale. "Yes. Well then…"

Cordia leaned forward to look at the thing and jerked back. "I think that might have been one of the reasons we never bothered to clear this place out."

"I certainly do not blame you for your trepidation, sister."

Celia wrapped herself around Nexus and looked at him. "I'm sure you'll all do fine. Just be sure to come back, okay?"

"Don't worry. We'll make sure he doesn't end up as monster chow. That was a joke," Kale added after seeing her expression worsen.

He hugged her, then gulped. "If anything, red hood over there can handle twice as much as I can, so I'll just hover close to her if things go wrong. For the time-being, Shae is a good fighter, and he's got excellent assassin's ears."

The shadow appeared behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling at Celia. "Don't worry, I'll be sure to keep him safe." His smoky frame wavered as he chuckled.

Bri was prepared now that she had time to think about how many were possibly zombies. It didn't seem as frightening as it had before. Ghosts frightened her, but not common zombies. She hoped Kale and Shae had their blades at the ready. "Here we go, sticking our noses into trouble again," she said flatly.

"For the greater good," Shae said with some venomous passion. "I can't wait to stick whatever blade I have down that red idiot's throat and make him choke on the blood he coughs up."

Nexus turned his eyes to him, and then held back a grin. "Dark, Shae. Dark. That's the first I've actually heard you pour some anger into your words."

"Actually, yes, I think this is the most altruistic thing I've ever done. Not this particular dungeon-crawl, but overall. Aside from this, I'm not really sure that any of us can claim to be part of the 'greater good' very much," Kale remarked.

"Well, we certainly won't know until we head down. Kale, take point, I'll guard the back and make sure we don't get ambushed. Let's go save the world, shall we?" Cryia floated into the air to cover their backs.

He opened the doors and a wave of dusty air mixed in with the surrounding. Regardless of what the purpose might have been, these catacombs were nothing like those he'd seen in the cities he'd visited. The floors were smooth marble, the walls were immaculate stone, and even the ceiling was tiled well. "Shut the doors behind us. If anything else is around here, I'd rather not put anyone else in danger."

The lobby having been well lit, she put the door bar back in its place and said goodbye to the world of natural light. It was also then that she noted the place was unnaturally quiet. Not even mice or rats could be heard skittering about.

"According to the floor plans they provided, we need to find the stairs descending to the second level, undo the gate mechanism, reach the third level, and find what we need in the preparation chamber. Problem being, some of these have changed, and we may take a few wrong turns. Try not to split up, and we should be fine," Kale said, looking over the papers again.

Bri winced. "That sounds like a party," she said at last. Shae nodded, and hovered close to her, glad for the protection.

"Just think. The more zombies we run across, the more protection we have," Nexus smirked. "Oh, necromancy. What would we do without it?"

They crept into the hallways, and glanced down at the line of blackened doors. Regardless of whether Bri could handle undead or not, the doorways still sent shivers down her spine, and her hair stood on end. The unknown. That's what bothered her. "Let's just hope something big doesn't live down here, and we wake it up," she said quietly. "That would be such our luck."

Shae hovered closer. "Something big?"

"Yeah. Big." She didn't say anything else, preferring to keep her own nerves under control, but she wondered just what could live so far underground in a castle as large as this one. Dragon? Maybe it was partially underwater, a cavern below the desert that held an underground lake. She blocked out the thoughts before they overwhelmed her. "Onward then, yes?"

The first few corridors went by without much problem. A few loose bones here and there made their nerves jump, but nothing quite as bad as what happened when they poorly translated the directional signs on the wall.

A single iron door stood at the end of the hallway, cracked open enough to show the shadow of the doorway. Two unbelievably preserved corpses lay up against the door with their throats torn out, a look of surprise on each of their ghastly faces.

"Anyone know what to make of this?" Kale stopped, and held an arm out to stop Shae from moving too close, and he held the light up to them in order to see.

"I'm not sure, but I think we may have company. I think I see something fluttering along at the edge of the light. I don't know…" The succubus drifted higher to see over their heads.

Bri tensed herself. "I'm ready," she said quietly. Shae slid silently up to the doorway to peek in and listened, using every sense he had to feel the vibrations through the floor. If something was there, he would be able to alert them, and at the same time, vanish back into the darkness. He was thankful he didn't have a completely solid form. Bound he was, but he still had the ability to vanish for short spurts of time. Moments like this were one of the best uses. He wondered what it would be like to get his full form back, and be one with air.

Nexus held himself ready, and crouched out of habit.

Light poured into the room, casting shadows on the wall and in the deeper nooks in the room. The grisly spectacle did nothing to Kale's and Bri's stomachs, but the sound that followed their entrance made every nerve twinge.

Ragged breath was drawn into dry airways as limbs scrawled out in every direction, trying to right their owners. Bone slowly cracked and snapped back into place, creaking as it settled and moved once more. They pushed themselves up and twisted at hideous angles, empty eye sockets turned toward their invaders.

Three, seven, twelve, Kale swore he could see even more scrambling themselves together and inching toward the doorway where he stood. "Do we have a way to turn back?" he whispered.

There was a sickening stillness in the air, the horrors before her not daring to move from their spots likely until she did. Cryia held herself at the ready and cringed as one creature snapped its arm back into place and cracked its spine. "They're coming from this direction as well. Can we fight?"

"I count fifteen, total, on my end…"

"I see ten, though coming down the hall they'd only be one or two at a time…"

Bri listened to the snapping, and then glanced around, watching Kale and Cryia count. Nexus backed up against her, and held a sword at the ready. "Now would be a really good time to do what you're really, really good at," he whispered down into her ear. Shae backed up against Bri as well, and prepared to vanish and reappear again, dodging in and out to make 'kills.' He knew the best way was Bri's way. "Unfortunately," the fool continued, "I am gifted with ice, not fire, which barely does an ounce of damage to the undead…"

"Relax you two," she said quietly to Kale and Nexus. "We don't need to turn back. Not yet." She let a bolt of light rest on her palm, and then she whispered something into it that caused it to glow red. "Come here, all you bony bastards," she said aloud, and stood apart from the crowd, shielding them from the straight on danger. "You come to me, not them."

The skeleton closest to her looked directly at her, and then back to her companions, clearly confused. Bri lowered her voice, and commanded him again. "You come to me now," the necromancer growled menacingly. His back straightened, and he took a step toward her.

"Bri, I have no idea what you just did, but these things are marching toward me now," Cryia said, backing up a step.

Kale allowed himself to smile, briefly. "Don't worry, that's supposed to happen. They should walk right past you, actually."

From the back of the chamber, one of the corpses pushed itself up with fluid motion. It blinked a few times, adjusting to the surroundings, and grabbed a dueling sword from the wall behind it. He opened his mouth to speak, and a foul green light radiated from within him.

"Hold fast, brothers, we shall not let those traitors through. All under the banner of the Warlord of Blood shall fall before us."

Kale cringed and prepared a few spells while he readied himself to lash out. "That's not supposed to happen. Definitely not."

Bri scowled and stepped forward with a snarl. She brought forth a blue light, a basic temporary magic neutralizing spell her mentors taught her to defend herself against those with elemental abilities, and aimed it directly at him. "I can tell you're the one ruining my fun," she said flatly. "I have much stronger spells than a tiny command." She shot the blue light at him, and as it touched his bones, it swallowed them. Every skeletal part of him glowed blue, and the green in his mouth flickered, but didn't yet go out. "You fight me now, coward, and leave them out of it. You want a duel?" She grabbed one of Shae's swords from his belt, and he jumped back from her, alarmed. The blade looked so much larger than her body, that he couldn't help but hide a grin while she challenged him.

"You have a duel." Nexus backed away, and hovered near Kale. "Sometimes she frightens me. I'm wondering what all she's got locked into that little, tiny, itty bitty skull of hers."

Shae nodded, but didn't say anything else, preferring to watch in case the others decided to surge forward and attack them anyway.

"So, the traitor sends witches and children in his stead now? Very well, you shall have your demise." He stretched and poised himself, barking a command in the orcish tongue at his men to remain standing. They moved back against the walls while their captain dealt with the intruding party's most dangerous foe.

Kale darted back so he was standing just behind her. "Don't go and get yourself killed now," he said, more for his own worry than hers. He took the time to go over a particular spell he'd been meaning to try out, and began whispering the incantation.

"Why does nothing ever go the way we want it to? Why does something downright horrible have to happen every time we try our hand at something?" Cryia lowered her light and watched the scene unfold.

But Bri merely shoved Kale back. "Don't break the duel by interfering," she said coldly, and her 'eyes' behind the blindfold began to glow bright red, her hair flaring out around her. She hovered a few inches above the floor, and held out two hands, one with a purple magic and the other with black. She hoped the spell deterrent would last long enough that he couldn't fire any sort of energy at her while she wound up her power.

Nexus watched, and backed against the wall, feeling a pull he wondered if the other dead things in the room felt. He grabbed ahold of Shae, and whispered, "hold onto me." The shadow looked at him with confusion, but conceded and clamped a hand down on the fool's wrist.

"What's wrong?"

"She's doing something. I don't think the vile thing at the front of the room can feel it yet, but I -." His eyes began to change from blue to red, a stark contrast on his skin, and his voice trailed off into silence.

Bri smacked her hands together, and mustered a rigging of the light spell she'd learned before, making a purple square around the two of them, and then opened one of the teeth on her skirt, tossing the vial of corpse preserving serum into the light, and turning it a glowing combination of black and purple. A fighting ring. She grabbed the sword at her hilt, and faced her enemy. "There are ground rules," she said loudly. "Your men try to pass that barrier, and it'll swallow them in a nice filling of black tar so they can't move. That black dust was enchanted to preserve corpses for weeks, and coats every bone in such a sticky substance, they'll be glued to one spot for days. You fight me, and me alone. They turn and fight them, the duel's off, and you lose," she said with a smile.

The wight shook his head and shouted more commands at his men. "Your dependency on magic is downright insulting. Impressive, but it won't save you in the long run."

He darted out and tried a few strikes. When his blade met nothing but air, he nodded and stepped back, regaining his composure. She had certainly been in enough fights to know how to dodge an attack quite well, that much was certain. Her reactions were a bit faster than they should have been, but then that was something he took into account easily.

"Not bad." He rolled his shoulders and bent his knees further, adjusting himself to better fight a target of unusual size. He stepped forth once more and switched stances as he swung this time, tossing the blade to his other hand, and spun with a neat flourish.

"No way to fight is meant to be fair," she said with another smile. "Magic is meant to dominate, the same as any blade. If anything, your dependency on a piece of limited metal is insulting." Bri lowered herself to the ground for the fight itself, and she whipped out the sword to parry a few blows. When she noted his strange spin, she let go, and let herself fall flat and limp to the floor as she had in the alley that first night meeting Kale, far too low for his blow to hit, and hoped to trip him with her size in the process.

Without meeting resistance as with the first few attacks, he faltered forward, swearing for being caught off guard. He rolled over as best he could and pushed himself back up in a springing motion. He turned around to find that his blade was a few steps away on the ground still. He adjusted his pose and adopted the stance of the monks in the west.

"I didn't say it had to be fair, I said it ill suits a person. It makes them weak, dependent, predictable in the long run."

Bri raised a brow, throwing her blade to the side, and standing perfectly straight. "A sword doesn't? Train and train for a few moves at a time, the same as training for any spell, makes one just as predictable, weak, and dependent." She reached inside now, and swore to herself. I can do this. I'll break him, and bend him to my will. But I have to believe I really can. I must, I must, learn to think like a god does. Her eyes opened, and they remained their strange shade of red.

Nexus' eyes remained so, and he tried several times to surge forward, in which Shae grabbed him and pinned him to the wall. "Ignore it, ignore it," he said, gritting his teeth. "She's not talking to you, she's talking to him. Fight it."

He felt a strange tug inside, like a hand was reaching around for his heart. He buckled over and put a hand on his stomach. For a moment he didn't move, like a statue in the truest sense. He stood up at last, and walked over calmly. When he was standing just in front of her, he reached down and grabbed her by the throat and held her up to eye level.

"When steel fails, I can kill with my hands if need be. When your magic fails, where does that leave you, witch?" He narrowed his eyes with an arrogant smirk on his face as he tightened his grip, cold as ice and unyielding like iron.

Bri choked, but she managed a coughing laugh through her pain. She rested a shaking hand on his bony shoulder, which was now in perfect reach of her height, and barked a word in a demonic language Nexus was familiar with. "Enchehr," she growled, to which Nexus immediately flung himself to the floor in a bow. Shae garbled something in a panic, and followed him down, trying to lift him back up.

Around her, a red, vicious fog began to permeate the room, and her cheeks began to grow thin and sallow. Somewhere, somewhere inside, she swore she heard Nexus' Master chuckle.

Cryia looked all around the chamber and exchanged glances with Kale. They spoke in turn, having the exact same thought.

"What… In the… Goddamned… Hell…"

She stood at full height and watched as whatever terror these undead horrors held became laughable, their bodies collapsing and bending into a reverent position with a rattling of bones, and a crunch of the occasional snapping ancient limb.

Kale glanced at the ghouls outside the ring, now resting on their knees with their heads downturned, and wondered if the cage she'd conjured up was even necessary at this point.

For the first time in his existence, the wight was horrified. Countless men had fallen to his blade and claws, and now here he was, vulnerable as a new recruit for the legion's army. Against his will, strenuous as it was, he felt himself smoothly fall down to the ground and bowed his head to glare at the floor, seething with anger.

"Traitorous bitch."

Shae said something under his breath and held onto Nexus as tight as he could, unsure if whether he would step out from the crowd or if he would remain on a knee. Bri smiled down at him, mouthful of fangs, and smiled. The teeth this time were real, and she imagined tapping into the power was what caused it. Her voice had doubled.

"Traitor you say? Air."

Nexus rose to his feet, as did the entire circle of skeletons now, and they stood wavering as if they were weak-kneed.

Cryia stared in wonder and shook her head in disbelief. Not in a century would she have expected such an incredible display. "So, do we just let them carve their way through everything they may find on the next two floors? Or should we ask them for directions?"

Kale kept his blade at the ready, but worried a little. This was far too easy. He also felt a little jealous that he hadn't been able to accomplish something quite so amazing yet. "Well, we could always use them as scouts and dummies to set off any traps that might be down there."

As the skeleton rose, his eyes widened and he smiled, despite his predicament. "You shan't have the chance, cowards. Our Lord is come, and you shall fall before his fury." He closed his eyes and prepared himself for his demise. He knew for certain that He would not be so forgiving, certainly not for failure on this great a magnitude.

Bri began to feel her power wane now. There were too many in the room to command, and her touch of doubt had begun to taint her god-like power. She hoped her friends would take a few of them out before they moved on. The draining sensation she felt in the field was starting to cloud her vision, but she held her focus on the Master's belief, lest she actually lose her strength. I will not run out of energy, she tried to convince herself. It is endless.

Cruelly, she smiled at him. "Then let's give him a beacon to come then, shall we? I'd rather get it out of the way so we can move on with our day. We have a long ways to go yet. "Behl'ahsh."

A sound echoed then from the room, almost in a linear line down the row of skeletons, starting first with Nexus. A howling sound of agony, but without any pain. He opened his mouth, and screamed as loud as he could into the sky as if someone had seared him with hot iron.

Unnerved, astonished, and unsure of what to do, Shae yelped once, and let go, backing himself against the wall, and then turning to glance at his companions. The eyes of his mask were wide, and he couldn't help but feel as though if she'd commanded him so, Nexus would have killed him. Deciding it was best to wait beside everyone else, he let the fool to his own devices, and wandered closer to them for safety. "That unholy sound… I shall hear that down into my dreams," he said, covering either side of his head. The waves of screams were rising about the room as each skeleton and corpse raised his head in a chorus of hellish shrieks that echoed from the walls, and rang in everyone's ears.

Bri held her smile, and awaited the monster. She could hold out a little longer, couldn't she? He was coming whether she was ready or not. "Be prepared," she shouted back to her friends.

Above the grating screech of shouting and howling from creatures clearly not meant to do so, Kale could barely hear the words she spoke. Unfortunately in his case, he had not had the time to do so. Time stood still for a moment as he got a clear view of the massive thing that reached the top of the stairs. The creature stood about seven and a half feet tall, and was built like an old empire god. Its entire body was covered in black tattered rags, except for the face. A sash covered from its nose downward, and the rest was concealed by a large shredded hood. The only thing that stood out was the awkward grey light that shone where its eyes should have been.

Kale was about to shout something back to them, but didn't have the chance to do so. The revenant angrily darted in his direction far faster than it should have been able to, knocking several skeletons and zombies out of his path with lazy swipes. Fearing for her, he pushed Cryia out of the way, only to be struck squarely in the chest by what was apparently a fist made of adamant.

He cursed as he flew through the chamber behind him, smacking against the wall and blacking out for a few seconds. When his eyes opened, he tried to stand up and winced at the familiar feeling of broken ribs and screamed out his warning at last.

Bri's resolve wavered, and she lost her grip on her undead slaves. She could hear their din of shrieks stop, and she saw the world around her begin to swirl. The wight before her she had bent to her will, rose to his feet with a smile. "No," she whispered, unable to muster her voice, "not again…" Her floating power vanished, the red fog cleared, and her eyes returned to their normal color behind her bandage. The second her feet touched the floor, her knees buckled under her, and everything went black.

When the fool's mind cleared, he shook his pounding head, and turned every which way to see the skeletons cease their shrieking, and gaped at his friends in confusion. When he caught sight of Bri, passed out on the floor, he froze. "Anyone else feel like giving the Master's power a try? Now would be a fantastic time to figure out how to use it," he said, and darted to the middle of the room to grab her before the wight had his chance.

Shae cursed loudly, and grabbed the other blade he still held, spinning around to face one of the skeletons in his way. "Kale! Damn!" He darted to where Kale rested, and guarded over him until he could manage to stand. "Block out the pain," he said hastily, and prepared for a confrontation with the looming beast. "Now is no time to lose yourself! Bri's out!"

"Oh come on now," he spoke, a bit of blood dribbling out, "It'll take a lot more than that to take me out…" He stood up in earnest and let Akra's consciousness meld with his own.

Don't worry, we'll get through this.

He held his hands at his sides and let the power suffuse him, making his skin look like a parchment lantern, flames dancing within.

We can't heal, that's beyond us, but we can certainly make sure we can function. Let's go save her.

He flexed his fingers and clenched his jaw, impressed at the strength he felt. This must be what greater demons feel like all the time. He brought the flames to bear in his palms and charged.

Cryia panicked, losing any sense of composure she'd been accustomed to. She pushed hard to focus and brought her mind to the forefront. A terrible threat they may be, but being overwhelmed was still always a possibility. She stilled and clenched her fists, bringing her force down on the surrounding skeletons and ghouls.

At first, they couldn't move. She focused. Then they buckled under their own weight. She focused. Bones started to snap and they thrashed about. She focused. Two dozen satisfying crunches filled the air as skulls caved in and bodies stopped moving. She smiled as she collapsed, heaving heavily and blood spilling from her nose and lips. Before a few moments passed, she slipped into blackness.

Nexus watched them begin to crumble, and noted Kale's focus and sureness. He looked around, then set Bri against the wall out of harm's way. He wasn't sure he could, but he struggled to find a way to cause a distraction, at least while the beast wandered about.

Shae followed him to the center of the room, where he stood, and looked up at the hulking beast. He'd been hit before. If anything, he'd wake back up in his little cell in Hell again. He'd really hoped not, but if it meant saving his friends, it was a better alternative. Shae grabbed his wrist, and dragged him back a ways.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving them a chance," he said simply. "I don't have the mind for fighting right now. All I want to do is get out of here. If they can gather their strength to beat it, that's fine, but I'm in no way strong enough. Bri sapped that out of me when she grabbed hold of my mind," he said, and held out a shaking claw. "The least I can do right now is buy them time. Damage to my body won't mean much compared to the rest of you."

Shae's mask grinned, and he flashed into a puff of smoke, reappearing on the other side of him. "Same here," he said, and grabbed his hand. "Together then. You round him up over there, and I'll get at him from that way," he said, pointing to the other side of the room. "Let them gather up their strength to get away, and then when we're done, we'll follow." They shook hands quickly, then darted in opposite directions.

Nexus hurled balls of ice at the monsters head, and shouted a few profanities at it, while Shae leapt forward enough to slash his arm with his silver sword, disappearing in a flash before it had time to take a swing at him in retaliation.

What unnerved Kale the most was the silence the thing managed. It didn't growl, didn't shout, didn't swear, didn't even breathe. It just continued attacking, despite what happened to it, despite the chaos of the whole situation. Kale tried his best to mirror his opponent. No sense in wasting energy being angry.

It paid no mind to the injuries on its arm, quite deep though they were. As the warlock ducked away from a few swings and made a few of his own, he figured out why. He cursed out loud as he saw the flesh and cloth mend itself even as he watched. Kill it, and do it all at once.

When the ice shards struck, Kale almost couldn't help but laugh as it turned to face the annoyance behind it. He formed the words quicker than usual and spit forth a torrent of flame from his mouth, much like a dragon. The revenant turned around again, facing his foe and took a step forward again. Kale's resolve withered a bit when he noticed a few scraps of cloth burn away with no other obvious effect. Don't give me that, we've just got to try something different.

As it turned to face Kale again, Nexus swore at the lack of damage. He amped up his distraction, and threw whole ice spears at him, sharp and large. He thought about it for a moment, trying to figure out a way to deal damage enough that it would keep its attention on him. Shae recognized the failure, but could do little more than continue to slash and dodge.

Deciding to try Bri's route, he searched his language for the word for "cold," and hurled a long, spear-like shard at him roughly the size of his arm. "Yehdeh," he barked, and as it sank itself into his arm, it sizzled with the change in temperature, and froze a chunk of the rotting flesh there about a foot across on every side of it.

Before he could do much else, the wight that Bri failed to control laid his sword heavily into the fool's ribs, and he crashed against the opposite wall with a line of fire in his side.

Kale shouted and stepped forward before hesitating. Nothing seemed to work, and there wasn't quite so much he could do as a warlock. He could try summoning up something worse, but then he'd have to deal with that on top of everything else.

You know, what's the point of this divine gift if you can't even use it? Kale paused for a moment as the ragged thing turned away from him and nodded in agreement. He strode up to it, flames flickering with renewed strength, and grabbed a hold of its now-frozen arm. His anticipation was spot on, and the resulting punch sent him flying across the room once more. He clattered against the wall and fell to his feet, the arm in his hand having been pulled from the monster's socket.

It turned to him and walked forward, slow and methodical. It raised its other arm and punched straight into the stone wall as his target ducked. In the moment that it pulled its fist from the stone, Kale darted back from the corner and grabbed the remaining wight before throwing it into the greater monster. "Are you alright?" he asked, preparing another spell.

Shae watched them nervously as he dodged and continually dove in, this time aiming for the thing's knees. Nexus' vision blurred, and he fought to stay focused. A large pool of green began to show through his clothes, and he watched it drip onto the floor.

"That's dandy," he mumbled. "No, not really, and if I keep bleeding, I'm going to wake back up in my cell and leave you all here," he grumbled, trying to force himself to sit up. "We're only on the first floor," he said with a hollow, jagged laugh. "Our necromancer, the best bet we had, is knocked out, I'm bleeding to death, you've got some ribs out of sorts, Cryia blacked out, and is bleeding from the nose and mouth… if this keeps up, we'll never even get the chance to get out of here, let alone go farther in." He coughed up a glob of blood that he spat to the floor.

Shae charged the monster in his fury, and when it turned to face him, he vanished in the air, and reappeared on the back of its neck, sword to its throat, and sliced with a loud scream. If the others didn't get ahold of their power, they were done for. Shae's concern forced him to waver, and he hovered in the same frustrating holey boat Nexus was in. He hoped his slice to the throat was deep enough to be deadly, and was thankful he'd been paranoid enough in his youth to have the blade made of silver. He would have to grab his other one from Bri when he had the chance.

The revenant swung out and tried to smash the annoying creature before him, striking only the space where it used to be every time. It paused for a moment and noticed that the large gash in its neck wasn't healing quite as quickly as it ought to have. It darted over to the corner and picked up its missing limb, letting it reattach itself.

In the time that this took, Kale scowled and cursed whatever dark thing had managed to make the undead monster. Curse it if you want, you might be able to match it one day. It flexed its wounded body and charged at the shae, then at the warlock when the irritating black thing vanished again. He leapt to the side and watched it crash into the wall with a soft thud. "Got any ideas?" Give it all you've got? "I'm being serious." Me too, we're as good as dead either way, so just dig up whatever you can muster and try it. He pondered for a moment and smiled. "Oh, that just might work."

Kale's fire died down and he stood still. All noticeable signs of his sorcery faded into a tiny red point in the palm of his hand. When the revenant charged, he braced himself for the attack and lashed out, striking the horror in the chest even as he flew across the room and felt his collarbone crack. He pushed himself to a stand and chuckled weakly. A shimmer of red light ran across the creature's body as it walked towards him.

Nexus watched, until his consciousness began to dwindle, and he faded in and out. He fought hard not to pass out. He knew full well if he did, he wouldn't wake up where he belonged, and without Bri, the group was in trouble as it was. Shae was doing pretty well for a distraction, and he smiled at his convenient ability, simple though it may be.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow. A young woman stood off to the side, out of place from the rest of the scenery. "Oh no," he said under his breath, and watched her begin to fade into white. "Here we… here we go," he said weakly, and lost control of the arm holding him up.

Shae yelled to Kale, and then forced himself to dive again at the monster's throat. "Whatever you're doing, Kale, hurry up because we just lost three teammates," he shouted, "we're next!" His frustration was beginning to rock him. "We aren't cut out for this mess, we need to high-tail it back out of here to recuperate, and come back later!"

The monster gripped the annoying thing out of the air and threw him back. It turned its attention to the elf-thing that refused to stay down and raised its fists again.

"Stay back and enjoy the show, Shae," Kale called out before being pummeled. He made no effort to defend himself, reminded that none was needed. Bones broke and flesh tore, and still he was laughing as loud as his punctured lung allowed him to. It all fell into place as he felt the process reversing. The revenant continued trying to smash his victim into paste, noting that it was starting to heal faster than it could cause him damage. It looked around, suspecting more allies were using sorcery to mend it, and then it saw itself.

Kale stood up and dusted himself off, watching as the creature withered slowly, looking more like a cartoonish scarecrow than an undead monster. It tried to back up as the warlock approached, but its legs wouldn't support its weight anymore. Kale scowled at the thing as he stomped on its head with a sickening crunch, feeling better than he had in years.

"Bring the wounded to me, quickly. I cannot hold onto its life force for too long before I steal it permanently. I can, however, share it with those it sought to destroy."

Shae gasped, then dodged to the side, holding onto his injured left arm, and dragged Nexus near to him. "Get him quick before the Devil does," he said hastily, then dodged off to grab Bri from against the wall. He wasn't sure if she was dead or not. As far as he could understand, she was still breathing, but very lightly. "Also, you might want to fix your girl first. I guess which one of them is up to you, but frankly, if he goes back to Hell, that's one more adventure we're going to have to face. And one I'd rather not do, thank you very much," he grimaced. "Sorry, Bri dear."

"That won't be necessary, I think." He spoke the commanding word a few times, each utterance bathing one of them in the same red light he'd cast earlier. He felt his seemingly boundless power dwindle away, leaving him incredibly drained, but still able to hold himself up and maybe defend himself. Though it couldn't have been anywhere near what the ragged thing felt, it was an agonizing process nonetheless. Flesh mended, skin closed, and color returned to their faces.

When he felt that they should be okay, he ceased the flow and allowed his body to process the new energy as his own. He dropped to the floor and held his head in his hands, fighting off the oncoming headache and sense of exhaustion.

"Please don't ever make me do that again until I've properly learned how."

28: C#27 - Leoric and Bartuc

Cryia stood up at long last, observing the bloody scene before her. She crawled over to Kale and leaned against the wall next to him, waiting for her friends to regain consciousness. Her face contorted as she sensed the oddness of his vitae, then her eyes shot open when she realized what he'd done. "Congratulations dear, you're one step closer to becoming a demon in your own right. Just remind me never to anger you in the future."

Shae stared at Kale. "I didn't know you could do that," he said simply. "You always seem the most normal of us all, and here you are. You drained a monster of its life force, and returned that power to your fallen friends. I am thoroughly impressed. If Bri had been stronger, she would have been able to handle the power given to us, but alas, she was not. This is our lesson. We are not strong enough to wield it yet. I will wait before I try to tap mine now."

Nexus felt a feeling similar to floating upward through water, and when he opened his eyes and saw dry land, he was confused. He sat up, head swimming, and groaned in pain. "Well. This isn't my cell, so I know I'm not dead and in Hell, which is good news." He looked around, and saw Bri next to him. "And it looks like the short one is going to be okay too, as soon as she wakes up." He groaned again, tried to stand, and collapsed again. "I think I'm going to rest here a moment. I have to admit, she had me pretty much under her thumb there for a while. She really should do this around Splice sometime," he mumbled under his breath. "We'd at least be able to pin him in one place."

Kale rolled his head side to side weakly. "Shae, I didn't think I could do that. I remembered hearing about it in stories my father told me to frighten me when I was a boy. Something about Sulareial draining his victims like a spider, and that it would happen to me if I didn't wash the walls properly. Now I know that I can actually do that, so I think I'll practice it, just to spite the bastard."

"Good to know we managed to pull ourselves from the brink of death yet again. How many times will this work though? How many lives do we really have before our luck runs out?" Cryia huffed.

He shrugged and smiled through the soreness in his shoulders. "Hopefully infinite. If we can stay this lucky, we'll be able to save the world and even have tea every week when this is all said and done. Also, yes, that is a terrific idea, Nexus. Don't know if she'll be able to make it work with all the artifacts he has. That is, unless, we steal them from him, somehow… Actually, I'll start making that Plan A."

"That sounds like a blast," he said with a nod. "There's just one problem with that. Anything she commands him to do, I do too. We're going to need to figure out a way where I'm so out of reach, she can't command me, but manage to trap him where he can't come track me down, and stay within her reach." He rubbed a temple. "Ow, my head."

Bri shifted, groaned, and then opened her eyes. At first, all she saw was her bandage, until she pulled it off and looked around. Her eyes were back to their normal color again, but she could tell she'd messed up. Looking around at the wreckage, and Nexus' green-stained clothes, she knew something had gone horribly wrong. "I'm going to guess I finally lost power, and all of you danced at the edge of death. Again."

Nexus nodded, but then commended her on her commanding ability. "That was pretty good, but now let's do that sometime around Splice, yes?"

"I didn't think I could do that. I'm going to have to practice that at will. He's surely stronger than he was before. If I'd ever commanded him in the past when we'd met him, I'm sure I could have at least crippled him." She groaned. "Why didn't I ever think of that?"

"You managed on a way larger scale before," he said, pointing to the mess of bones. "This should have been a toy to you, especially after you managed to figure the Master's power. What happened?"

She shrugged, and rested her head back down on the ground.

Kale reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out an intricately engraved mithril flask. "I must say, for all that you managed, I'm surprised you held out that long. These guys were tough, minus the captain – the giant thing had to break him to get him to stay down." He took a swig of the elven tea he'd been saving for the right occasion and sighed. "I'm not opposed to staying here and resting until it doesn't hurt to stand. Any objections?"

"Just one," a gravelly voice called out from the staircase in the next chamber over.

Kale cursed under his breath and forced himself to stand and hold his sword in the doorway, blocking whatever it was from them even as his grip wavered. His jaw dropped as he saw what came through the archway, and the others, including Bri, gasped.

It hovered a foot in the air, desiccated flesh and muscle clinging to the bone, bright blue lights glowing in the eye sockets, and a tattered robe that might have been beautiful ages ago, hung loosely around the shoulders. On either side of him hovered two phantasmal figures, their colors shifting between the usual blue hues of ghosts to the foul black of wraiths.

Kale dropped his blade and closed his eyes. "We're done."

The lich smiled and crossed his arms, waiting patiently.

Bri raised a brow. "Of course. I have no more juice in me, sorry guys." She sank back down to the floor to wait it out. Nexus groaned and rubbed his temples again.

"It. Never. Ends."

Shae sat back, and looked at Kale and Cryia. "Does anyone object to just laying here? I don't think any of us has the strength to fight a lich. If the necromancer's done, I am too." He sheathed his blade, and then remained where he sat on the floor, as casual as he could muster. "So what exactly do you want? Same as the rest?"

"Before we continue, you all are really here, yes?" He scanned the room, drifting to the center and surveying the carnage. "Oh, I guess you are. My usual hallucinations aren't this vivid. Besides, I don't think I could dream you up. You're definitely not from my region or era."

Kale shook his head and looked at the lich in confusion. "Hallucinations? What are you, mad?"

The lich nodded with a somber look on his face before the somewhat pleasant smile appeared. "I believe I am. Please, tell me, what year is it right now?"

Cryia was about to speak, and then recognized the patterns on the garb the lich wore. "Well, it's the year 529 by the Empire Calendar. If that doesn't make any sense to you, I understand. If those are the markings of Caxen as I think they are, then by your mark it should be the 3,297th year. You've been down here quite a long time, haven't you?"

Nexus winced. "Chit-chatting with a mad lich in a place where we could all possibly die with no escape of any kind, at any second. Sounds exactly like us." He struggled to sit himself up farther, and lean against the wall, still feeling nauseous.

The shadow was unsure of what to say. "I have no idea what the Empire Calendar year is. I never pay any attention to it. I didn't need to, technically. Nexus is five hundred years old, so I'm guessing you're way, way older than that," he said simply, then took a mental note of what Cryia had just said. He was a little embarrassed not knowing how to read a calendar, let alone one the Empire itself had set forth.

Nexus threw him an awkward glance, and then remembered his comment on the desert.

Bri quirked a brow. "You're a lich, and you hallucinate? That's different. Can't say I've ever met an undead with that sort of problem before."

His jaw dropped and the orbs of light that served as his eyes shrunk into fine points. "I-It's… It's been that long? I hadn't…" His gaze shifted to the floor and he whispered a small prayer for those that had passed. Suddenly, his head perked up in a happy grin. "Actually, nevermind, I can't be angry. I hated most people that I spoke with before I wound up here. I can only assume that life has gotten better than it used to be. As far as age, going from the numbers you gave me, I think… 3,053."

He waved his shades away and let his mind adjust. "Oh, terribly sorry. My name is Melicard. Also, terribly sorry about the minions, they tend to do what they want. In this case, what was last commanded to them by their respective commanders." He channeled the energy into one of his more complex spells and released it in a large wave.

Kale's vision went white for a moment. When it returned, the first thing he noticed was that he was not dead, nor on fire. In fact, he felt almost as good as he did when he drained the revenant. His muscles weren't sore, he wasn't bruised, and he wasn't in the least bit tired. "Definitely not something I expected to be in your magical repertoire."

Cryia stood up and bowed in appreciation at the gesture, thankful that she could hover again without strain or effort. "Oh dear gods, thank you. I didn't think we'd make it, honestly."

"Well, it's the least I can do. It seemed awfully rude to let you struggle against something I could have prevented in less than a minute." He shrugged and drifted over to Bri. "You must realize that the mind can only take so much, even naturally grand and enhanced like mine. For a while, I couldn't make sense of the visual chaos that my psyche created in its solitude. I fixed this by creating illusory creatures to speak with. I learned a lot this way, actually… I am so glad you arrived, however."

Nexus wasn't sure how to open his mouth anymore, and stared dumbly. "You remind me of a friend we have," he said, and glanced at Kale.

The halfling was still choking on her words. "Well, I can move again. And I don't feel like I'm in a haze, and you haven't killed us yet, so I'm just going to assume you're not going to kill us like we thought when you first came in. So that's definitely a better start than where we were when we first stepped foot in this place." She forced herself to rise to her feet, and helped Shae up off the floor. The shadow was wavering a little in anticipation. "Also, don't mind him. He's always on guard," she pointed to Shae.

Embarrassed, he wavered some more, and then glared at Bri. "We're one big group of misfits, as you can plainly see," he tried a smile. Trust was something he was trying to work on, so he figured he may as well start now.

"Kill you? No, I certainly wouldn't do that. Soul-trap you for an eternity, maybe, but you've done nothing hence to deserve that. In fact, I require your assistance with something, for which your reward will be great."

He pondered for a moment and tapped his chin. "Also, if you have a friend like me, then I weep for you. I am not one to make friends with for very long, with the exception of my brothers, perhaps, but they know how to deal with me, and I them. You remind me of ourselves, actually. We didn't truly belong anywhere in particular either, until we made a new purpose for ourselves."

He cast a long, angry glare at the stone floor, slowly turning into a peaceful smile. "But now I can return to them. Please, follow me. I will keep the remaining miscreant undead at bay."

They followed him through the corridors, down the stairs, through a maze they likely never would have been able to navigate, and lastly down the grand staircase. Cryia instinctively gasped in horror at the scene before her. Skeletons lay at the bottom on spears imbedded on the floor, still grasping at the weapons, trying desperately to cling to their lives. Others had broken bones and even missing limbs, scattered carelessly along the wall where they had been thrown or blown back. Despite the time that had passed, the great volume of blood that covered the floor, walls, and even some of the ceiling was still fresh. "What happened here?"

"My guess would be that," Kale responded, pointing at the pair of skeletons at the back of the chamber, still standing. They had run each other through with swords and gripped each other's throats, even as they met their deaths. A silvery blue crown adorned the head of one, while his foe bore one of reddish gold.

"Oh, would you look at that," Nexus said with exaggerated elegance. Bri looked around at the blood, and then poked Nexus' arm.

"That looks familiar, don't you think?"

"Indeed," he said again, and then turned to their host. "At least you seem to get along with your brothers," he said with some distaste. "I would prefer mine be locked down here in punishment. At least it would probably be better than in Hell, where he consistently seems to break out."

Shae tipped his head. "Why were the two of those bags of bones fighting exactly?"

Melicard shook his head and frowned. "I did not mean brothers, literally. They were eleven of my greatest friends, and we embraced this destiny together," he said, gesturing at his necrotic form. "Still, they were closer than any other person or being was to me, and I them. It will be good to see them once more."

He turned his attention to the standing skeletons. "What you see before you is actually still going on. The one in gold is King Leoric, while his opposite is King Bartuc. They were great men in their time, legends that dominated the land and brought it to lasting peace. For a few decades this lasted, until something ill had befallen Leoric, forcing his hand as you see… Bartuc had always been the more temperate one, relying on his great strength and use of safe magic to ensure his victory. Leoric, meanwhile, had bound several great daemons to himself to bring his triumph to bear."

The lich shook his head and sighed. "He had always kept them in check and forced subservience from them, but with no trials or challenges, he grew complacent and began to listen to them as they whispered terrible things, slowly slipping down the path of acceptance. One day, he finally gave in and sought to bring the lands under his rule alone… They are still fighting now. Though their flesh has deteriorated and their kingdoms have long since given way to better things, their spirits and wills remained behind and war in an eternal stalemate."

Shae exchanged glances with Nexus, and his mask shown something the fool tried to block out. "Yes, yes, I know," he said irritably to the shadow. He watched the two struggle, then he turned to the lich. "It just so happens my brother is after the gold crown you see, and I'm trying to stop him. Therefore, I've been after the blue one."

Bri tensed, awaiting a resistance. She watched the lich carefully, watching his reaction from under her hood, and hoped for the best. Fighting him would be difficult. No, impossible. Fighting the two skeletons alone, without the lich involved, would be hard enough.

The shae watched the two struggle, and shook his head. "Amazing how time can curse a person to do this forever after, even when they don't realize it."

Melicard allowed himself to smile. "I'm glad to hear you say that. I need them dead, permanently. You see, Bartuc hid a vast amount of his treasure somewhere in here, but it would only open when he spoke the commanding word, or upon the time of his death. Apparently, this didn't count. Among his horde there is a large jeweled staff that I need. It was the original reason that I came down here, but the chambers were sealed before I had even gotten through the first floor. I have been waiting for it ever since."

Kale glanced around the room and tried to add things up. "Wait, how does that make sense? I've only seen one thing in my life thus far that could match the apparent power you hold. Why not just disintegrate them and be done with it?"

"Warlock, I have been down here for several millennia. Don't you think I have tried that already?" He tightened his hands into fists, crackling with energy. "I need someone to distract them. I could not have fended them off by myself and work the spell to drain their wards and augmentations, not with how miserable I am at swordplay. You will have to steal their crowns and fight them until I can destroy them."

"Normally I'm not too enthusiastic about getting into trouble of this magnitude, but imagine what else must be counted among the king's riches…"

"Indeed, you can have everything else – I just need the Anchoring Staff. Who among yourselves do you count as the best swordsman?"

The shadow pointed directly at Kale. "I have too thin a sword for direct smashing, but he can handle that the best."

The demon placed his palms in the air. "I'm better with magic, and frankly, if you say they have wards and such, I don't think I'm going to help much. I can freeze the floor, and try my hand at ruining their good time, but that's about all. Swords aren't my strong point."

Bri shrugged. "I command the undead, but I doubt that will work if they're enchanted to be stuck like this. I'm with the jester at swordplay. I'm better at telling a skeleton to hold one for me."

Kale nodded and sighed. "Figures, the one time I'm good at something it plays against my favor. Fine, I'm sure I can cross blades with two undead kings that the ravages of time and death couldn't stop. How hard can it be?"

Melicard looked around guiltily. "That's certainly one way of putting it. I'm afraid it won't be that easy, however. When you attack them, a ghost wall will rise around them. This means they," he gestured at his companions, "won't be able to help you in any capacity. I can promise you that, at the most, you'll only need to hold them off for about a minute. After that, I can fix any damage you might incur during the battle."

Cryia drifted over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Kale, are you sure about this? If you get killed here, they're going to make you uphold your end of the bargain and keep you there for twenty-five years, doing their bidding. You won't be able to escape like Nexus or I…"

Kale shrugged and drew his sword, walking over to Bri and smiling. "I've certainly got to try. My life isn't the only one on the line anymore." He glanced over at Nexus and nodded. "I'd hate to see all our collective progress and good fortunes come to an end because of this." He picked up the halfling and kissed her before setting her down and walking to the pair of kings. "Let's do this."

Bri felt a tug at her heart, and she forced herself to stay back. At the same time, she felt a part of her pull at something else inside. If something were to happen, she knew she could reach it. She'd pull the plug in half a heartbeat.

Nexus felt her disturbance, and felt her be ready to reach for it, and he felt the hair prickle on his neck. He rested a hand on her little shoulder, and shook his head. She turned sideways, glaring at him with a single eye, but relaxed a little.

With an arrogant smile, he reached up at the two figures and ripped the crowns from their heads, tossing them back to the pair of demons behind him. He looked around and waited, wondering if Melicard had just imagined the whole story until he saw their heads turn, and look directly at him.

With that, he heard the lich begin his chanting, and he stepped back a foot to give them a chance to ready their stances. He watched their footing and their hands as he raised his own sword to block Bartuc's incoming attack.

The first thing he noticed was that the pair were immensely strong, causing him to slide back a foot from the force of the blow. He recoiled back a step before regaining his posture. The next thing he noticed, as Leoric readied his black sword, was that their form and technique were incredibly sloppy. As he dodged the next few attacks and parried another, he scoffed at them. They looked more like children lumbering with heavy sticks that they weren't taught how to use. How they conquered the entire continent was quickly becoming beyond him.

He dipped beneath a swing for his head, deflected a downward strike, and used the momentum from his position as he slid backward to leap forward, making a few moves of his own. A howl of pain followed by clattering reached his ears as he turned back to see Bartuc missing a few fingers and rib fragments. Leoric reacted by charging in, a bit faster than he'd expected, and caught Kale in the arm with the broad tip of his blade.

It was all he could do to not scream out loud and drop his own sword. He stepped back and switched hands, staring at the deep cut and noticing that it hadn't bled as bad as it rightly should have.

"Just a bit longer! They're a bit stronger than I'd anticipated – it should only be a minute more."

"Oh, good, I was starting to worry that this wouldn't be any fun." He winced as he changed up his stance and readied to dodge before an idea struck him. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was certainly worth a shot.

Bri snarled at the stab, and lurched forward a bit. Nexus balanced the crown on one hand, and then held her back with the other, and Shae placed his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

Instead of allowing them to work together, which surprised him to begin with, he decided to make their awkward momentum work to his advantage. Rather than jumping from the large sweep of the blade Leoric readied, he shifted just a few feet to his left, dropping flat to the ground as he swung. Kale rolled and pushed himself up, watching as the black sword imbedded itself in its rival's ribcage, nearly carving into the spine.

Bartuc shouted and punched Leoric, causing both to recoil and glare at one another before turning their attention back to their attacker. Kale growled and made a note that if he lived through this, he'd learn how to control undead like Bri did.

They charged at him, and he at them, though instead of crossing blades with either of them, he slid across the floor between them, missing the arc of steel that would have cleaved him in half. Bartuc had quickly sized up his opponent, however, and held his strike until after he had maneuvered past Leoric's. The result was that Kale ended up with a severed tendon in his left shoulder, losing all use of that arm and losing a fair amount of blood.

The kings raised their swords high in the air, nodding to one another in triumph. They marched toward their would-be killer, savoring the moment of dread they instilled in the elf-thing before preparing to remove his head. Leoric rested the tip of his black blade on Kale's neck and looked him square in the eye as he poised for the strike.

A torrent of fire erupted where the king stood, halting his movement as they consumed everything they touched. Kale tucked his head into his good shoulder and shrunk back as best he could. The familiar clamor of steel on stone and the unusual sound of hollow skulls bouncing and rolling filled the air. He turned to the lich behind him and fell to the ground. "Too close, friend. Way too close."

Shae walked up, checking the gash that he held on his shoulder. "Hopefully he can fix that," he said, shaking his head. "That was quite a show, Kale."

Bri was furious, and picked up both the king's skulls as she walked by. She grinned at them, and controlled the bones to click their teeth at her. "We're going to be best friends," she chuckled, tucking them into a pouch she held at her waist. "I will be taking these. I'll enjoy making them my puppet's someday," she spat.

Nexus nodded. He understood her reasoning. In fact, it would be suiting. Without their enchantments, they would be nothing but skeletons once they had been attached to new bodies. She searched the bones for their hands, and Bartuc's missing fingers. When she collected them all, she broke the knuckle bones off, and stuck them in the pouch as well. "Divination," she smirked evilly, "from two undead kings is pretty powerful."

Melicard drifted over and touched a desiccated hand to Kale's head and streamed the energy into him, taking special care to ensure the sinew and muscle reconnected properly. He noticed Kale trembling and gritting his teeth and wished that he could have performed this in a more delicate manner. The lich's jaw clamped shut as he realized something else had made the spell more difficult.

"I'm sorry about this next part, but unless you want to remain cursed, I have to do this." He pushed a surge of light into the warlock, illuminating his entire body from the inside. He cringed as he heard the scream rip through the air, but maintained the spell until he saw the dark spot clinging to his heart dissipate. A quick wave of his hand numbed the pain from the earlier spell, and he guiltily looked at his patient to ensure he was alright.

Kale groaned and rolled around on the ground, hands in his face. "That's it, I quit. You all can take care of whatever we fight next, I need a vacation." He stood up and chuckled as he picked up the blades of the two kings before handing them over to Melicard. "I don't know where you're going, but please keep these things far away from the rest of the world."

The lich nodded and tucked them into his belt loops. "Sorry about that. I know a thousand ways to kill a man, but putting him back together is what gives me trouble."

Kale patted him on the shoulder. "I'm still breathing, not horribly disfigured or disabled, and I'm not hexed or anything. I can't really ask for much more." The sound of stone shifting caught his attention. He looked around and saw a panel of the chamber wall rising to give way to a second chamber just as large as this one. His jaw dropped as he pointed to the treasure room. "…Except maybe that," he added as he turned to his friends with a greedy grin on his face.

29: C#28 - Centuries of Fortune

Bri's eyes lit up. "Wow."

Shae peered over Nexus' shoulder, and whistled. "Well now, I imagine that's worth waiting for, Melicard. I sure know that'd be worth it for me."

The fool checked the interior, sniffing the air for any traps or intruders. "So far nothing. It seems pretty safe, but I've been wrong before."

The lich rolled his eyes and drifted over to the vault. "Honestly, what kind of king would trap his own treasure horde?" He picked up a handful of gold and platinum coins and tossed them into the air, clinking wherever they landed. "We're fine, just come in and find something you like."

The fool shrugged, impishly. "With our luck?"

Melicard dug through a few bags and pulled out what looked like a rusted iron bar about two thirds his height. It glinted red and brown like dried blood in the light. "Here, Kale, take this. I'm certain it'll help you out in the future." Moving onto another bag, he reached in and held aloft a staff of white quartz that held a diamond at its top. "This… this was all I needed. So long, so long, and now I have it. We can finally manage our dream…" He drifted out and set it in the center of the room, reading it for magic to confirm what he'd believed.

Kale held the heavy pole in his hands and spun it around a few times. It seemed lighter than it should have been for something so large. He stared at it for a moment before realizing he could see tiny fiery runes in the devil tongue that shifted in and out of view. "El…Driz? Draz…Kel…Aas... Ah, Eldraz Kelaas." The thing churned in his hands, radiating an energy that thrummed in harmony with his own. The top of the staff warped and sharpened like a spear's.

"Whoa." He tapped the flat end into the ground and grinned as he saw wisps of smoke rise from the charred stone. He knew what he should do with it then. He took the base in his hand and held it behind his back, wincing as it became flexible and melded with his flesh to form a tail like the lesser demons had in the old books. He swished it around a few times before curling it around his waist and chuckling. "So, that's pretty neat."

The shadow walked through the valley of gold and jewels. "I've never seen so much in one place. I imagine if the Red Devil had any sense of money, he would have tried to raid this years ago. Alas, the only thing he cares about is self-gratification. Luckily though, because some of the things in here would be deadly in his grasp." He found something that looked like a golden container, and lifted the lid. He cried out as a smoky, sticky mass grabbed hold of his hand, and swallowed him up, forming a black and silver set of armor as thin as himself. He stared for a moment, panting in terror, and then tapped the hard metal. "Well," he said at last, and relaxed enough to smile, "well, now… that's… I like it!"

"Fits you," Nexus said. "You better take its container too, lest it eat whatever room we live in when we get back." Wandering through, he caught sight of a black staff with a black and blue star at the tip. He gawked back down at his uniform, and then gingerly touched it. He held it up and smiled at everyone else. "Fits me," he said and then twisted what looked like a switch at the tip of the star. A swirling blue water slid from the flat end, and formed what looked like a small watery child with long arms, and flowing, snake-like hair. It stared at him, and he stared back at it.

Bri turned and caught sight of it, thinking it an enemy. "Watch it," she said, and winced. "That's an elemental, Nexus. They've got nasty tempers, no matter the size."

"Here Bri, this suits you," Shae shouted, and tossed her a ruby surrounded in gold wire in the shape of a butterfly. She placed it at the nape of her hood, and gasped when she suddenly saw three ghosts standing in the chamber in the corners, watching them. They didn't move, and they didn't look malicious, but one turned and pointed to her.

"I see ghosts," she said, a touch of fear in her voice. When she waved at it, it waved back. "And apparently they can see me too."

"Treasures abound. No wonder this room was bound this tight," Shae said, and yanked the black, sticky tar back off his body, and returned it to its chamber.

Cryia squealed as she picked up the heavy ebony necklace from the marble bust it was laid on. The pendant was beautiful, the shape of a woman surrounded a silhouette of a spider twice her size. She laughed and placed it around her neck, letting it dangle just between her breasts.

Kale blinked. "Are you serious? An ancient artifact of great power, and you're using it as cleavage candy?"

She huffed, smirked, and put her hands on her hips. "And why not? It certainly fits the theme of the woman on the centerpiece. Not to mention the enchantment woven into it, which is definitely better than I could have worked if I had ten years to do so." She drifted lazily into the air, laying down and concentrating. "It feels like I'd been focusing my talents for twice as long as I really had. I'm betting if I'd had this, I wouldn't have blacked out when I crushed all those skeletons on the first floor." Her eyes shot open as a wicked thought crossed her mind. "Hmmm, I wonder what exactly I could do to a person now. I think… nevermind." She stopped talking and righted herself again, biting her lip and letting her imagination run wild.

"Well, dear friends, I fear this is where we must part. I know it's not been long since we met, but with this being the first meaningful contact I've had since feudal times, I wish you to have this." He produced a small silver ring from his robe pocket and handed it to Kale. "It may be quite some time, probably long after your trials are completed. I wish you luck and safety. I will find you all again someday after the Forging of Alkosh is complete."

He tapped the staff into the ground and drew a huge arc in the air, leaving a searing white line in its path. Between the lines, reality gave way to a dark and infinite cosmos littered with stars and nebulae of color that defied conventional sight. He reached through the doorway and called out a strange word to the void. Another door opened some distance away, and he drifted out to it, closing the door behind him, where the world shuddered back to its normal form.

"That was fun," Bri said with a smile. "I can appreciate the treasure too. I feel bad he had to wait so long for a door to open."

The fool shrugged, and then turned his eyes from the elemental to the group. "I don't want to put it back, I'm afraid I'll piss it off," he said and held a palm out to it. The creature tipped its head, and did the same. "It looks like a child."

The shae nodded. "They're intelligent. You clearly don't know much about how elementals work. Just mind its name. That seems to be the end of quite a few adventurers. Ask it if you can call it something in your tongue, and make sure it likes it first." He smirked.

Bri nodded, then felt the energy pulse through her. "I can command ghosts now," she thought with a slow smile. "I just opened up a whole new branch of necromancy. That will be pretty useful. Especially on a battlefield. It's way easier to command a spirit than to take the energy to raise a corpse from the ground. Let alone an army."

"I have to say, this was the best horde of treasure I've ever seen. Your brother doesn't even have a trove as magnificent as this. But I'm afraid I've grabbed all I wanted. The armor this little being provides is fair enough for me, and it adds an extra dose of speed as well as armor. It… thinks, too, actually. I swear I heard a voice when it covered me."

"Yep, I think this was worth the broken bones and nearly dying a few times getting here," Kale said, tail swishing back and forth behind him as he spoke. "Oh, one last thing." He darted over to the vault and picked up a black fabric pouch with purple and gold embroidery lining it and shoveled as much coin as he could fit into it. After several handfuls, he looked inside and faced the group.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when I owned a Bag of Holding. I thought these things were just spoken of in books and lost to the world. Well, I suppose this one was, but that's beside the point. I think this is the best piece in this whole room."

"Wait, how does that make any sense? Bri can reach beyond the material to command spirits, I can probably charm a man into giving me his house, Shae is probably faster and harder to kill than you are now, and Nexus has an elemental staff with an actual elemental now that will make his mastery of frost ridiculous. Not to mention that you've got an actual devil's tail, which will likewise amplify your warlock powers that you didn't even work for. Yet this tiny magic bag is the most impressive thing you can claim to have found in your adventuring career? How does that make any sense?" The succubus sighed and put her face in her palm when she saw that he had no intention of leaving even a single silver piece in the horde. "I guess you really haven't changed that much in the long run."

Bri raised a finger. "Technically, he's right. A Bag of Holding almost never runs out of space. He could probably fit every single piece of gold and artifact in this room inside of there and walk out with it without the weight, or the bag ripping or even looking like it's full of anything. That's how valuable it is. Frankly, I'm fine with what I've got, plus a few gold pieces for food and rooms. Provisions in the next town or whatever are all I need aside from the ability to tell a ghost to kill itself," she laughed.

The shae and the fool exchanged glances. "I had no idea what a Bag of Holding was. I want one now," Nexus groaned. "That is the coolest thing I think I've ever heard. Can you fit a lamp inside of it?" Shae smacked his brow.

"Probably, Nexus, if it fit in the opening to the bag. You can't just shove a golden chair inside of it. It has to fit too."

"I don't really think we need to go further down. We've got the crowns, and a cartful of other goodies to go along with it. I can't really sense anything else down here. I think Melicard killed everything else as we followed him. So, I guess return to the surface, tell Azren and Cordia the good news, and rest for a day before continuing our arduous journey? Oh, and Celia is probably worried sick. How long have we actually been gone?"

"By my reckoning, I suppose an hour and a half now. It seemed like an eternity when we were fighting, but now that that's all done… I could really use a bath." Cryia grimaced.

"That's all? Wow, it was sure luck finding him down here then. That fixed a whole train full of problems." Bri stretched, and her back cracked. "Just as well too. As far as this place goes down, and we almost died on the first floor of it, I'm pretty damn glad it's over. Let's go then. I would love to relax a while before we move on."

Nexus tossed the crown in his hand, and inspected the gems. Bartuc's was elegant and simple, while Leoric's was a little more wild in design. "That fits him so much," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm really glad we got these. Especially his. That will put a pretty big deterrent on his plan, as long as his little wraith friend stays the hell away from us."

"At least you have yours too. You're the first step on your way as well. Even if your brother has two of his artifacts, you now have a hold of him by the scruff of his neck. He can't progress if you have the final piece. Just be careful he doesn't pull the same card on you." The shadow tapped his mask. "Think first, act later."

Kale couldn't help himself. He inched over to Bri sideways and wrapped his tail around her waist and dragged her closer to him, at which point he looked up at the ceiling humming to himself. His eyes opened completely and he pointed to Nexus. "Oh my gods. You have to take off your hat now to wear the crown."

Bri and Shae turned their heads to stare at him, and then Bri turned her head back to Kale with a weird smirk on her face.

"That… yeah. Yeah you do," Shae said, and then reached out to grab one of the prongs to yank it off. Nexus jumped back and raised his hands in the air.

"Nuh uh. No. That's not going to happen for a long while, and even then, I'm going to be sure none of you are there. Just to spite you, Kale."

He folded his arms and frowned while muttering something in old elvish. "So, uh… anyone remember how to get back through the maze?"

----------

So how was I supposed to know that was the wrong one? Look, it fit the description that I read in the book, and it was indeed in the same desert the volume referenced. I cannot be correct all of the time if I'm the only one doing work here. He drifted to the opposite end of the road and threw his hands into the air. The least you could have done was ask around the damned village just to double check before you went ahead and got yourself vilified by the locals.

He raised his hands to his eyes and sighed. I've tried the most powerful scrying I know of, and I cannot find them anywhere. Our best bet is to try and find an academy or guild for wizards and search for texts involving the pieces of your brother's set, which I had heretofore no knowledge of. I don't even know what exactly we're looking for. And this is still somehow my fault, right?

The red jester growled through his teeth. "You're the one with the most information on it. All I know is that I read what pieces mine were in a book. It didn't say anything about my brother owning a set either. Now that I know he's after one too, we have to at least grab his before he has the chance." He tapped his chin, and forced himself to calm. When he threw Kylin a wicked grin, he couldn't help but remember the whole reason behind it all. "Remember, Kylin. It's not all your fault, after all. This is mostly just fun and games. Don't take things so seriously. Once we get him where we need him, all I'm going to do is torment his little friends and then give him a heavy dose of pain before he falls back into Hell again. We've done this dance for several centuries now."

He tossed the crown to the other side of the room, and watched it bounce. The echo reverberated off the ruined walls, and he crossed his legs in thought in the old, broken chair. There were several ways they could go now. They could find the final crown of his own, or they could find and destroy his brothers. The second option sounded like more work than fun, and he finally conceded he'd rather stick to finding his own. If his brother's crossed their path, then he would destroy the piece. "Sounds like a plan to me," he said aloud. "Besides, they still need the binding tomes, right?"

Kylin stayed silent for a moment, nodded, turned away and rolled his eyes in amusement. If only all subjects were this easily manipulated, he thought to himself as he drifted away.

----------

Half an hour after they turned back, they finally staggered through the doorway into the main palace. "I swear to gods, if I ever find another maze in my life, I am going to melt it so that others don't have to suffer through their sadistic brand of evil ever again." Kale sighed and leaned against the wall.

Cryia hummed quietly to herself as she drifted by Kale, patting him on the head and finding a cushioned bench to lie on for a while.

Celia jumped up and ran down the ramp to the door, tackling Nexus to the ground. "Sorry, I didn't mean that. I was worried, that was all. Thank the gods you're alright."

"As long as you don't steal my hat," he said, tugging it down over his eyes and smiling at her. Bri and Shae exchanged a look.

"You're going to have to nab it when he sleeps," she joked.

The shadow sighed, and then sat down on the ground, folding his legs, and inhaling the fresh air, glad the stench of death and decay was gone now. The short time he'd spent down there, he'd forgotten what normal air was like.

Bri enjoyed it too, and took a deep breath. Sleep. It was the only thing that washed over her mind, and the wave of exhaustion hit her like a brick. "Regardless of how he rejuvenated us, I feel like I'm eighty years old, and my bones are cracking. Let's tell Nexus'… spawn, I guess, that the halls are clear. That's our ticket to bed."

Kale groaned and started up the ramp. He posed dramatically, raised his arm in the air, and with a thick empire accent, shouted, "Alas! A hero's work is never done!" He looked around at the confused glances and nodded. "Yep, that settles it. I really do need to sleep. A short coma will be nice."

"You certainly do deserve that, a large feast, and probably a little more," Cryia retorted, rolling her eyes and pursing her lips. She quickly floated away from the group and shouted out to the main antechamber, "We're back!"

Azren sat up from his half of the throne, set down his book, and walked out to meet them. "Oh, how wonderful! I was actually afraid that I might start worrying about you."

Cordia walked into the room holding a glass of wine, scoffing at her king. "I told you not to worry. I mean, I knew we basically sent them into a death trap, but they weather danger well. Don't worry mother, if I had any doubts about them, I would have gotten someone to send along."

The king applauded and smiled. "I must say, I am actually impressed, congratulations. I trust there's nothing down here that's going to creep up and try to devour us?"

"As far as we know, there isn't," Bri said simply. "We did run into a lich… but he was mad, and he wasn't nasty. Actually, he helped us, and we found quite a horde of treasure down there. You two might want to try digging in it," she held up her pendant, and pointed to everyone else's trinkets. "The room is massive."

Nexus was unnerved by the wording Azren used, and couldn't help but sense a touch of his brother somewhere down inside. "Hopefully we stay alive," he said, whispering to Celia.

Azren cocked an eyebrow and glared at Cordia. "Nothing to worry about?" He turned to face them once more. "Thank you for settling this matter for us, I'm glad it was resolved in a way that was beneficial for both of us. If there's anything you'd like, help yourself to it. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, but then I remember you said this was but a part of a rather lengthy quest."

Cordia rolled her eyes and sipped from her glass. "I doubt very much they'd be able to keep up with our schedule if they stayed too much longer. Not to mention I doubt they'd have the stomach for some of our more… involving activities… Nevertheless, when you depart, we shall teach you the keywords to get in unharmed. You should definitely come and visit now and again, especially now that everything's been made right."

Kale raised his hand and yawned. "I'd hate to be a killjoy, but I'm kind of about to collapse. Can we continue pleasantries and salacious details later? I think six or so hours should do for me… I assume you'll still be awake by then?"

Cordia nodded and smiled. "Of course, Kale – today is the night of the full moon. We'll likely be up for another full day or so. Things like this are what keep life interesting." She turned to Azren and watched his sly smile spread its way across his face and nodded.

"Very well then, I suppose we'll just retire for a while and make sure we aren't boring company. Definitely do send a few of your servants down there to collect what remains in the vault though. Like she said, I'm certain there's something in there that should function as a shiny new toy for you."

They departed and Kale trudged up the steps and made his way to the washroom, running water into the large pool. Despite being healed of his injuries, he was still covered in dried blood, sweat, dirt, and grime from the dungeon floors. He sank in and let the warm water relax him for once. Bri smirked, and then slipped into the water with him with a loud, contented sigh.

Nexus and Shae retired to their own personal rooms, and reflected on the time. It was late, and it was hard to stay awake. Shae wished Nexus good night, then hobbled wearily into his own chamber. Exhausted, Nexus collapsed on Celia's shoulders, hobbling up to her room much the same as Shae had to his. "This has been one hell of a day."

30: C#29 - Think Before You Sin

Bri collapsed onto the bed, and winced. "I don't want to know what she meant," she mumbled, and then buried her face into a pillow, soaking in the nice, cool comfortable sensation. "I could live in this squishy thing forever and never want for anything else."

Kale sat on the edge of the pit and covered himself with one of his spare cloaks from his pack. He wasn't in the least bit surprised to discover that there were no towels in the washrooms, but it annoyed him all the same. "I know. I half want to ask where they found someone to make this. I know this wasn't in the original plan for this building. Good to keep in mind for the house I'll build later."

He was about to lay down when he noticed a small silver platter with a bottle on it in the corner of the bed. "Huh, that wasn't there before, was it?" He awkwardly climbed over and grabbed it. Small and glass, the bottle was filled with pale amber liquid, about the size of his fist. He removed the cork and smelled it. He closed his eyes and reveled in the scent, like standing in the middle of a cherry orchard when the flowers were still in bloom on a cool, cloudless night. He took a sip and tasted carefully. "It's tea. Some of the best I've ever had actually. Damn, why does my life up until recently pale in comparison to what we've been discovering lately? Want some?"

She eyed it suspiciously. "If you thought it wasn't there before, I wouldn't drink things you don't know where they came from," she said, and rested her head back into the pillow. "I'll pass, or I'll wake up in some begotten room missing my clothes, and defiled by something – I-don't-even-want-to-think-about-it-anymore. Ugh. Hopefully life is this easy when we get back home again. With as much gold as you pillaged, I'm sure we'll be fine," she smiled.

Kale rolled his eyes and lay back down. "Firstly, I don't think they'd poison me, it's probably just a courtesy if anything. Second, I can quaff an entire bottle of tsaeci and be perfectly fine minus some visual distortion, so I'm sure I'll be fine. And lastly… yeah, I'm not sure about the whole retirement thing. Part of me wants to just build a huge cabin in the woods and call it quits. But how do you go back to normal life after all this? It's not like being concerned with the rising price of vegetables from the market stalls is very appealing when you can kill a giant if you really tried."

She shrugged. "I didn't say it would poison you. I said you could wake up in a room you're your clothes off, and be defiled by something. Big difference," she said. "Think who their father is. Personally, I could lay in my bed all day and be happy about it. The most I'd have to worry about is turning into a little round orb of fat, because we're so comfortable. Then you'd really have trouble with me," she smirked into the pillow. "Not even Cryia's elixir would fix that." For a few moments, she giggled into the pillow with sort of tired delirium.

Before she could laugh too much longer, her snores drifted off into the air. The mix of the perfume of Kale's drink, and the softness of the pillow and blankets carried her off faster than she thought it would have.

He laughed and thought about the day. Nearly dying was something he'd accepted he'd have to deal with every now and then. He shifted closer and her and closed his eyes, thinking that this was really all he needed in life. He thought about their future for a moment, got up, and locked the door just to be safe. He plopped back down and let himself drift into sleep, hoping that the next day wouldn't be nearly as eventful.

Unfortunately for him, his subconscious would not allow him to do so. His dreams gave way to darkness interrupted by flashes of color. A soft violin played in the background, but its rapidly shifting tempo put him on edge for some reason. Soft pinks, dark reds, searing whites, lush purples, they all skittered about in a strange storm. Sometimes he could swear he saw faint images within the waves of hues, but they shifted before he could fix on any of them properly. The music quickened more and more, seeming eventually like one continuous shifting note than a song as the shapes and colors coalesced into a vivid mural of implied indecency.

His eyes shot open and he applied one of the older disciplines he'd learned to slow his breathing back to normal. His heart was still racing, his hands were shaking, and he felt incredibly warm. He glanced over to Bri, still asleep and safe, and pursed his lips.

He shook his head lightly and regained control of his senses. As he lay back down and grabbed a new sheet that wasn't soaked in sweat, he caught a glimpse of the bottle, half finished by the edge of his reach. Oh goddammit, he thought to himself as he set about to go back to sleep. I hate it when she's right like that.

Bri woke up the next morning, and glanced at Kale, who seemed paler than normal, and was covered in a sheet of sweat. Before she poked him awake, she took one more look at the bottle, and rolled her eyes. "Wake up, Kale. Get up now, or you'll get stuck like that forever, with all your naked dreams."

She almost laughed about it. Judging by their gusto with whatever eventful evening they had implied they were going to have, and their disappointed sniff the morning before, she had assumed as much not to drink anything they gave her that wasn't at a meal. When he failed to respond, she shook him, hard, and almost rolled him off the bed. "Up."

Before lifting his face from the pillow, he groaned and then mumbled his response. "I accept any and all forms of implied humor at my expense, puns involving morning stiffness, and/or I-Told-You-So's." He rolled over and sat up, head swimming as he grabbed a scrap of cloth from his belongings and dried himself.

"I bet you had a wonderful night," she said with a sarcastic, wide smile. "You better thank them for their present last night. They'd probably be disappointed if you weren't satisfied." She stifled her laughter, and then rolled out of bed, covered in her thin robe. "Enjoy your morning stiffness. I'm going to see if they have anything to eat ready."

As she stepped out, she ran full into Nexus, who pinched his nose and grimaced at her. "You stink," he said with distaste.

She shrugged. "Kale stinks. I wound up in the same bed with a man who accidentally drank some tea last night."

"It was laced, wasn't it?"

"Yes. It was," she stifled her grin again, and then wandered back down the hall.

"Yep, they're mine all right," He smirked, and knocked on Shae's door, and then passed by Kale's room a second time, grimacing as he did so.

Cryia sat wide-eyed at the dining table, a large mug of serpent brew in hand. "Good morning! As it turns out, our hosts are… indisposed at the moment… I guess they take their celebration very seriously. In any case, we aren't really doing much today, except Cage said he found some books in the remains of the treasure room that we ought to take a look at." She paused and looked around, "Actually, where is Kale?"

He sat in the warm pool once more and cleaned himself again. When he was finished, he quickly dressed and drank from a small vial of universal anti-toxin he'd bought from an alchemist a while back. He sighed, then descended the staircase, preparing himself for the snide comments that followed.

Nexus looked up when he caught his scent down the hallway. "I can smell him a mile away. That fake flowery nonsense he bathed with isn't hiding anything from me," he grimaced again, and then pinched his nose. When Kale finally came into the room, he grinned up at him, still pinching his nose, and then pointed. "You smell of salty flowers. Flowers aren't salty."

Shae sat cross-legged on the floor, and turned to him apologetically. "I do hope that comes out of your system soon, you know. I almost drank a bottle of something similar in my room last night." He shook his head. "So many of you, you know," he said turning to Nexus and Cryia. "I feel the odd one out when it comes to such things. I guess I just don't have much of a drive," he shrugged.

The halfling stifled her laugh, and took a swig of some wine that sat at the table. "At least you tried to get it off, Kale. Here, drink some wine. That should soak in and get rid of anything else that may have absorbed into you."

"That's… not going to help very much with how thickly he smells of that," Nexus said with a burst of the giggles. He choked on a laugh trying to stop it, and then pinched his nose again. "No really, that burns. I think I'm going to freeze the inner part of my nose to block it out. It's okay, Kale, I get like that some days too, depending on the woman I wake up next to."

Celia shot him a half-angry glare and punched him lightly in the arm. "Hush, you," she commented before sitting down at the table and grabbing steak and eggs, grumbling about kissing and telling.

"Hush, you, is correct. I always have a backup plan, and my particular backup should be neutralizing anything foreign in my blood as we speak. Also, shut up," he grumbled as he grabbed sliced cactus and dug in. "I honestly should have expected as much, but Iwas trying to be positive and give them the benefit of the doubt."

"Kale how is it that you pick up on the minutest details that nobody else would have caught if their life depended on it, yet miss something so obviously glaring? Just be glad it was an alchemical brew and not actual succubus venom. I'm pretty sure Bri would have been screaming for help at the top of her lungs while ghosts pinned you against the wall." Cryia shook her head and smirked.

Bri vigorously nodded her head, and then stared down into her small meal. "You bet I would have been. Never had the stuff, but I've heard plenty of stories," she said, waving a stabbed piece of cactus on a fork. "I don't think I'd ever touch it. I'm pretty disturbed enough our hosts were disappointed when they took a whiff of our un-defiled room the night before last." She shuddered in embarrassment. "Ugh… I don't think I want to while we're here either. Sorry Kale, you're just going to have to wait until we're off the boat again on the other side of the sea."

"There's incubus venom too, but as far as I've heard, it's less potent. What is it with women?" The fool sipped something different than everyone else, something purple. "I swear, it's like the succubae get all the best meals. And I'm not even born-incubus, so I don't have any venom at all." He rolled his eyes. "Cryia, I bet you can knock a man out with a bite." Shae poked at a piece of meat, awkwardly, and raised a brow at everyone around the table. Nexus noticed, and then poked him in the arm. "When did you get laid, Shae? Never? You're too posh for your own good, you snoot."

The shadow gasped in offense. "I've… you… I'll have you know, I've seen plenty of women in Splice's halls to suit me," he said with a wave of the hand. "I dismiss it, because it's not on my first priority. There's better things to be –-."

"…Doing, right?" Nexus smiled a snarky smile, and leaned on the table. "Come on, Shae, lighten up. You need to meet one of Cryia's little companions, they'd show you a good time."

"Knock a man out? I've done that before. I could honestly probably kill a man that way, just juice him up until his heart stops. That would be so cruel, though. I can't imagine being that wound up with no way to get it out of your system." She was tapping her chin and gazing at the ceiling as she reached out and caught the piece of cactus Kale threw at her without looking. "Come now, don't be such a sore loser, Kaley-Pie."

She chewed it and looked at Shae and smiled lightly. "As far as our shadowy friend is concerned, I can't speak for any of my subjects. I don't think they're up for something quite so exotic. However…"

"I do hope you saved me some of that wondrous Naga Mead, Cryia dear," Cordia called out, leaping from the balcony overhead behind her. "We figured we'd come out and not be such boring hosts. It took some persuasion, of course, but then I always could make him listen when I wanted."

Kale reached into his pocket and tossed her the bottle they'd slipped into his room last night. "Teach me the recipe, give me some for the road, and try not to forget a note attached to it from now on, would you please?"

Cordia smirked and nodded. "And here I was beginning to think you were no fun at all. I'll have Brandt mix a batch for you and write the formula down. Luckily, it lasts damn near forever, so you'll not have to worry about that at least."

Bri slowly turned her head to stare at him. "As if you really need that," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "You'd wake up twenty times a night shaking me awake."

"I'd take some, but I'll pass," Shae said simply, and nibbled another piece of cactus. "I don't think there's really anyone out there for me. I'm much too different," he said, mind flashing back to Cryia's strange kiss that day.

"Don't feel so bad, Shae, come on." Nexus nudged him in the shoulder. "You're looking at this from one angle, really. There are quite a few angles, actually, you can be looking at this from. Exotic for a woman? Maybe. Exotic for a man? Probably not," he said with a smirk. "I could probably find a few at the local pub that would die to try it with a shadow. I'm imagining those little tendrils of yours that float everywhere can solidify. If they can, you'd have one hell of a night with those."

Cordia sipped her mead and shrugged "All you would need to do is say the word, Shae dear. Certainly not like we hadn't considered it and discussed the notion at length when you walked in the door."

Azren walked from the main lobby and into the dining hall. "It seems our recreation has dulled your senses, Cordia dear. One should not walk up to guests of less adventurous nature and be so direct. The implication alone is enough to hook those who were interested in the bait to begin with. Besides, it's considered impolite to go about making advances to those of an unsocial nature."

Kale nearly choked at her words. "The courtesy is greatly appreciated, I admit." He turned to Bri and poked her in the ribs. "And I meant to use it as a poison in a pinch. I can't exactly carry around usable quantities of nightshade and blood orchid for long. This, though, could work in a pinch. It also doesn't smell lethal, which most of my concoctions manage to do."

"Of course that's what you mean, Kale, but I know your quite astounding ability to make bad decisions at inopportune moments. I guarantee you if you keep that stuff around, you'll wind up at the wrong end of her temper one day." Cryia smothered her laughter at the notion and took short sips in case she couldn't keep it in check.

If Shae had, had any sense of blood under his skin, and if the mask wasn't in place, he could have sworn his cheeks would have given him away with embarrassment. Instead, he sat as calmly and collected as he could, and politely refused her offer. It threw him off guard that they had discussed such a thing out of earshot. Clearly his skills were becoming dull.

Nexus choked on his wine, and almost spat it across the table with the shock of laughter that threatened to spray everywhere. "Oh, Shae, you lucky bastard," he said, unsure of how to word his next joke. "My own daughter planned it out, and you still refuse. Wow. If anyone could show you a good time, I imagine it's them." He struggled to swallow again.

For a moment, Bri wasn't sure whether to laugh or gape. "You truly do have an appetite I haven't seen before. Not even with him," she said, pointing at Nexus. "I don't even think your brother has this much of a voracious hunger," she said, turning to him with wide eyes.

The fool dabbed at his mouth, and then choked back another laugh. "Actually… no, I don't think he does," he shook his head at last. "Congratulations, you out did your uncle, who has been known to sap a person into nothing but a raisin when he was starving enough, and do it several times a night too. Poor souls," he said with some seriousness. "That's a feat I have no will to accomplish."

Azren set down his glass and pondered. "Why would he do that?"

"Probably because he's a barely functioning, egotistic, sociopathic maniac who cares about human life as much as he does that of carrots?" Kale shrugged and grabbed some wine.

"I'll admit that does sum it up pretty well in my books," Cryia chimed in.

The king shook his head, "No, I mean, why would he put something so valuable to waste like that? There are several servants within our hall that we value and even praise for their talents. Even to those that aren't quite up to par, there's no reason to be so… barbaric."

"That actually sounds a lot like the vampire clans to the west that actually protect and serve their living populace in an effort to make life better for both parties," Cryia replied with a shrug.

Cordia paused and thought for a moment. "I'll have to remember that. I can't say we've ever dealt with one of them before, have we, Azren dear?"

"Eh, skip it. Last interaction I had with one, the bastard turned me into his puppet, made me forget who I was, and nearly killed me."

The king chuckled. "The implication there being that one is not allowed, let alone encouraged, to play rough every now and then?"

"Playing rough is one thing. Being completely insane and maniacal about it seems to be another," Nexus said, swirling his glass, and thinking back to all the times he'd come across a shriveled corpse in an abandoned house, and knew the source. "Waste, that's a good word for what he does."

Bri felt a pang of understanding for him, and chewed another piece of cactus. "At least the two of you understand to a degree. You're still predators, but you aren't completely vicious about being so. Splice isn't so… restrained as that. As far as I've seen, he's actually pretty impulsive."

"And cowardly," Shae interjected quietly.

"And a puppet," Nexus said again, looking at Kale. "Let's not forget, he's not the real enemy here. He's a tag-along to a bigger monster we have to worry about farther down the road."

"You know, I find myself almost hoping that you manage to kill him and remove him from the scene altogether," Azren responded. "I'm certain there's more to it than the desire to see such childish behavior corrected, but I wouldn't know."

"Consider yourself lucky on that account, then. I don't even share blood with the bastard and I have to deal with him more than you ever will. I pray he never finds you," the half-elf nodded honestly.

"Not that he ever would," Cordia added, "But I'm certain we could handle ourselves. Nothing's bothered us in the past century, so why bother starting with him?"

"Fair enough point. Also, on the subject of the wraith, I've been giving that some consideration. He's pretty confident that he could wipe the floor with us even after we turn Nexus into some kind of demigod. That kind of frightens me. At the same time, I have yet to see him do anything even remotely threatening. How exactly do we go about making sure this doesn't go from bad to worse?"

"Make sure you all can defend yourself against the risk of mental domination and get him alone." Cordia shrugged and picked apart a roasted snake as she spoke. "I know the type, they're always too confident in their abilities to acknowledge their weak points."

Azren put a hand to his temple and shook his head. "Cordia dear, please tell me this is not the same line of thinking from when you seduced that paladin who came here trying to destroy us twelve years ago…"

She shot him a quick scowl and retorted, "Well, it worked, didn't it? In any case, make sure he has no one to command, make sure he can't flee the scene, and let Bri break him. No matter how great a creature may seem, they always have limits, and become malleable clay in your hands afterward."

"I cannot believe you're giving this to them as serious advice."

"Actually, that fits the bill pretty well," Kale said, legitimately impressed. "I'm making that Plan A."

There were many ways to grab ahold of something undead, and bend it to your will. Bri's biggest question wasn't actually how to do it, but how to make sure he didn't escape after she had hold on him. Nexus watched her think, and noticed her tiny scowl.

"Relax, you'll figure it out when we get there, I'm sure. Besides," he held up the staff, "we have some help now. Quite a big boost if you ask me."

"The elemental? Well, that's a sort of an addition to our party aside from being a servant, I guess," she shrugged. "Let's just hope it doesn't defy you and try escaping and destroying us or something. The addition of controlling ghosts is a nice addition too," she smiled. Possibilities. "But I can't shake the feeling we're missing something about the two of them."

Shae tapped his chin. "Do you mean in regards to their power, or what they're looking for? Or do you mean their motives?"

"Either."

"Well, if anyone would know, it would be Darius. I'm sure, by now, he's scoured every bit of text he can on him. Actually, Katrin might be able to help in that endeavor too."

"That's true," Cryia nodded cheerily. "If I had to guess, I'd say he probably hasn't done literally anything else since we've been gone. I know how he gets when problems like this show up. Let alone the fact that he feels like this was entirely his fault."

Celia shrunk down in her seat and considered her position in all of this. "Someone is going to have to fill me in on all the details here. Not that I'd be much help in the end, but I'd rather know."

"Well, I doubt you'll really appreciate what you're getting into, but we'll give you the abridged version later. In the meantime, his brother is trying to burn everything, he's being led along by something our good friend accidentally let loose trying to kill his twin, and now we're looking around for artifacts specifically attuned to these two because ancient civilizations had this creepy obsession with prophecies. So now we're just playing parts on the stage without a say in it all," Kale huffed, and smirked.

Nexus winced. "Yes, that about sums it up. My brother's trying to kill me, and he's really only a puppet on a string right now, until that ugly wight bastard comes looking for us." He sighed. "Always, always in trouble."

"That must be part of your punishment then," Bri shrugged with a grin. "Think about it, when have you ever seemed to have known peace?"

He placed a palm on his forehead. "One more thing, Celia. The Master says if I catch this son of a bitch and take him back to Hell… I get my freedom."

The shadow smiled at the two of them. "That would be a nice change. There, Bri. That's something to bring one peace. I'd work for that in a heartbeat."

She stuck out her tongue, and slid closer to Kale. "Cut the mushy junk," she said flatly.

"There really is little else to look forward to when your life hangs on a thread like this. If anything, I'd say cling to it as much as you can." Celia leaned back in her chair and relaxed a bit. "After waiting so long for something good to happen, it seems like a small miracle you've all made it this far."

Kale raised his glass to her and laughed. "Finally, someone who speaks my language. Guess you can't yell at me for that anymore, mister Jeez-Kale-You-Really-Need-To-Relax," he snarked at Cryia.

"Actually, I meant quite the opposite. Learn to enjoy the moment you're in when it's pleasant."

"Save your breath, Celia darling, I've been telling him for years," Cryia snarked back at Kale.

Cordia nodded and walked over to Azren. "I don't understand what all the consistent worry is about. But, then again, I never could. Two vastly different worlds, I suppose."

Nexus just shrugged. "At least when I'm free, I can stay with Celia however long it takes without worry of any sort of Hell torment at all. That's definitely something I'm looking forward to. However, if I know the Master well enough, there's bound to be a catch." He sighed. "I just hope it's not too crippling."

The shadow was quiet, but he was thinking. If there was one, it would probably be just that. Crippling. "Don't think too hard on it, Nexus. Worry about that when the time comes, just as Celia's been saying. No sense in panicking as we all just sit here and sip our cactus water," he laughed.

"To cactus water!" Bri raised her glass in a toast, and jumped up onto the table, standing her full, short height above the plates and glasses.

"To cactus water," Shae and Nexus shouted, and threw their glass up into the air in a mock toast.

31: C#30 - What Was Promised

A large man burst into the room from the main corridor and caught his breath before standing at attention before his king and queen. "You're Majesties – I apologize, but there is a matter that requires your attention."

Azren set his glass down on the table and gave the man his attention. "What is it, Brandt? Need I remind you of the cost of interruptions when they are undue?"

Brandt instinctively reached down and rubbed the scarred-over burn mark on his left hand before he straightened. "No, my Lord. It's Galvus. He's locked himself in Erika's room."

The air around the king shimmered as his jaw clamped shut. He reached into his pocket and produced a key, handing it to Brandt. "Take as many men as you need, watch them so that this incident does not require my full attention, and bring Galvus back here,alive."

Cordia smiled in anticipation and raised her glass. "To cactus juice, indeed."

Nexus watched his temper flare, and then glanced back and forth from Brandt to Azren. "So, what exactly happened?"

The shimmer caught the halfling's attention, and she stared at it in fascination. "Anger is an amazing thing," she said, and sipped from her glass, feeling the hair on her arms raise up straight. Watch the glass, Bri, don't stare, she thought, unnerved.

However, the shadow's response was a little different. He tightened his grip on a dagger hidden in a hidden pocket in his leather chest pocket, and waited. When Splice had outbursts, they usually involved Shae doing some demeaning thing in front of a crowd of on-lookers. Even if there was no immediate danger, and he argued with himself that there wasn't any, his instinct told him to be on guard. "Is everything alright?"

Cordia chuckled. "Everything will be alright. Dear Azren has discipline to enforce." She watched as Brandt nodded and sprinted through the corridor and into the servant's hall. "Our subjects are forbidden from… interactions… with one another without our express permission. This ensures that things run smoothly, that none of them make rash decisions in fits of jealousy, possessiveness, or baser instincts, and lastly ensures that no unwanted additions are brought into our hall. In this particular case, I'm not surprised. Galvus had always put himself before our word. I wanted to break him into obedience, but I guess now he'll never get the chance."

Cryia cringed before nodding in agreement. "I usually let my subjects mingle, but then I've never had such a stark problem like this. They're entirely devoted to me, but then I guess I'm more personable with them than usual."

"Not that there's anything wrong with that, Cryia dear," Cordia added. "I once maintained a dashing young man as a favorite of mine. He got too attached, became angry when I sought others, and so I had to let him go. Such a shame too, but that was ages ago."

Kale stopped chewing and quirked his head. "Wait, you said he'll never have the chance?"

Bri thought hard on that. "If they develop feelings for each other, I'm guessing one has to be 'let go' so to speak? I don't know how large your harem's are, but I'm supposing it's pretty large in order for that to seem like a major problem."

The fool glanced sideways at Brandt as he left. "I almost feel sorry for them. Then again, I have emotions most normal demons don't," he sighed. "I don't have a harem. I wander, and when I find one I like, I either seduce them through work, or I simply ask for a donation, so to speak. Sometimes I think I'm the only one of my kind."

Shae waved a hand at him. "Calm, Cold One. There is always one exception to everything. Everyone has their ways, technically. Yours just seems to be the hardest one to maintain. I can't imagine what happens when no one accepts the offer."

He shrugged. "Go hungry," he laughed. "Simple as that. If I'm feeling particularly weak, and I have literally no other choice, I take what I want, and be done with it. I never bother them again, no matter what, after that if that's the case though."

"It must be a painful line for you to walk. I wish you'd come to your senses." Azren tapped his foot patiently waiting for his subjects to return. "Then again, I think I can understand your trepidation. Not exactly this odd value you place on mortal life despite its apparent lack of usefulness to you, that's peculiar. Though I suppose I should be thankful for it, for without it, neither of us would be here, would we?"

Cordia shook her head and smiled. "Thank you for being so strange. Now, to answer Bri's question, not really. We maintain a constant sixty occupants at all times. Usually though, among the obedient ones who have given us no trouble, if they seek something greater amongst themselves, we usually allow it. By then though, they're usually willing to do whatever we ask of them anyway."

The shadow tipped his head and nodded. "That sounds like a fair way to go, honestly. I imagine living the way they do, it eventually comes to pass once in a while. The villagers don't seem to like you very much though," he added with a soft chuckle. "They thought Nexus was you, apparently."

The fool cringed. "I didn't expect to be met at sword-point when we tried to go through town. At first, I thought their response was because they'd met my brother, but that wasn't the case after all." He took a sip of juice, and sat back in his chair, crossing a leg, and thinking. "This is infinitely more interesting though. I would have never thought something of my own genetics would be wandering through a desert."

"It definitely surprised me," Bri said with an awkward nod, and a jab at his ribs. "At first I thought you had more siblings wandering around. I half expected a whole flurry of Splice's running wild and eating people." She nodded to the twins. "I'm actually pretty glad you two are so calm and aloof." Even if I really wish we'd get on with it, and move on… this place gives me the spooks, she thought again with a touch of dismay.

"Of course they don't like us. They have a surplus of young, healthy, able-bodied people wandering around, contributing nothing to society, all of whom have no plans for their lives beyond tomorrow. We stop by every now and then and ask if anyone would like to follow us home. Some of their kin may fight and plead, but they always answer the call without force. This tends to upset the guards, whom we end up leaving broken, but still alive, and then we look bad because they couldn't be civil about it."

"Ah, here we are," Azren announced with a smile. The loud clang of a large metal door rang through the air, immediately followed by the screaming of a young man as he was carried to the dining room. Brandt and Markus set Galvus down on the ground and stepped back. "You two are dismissed.

"Galvus, Galvus, Galvus, what are we going to do with you?" Azren mocked, running a finger over his shoulders as he circled his victim. "I had warned you twice about your advances, had I not? And of course, Erika had come to us once already, almost afraid to mention your name for fear that you would find out about her complaint somehow. Does that fit in with our conduct guidelines within these halls, Galvus?"

"She had no complaints when I first came into this wretched place. Always pleasant, she was, and then recoiling as though I was venomous," the man spat back.

"Wretched?" Azren paused where he was and quirked a brow at him. "We have given you literally everything you could have needed, and then some, during your time here. We only had a few simple rules for you to follow – a price for living like nobility – an impossible difference from the simple life you had before we invited you here. We liberated you of your responsibilities, and now here we are."

"This was most definitely not what was promised to me."

Cordia pursed her lips and smirked at his poor choice of words. Azren reached down and gripped Galvus by the neck, holding him a foot off the ground. "You are nothing without us. Everything we have done so far is a courtesy, and this is how you repay us? I am afraid, dear Galvus, that you know exactly how this situation must be remedied, you spineless, pathetic, worm."

The hanging man responded by withdrawing a knife hidden in his sash and burying it deep in the king's torso. Azren peered down at the handle of the blade and shook his head. "May there be a special place in Hell for you." The words barely had time to reach the man's ears before the horrifying crunch of his trachea, throat, and spine becoming a pulpy mess in the king's hand echoed through the hall. The body hit the floor and was still, giving Azren enough time to casually place his foot on the skull and crush it like a ripe melon.

He pulled the blade from his body and licked it. "Hmm, wyvern's poison. A good effort, but a wasted one, I'm afraid." He turned to his guests and smiled. "My apologies for the interruption."

The sight made Nexus sick, and he turned away. "Gross," he said at the crack. My gods, he thought, awestruck. They're more like my brother than me.

Bri winced, but then poked at the body, looking for scraps, bones, or parts she could use later, blocking out her fear, and rubbing the hair back down on her arms. Her pouch still held the knuckle bones and skulls of the two kings, and she didn't want to mix them together.

"I'm going to go look for something to put some other bones in," she said, and wandered back out the hall and to her room as quickly as her small legs could muster. One alone in the room, she shut the door behind her, gasped a few times in horror, and then rummaged through her things, fighting back her frightened tears. "What did we get ourselves into?" She snapped into the air.

The shae thought back to Splice and how he handled his court. Brutal he was, and sometimes needlessly cruel. This place seemed no different to him, and he recoiled into himself, fighting hard not to make it apparent. He didn't want to know what would happen if he'd insulted them by accident. He stared at the body with what was a mix of revulsion, and a sense of familiarity.

"Harsh," Bri said shakily, returning with a small, black, velvet pouch, "but I've seen worse, honestly." She cracked a few fingers, took more knuckle bones, and then inspected his head. "Too destroyed to be of use," she said, and shrugged, tying the knot closed.Talk. Talk because if you don't, you're going to cry. Let's not do that, okay? She pep-talked herself out of her terror, and sat next to Kale, reaching under and grabbing his hand to calm her shakes.

Kale nodded in appreciation. "Huh, reminds me of my journey back to the orcish war bands. Except they would have eaten him afterwards, likely by cooking him on a spit roast. Terrifying though they may be, they damned well knew how to live."

"Cooking? Certainly not, the body is going to be incinerated, and the empty room is going to be left as is, to serve as a reminder to those who might get similar notions. I doubt it will happen. Most of the occupants are loyal to the death by now. Although I do need to think of a way to make it up to poor Erika. That had to be unsettling for the sweet thing," Azren waved casually.

Cordia stretched and rose from her seat. "So, aside from the lunar celebrations, what's on today's agenda? Something, hopefully, that can entertain our conservative guests as well."

"I do believe Cage said something about books you found downstairs? Does that involve you two as well? I can't really imagine so," Cryia said.

"Oh no, I took what interesting pieces of literature I could find, even something darling Cordia will enjoy, and set them aside. There are a few spell books and tomes with deep magic woven in the pages that I surmise will aid you in your future endeavor." His expression shifted, looking ever so slightly disappointed. "Oh, and what time will you be leaving our hall?"

Nexus raised a brow at the slight concern. "Depends on when we find what we need, really. Likely tomorrow morning, if we find what we need tonight. Although I do like the long rest we've had," he admitted with a smug smile. "Definitely better than constantly being attacked all damn day."

Bri shrugged, forcefully casual. "If we find something interesting in the books that serves us a little bit, we'll probably be on our way so we can hone the skills until we find them again." She groaned at the thought of facing the Red Devil and his puppeteer.

As he waited, shae recounted the events that he had experienced up until now, and sighed. There was still so much left to do. It felt as if it would never end. "Hopefully when the time comes, we'll be ready. Especially you, Nexus, what with the crown and other parts you'll have. As long as we have Leoric's crown, your brother can't do a thing. That's the important thing to remember."

Kale shrugged and got up, stretching his legs. "Let's check out the library, learn what we can, and then spend at least one last night in the most luxurious bedroom I'll likely ever know. If I can't find someone to replicate it, I'd rather not live to regret not making the most of it."

"I know exactly what you mean, Kale. I bought the beds in my suite from a man who crafted them for kings, and it wasn't half as nice. Though I suspect somehow the people who made these grand accommodations aren't willing to work for similar folks as their latest customers," Cryia smirked.

"As much as I'd hate to leave, I admit that it would be nice to see the outside world again. I'll be certain to stop by again. If, of course, you'll have us back," Celia said somewhat guiltily.

Cordia walked over and patted her mother on the back. "Come now, despite what you might think, we aren't completely heartless monsters. Of course you're always welcome back here, all of you."

"I am going to miss the bed," Bri said with some disappointment. "I don't look forward to the bad straw mattress I was used to sleeping on." She reached up to grab Kale's hand. The smell of dirt seemingly wafted back into her nose.

The shadow shrugged. "Mostly I appreciated the grand design of the room, though the bed itself was quite soft, nothing's softer than air," he chuckled. "I wish I could turn to smoke at will again."

"Nothing's softer than a woman's… nevermind, Shae. You'll grow up someday," Nexus rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you completely dismiss the one thing all of us in this group have in common. Pretty much any peasant or noble too. Prude."

"And because of that, he's free from the miniature hell we're put through because of our impulses, instinctual or otherwise. I imagine it'd be nice to not have your thoughts crippled because of your body for a change," Kale jabbed.

"Thank you," Shae said, turning to stand by him.

"One eats when one is hungry, one drinks when one is thirsty, and one sleeps when fatigue overwhelms them. I see no difference in the matter, especially when a willing partner is on hand," Azren shrugged.

Cordia scoffed playfully at the notion. "Does the term 'willing' mean before or after we saturate their drink with powerful aphrodisiacs?"

"Well, we can't exactly have them being a poor sport about it, can we? Also, if they're not putting their heart into it, I can hardly call that enjoyable, even under desperate circumstances."

With a deep bow, and a sigh of relief, Shae took a deep breath. "Finally, someone understands. I'm probably the clearest thinking in this little begotten group. Most of you seem somehow cursed, if not all. At least I can fully function to the best of my ability," he growled at Nexus.

He smiled back wide and sarcastic in return.

"It's okay, Shae, we all have those days." Bri stepped back from the group and looked behind him. The sun was starting to shift downward.

"Wow, the whole day is gone already? Let's go to the library. I'd rather read while we still have the time. We've spent a large bit of the afternoon and morning in here, and I can already see it falling behind a large dune on the horizon." It wasn't quite dark, but due to the strange tilt in the land, it looked as though it were.

"It's alright, it's not like any of us needs sleep any time soon, either. I've had a pretty good rest," Nexus said. "Not entirely happy about the prospect of researching something we may or may not find, but it's part of the agenda."

Kale got up and shook his head. "You know, I always did figure my life would pass me by as I jabbered all day. I always talked too much."

"Well, when you have an eternity, the days seem to blend together, and you tend not to worry about that so much." Cryia stretched and hovered out of her seat lazily.

"We've never had to measure time very much, so it concerns us little. We tend to use the greying of our subjects as a fair enough indicator for the larger spans of time. Aside from that, we've got a courier and caravan from the south that brings us supplies, but they only come by every month or so. Though, the moon phases are certainly something to keep an eye out for…" He finished with an anxious look in his eye.

Cordia responded by rolling hers and giggling. "Yes, Azren dear, let's go. We'll let our guests take care of their business and see them off tomorrow morning." She dragged him by the hand out of the dining chamber and out to their private quarters.

32: C#31 - Endowment Tomes

"Sounds like a plan," Bri said, and grabbed her little pack from the table with newfound gusto. "Long night ahead of us, if we stay in there to read all day." She didn't like the thought of breathing in years-worth of dust from inside the book's covers.

"Not like I mind that too much," Nexus said with a little enthusiasm. "I rather enjoyed digging through Darius' endless library myself. "I'm just hoping we find something, anything, that can help us along. It's all for waste if we don't find even a single text with some information in it."

"What exactly are we all looking for? Ways to destroy the Red Devil, or are we looking for ways to track your items down?" Shae scratched his head. "All the wine and spiked cactus juice has gone far into my head now."

"I thought you were the one who thought the clearest?" He raised a black brow in challenge, and a smirk played his lips.

Celia shrugged and examined her drink. "I can't say I blame him. I don't think I've actually seen so much as a single glass of pure water that wasn't being used in the washrooms. I thought I did once, but it turned out to be pure grain alcohol. As if they needed that."

"In that case, I can't say I blame them. If I had the coin for it, I'd be importing Dragon's Blood Brandy from the far north back home every day."

"Eh, it's not bad, but I'd rather not have my innards burn every day. My treat, if I wanted to be a poor man in a year, even with the haul from yesterday, would be White Lotus Tea. Only time I ever had it was when I stole some from a temple of monks once. I can't really describe how it tastes, but the flowers that go into the brewing process have this bizarre effect on them, like if someone put all your pieces in order and made you more solid as a being."

Bri nodded. "I've had Dragon's Blood Brandy. I loved it, but it was too strong for me. I prefer things that are a little smoother on the tongue. Usually what I prefer to drink is simple things, but the necromancers that taught me my craft once gave me this stuff in a black and white bottle they called Bonedust. It sounds atrocious, but it was actually pretty milky and sweet."

Walking down the hall, Shae peered into a random room where the door was hanging slightly open, and gaped, quietly pulling it closed. "I don't know if they're aware of some of their… prey's activities some days, but, I don't really want to be the snitch."

Nexus quirked a brow, and pressed an ear to the door. "Yeah, you best not say anything, lest we have two more dead people in the main throne room."

"Your children are pretty scary," Bri said simply. "Nice, polite, but… menacing. I would have never thought that would spawn from you. Don't snitch you guys, I don't have the stomach for that a second time…"

Nexus shrugged, and then herded everyone away from it. "Likely, they'll get word of this from a guard or something. I'd rather not ruin their day," he said.

"Right," Kale responded at louder than normal volume, "Off to the study then, where we can learn things, and be somewhere we're supposed to be, and not breaking any rules." He paused for a moment and began the climb up the staircase to the second floor.

The library had large double doors, much like the ones Darius had, though these ones weren't bolted shut with arcane runes on them. When they entered, he saw that a large table had been moved to the center, with thirteen books on top, varying in size. "Well, at least we don't have to go digging."

Cryia picked one of the larger ones up and inspected the covers and the spine. "By the Fires, I didn't think any of these things still existed. Be careful with these, and read the covers before you open them. These are Endowment Tomes. Once you open them, a spell will begin, inscribed in the book like a scroll. It'll take some time for it to actually take effect, but they're usually keyed to one or two attributes or a certain skill. Once you read it, whatever the subject may be, it'll slowly empower that trait or provide you with experience with the skill."

Kale eyed the table with wonder and curiosity. "That's pretty amazing. How long does that last?"

She placed the tome down with its pairs and shook her head. "This isn't some common sorcery. The effects are permanent, and I've guessed for a while now that the keys to their making were lost long ago. If we were to get one of these in the hands of the Mage's Guild back home, they'd probably hail us as heroes for decades."

Bri's mouth dropped open. "Is there one on necromancy? My mentor once told me about these, years ago. He said that they were incredibly hard to find, and were lost to legends. I believe he had only one in his study at the time, and he'd traveled his entire life searching for more of them. Said he found it in the tomb of a long-dead mage who had mastered necromancy, and didn't want to continue his life on as a lich or undead being. He's still perfectly preserved, as far as I know, in a cave encased in glass."

The fool picked one up, and checked the cover. "These are interesting," he said, admiring the carefully crafted words and letters. "I don't think I've seen this language before. Do they work if you don't understand them?"

Kale picked one up and looked at it, taking in all the details he could. "Finally, my powers and skill in the realm of linguistics comes into play." He sat them all side by side and made notes on similarities between them all. Grabbing a piece of parchment and a pen, he pieced together a few key details and gave it some thought. "Aha! It's an old dialect of fey, likely used during their first century of involvement with the mortal world. It's largely regarded as gibberish, even among the fey folk that still remain here these days. You don't need to know the words inside. Apparently they'll translate into your native tongue as you read. You do need to know the title though, and what it means."

Cryia clapped and smirked. "Kale, I take back everything I ever said about you wasting your time on things that would have no real-world application. This is perhaps the greatest thing that your hobby could have accomplished."

Kale gave a joking scowl at her and laughed. "Thank you for your sincerity, it means volumes. Now, let's see here. Four of these are labeled Esisrasa, which translates roughly into perfection-of-body. Three are labeled Talelulna, which means perfection-of-mind. It should be noted that this doesn't grant the perfection it speaks of, but it helps one on the path to such a thing. This one is Ristvasak, which details the art of magical healing and restoration. This one is Trajeklam, which means… huh, necromancy. You lucky witch, you. These two are both marked as Feirnadehta… Okay, I'm starting to wonder if this is coincidence or not. The word has no direct translation, it's remarking the true, enhanced essence of a demonic spirit. This next one is mine. Eldrazinost, the black mark of those who sign their souls to devils. And this last one…"

Kale put his hand over his mouth and ran to the waste bin near the opposite bookshelf. He doubled over and retched violently, quivering as the color drained from his face. "Do not open that book. Do not even touch it. I cannot even speak the word it bears on its cover. I cannot even explain what it is about. Be glad that you cannot read it. It will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life. I will take it with me and I will ensure it sinks to the bottom of the ocean where it belongs."

Bri walked to inspect the cover of the necromantic book, but then writhed when she heard Kale vomit. "Yuck," she said, and covered her own mouth. The sound echoed in her ear. "Yeah, just set that one aside. Reading the title alone made him do that, I don't even want to know what the interior of that would do."

"This almost sounds like we were meant to read them," Nexus said, watching the demonic one. "Really, these all seem to fit at least one of us."

The shae scanned their covers, and then sat down to think. The restoration one was his best bet, thinking as he was the one with the stealth skills. "Well, the good news is that if any of you are in trouble, I could easily poof in to save you during a fight or something, considering I have temporary smoke abilities most don't. So I could pop in, heal you, and vanish again before the enemy could catch me. That is a definite plus."

Bri nodded. "That, and on top of my ability to now control ghosts, this book should boost that even farther." The fool threw her a sideways glance.

"As if you need it," he said flatly, and held a level gaze with her. For a time, she glared back at him, cold and calculating.

Celia hadn't felt that it was her place to ask, but she stepped between them and took a deep breath. "I don't mean to pry, but… what is it with you two? I've noticed it since I met you both, and I just don't get it. Has he done something wrong?"

Kale tried to stand still and stop his hands from shaking. "If they're up to it, they'll tell you. Aside from that, I'd just suggest letting them resolve that on their own. It's been that way since I've known them too, and it comes up now and then."

Cryia got up and smacked him, despite his illness. "What is wrong with you? She ought to know, you know. They do intend to be together forever, I believe. If anyone should know, it'd be her."

For the first time, Bri shot Celia a daring smile, and then let it go. Nexus caught scent of her temper, and put his palms up. "I'll explain later. Now isn't the time, especially in a room where I'd rather not be splattered every which way."

Shae stepped between Nexus and Bri. "There are… things we all don't know yet," he whispered simply. "I'm kind of wondering the same thing." For a moment, he stared at Bri from a small distance while she begrudgingly inspected another book on the table. "As far as I'm aware, she found him somewhere, and then bent him to her will ages ago, apparently before she'd met Kale."

"That's about the sum of it," she retorted louder than was normal, signaling for all that the subject wouldn't be enlightened further.

Kale sighed and opened three of the tomes, wondering if they would even make it back home before knives surreptitiously found their ways into backs. Immediately he felt a surge of power as he gazed at the text, which was so intricate that it seemed as though it shifted in place along the pages. He felt a resonance within him as the spell worked itself. He would be granted enhanced physical and mental abilities, as well as greater understanding, efficiency, and new potential with his abilities as a warlock. He shook his head as he adjusted to the new sensation of old magic, and wondered how the thief he used to be years ago wound up like this.

Cryia sat back in one of the lounging chairs and began sifting through the pages of one of the demon tomes, and one to increase her mental prowess. The feeling was similar to when she fed on her subjects. A singular stream of power weaved its way from the book into her core, which she felt begin to shift and warp. "This is incredibly bizarre, yet, it seems familiar almost. Not sure if that's because of the nature of the spell or because of my constant influx of energy."

For the short amount of time she stared at the page, Bri could feel something worm its way up her arm, and into the center of her body. It flowed into her, and with the sudden feeling of understanding, she stared back at the book. "This is amazing," she said simply. "I can't think of a time in my life I've experienced anything like that before. It's a shame these are almost all gone."

Nexus skimmed through the pages of the demonic book, and nodded. "Interesting, definitely. Even if I can't understand what it says, I enjoy staring at the strange letters."

"Actually, if we take the books to a wizard after they've worked their magic for us, there is a small chance they might be able to replicate them. I can't guarantee it for sure, but like Darius always told me, if there's one surefire way to get something accomplished, it is to tell a wizard that the task is impossible. I've seen some crazy things done in their hands," Kale chuckled.

"I'm not too sure about these things becoming a common thing for us. I mean, what would that do? If you had enough of these, what would stop you? You could literally become a living legend and match demigods in that area of expertise." Cryia shivered. "Once you're that powerful, I can't imagine you'd be sane for very long. I'd liken it to red dragons. They're terrifying and cruel because they can incinerate anything that doesn't agree with them, and that's the easy way that suits them best. What's to stop us from becoming exactly like that if we manage to reintroduce these to the world?"

"I'd say soaking in the power these books gave us to begin with, is just the first step to what you just said," Shae smirked, digging through one, and inspecting the language's letters. "Frankly, it will all come down to what your mind is truly like. If you're a good person, you likely won't become corrupt. If you have a darkness in you, it will likely come out, or show itself in some manner. Power has a way of showing true natures in people. Unfortunately, everyone has a dark side."

"That's one hell of a thing to think about," Nexus said, and tapped a quill against his arm. "I'd hate to think about what sort of darkness is in all of us. Particularly the short one over there, what with her nasty temper and all."

Bri shrugged. "Everyone's got some kind of dark secret somewhere, regardless of whether they want to admit it or not. Doesn't matter if it's just one thing in their entire life, there's something. Although yes, what with our kind of calico group, I'd hate to see what we could all turn into."

Kale chuckled at the notion of himself with godlike power. "Lord Kaleoszar Castion, Patron of Thieves and Assassins, Particularly the Lazy and Ambitious Kinds. Kind of has a ring to it."

"Okay, rule number one, we all agree to keep these from Kale if we manage to make this work," Cryia joked.

"Oh, right, I forgot that smashing people's dreams is one of your strong points. Anyone else feel dizzy at the sudden rush of information and forgotten knowledge?"

"I feel a little different," Bri said, and pressed a finger to her temple. "Actually, I feel pretty damn bad. I don't know about anyone else. Am I the only one that got physically nauseous from that?"

For a time, Shae just stood still and evaluated himself. "No, I feel fine."

"I feel… cranky," Nexus growled, and then threw her a semi-snide look. "Aside from that, I feel about normal. Must have been some kind of information regarding the dead that bothered you."

"Oh, good, I wondered if it was only me," Kale sighed exaggeratedly. "In any case, now that our brains have been hammered with foreign stuff, I recommend we crash now and rise early tomorrow morning so we can begin our travels. This way, things don't get out of hand and we aren't left wandering that godforsaken desert in the bitter chill of night."

Cryia nodded and drifted up from her chair. "I think these things tend to be easier on the reader if you give your subconscious time to process everything being added in. That and I want to be ready for the morning, because I really don't think our hosts are going to let us go without some sort of event to mark the occasion…"

"Event," Nexus rolled his eyes. "That's all they do, which is impressive even to me. Whatever floats their boat though. As long as we can find my brother and hold onto the crown, we're all fine, and that's what I most care about."

Bri nodded. "And we can get back to hunting him again. Thankfully we have your first part, Nexus. That's going to help a good deal now."

The shadow nodded, then yawned. "Tired, yes. I can't wait to hit my soft bed one last time. Tis a shame we must sleep on sand dunes from here on out for a while. Hopefully, yet unlikely, this will resolve soon so we can all retire and get fat off turkey, pig, and cow."

Kale quirked his lip and shook his head. "Come on, Shae. We may have had decent fortunes as of late, but overall we have terrible luck. Even if we do manage to get his amulet and dagger, and find the binding tomes, all the while keeping the crown away from his brother, something is going to go wrong. I'm betting that it's going to be a matter of waiting for us to get what we need, and then they'll spring out and steal it all at the last moment. Either that or we'll get kidnapped by a dragon, or abducted by a cult, or attacked by roving paladins that see us as a collection of vile things too great to let go unchecked. And you know, we'll probably come out on top, because that's just our luck as well. But it might be weeks or months before we're finally finished with this."

He shrugged, and then sighed loudly, exaggerating. "Well, true as that may be, tis a dream I hope to at least see, even if it's for only a few moments before my own demise."

"I doubt it," the fool criticized. "Since this little adventure began, we've only been gone a little over a month. At least give yourself a bit more time. A moment is barely taking a breath, even in our current situation."

"Either way, a nice hot meal and a dead psychopath is all I'll ever need to find peace. Particularly him," he said with a sneer. "I cannot wait to slip my blade between a pair of his ribs."

"I cannot say I can argue with that," Kale nodded. "Hell, that's even the reason that I started this whole business of gallivanting around the world and getting myself in this mess. Though, things took a more interesting turn before I ever got the chance to disembowel the damned dark elf bastard. Though, really, I don't see much of a reason to anymore. He lost his love, I found mine, I'm rolling in riches that makes him look like a dirt farmer. I could probably turn him to ash before he even shouted for his guards now. Eh, life is pretty good I guess."

"You know, I never did get around to asking why you showed up again, Kale," Cryia thought. "I guess now I know. Regardless, I'm kind of glad we all fell into this together. It's the most fun I've had in centuries that didn't involve being nude and hedonistic. Though, I do miss my fancy life."

"I'm glad I'm not in the Red Devil's court anymore, though I can't necessarily say I knew much about any of you before we met that day. I still don't know a lot about all of you, including why you're all here, but I can safely say I rather enjoy your company. And frankly, I'm really glad I found a bunch that agree with my view on the little demon. Even his brother," he grinned at Nexus, "annoying as he can be at times."

Bri smiled up and grabbed Kale's hand. "I definitely don't regret my killing. I'd do it again if I had the chance. But at the same time, without it, I wouldn't have met Kale. So I can say that's the best part of this whole trip. Killing Splice will be a nice bonus, but I have something better now."

Kale smiled and squeezed her hand lightly. "Yeah, I can honestly say giving up my stability was a good choice in the long run. I guess we all can. I guess we'll have to get around to building sort of a guild hall for us all to meet up in every now and then after this is all said and done. One that's not completely riddled with terrible things trying to kill us all."

Cryia stretched and ran her hands through her hair. "Dear gods, we're doing it again. I'm going to retire for the evening before we talk until the sun comes up."

Kale bundled the books together and slung them over his shoulder. "You're probably right. Plus, tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day through the badlands, so we might as well start it up well rested. I'll hold onto these for safe keeping until we're done, and hopefully we can have our names sung by bards for our discovery. As if."

"That is a very high and mighty view on yourself," Nexus said laughing. He grabbed a small satchel he carried with him from the table. "Someday maybe, but at the moment, no one even knows what we're doing. We're the nobodies saving the world. And unfortunately for you, that's a thankless job."

"Tis a dirty job," Shae sighed. "But I suppose someone has to do it." He yawned again, and then rose to his feet, walking to the door. "I shall see you all in the morning. Kale, don't drink anything by your bedside this time unless you know what it is."

A comical look of anger played upon his face as he pointed a finger at Shae and stood silent for a moment. He then straightened himself out and left the library doors. He looked down at Bri and smiled. "You know, for some weird reason, I've got a good feeling about tomorrow. I'm really not sure why, but I do. I'm going to miss the cactus juice."

He set his things down and collapsed immediately inside the doorway on the cushioned floor. "I'm going to miss you most of all, rich clouds woven into fabric."

She agreed, and then bounced on the mattress as she jumped on it. "Yes, all this cushy comfort." Again, she dreaded her straw mattress. "I can't believe they live here like this normally. They found it. I seriously hope someday we're that lucky. 'Oh look, Kale! A castle! And it's uninhabited!' Too bad that's probably never going to happen. Maybe with all the gold we earn here, we can just have someone seriously build one to our own specifications. We can even have a room with a bowl, like this one," she said with a grin.

He thought for a moment as he covered himself and got comfortable. "You know, that's actually not a bad idea. Maybe not with this much wasted space. Half of these rooms probably haven't been used in a decade. But with bandits, marauders, and thieves breaking in all the time, it'll be a good way for us to make sure we keep up on our skills in case we need them again. Not to mention, hey, fresh supply of bodies for you to practice on."

"Yes, that would be a surplus of preserved corpses, just waiting for my command to absolutely obliterate anyone who dared to step foot in the place. I actually kind of hope folks do drop by for a visit." She stopped, and thought for a moment, turning pale. "Kale… we sound like them. They probably think the same thing if a villager walks close by their gates, only instead of bodies, they look at them as livestock. Can you imagine what would have happened to us if they'd found us out here by ourselves? I think the only thing that saved us was Nexus." She shivered. "They give me the creeps. Especially the boy…" she felt her stomach twist.

"Yeah, I really don't think we'd be in any condition to oppose them in any capacity. Then again, if it weren't for him in the first place, we'd have never come out here. Either way, even if we were just visiting the area while they happened to be out looking… ick. The consequences make me feel ill inside." He instinctively grabbed her and pulled her closer to him with a light scowl on his face. "Also, firstly, I'd like to say that we would be nothing like them. It's not like we'd be going out every day looking for people to carve up. These would be people who have their spots reserved at the headsman's block. Even if we went out looking for them, it's not like I'd be abducting villagers. If anything, it'd be considered a civic duty to string up cutthroats!"

He stared at her and smiled, admiring her face like he did when she first cut across his path. "Don't worry, we're not monsters. We just have hobbies that not everyone sees eye-to-eye with. That's all."

"I wouldn't call them monsters either, just… threatening." She groaned, and then cuddled her pillow. "Either way, I love their castle. And yes, we have the strangest hobbies of anyone I've ever met. Particularly in a large group. Let's see here. We have a ridiculously short necromancer, two devious demons – one of which has spawn, a warlock, and a shae, which is basically a ball of smoke in the general form of a human, who wears a silver mask. We are a very, very odd bunch. I'm hoping tomorrow goes smoothly."

"I'm sure it will. Not like we'll be doing much aside from travelling in the sun-blasted desert for a while. Shouldn't take us but a day and a half or so to get back to town, which should be fun, considering they hated us when we first walked in. But come whatever may. Goodnight darling. Pleasant dreams."

Bri snuggled down into her blankets, and switched the light off, reflecting on what was to come in the morning. She sighed. "Yes, indeed. Hopefully neither of us gets plagued with nightmares so that we can actually get some rest. I'm sick of tossing and turning all night." She snuggled closer. "Goodnight, Kale."

33: C#32 - Burn the Spider

No direction or sense of gravity dictated the shifting plates of stone. They held their place in the air above the swirling ocean of stars below. Large gaps separated them as they wormed a path up to a large stone pillar, the sole detail not swallowed by the churning waters.

In the center of the pillar was a large tablet of the purest onyx. Red and purple glyphs pulsed slowly in the darkness as they awaited one who could learn them. From behind the tablet, a large figure stepped forth, like a shadow among shadows. Its eyes, like burning suns trapped in glass, scanned the area for the initiate. They came to rest on Kale, at last, at the end of the great stone walkway. It beckoned for him to claim his prize, yet the gesture seemed more of a command than an offer.

Kale looked around the endless void, then at the large slab ahead of him. It was a simple thing, to leap from one to the next – he'd gotten much practice at acrobatics by climbing onto people's balconies and rooftops. As he landed, however, he noticed that the stone beneath him had begun to crumble under his weight. He darted from one to the next then, watching as they began to become unstable even before he landed on them. His heart was pounding in his ears as he struggled to keep up with it.

Before long, he couldn't, and his feet slipped through the crumbling gravel as he plummeted into the waters below.

You should have learned better than this, the shadowy figure calmly called out into the darkness, but not all are ready for the strength of the Nether. It would seem you are among them. Here, now, we shall remedy this. Unfurl your wings, fledgling, and we shall make a true warlock of you.

Kale's eyes burned with violet light as the spell stole his energy to work with. Thin strands of violet light wove themselves in the outline of skeletal wings behind him, correcting his descent and carrying him back to the path.

He set foot on the next plate, surprised to see that it had no reaction to his presence.

One who has bargained with their soul should not be bound by mortal limits. You accept these laws and rules all too easily. You are so much more, and it is time for you to recognize that.

Taking the time to understand his words, Kale nodded. He leapt into the air and darted off at great speed to the pillar in the center, leaving the remaining stones to fall into the sea below. As he landed, the figure gestured to the tablet before him. Hesitation gripped Kale's heart, but his mind won over, forcing him to walk forth and set his hand on the stone.

Understand now, warlock. You need not be constrained, you need not fear, and you need not accept anything that does not fit the world as you wish it.

Every single nerve in Kale's body was beset upon by flames that seared like magma and pulses of electricity that rivaled the harshest of storms. Only the sheer amount of power that coursed through him kept standing and saved him from being disintegrated. The world grew brighter and brighter as a litany of secrets both dark and vile coursed through his consciousness. After an eternity of suffering, the stone stopped its glowing, and he collapsed. The figure inspected him as his vision dimmed, and he nodded in appraisal. Well done.

----------

Bri shook Kale awake, sweating and shaking. "Get up, get up, we're the last ones out of bed already," she shouted. When she got no response, she continued to roll and shake him. "Kale!"

Kale bolted out of bed and looked around. "What the… oh… I remember now. I understand it all. Dagon, I understand even more than Sulareial did in his time. Granted, I'll actually need to practice it to be efficient at it, but I know how now." His face had that same cocky grin on it that he used to get when he walked away from someone's house with their valuables in his pockets, his eyes shifting almost imperceptibly between grey and a pale violet.

The halfling recoiled a ways, and looked him up and down, an arm half raised in a defensive position. She quirked her brow. "What? What?"

Shae broke into the room at last, holding a lockpick, and stared at the two of them. "We heard you shouting," he said, as Nexus wandered into the room as well. "All the way down the hall, actually. At first we thought he was dead, and that's why he wasn't responding to you." He huffed his exhaustion. "Next time, listen! I've been banging on your door now for a good ten minutes!"

"Firstly, I'd like to ask how I would have died in a locked room. You should know by now that my liver is damned good at handling toxins. Secondly, sorry I was having a series of grand epiphanies that allowed me to do this," he said, encasing his body in a rich violet aura that poured off of him in tendrils. "I had no idea that book would be so incredibly powerful."

Her mouth dropped and she stared, dumbfounded. "What the hell happened to you last night? The book did that? No wonder you were tossing around all night long."

Shae grinned wide. "You could have died many ways, my friend. But honestly, that's pretty intriguing. Nothing's happened to me yet that I can think of. I'm imagining ours will come later, if at all." He sniffed the air. "Also, you smell strangely of dust and… aged. I'm guessing that's part of it then too?" The shadow shifted closer into the room, looking as if he were floating, and perched on a dresser, pondering why nothing had happened to him yet.

"I don't feel any different," Bri murmured, "but I know better. I must be a little more used to it. I probably won't have a dream or anything such as Kale had, but I imagine something odd will happen around me I won't be able to explain." She snuggled him. "Warm."

"I feel… hungry. That's what I feel," Nexus squinted. "I'd say that's a hell of an improvement, Kale. You can't get mad at Bri anymore," he laughed. "Now you could probably take her in a fair duel, and win."

"Well, it all depends on where we fight. If we're outdoors, I'm obviously at a huge disadvantage. Then again, I have no idea to what extent her power will grow and morph, let alone any of yours. So, that's always something to look forward to. What say we head down, enjoy one last breakfast, and head on out?"

"Seriously, do any of you even enjoy being awake at the rate you get up?" Cryia drifted into the room and shook her head. "It's about the eighth hour. I've been up since the sixth. Lazy bodies."

"He wouldn't get up," Bri groaned. "But we got him up now, so yes. Breakfast, one last awesome breakfast, before we head out." She sighed a little in disappointment. "I would… kill a horse to live here. It's out in the middle of nowhere, it's elegant, and it's big. The goosebumps aside, I could learn to deal with them after a while."

Nexus nodded. "In the years I've walked earth, I don't think I've ever seen anything as nice as this. They really lucked out finding a place like this where they could hold out. Most get stuck in caves, or killed before they have the chance. Then back into Hell they go. I'm a little concerned though, how death would work for them, since they haven't signed their souls away, or haven't been punished." He shrugged. "Either way, I'm kind of going to miss them. Even though I know just about absolutely nothing about them," he said ashamed.

The shadow patted his back. "Relax, Nexus, you have eternity to figure all that confusing mess out. For now, we stop by to say good-bye, eat, and then show your brother what for."

"Well, there's always the possibility that it doesn't matter to them," Kale shrugged. "Let them be an enigma, as long as they're not dangerous. Well, dangerous to us anyway. I have a feeling they wouldn't give a damn about anybody else. But you seemed to have lucked out on that one."

He stopped and grabbed his things as they left the room and went down the staircase. "I won't be happy carting all this around, that's for sure."

"That won't be necessary, actually. We've arranged for a wagon led by two of our chargers to be prepared for you. Should make the journey a little faster," Azren shouted from across the chamber, gesturing out the window. "Leave them with the village if they'll let you – or just set them loose, they'll find their way back to us somehow."

Cryia peered out the window and then recoiled a bit. "Those aren't chargers, they're giant scorpions."

Cordia giggled and slid down the staircase railing. "Of course, horses wouldn't last very long in the desert, and these things are actually faster."

"He may have heard you, Kale," Bri said awkwardly under her breath.

Nexus cringed. "Good hearing. I think better than mine," he said, glancing at Kale. "Well, whatever I was going to say can just wait, I suppose."

Shae glanced through the window to stare at the giant bugs. "This will be fun. That's complete sarcasm, in case anyone is wondering. I'm in no way serious. Frankly, I hope they don't sting. Their barbs alone, minus any sort of toxin they may very well have, would kill you before that would." He lifted his bag, and then wandered down the hall with it.

For a moment, Bri hesitated, and then shivered. "Creeps… I take back what I said just a few moments ago," she mumbled under her breath, and then dragged her little pack. "How did we manage to carry all this in here if we can't carry it all now? I feel pretty exhausted just thinking about it." She didn't remember actually carrying this much junk with her.

Kale groaned loudly. "Oh, I remember the damned journey alright. It was miserable, and it nearly made me collapse in the heat before I tore my good sparring clothes. We would have gotten a cart in town, but they kind of told us to get out, at sword-point. I don't care how dangerous it might be, it's a hell of a lot better than carting around weapons, armor, supplies and books."

"Oh, don't worry," Azren added as he grabbed food from the table. "You still smell like our home. They'll leave you alone as long as you do, just don't let anyone else get near them. I'm quite certain they'll devour them in a few bites, and that tends to go over poorly with the locals."

"Oh damn, let me grab Shari from the guest quarter, I'm sure she'll be glad to go home at last," Cryia darted off.

At the mention of going home, Bri remembered they took a ship out to get here, and immediately regretted it. "Oh no. I don't want to get back on that wretched thing. Hopefully this trip won't be too long. It'll be nice to see the castle and Darius again, but oh my, the ship." Her cheeks hinted at green again. "I had forgotten all about it."

"I have a bucket for you," Nexus said, and held it out for her. She took it gingerly, and then tied it along her pack with the rest of her belongings. "Where's Celia? Did she decide to stay with the two of you?"

Cordia rolled her eyes and smiled. "That's actually what made us prepare the wagon for you. One of our servants is getting two cases of her belongings for the road. I tried to convince her to bring less, but she insisted that she be prepared for her new home, wherever it may be."

Kale shrugged and took a bite of ham. "I can't really blame her. It sucks travelling with the bare necessities when you need or want something that you can't keep on hand. But, oh well, at least it'll be home when you finally settle down."

Nexus tapped his chin in thought, but decided it would be best if she brought her things anyway. The future at the moment was too cloudy to make rash and sudden decisions.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I wish I could have all of my things back now. I've had to tolerate my sub-par appearance and upkeep since we left home." Cryia took a sip of wine and made a note of the vineyard it came from. "Then again, this has been really fun, so I can't complain all the time."

"Sorry," Celia called down from the second floor. "I went as fast as I could." She bolted down the staircase, dressed in the same white gown her children wore for the road. "I hope we're still going to be on time," she said sheepishly as she grabbed a plate of fruit and meat.

"On time," Nexus laughed. "That's something I think we have quite a bit of. It seems we're choosing to leave a little early. Our biggest problem is the town again, and letting us through in a timely fashion."

"That ought to be another nice adventure," Bri mused. "Oh look! It's the blue demon and his gang of misfits! Oh, and some poor seemingly-normal woman along for the ride."

"Sounds about right," Shae said with a nod. "Hopefully we can get through enough to reach the ship relatively quickly. I doubt we're going to have much trouble though, considering we're leaving quite a few hours before he has to go, I believe."

"Very well, then. I must say, this has been fun, I do wish you luck in your endeavor, and do come back some time," Azren said with a somewhat dramatic bow.

"Thanks, I'm pretty sure we'll need all the help we can get. That being said, don't worry, we'll be back soon enough, I'm sure," Kale smiled.

----------

The scorpions skittered around at first, anxious to make haste in the sun. When they were all settled, one of the servants handed the reigns over and they took off.

To say that they were fast was not something that Kale couldn't agree more with. He glanced at the strange geometric tombs and ruins that they passed by during their initial trip. Instead of being in their view for hours, they blurred by in only a moment or two at the most. Several times he found himself looking back to check on their luggage, which was surprisingly still there after all the bumps they'd found on the road.

In less than an hour, the gate to the city of Aras'Nevac was a distant spot on the horizon. Fifteen minutes later they were struggling to get the beasts to stop, not wanting them to break through the wall.

"Captain!" one of the guardsman shouted as he hopped down from his post. "Captain, that crew from three days ago has returned!" Several of the men began running around and getting into formation as they gathered around the gate.

"I thought I told you that you were not welcome here," a voice boomed as the gate opened. The captain held his sword, blade down, in his off-hand as he marched toward them. "You're not dead, that's a bit of a disappointment."

Kale jumped down from his seat at the front of the wagon, strode past the scorpions, and into the captain's reach. "I'd like to point out that we caused no harm as we were led through your fine community. Also, I'd like to point out that we didn't burn it to the ground like we could have if we wanted. Also, I'd like to point out that I found a coin purse on the ground a few minutes ago with your initials monogrammed into it, and it had about three hundred gold pieces in it. You're lucky I found it. The bag was ripped, but your coin was still there, Commander."

The captain chuckled and nodded, catching the purse the half elf tossed to him. "How lucky for me indeed, traveler. I'm sure I jumped to some harsh conclusions during our last encounter, just try not to cause too much of a stir, okay?" He signaled to his men to let the group pass as he hefted the bag.

Bri withheld a snicker, and then patted Kale on the back. "I imagine you'd had enough of his bullshit then?" On the last word, a small bout of quiet snickering ensued anyway. "I'm sorry, I'm trying to hide it. I hope none of them knows what I'm laughing about."

They stepped through the gates, which were closed immediately following their arrival. Nexus raised a brow at that, and then glanced at the second gate down the way, which was wide open. "I imagine not many people go through there," he said.

With relief, the shadow passed through the town, and smiled. "It's nice to not be pulled through here at sword-point again," he noted with ease. "I thought this was going to be the hardest part of going back to the castle. Now, let's just hope Delvin hasn't gone yet, so we can catch his ship on time."

"Relax, Shae. I think we're well within our time frame. We left because we figured these guys would hold us up, which they apparently didn't. So we're fine," Nexus grinned back. "I'm still getting some pretty strange stares from the populace though."

"No," Bri snipped. "Anyway, you're blue, they're blue. We'll only be here for a little while anyway. I want to make sure my canteen's full to the brim because I forgot to do so before we left, I was just so glad to be away from there. I love their house, but… I'm going to check the local tavern and ask for a fill. Not like the coin is a problem, now is it?"

All three of them jangled their little pouches at once. "Not one bit," Shae mused with a content grin. "That horde was truly the best I'd ever seen."

"Ah, best you've ever seen so far. There's always room for improvement. Granted, I don't think we'll ever charge headfirst into a dragon's lair, but the possibility certainly exists," Kale pointed out. "Anyway, you all do what you want – I'm heading out to the docks to find Delvin and the Black Mary. I'll have our things loaded on, and then we'll meet back at the tavern here."

Cryia shrugged and laughed at some of the men gawking at her. "Sounds like a plan to me. I'll try and make sure we don't wind up in too much trouble while you're away."

Kale rolled his eyes and walked out to the boatyard, making a list of things he'd need to grab before heading off. As he strolled down the boardwalk, his heart skipped a beat. Twelve ships of varying sizes were tied down, though none of them were recognizable. He was about to go find one of the dockworkers and ask about it when a loud shout came from behind him.

At the very end of the dock, in its own private alcove, was the Black Mary, and Delvin was climbing down one of the ropes onto the pier.

"Ho there! Ah was startin' to wonder about ya, not showin' up in the wee hours of the mornin' like ya did last time! Glad Ah can be of service once more, lad. Ah was startin' to worry that Ah'd have to take this rowdy orc crew out west. Not that Ah mind the greenskins, but mah ship probably wouldn't take their boisterousness too well.

"Same as last time, lad. The deckhand'll load all yer stuff onto the cargo deck. Ah have one last thing to settle with a goblin who's workin' on turnin' the Mary into a flyin' ship – Ah know, crazy – and then we'll be off."

Kale's jaw dropped in awe at the notion. "I wasn't even aware that you could do that. Well, in that case, I'll have one of the dockworkers grab our things and escort Celia and Shari to the boat. We'll see you in a bit then."

"Aye, sounds like a plan. Just gotta remember where the little bastard got off to."

Kale flagged down one of the men unloading things, gave him a few gold coins lest he get any ideas about the cargo or the people he was leading, and told him where their belongings were. Wide eyed, the young man ran into town and did as he was told.

Knowing that they would only have rum and wine on board, Kale thought it best to get tea and mead for the trip. As he walked back into the marketing district, he made a note of some things to grab on the way back and walked his way over to the tavern to meet up with the others as he made his order.

As he crossed the square, he noticed an odd little stand off to his side, attended by a single dark elf. He walked up to the hooded figure and opened his mouth to speak before she raised a hand to stop him. She tugged back her hood and revealed hair of darkest coal and eyes of starkest white.

"Greetings, Castion Kaleoszar. You know very well that you always did need to tame your curiosity, yet that is what brought you to me, here. To answer your questions, no, I cannot read minds, and no, I am not a proper oracle. I know all about you because I see you, not because of some prophetic vision. I will tell you three things, and then you will be off. Firstly, your trip back to your homeland will be an uneventful one. Secondly, your friend in the black castle has quite a lot of things to discuss with you that will leave you quite surprised. Lastly, your lover has found herself in some danger. Do not burn the world to kill a single spider, Castion Kaleoszar."

He stood dumbfounded for a moment as she spoke. When everything registered to him, he plinked down a few coins and hastily walked over to the tavern to find Bri.

34: C#33 - A Round of Red Mary

Shae and Nexus had wandered into the shops that lined the roadway, selling random baubles and charms. The halfling held no interest.

Bri wandered into the tavern, and immediately regretted it. Twelve larger men hovered near the bar, and were drinking and yelling loudly. They weren't arguing, but she could tell they definitely had too much, and were looking for a good time. Instead of turning and walking right back out, she strode to the counter on the farthest end, and asked the tavern keeper if he could fill her canteen to the brim, and offered him three silver pieces.

He looked at them with amazement, and then filled it, bringing her back a second canteen. "I can't take that much money without something extra, ma'am. Here, just take this. We don't use it anymore, and I imagine you'd use it better than us." He smiled and winked, and as she turned to walk out the door, one of the men at the table turned and called to her.

"Hey there," he said obnoxiously, his other friends giggling like fiends. "You're awful small to be out and about by yourself, aren't you? Ain't you gonna stop and have a drink with us?"

She stood still for a moment, frozen on whether or not she should turn and face them, or continue on her way. The tavern keeper sensed trouble, and reached for a throwing star below his counter, watching carefully.

"Not interested," she simply stated, and headed for the door, tugging her hood down over her face all the farther, and trying to keep her cloak wrapped around her tightly. Don't get up, don't get up, she repeatedly thought. I don't want to make a scene.

"Aw, come on! There's a-plenty over here, and the boys, they don't bite!" He got up off of his stool, and thundered his way toward her, swinging this way and that as he did. She raised a brow at his staggering. That at least seemed to be an advantage.

Before she got to the door, a man closest to the door jumped up and blocked her way. "My friends have a few drinks to spare as well," he said with a wide, wolfish grin. "Most of them are outlaws though, so they can be a bit rough with the ladies. You'll have to excuse them." He rose, and grabbed her by the arm, easily dragging her to his table-side.

She tried to kick and failed, connecting with empty air instead. "Let go of me," she snarled. "I have somewhere I need to be, and none of you are making a great impression." Inside she groaned. Here we go. Scene incoming.

The other man growled at the table man. "I invited her first, you know. That's awful rude of you, mister." But the other man just laughed, and his friends grabbed what looked like bars of metal from under the table.

"You gonna hit me? I dare you." The stool man's friends got out of their seats with some angry yelling, and Bri could already tell things were going to go for the better. If they shouted enough with each other, she'd have the perfect chances to get away without causing a ruckus on her own. The last thing they needed was to bolt to the shipyard.

The argument started to get more heated, but before she could officially slink away, one of them grabbed her by the hood, and pulled her back, choking her a bit. "I ain't done with you, cutie pie," the stool man said, and then tucked her under his arm as if she were a great friend of his. He turned to the table man, smiled wide, and said, "You want the little one, you have to get through me. I'm taking her back to my table now for some cards and a drink," he said, and then picked her up higher, sitting her on the crook of his arm as if she were a child.

Inside, she sized him up. Beefy. He had clearly punched a few people in his day and won. The other men at the stools began to cheer as he carried her back like a trophy. If she were to jump off his arm, she'd either hurt herself, or be choked if he grabbed her by the hood again on her fall down. Play this simple, Bri, she told herself, praying one of her friends would happen to walk in.

"Here, I got her," he said happily to his group of friends. The others loudly hooted at her, and they plopped her down on a stool, hard, ordering the tavern keeper to throw a few more mugs their way. The man gave her a careful wink, and held a level gaze with her as he poured four mugs. Bri understood. If they got too rowdy, he would handle it. He showed her a star shoved up his sleeve, and she bit back her relief. Most tavern keepers held some type of large, formidable blade, but this one was apparently adept at throwing stars, which were easier to hide, silent, and made less of a mess.

"Deal," the burly man said, pointing to a skinny man in a ragged coat. He was missing a few teeth when he smiled, and began to shuffle, dealing out seven cards to all four of them.

"What are the stakes?" His other friend clapped him on the shoulder.

"I win, I get to keep the tiny one as my own personal slave. If you win, you take her and sell her wherever." His voice was hushed now, quiet, and he didn't sound drunk at all. For a moment, Bri was thrown off guard. They were slave traders, and apparently she was their next target. They were incredibly good actors.

As he pushed open the heavy door to the parlor, he thought about what the mystery woman had told him. He waved to the man at the counter and told him his order before paying, searching around all the while. This was where she said she was going, wasn't it? Finally, in the far corner, he spotted her amongst several particularly large men, and then he understood what the dark elf had told him.

He breathed deep and pushed back his instinct to either incinerate them or cave in their skulls with his bare hands. His fists trembled as he doused the fires burning in his palms. His attention turned, then, to a man sitting in their opposite corner, in a shiny black cloak, waving to him in a discrete manner. He weighed his options and walked to see the stranger.

"The girl means something to you, does she not?" The man said with a tone of curiosity.

"Why are you asking?"

He nodded and sipped his mug gingerly. "That is a yes then. You are a mage, are you not?"

Kale's anger brimmed, threatening to come to force once the other man nodded again.

"That is also a yes, then."

"Would you mind telling me why any of that matters," he shouted, slamming a fist into the table.

"Sit and I will tell you, as long as you don't damage the table any further," he said, gesturing to the scorch mark his new acquaintance had left. "My name is Malachi, and I represent a local guild here, a group of similar-minded people who have a passion and talent for sorceries. We are, likewise, concerned about the state of affairs of this fine city, and the damage being done by these boorish lowbrows. That is where I might hope you could assist us."

"Before I agree to this, what exactly do you have in mind? I just got in this city, and I hope to be able to visit every now and then after my current ordeal is finished."

Malachi smiled and gestured at his guest. "Anything you wish, as long as you don't destroy the building with it. We can't be implicated, because then the Warrior's Hall, who protects those oafs, will find it reason to bring our actions to light with the council. I can, however, promise that you will find yourself oddly free of any official investigation until you have departed. How coincidental."

At the sound of a familiar shout, Bri turned her head then to see Kale. As he spoke with a stranger, she kept her head down to avoid suspicion from the strong men surrounding her.

The fourth man huffed. "And what of me?"

"Any of you who wins takes her, Charles, relax," he retorted with a snort. "Obviously. Now, since we have the cards dealt out, who goes first?" The men all threw a card from their hand, and then shuffled it into the deck. The man with the highest number laid a card down first.

Bri could tell this was going to be sort of eventful. She watched them carefully, understanding the game as they played. This was almost too easy.

"You threw the wrong one," she chimed in snobbishly. "What kind of move is that? Are you trying to on purposely cheat your comrades?" The burly man who had her perched on his shoulder turned then to glare up at her.

"What?"

"You threw a Nine of Spades. The other player laid a Queen of Hearts. You don't throw a Nine of Spades at a Queen of Hearts, you dolt, you lay a Jack of Clubs. Opposite suits, opposite colors." The other men hadn't noticed, and turned to him then in confusion.

"I thought you said it only mattered if it was a different color."

"It does only matter if it's a different color. Opposite suits is a lie," the beefy man said annoyed. "She's just trying to throw the game."

The other three men exchanged glances, then glared back at him. Another one piped up. "Actually, Tong, I think she's right. I've watched a similar game to this being played at the local inn, and from what I gathered there, they were going by suits as well as color. Jacks to Queens, Queens to Kings, Kings to Aces, and Clubs to Hearts, and Spades to Diamonds. You lied because you're terrible at this game."

Bri smothered a smile. She'd known this game before, and took advantage of the hole. Now all she had to do was ride the wave on out of here. "I think you're full of it, and you're just pissed because I laid the opposite color, and you've got nothing in your hands," Tong snarled.

The other man grinned, and tipped his hand, showing him a line of black cards, one of which was a Jack of Clubs. Bri felt her heart swell with laughter, and she fought hard to choke it down. Tong flew up out of his chair, throwing his cards into the air, and shouting into the other man's face. She latched hold of his shoulder and neck to keep from being flung off, and forced back her grin all the while. The distraction was on. She turned and looked to see if Kale could see her, so she could motion for him to get her out of there while she had the chance.

Malachi shook Kale's hand and raised his glass in a mock toast, eager to see what the new contact could do with all the impressive power he'd sensed. "Remember, don't hurt anyone else, and don't harm the building, that's all."

Kale turned and nodded nearly imperceptibly to Bri, and then sauntered over to the group, a wicked smile crossing his face in anticipation. "Gentleman, please, you're scaring the other patrons," he called out as he pulled up a chair at the table. "Also, you've got something that managed to catch even my interest. I'd like to join this cozy little game, if you don't mind."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small bag containing ten of the rarer platinum pieces he'd found in the horde. "What say you?"

Tong was half-way through a punch to Charles, when he stopped to gawk at the stranger. "Oi. And who're you?"

The other three looked Kale up and down, then at the platinum pieces. "Just let him play, Tong," Charles said through gritted teeth. His neck had begun to hurt.

"We don't play for just money stakes here, elf," Tong sneered. "We play hardball. You want to play along with us, you're going to have to chip in something a little less shiny, and a little more fleshy, if you know what I'm saying."

Kale smiled and nodded, pulling blood grass out of his pants pocket and rolling it into a cigar as he spoke. "Half-elf, actually, and I must apologize for deceiving you. She's part of a set you see. I've got her twin already, being guarded by my men near the old Kurvan Tomb ten minutes from the gates. But the buyer said he needed both, or I'm out of a deal."

He struck a match and took a heavy drag as he gestured to the halfling. "She's a hard one to track down, and I'd rather not see her go to waste at half value."

Tong nodded. "How you planning on getting the other one?" His smirk was sneaky and dark. "If we win her, you got to get her twin along too, or no deal."

Bri sighed in exasperation. She was amused how they didn't seem to mind her not trying to escape. Worse, opening her mouth to speak and berate them. They really aren't very smart, she shook her head.

"Oh, of course, I'll allow some of your men to follow me to my base. I'll tell mine to bring her out, and you can be on your merry little way." He saw some of the uneasy glances and scoffed. "Please, gentleman, I'm a heartless bastard, but I'm not a scoundrel. This transaction is more about customer loyalty than money, it's not like I'd stab you in the back over a good day's wages, if that."

Tong nodded his agreement, with a big, wide smile. "Alroy," he yelled at the tavern keeper, "one more round for the newcomer. He's going to play along with our game here, and he needs something to keep his throat wet."

The man threw Kale the same underhanded wink, and showed him the star in case things went wrong, and then nodded softly to Bri, who nodded back. This isn't so bad, she thought. We have a pretty damn good setup, actually. But we need to do this fast, or Delvin will leave before we get the chance to finally get out of here.

----------

"Where are they?" Nexus watched the clocktower's hand ticking. Shae shrugged, and scanned the crowd for any sign of Bri's red hood.

"I don't see her, or Kale," he said softly. "Perhaps they met Delvin at the docks already?" The fool merely shook his head.

"No, I've been there. Last I remember, Bri said something about a tavern. Maybe we should go and see if she's still there, and just got a drink with Kale."

"Sounds like a plan," Shae said, but then tapped his chin. "There's something wrong here though. Why would they drink before we got on the ship? It's not like Delvin's short on any kind of rum there, and I'm damn sure they wouldn't want to risk being late over a mug of ale." They exchanged a slow glance with each other, then darted off to the tavern.

Kale accepted the drink and took a large gulp before commenting, "Hmm, almost as good as the stuff back home. So, what game are we playing? I've tried my hand at nearly all of them. I'll save you the risk, and say that Black Jack, Straight Poker, and Hearts are off the table, I've been thrown out of too many dens for being too damned good at them."

"We're playing Red Mary, mate. And all of us are good at it but Tong," Charles said with a black and blue grin. "He's a dirty cheat, he is. If you don't know the rules, it goes simple as this; opposite cards, color and suit," he said, throwing Tong a dirty look. "Two's are wild, they can act as anything in a pinch. You don't have a card the match, you draw from the deck once, and skip a turn. The man who loses all his cards wins. If I throw you a Four of Hearts, you toss me a Ten of Clubs. I throw a Three of Spades, you throw an Eight of Diamonds. I throw you a Jack of Clubs," he said throwing Tong another nasty glare, "then you throw a Queen of Hearts. Got it?"

The other man gathered the cards from everyone's current hand, and began to shuffle them into his hand again to re-deal. "That's the basic gist," he said, arching the cards, and then fanning them out into five groups of seven.

"Sounds simple enough, but luck is what matters in the end, isn't it?" Kale chuckled, thinking back to Mordius and his promise of seven more years of good fortune. He was going to have to ask him about that when they got back home, with the recent events being contrary to that suggestion.

Kale stared at his cards and rolled his eyes. Every five, both red threes, and the King of Spades. "So, who goes first then?"

Tong let Charles down, and all but threw him into the chair where he coughed and sputtered until he had his voice again, as if he'd had this happen to him before.

"Alright," he croaked simply, and lifted his cards. "Everyone throw a card. Don't worry, we'll reshuffle them back into the main deck. Highest card starts," he said, and threw a Four of Diamonds. Tong threw an Eight of Spades, the dealer threw a measly Three of Spades which made the group laugh, and the fourth, quieter man threw a Jack of Diamonds.

Kale chuckled and tossed out his King, "Off to a good start, I guess." He glanced at his cards and set down the Three of Diamonds as the first card. "Not bad at all."

He sipped his mead and began to plan out ahead. Yes, that would certainly work, but luck would be against me on that endeavor, he pondered. A moment later, he began working out a simple illusion in his head.

The quiet man threw down an Eight of Spades, and grinned wide. The other two threw in cards, except for Tong, who growled, and drew a card from the deck pile, missing his turn. "Back to you then, Kale," the quiet man grinned.

Bri raised an eyebrow at him, questioning.

Before long, the fool and Shae shuffled through the door, looking every which way for the two of them. "Oh look, they're playing cards. We have a schedule to keep. Should we interrupt?" The shadow shook his head.

"No, they're not just playing cards. It looks like they're in trouble."

Kale nodded and tossed his Three of Hearts in as he drank. He saw Shae and Nexus walking in and waved them over. "Gentleman, meet some of my best agents. These two have won me quite a pretty penny in the past, due to their, shall we say, esoteric skill sets." He turned to them and smirked. "I trust you haven't gotten yourselves into any trouble? I seem to be doing alright at one of the few games I've never played."

Nexus quirked a lip. "No trouble on our end," he said simply, and yanked a chair from another table, sitting in it backwards, tipping it, and watching.

"As long as you're doing well, I suppose," Shae said, joining Nexus in grabbing a chair.

"You have a jester in your group? And a shadow? Interesting skill sets," Tong growled over his handful of cards. "Not what I expected from a slaver."

Charles threw down a Five of Diamonds, in which the quiet man swore loudly, and grabbed a card from the pile. Tong laughed at him, and threw down a Ten of Spades.

"It's not exactly what I'd consider myself. For me, it's less about volume and more about quality. I only bring in two, maybe three a month if I'm lucky. But then, I've got a few high profile clients, some even across the seas, who pay quite well for their toys. No, I guess I'd call myself more of a contract bodysnatcher." He tossed down one of his fives and shrugged.

Tong laughed. "Bodysnatcher. That's indeed a good word for what you do. High profile, eh? Do you know a man by the name of Alvich down in Al'keara? He's a pretty good slaver. Got lots of them boys with big beefy arms, and strong backs. They do good work in fields and manual labor." He tossed down a four, and then wiped some sweat from his brow.

"No, I heard he was caught recently," the quiet man croaked. "Heard he got caught by the locals, and since his gang was beat near to death the month before, they turned him in without worrying about their throats being slit. He's in jail now."

"Huh, I wasn't aware he'd been caught. Then again, I haven't been over there recently. I've spent most of my time tracking her down from up north in Albion. Before that, I was out in Urgrala fetching some orc girl down for a guy who likes them butch," Kale grimaced exaggeratedly.

He finished working his spell and focused on Tong's cards. The next time he looked down, he hoped, the man would find all his cards as twos. He tossed down another five and laughed. "Let me tell you, it was nigh impossible to find her amongst a group of men."

"What?" Tong glanced at his cards in confusion, but tried to keep his poker-face. "You're kidding. Gross," he said loudly, and laughed. He seemed nervous, and growled, picking up a card from the deck with dismay. What just happened? Those definitely weren't two's. Someone's a dirty cheat.

Nexus caught a glimpse of his cards, and then poked Kale under the table to let him know it had officially worked. He could tell the spell weaving by the scent in the air. Shae held his mask perfectly still, as if it didn't have any charm on it, and inside laughed at him.Dolt.

Charles recoiled. "That's foul. I can't imagine wanting a girl that looked like a man doing your housework. He must have some sick fetish then," he said, throwing a card down on the table.

"I can only imagine. Probably why he paid me extra to have her brought in discretely." He tossed down his third five and smiled, holding his one card up. His expression suggested that his luck had run out, however. "What's the worst place you've ever had to hit? I think mine goes to this crazy elven forest reserve whatever. Tree hugging bastards tried to skewer me as soon as I walked in, let alone when I ran out carrying a pair of their sons."

"Ah, hmm." The quiet man thought for a moment and tapped his chin. "Charles, what was that place with all the high stone buildings? It looked like they were built into a cliff side."

"That was Altaren, way back. We were there during our fourth trade," he said, and tossed his hands into the air. "I'm out."

Tong garbled something, and tossed his hand. "I'm out too."

"That just leaves us three I guess," the quiet man smiled. "And yes, that was the worst place. I ran into a child in the street who stole our entire bag of coins, and then ran off down the street with it before the guards could catch her. When we finally found her alone in a corner, sometime before we were supposed to leave, we grabbed her along too. Got what she deserved, she did."

He shook his head and sighed, gesturing at the players that folded, "tough luck." He finished off the rest of his mead and ordered another. "Ah, I do hate it when they insist on making things difficult. Always have to risk knocking a bit off the price because of selling condition." He grabbed a card off the pile and glanced around the table. "Have you gentleman been south into the desert lately?"

He started working on a second illusion, though now that he knew the first one had worked, this one should be much easier.

The men stopped to stare at him strangely. "The desert? No, we're not allowed out there, not to the straight south." Tong folded his hands over his belly. "If the guards catch us walking to that side of the gate, we get warned with bows and swords. Unless you're talking about the second south gate, which is actually technically south-west. Then yes, there's a trade route out there. A normal one, not one of our line."

Charles shook his head. "I've never been through either gate into the desert. I heard any way you go is a death trap, what with the sun and lack of water. I'd rather stay here in town."

The dealer, who had been quiet for some time looked at the rest of them with a serious expression. "I've been out there. I ain't a-goin' back either." He laid a card, and sighed.

Kale set down his card and cocked his head. "Why not? I'm curious, because my current base in this city is about ten minutes south. I traveled much farther south than that, and happened to spot a group of about ten or so migrants heading just this way."

"Really now? I imagine they only let you through there because you were passers-by. I ain't seen you around here very often either, so that must be a mighty slow base," he chuckled. "No, we're not allowed out there. I don't go out there anymore anyway, not after I was sure I saw what thought I saw," he said, his eyes glazing over. He flicked his eyes to Nexus in a miniscule flash, and then he turned them back to his cards. "I imagine I can bribe a guard to let me through though. It's not like everybody in here isn't connected in some way." He tossed another card. "If it's ten minutes, that shouldn't be too bad. Why you have one out in the middle of nowhere though?"

Tong punched him. "You don't ask a trader that, Bern. You should know better." Charles laughed.

"Indeed, that's basic etiquette. At least in our line of work it is." He threw a card, then glanced at his hand in confusion. "What…"

Kale chuckled and drank. "Whether it's etiquette or just plain smart instinct, it's usually a good idea. This is just a temporary base though, a large tent, maybe a campfire if those lugs actually remembered to bring firewood." He looked down at his last card and threw it down on the table. "I don't suspect I'll need it for too much longer anyway."

"Ha. What do you know, the new guy won." Tong clapped him on the back, and reached up, lifting Bri from his shoulders like a box. "Take her then. I just wanted her for myself." He shrugged. "It's not like halflings are seen very often around these parts."

Nexus sent Kale a quizzical look, and then Shae shrugged.

For a moment or two, Charles stared at the fool, hard, in the face. "You remind me of an old legend around here," he said, and then chuckled. "But it's all just fairy tales. I for one am willing to go see what all you have, Kale, if you don't mind. I'll bribe the guard with some extra coin on the way out."

Bri stifled her laughter as Tong placed her back down on the ground, and she took her place by Shae, who bound her hands mockingly in rope.

The fool just grinned, and turned away from Charles, rising to his feet to follow Kale out into the desert. Oh boy, what are you planning now?

"Oh, you gentleman can keep the money I added in, I can make seven times that easily by turning her in." Kale turned to Charles and chuckled. "You know, I heard the guardsman whispering the same thing when I brought him in. No idea where he came from, doesn't talk much. He just showed up one day with this gnome in his arms, and that was that."

Gnome? Bri pouted.

He walked over to the counter, paid his tab, told the barkeep he'd be back to pick up his order within the hour. "Well then, let's be off to see if I don't have anything that won't catch your fancy."

The shae cast Nexus a wicked smile, allowing his mask a few moments to flash one, and then returned to his stony stillness.

Charles gathered his coins, and the tavern keeper looked at Kale carefully before he left, a touch of a question to his mind. He nodded to Bri, and wished her well before she left quietly, slipping her some bread underneath the counter.

She smiled back, and then followed Shae out the door as he mock tugged on her little rope to come along. "Is it hot out?" Charles wandered into the sun, and then groaned loudly. "Yes. It is. Great, I have to get home soon enough to set my wine in the cellar, or it'll get hot and disgusting. I got a shipment recently from upriver, somewhere near the border of a continent called Kembarsh. It's new, at least that's what the ship captains have been saying. Beached themselves on it only a few months ago to find out they had entire shipyards full of wine that had never been touched by foreign hands. Cost me a pretty penny too to get a crate of it."

Tong rolled his eyes. "Your taste in wine is also cheap, and not very strong. You want to drink, you drink the hard stuff, or none at all."

"You want something tough? Try this," Kale said, reaching into his side pocket. "Tsaeci, a nifty little elixir that makes me thankful of my elven heritage. I warn you, it'll make your sense of color shift a little, but aside from that it's like heaven boiled into thick liqueur."

He strolled through the square, his friends at his side and his victims in tow. As he approached the gate, he wordlessly waved to the man perched on top of it. The guard walked over to see the captain, whom immediately slapped him and commanded him back on his post. The south gate opened and the good captain waved back at his new friend.

Kale gestured into the desert with a flourish. "Gentleman, follow me."

Tong was amused. "You didn't have to give them any coin? That's new. I always have to pour out my pockets if I even want to see if there are any game animals on the other side of this stupid wooden gate. I don't get why they have it if we never use it."

They strolled out into the hard-packed, hot earth, and looked around. "I don't see a tent," Charles said. "Is it out farther that way, or behind that dune?"

Shae and Nexus positioned themselves behind them, blocking their view and their escape back through the gate into the city, but said nothing.

Bern growled. "I think we made a huge mistake," he said to Tong.

"Gentleman, this evening has been a pleasure. I know that had I not intervened, you would have gone on to lead rich, but horrible lives. Now, I don't claim to be a good man. I've stolen from those that richly deserved it and taken lives just when they hit their prime, but there is one thing I cannot condone, and that is taking away from a man that which he values most." He raised his hands to his sides and engulfed his body in his unnatural violet flames. "…Especially when he can take everything away from you." He released his spell with a sadistic frown and watched them burn from the inside.

Tong and his gang screamed in agony, but only for what seemed a few seconds before their voices seemed to change in a crackling sound. Before long, they were nothing but ashy skeletons, screaming soundlessly into nothing. Bri nodded her head in approval. "Graceful," she said with a smirk.

Nexus and Shae laughed. "That's one way to handle it, I suppose. I don't know what I would have done had it been me. Probably something that would have got us thrown out, for sure." Shae tapped his mask. "You seem to have definitely improved your skills."

"I'll be honest, I have no actual idea how I did that. It just seemed appropriate, and it happened. I do like it though. I'll have to remember that in the future. I'm lucky these were just some idiots with no magical ability, otherwise this might have been a lot more difficult."

He moved next to Bri and smiled at her. "I'm sure you could have handled this without me, but thanks for not pulling out their skeletons or something in town. That's what I was trying to avoid."

"I didn't want to do that either," she said, shifting close and wrapping a small arm around his thigh. "Besides, that wouldn't have made Delvin look very good if we'd been dashing full speed ahead at his ship, and he were to carry us off. He's too nice a guy for that kind of inconvenience."

"You mean our inherent ability of finding trouble no matter what we do?" Nexus flashed them all a wide smile, and crossed his arms.

"Yes, exactly that," she said, and then pointed to the ship. "We should go now. He's probably wondering where we are, and I have no idea what time it is right now."

"That and I'd hate to further damage the image Azren and Cordia made for themselves." Kale shuddered at the thought. "Although, yeah, you're right, we do need to hurry."

35: C#34 - Curse of Two

They walked as quickly as they could without running. The guardsmen waved them through the gate again, expressing appreciation that they'd gotten rid of the crew. Some of them seemed less than happy at losing some bonus money at the end of the month, but they stayed their tongues. As they wandered through the square, Kale reminded himself to thank Malachi for making sure they weren't harassed. They went to the end of the boardwalk and waved to Delvin and Cryia on the deck.

"Ha! Ah told ya they got themselves in trouble again! Ah know yer type well enough to know ya always manage to find somethin' to get in the middle of."

"And I told you not to worry because they could definitely handle anything this city had to offer. So ha right back at you." Cryia crossed her arms and gave him a jokingly derisive smirk.

Bri all but leapt onto the ship with glee. "I hate the ocean, but I'd much rather be on here than in there any day. Nexus, your kids are walking nightmares, and that town there is full of cutthroats and crooks. I'm damn glad to be back on this vessel." She further exaggerated by taking the time to kiss the deck a few times, and groaning into a collapsed heap on the boards.

"They're not that bad," the fool rolled his eyes. "I've seen worse. Besides, it's good to see Delvin again, frankly. I figured you would have left us what with how long it took us to get ourselves back here." He slid up to Cryia and hip-bumped her. "Thanks to you."

Shae sat on a bench, and tightened his armor up a little bit. "I've got scuffs, dirt marks, and all kinds of unmentionables all over this fine leather. I'm going to have to find better when we get into the castle or the next town or village." He tapped his little tin. "This little guy can come in handy during a battle, but not as practical traveling gear."

Kale nodded and chuckled. "True enough, I'm going to have to rain fire on this city when I start to take over the world after this."

Delvin shook his head and gestured toward the group. "Oh come now, Ah'd never leave ya there. Ah don't care how much that damned baroness wants her new jewelry, some things are more important. Plus, Ah have a feelin' Ah'll be runnin' into you lot again, even after we hit mainland again. Also, Ah kinda used you as a scapegoat to avoid takin' orcs to the lands west of here, so there's that."

Cryia shrugged and stretched. "Well, that certainly explains why you hadn't taken off this morning like you should have. Glad to know there are people we can count on though." She then drifted over to Shae and ran her hands over his breastplate and shoulders. "Hmm, yeah, that does seem rough… What a shame." She caught herself and took her hands off of him before inspecting the rest. "Luckily for you, Darius should have plenty of material for new armor by the crafting station on his terrace. Urist should be able to whip you up something suitable then."

The shadow glanced at her awkwardly, and then down at his outfit again. "Yes, well," he cleared his throat, "I'll just have to ask him about that."

Bri smiled at Delvin. "You do care! I'll have to give you a little something we pillaged on our way over here then. Not really pillaged, more salvaged, I suppose you could say, from a castle south of here. Was a pretty nice horde there." She handed him a few coins, and then smiled. "There's a good bit there, but we have more if you ever get stuck in a tight pinch."

Nexus raised a brow at him, then at Cryia, and then sat on the bench beside him to stretch. "It's good to have fresh air again though. It'll be even better when we're out of this arid heat too. I want to jump in a pool and freeze it over me for 20 years."

"Aye, this place is interestin', but not the kind of place Ah'd want to wind up for more than a week or so at a time." He stomped his foot on the deck and listened to the familiar sound of the anchor being drawn up. "And we're off. Should be a two day trip if the sea keeps straight. Until then, not really sure. Got nothin' to do, got nothin' to catch. And Ah doubt we'll be havin' any guests like we did last time. So, try not to bore yourselves to death, Ah guess."

"I need to work on some spells, so I guess you could watch that if you want, but it's probably going to be repetitive. The fireworks should be pleasant though," Kale nodded.

Cryia tossed her hands in the air and lay down on the banister. "As long as you don't burn the ship down, we'll be fine, and then I won't have to strangle you for stranding me in the middle of the ocean with no sense of direction or how to get home."

"Oh, that's nothin' to worry about. Ah had a sorcerer make the ship fire and acid proof when Ah had the ship built. This way Ah don't have to worry about some of the nastier things that might try to gobble us up. Like dragons!"

"Or someone tipping over an oil barrel and accidentally catching it on fire. I had that happen once when I was on a ship years ago," Nexus groaned. "He said he was trying to swab the deck, and then he knocked over a lantern that was hanging above him on one of the lower levels. His mop knocked it off the wall, and all hell broke loose. The captain managed to get the fire under control, but we still had a pretty big gap we had to fix."

Shae made a noise, and then grabbed his pack, pulling out his little tin again. "I suppose I could practice with this little guy. That would keep me occupied for a while. And let's all hope we don't have some kind of oil fire, fireproof ship or not. That's very hard to put out."

The halfling wandered to the farthest deck, and vomited over the water. "Here we go," she mumbled softly, and then threw down her pack, and gathered up her pillows and a blanket. "I'm just going to camp out here this time. Hopefully I won't make a mess on the inner chamber that way. Besides, I rather like the night sky from a shipdeck," she smiled.

"Here lass," Delvin said, carrying a small satchel with him. "Ah can't say they'll make you feel any better, ye're head will still probably be swimming, and ye'll feel nauseas, but it might stop the constant retchin'. They're a lot like grapes, but they grow around in the desert. Apparently some of the critters eat em' after they bite into something sickenin'."

Kale looked at the deck guiltily and wished he could do something to help her. "Hey, Shae, any luck with that Endowment Tome that contained healing spells and such?"

"On that note, I think I should tell you that I had some crazy dream last night, involving a nice stone church that I corrupted and turned into a bordello, and now I feel a lot better than I have in a long time. I guess mine worked on me then," Cryia grinned.

The shadow shrugged, and looked at her sideways. "I don't actually know yet," he said, thinking. "I suppose that's definitely worth a try, but if Cryia had a dream, I didn't."

Bri chewed slowly, and relaxed back on her blanket on her back. "I didn't dream anything either, actually. Mine's yet to come. Though I think it's safe to say we should all have dreams about our power now, considering most of us have. Maybe mine will come tonight or something."

Kale walked over, and sat beside her. "I'll hover near you in case you need anything." He dabbed her forehead. "Maybe both of us will share something tonight, and then we can get you all fixed up. Not to mention what you could unlock inside yourself. You've got the ability to control ghosts now as well, so you should be pretty strong."

She groaned. "I guess that makes the ocean… what? My nemesis? My nemesis, Wave Man. Yep, that about fits the bill." She retched over the side again. "Hopefully those help. If I didn't just throw them right back up," she growled.

"Cryia, I'm not surprised," Nexus said with a laugh. "I had something similar, I just didn't want to throw it around. Mine wasn't a church though. I don't know what it was, just some building I guess in the middle of nowhere. Then again, I'm not as terrible as you are," he stuck his tongue out.

"How am I terrible, in any capacity? I found people who admired me and I offered them what they wanted. It just so happens to be exactly what I wanted too. Now they live like nobility, and I have subjects that I'd defend in a heartbeat, as they would for me. How is that bad?" She crossed her arms and turned her nose up at him, hiding a smirk.

"I don't know, Cryia, corrupting a church is pretty bad," he poked some more.

Kale propped himself up on the railing by the necromancer. "I dunno, Wave Man could be pretty devastating if it was a water elemental. I guess that's number two on my take-over-the-world list. Evaporate the ocean."

"Can't say Ah'd miss it that much, as long as Ah get a flyin' ship. This might actually be happenin' pretty soon, if that damned goblin gets his crew to work when we make port."

"A flying ship would be amazing," Bri said with a sigh. "I wanted to fly since I was little." Shae threw Nexus a look, and they bit their lips. "Little-er," she snipped.

"I take it the goblins are a little lazy?" Shae laughed. "I never liked those little buggers. Any time I meet one of them, they try to swindle me out of my pouch. I've had to hurt several of them. At one point, Splice had four come into his court begging for some kind of help because their village caught fire. That didn't end real well." There was a small note of regret there, but he hid it at once. "I still don't care for them, but no one needs to be that needlessly cruel."

"Damn, what kind of goblins are you guys talking about? The only ones I know are the ones that run their giant merchant caravan about a day's walk away from where I used to live, and they were awesome. Seriously, I never met one there that I didn't get along with. Oh, and they had a huge selection. I got the large majority of my adventuring stuff from them, and it never failed me," Kale blinked.

Delvin shrugged and watched over his chart table. "Well, these ones aren't so bad. Not tricky, not lazy, just hard to motivate. Kilkil might have to beat 'em a bit before they listen to him, or promise him a bit of extra pay. Knowing him, the crew'll be bruised purple when they start though."

"I've never had the opportunity to interact with them. Mainly because Darius doesn't like them, although I'm really not sure why." Cryia turned to Nexus again and scoffed. "And it's not like I'd go about doing that kind of thing in the waking world, now would I? Unless it got out of hand if I came across a particularly fetching priest or priestess in training." She guiltily looked at the floor and then shifted to the halfling. "You know, if you want to fly, I can teach you how. I'm guessing it works off of the same arcane resonance that mine does for mortal beings, and since you're fairly practiced at magic, it shouldn't be that difficult."

Bri remembered the caravan way back. "Yeah, one of them made me this cloak," she said, and held out her little red hood. "I don't remember goblins being that bad." Her eyes lit up at what Cryia offered, but then she double-thought it. "I'm a little afraid of heights… I'd have to try and learn first. Once I figure out the mechanics, I think I'd like to."

Shae shrugged. "The ones we knew were good thieves, a few of them had a guild even. They would infiltrate the castle, steal what they could, and run off. Actually, now that I think about it, that's not such a bad thing. This was Splice's castle after all."

"Yeah, I'd been meaning to ask. What court? What castle? Did he grab one at some point a long time ago?" The fool's mind raced back before and after his… split. But nothing came to mind. "I take it he actually stole one from a lord, and murdered the poor man."

The shadow nodded. "He had one for a little while in a major city, Al'Sadan. Apparently he'd been there for a good eighty years before he finally got bored, and just vanished one day. I was left there, after several years of miserable service. He took everything I owned, and he… well, he did something horrible to me I can't let down. Aside from the horrible servitude I spent with there, there's one more thing I have to make him repay me for. And no gold or jewels can replace it, either."

Kale nodded somberly. "I can't begin to imagine, and I shudder to ask, but I can definitely appreciate vengeance of such profound magnitude. If we do manage to pin him down eventually, I'll be sure to let you cut out his eyes then. Least I can do."

"If it comes to that, and he isn't completely destroyed in whatever possible catastrophic event we inevitably find ourselves in. Yes, I'd like to see you cut out his heart and burn the other remains so they can't taint the rest of the world. Maybe mummify the heart and wear it as a charm." Cryia turned to Bri and nodded with a smile. "I think we can try, if we get any respite, when we get home."

"Aye, sounds like a right bastard if Ah ever heard of one, and likely a whole ledger of other things too foul to mention. It always sounded like ya had somethin' big goin' for ya."

"He's a nasty one," the shae mumbled under his breath. "I can't wait to do horrible things to him. Nexus, is it possible to kill him? For good?"

"Well, there are legends where they scatter parts of demons so that they could be put back together again later on. Sometimes centuries later, actually. If you were to cut his eyes out and part him in multiple directions, I'm sure he'd shrivel up into nothing for a good many years before someone would want to come along and put him back together to hope for some kind of reward. In which case he'd be so damn starved, the poor sap wouldn't stand a chance." He tapped his chin and thought. "If you were feeling extra generous, you'd either shatter or scatter the pieces to his set as well. That'd give the person trying to awaken him again something to work for that Splice would want. Then again, we don't need another problem like this later. It'd likely be out of your life spans. Well," he thought glancing around, "most of your lifespans."

Kale thought deeply and began to formulate an idea. "You know, I thought about that. You'd really just have to find a creature that actually devours souls. I can really only think of two things. An incredibly ancient lich, or an equally ancient vampire. As downright insane as this sounds, if we managed to destroy his material form while under a spell that traps souls, we could hold it until we found one of them to permanently destroy it for us."

Bri stiffened at the soul-devouring option.

"Oh dear gods," Cryia moaned. "So, basically, it's impossible, right? Also, what happens to his form once he winds up back in his cell?"

Nexus gaped at Kale, then turned to Cryia. "Normally, if he's killed here, he simply wakes back up in Hell, complete and healthy. Any part of him destroyed here would remain, unfortunately, which gives folks here a misplaced sense of safety. If his soul weredevoured, he'd be in, no more waking up in Hell to come back in a physical body again. He'd be kaput." He threw his hands into the air to emphasize. "The problem is finding someone who can do it. Oh, and there's one more problem with that kind of plan."

Bri and Shae exchanged a glance, and the halfling waved him on. "Go on, go on."

"I go with him. Our souls are tied together, as Bri over here can tell you quite clearly," he shot her a poisonous glance. "So if he were to die, I would wind up going with him. I doubt something would happen to Azren and his sister, considering they're not souls, but physical beings, but the two of us would vanish entirely."

"I take it there's something more than just being a salaciously indecent being that you both got bound into this together, then. Dagon's Blood – and you called me terrible," the succubus winced.

"Well, that's out of the question then…" Kale pulled out a knife and flipped it in his hand as he thought.

"Well," Nexus said simply, "Darius knows about it, actually, if you ever want to ask him. I made him watch it first-hand," he growled, and then smirked a little at how angry he'd been. "I don't like talking about it, personally, but he could tell you all the gritty details if you're ever in the mood for a good story. Frankly, Kale, I hadn't thought about it before, but if that's the only way to take him out of here for good, I'd willingly do it. There are a lot of things I regret after walking for five hundred years. Celia would be in terrible shape though, I imagine." There was a touch of regret which manifested in green cheeks, but he turned away before he thought anyone noticed.

Shae walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "The chances of finding someone who could do that for us is slim anyway. Why don't we think about alternatives first?"

Bri felt a pang of guilt, and she hung her head a little, looking away into the water. "I don't know much about why you're bound, but I agree with Shae. We should wait first."

Scanning his memories, an idea came to mind. "When we were down in the basement of Tatuet… That lich, Melicard… He said something about making a new world. We could trap Splice and hold onto him for quite some time – until they emerge again. Then we could ask him if he could make a small prison plane to keep him in." Kale's revelation spread through his friends, and Bri exchanged glances with everyone, mouth agape.

Cryia shuddered and stared off into the waves. "I cannot even begin to imagine what a nightmare that would be like. Hell would seem like a pleasant afternoon daydream by comparison."

Bri beamed up at all of them. "That is a brilliant idea," she said with a wicked smile. "That would be absolutely miserable for someone with the capacity for boredom that Splice has. I'm pretty disappointed the Devil himself hadn't thought of it."

"That might be the best, easiest way possible. And it would be pretty damn impossible for him to escape too," the fool tapped his chin, and a wide smile loosened his upset mood. "The problem is that Melicard went into his own plane now, one we can't get into. Unless Darius can summon him back for a time, to ask him for the favor."

Cryia pondered for a moment before responding. "I don't actually think he can. He's a great, powerful sorcerer in his own right, but I think that's a bit beyond him. He might know where we could find someone powerful enough to do so, but that might be dangerous."

Kale rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'd actually really hate to see what kind of trouble we'd have to go through to bargain with someone like that. Besides, I think right now, it might not be the greatest idea without a plan on taking the bastard down."

Shae agreed. "Yes, exactly. I say we wait and form a plan first. I don't want my last words to him actually becoming my last ever." He growled to himself for a moment. "The one thing I want back is my ability to be free. I'm bound in a semi-physical form right now, rather than being entirely wispy like I'm supposed to be. It's uncomfortable. There's a blade he stabbed me with. It stole my essence, and then he tossed it into a river, which drains into a lake. I'm hoping to get it back."

"You're kidding," Nexus said, and touched his black skin. "You look as black as a void, almost non-existent, and you're telling me you're not even supposed to be physical? That must be pretty interesting."

The halfling smiled. "Plan indeed." She yawned, and looked at the black water, feeling her stomach begin to churn again. "Oh gods, why does my stomach hate waves so much? Really, it's not the smell or anything, it's just the rocking. I don't know how folks can live on the water like this."

"Don't know how ya can't stand it. Never could, actually. Ah guess some folks just aren't built for the waters. Let's hope later on ya don't get air-sick when we manage to get the Mary in the air. That'll be a damned shame if it's both."

Cryia chewed her lip as her imagination took its course. "Damned shame," she mumbled under her breath. "It always seems like we have way too much to do and never enough time to do it."

Kale laughed and slapped the railing. "I know. If only we could arrange a temporary truce and relax for a few weeks. That's exactly what we need. Sadly, time seems to be the one thing we never have."

Bri shrugged. "I don't think the air would bother me, since I've wanted to fly for a while and Cryia offered to help me out with that later. Getting used to it though, that's something new. Even if I am sick at first, I'll be damned if I allow that to ruin my favorite childhood wish," she laughed.

Nexus sighed loudly. "Time. That seems to be a bigger enemy than anything else. Look, it's dark already. Worse enough we were supposed to be aboard here in the morning, and it wasn't until evening when we were." He glanced at Bri with a teasing smile. "Someone got in trouble in the tavern and held us up a while."

The shadow smirked with him. "We always seem to get in trouble. Yet here we are. I wish I'd met you all earlier than I did."

For a moment, Nexus felt some shame. "I have someone I should go talk to now, for the night," he said guiltily. "I imagine now that we're away from the castle, we have a lot to catch up on, and the sea at night is a nice place for that. I think I'm going to find Celia now." Their initial meeting hadn't been time to discuss anything, and all of the awkwardness of the castle itself had hushed his voice. Now that they had a chance to be alone, he was thrilled to be able to speak to her again.

Shae and Bri nodded. "Good night."

"Mermaids, master Nexus. Keep that in mind," Delvin warned.

Kale tossed his arms in the air and bit his tongue. "Right. Forgot about them."

"Oh come now, you sound even worse than I do during the harsh weeks," Cryia teased, smirking sideways at the halfling.

Nexus shuddered. "I forgot the mermaids. I'm trying to actually keep away from… that. So, really, we'll mostly be just talking," he mumbled, and toddled off to the door below decks.

Bri shivered. "I think I'm going to move my bed away from the edge of the ship now. I suddenly feel pretty uncomfortable. I forgot all about them. They're not something you worry about much when you're on safe, warm land."

Kale shrugged and sat down next to her. "Don't worry, I'll stay out here with you. Don't want you getting stolen away again by something I can't trick into dying."

"Well, I'm heading down and getting sleep before the gulls wake us up tomorrow. Good night, hopefully eventful and transcendent dreams for all." Cryia drifted down the railing and saw to Shari before heading off to bed.

"Aye, sounds like a plan. Deckhand'll take care of just about everythin', course-wise. So, yeah, try not to get scooped off by awful flyin' beasties in the middle of the night." He stretched and headed into his cabin for the night, dousing the lamps as he went.

"So, what's the first thing we're doing when we hit land again?" He asked, chewing some of the smoked meat he picked up at the docks.

"I'd say going straight to Darius to recuperate. After that, hunting down Nexus' other pieces, and then hopefully finding someone who can bind Splice enough to banish him from our realm. Sounds like the basic gist to me, anyway. There may be some other things along the way. Seems like every time we get a plan, something intercepts it," she laughed.

Shae nodded to the two of them. "Good night. I want to make sure I get enough rest." He rubbed the halfling on the head. "Don't get too ill now," he said with a smile, and then wandered off into the darkness, almost vanishing without effort.

Kale laid himself down and began to nod off. "Reminds me of that story my mother told me as a boy, about an idiot hero. Thought the best plan was not to have one so that nothing could not go according to plan. Sounds like he had the right idea after all."

Bri watched him nod off. "Plans always seem to unravel. We really should stop planning things. It's no wonder stuff never works out and we wind up in pinches all the time." She smiled at him. "Just sleep, Kale. It's not like we're doing anything interesting now, and most everyone else is already in their chambers." She felt a wave of sickness threaten to overtake her, and she squeezed her cheeks for a moment. "And talking really isn't helping me much anyway."

In between incoherent mumbles, he managed out an actual sentence. "I'm always glad when nothing's going on. Nothing rarely happens, and hasn't happened since we crossed paths, it seems." He rolled over and let his consciousness slip into his dreams once more.

Beneath the subtle waves and tides, Kylin waited for the right moment. Eager to find something with which to keep the Beast distracted, he decided to look to the group for a hook. Doing so would be simple. A touch into their dreams where the conscious thought could be accessed with little effort was all he would need.

He checked the pulsing lights that indicated living beings on the vessel, and came across a peculiar one that he hadn't seen since they'd been in the desert. He drifted through the floor boards and into the cabin where the Beast's brother lay and inspected the woman. Strange, she seemed almost normal, which hadn't fit the group in any respect.

He hovered above her, his presence masked to such great extents that he likely wouldn't have been noticed if they were awake and staring at him. He reached his consciousness into hers and sorted through the most recent ones, trying to identify her and look for an interesting thing to work with.

She resisted quite well, but not well enough, and her dreams twisted into a nightmare as he wormed his way through her psyche. After determining who she was, he noticed an odd detail about her. Of little consequence to him, but it would certainly provide the excuse he needed to keep the Beast distracted while this group looked for his brother's artifacts.

He stole away with what he could, and imprinted upon her the location of one of the missing pieces that they would need. With a wicked smile that followed his plans coming together, he drifted back into the seas to return to the Beast.

The next sunrise greeted Bri with a bright light to the eyes. She sat up, shielding her face, and glanced around the deck groggily. She hadn't slept well on the hard floor, and tossing water. "I should have stayed in the cabins," she grumbled, and shook Kale awake. "Get up now, we have to eat something." She felt her stomach churn, but her body stayed itself. "Thank the gods that Delvin gave me that fruit. They really help. Ugh."

"Well, that's certainly a good thing. I wish I could help more, but unfortunately anything directly beneficial isn't found among my spell lists." He got up and stretched and walked around a bit to wake himself up. "Good to see we haven't been devoured completely in the middle of the night."

"Good to see someone else is awake before high noon around here. As much as Ah'd hate to say it, we'll probably hit the dock around that time, too. Currents ran pretty strong through the night, and so we'll hit land in a few hours."

"Wow, fast," Bri commented happily. "I can't say I'm disappointed, as much as I like you, Delvin. Hopefully when you get this thing out of the water and into the air, I'll fully enjoy our trips together then. Especially since I feel the same way you do about crossing paths more often."

"We might just make you our personal trouble-transporter," Nexus joked as he stepped through the doorway onto the deck.

36: C#35 - Paradigm Shift

Splice tossed a dagger in the air over and over, and caught it in his hands. He thought as he did so, wondering which direction to take next. When Kylin finally returned after his sudden disappearance, he quirked a white brow in quizzical curiosity. "So where'd you dive off to? Looking for more news on where the real crown is?"

Firstly, I'd say that the one you possess is a real crown and quite a powerful one indeed. Worth a small fortune if you were interested in money. I could not find the location of Leoric's crown. The good news is that they don't know where they're going either. I did, however, come upon a piece of information you'll appreciate. Something I doubt you'll have ever even considered in all your years.

He tossed the dagger, and caught it again, balancing it on the tip of a claw. "Really now? That'd be pretty damn impressive," he smirked, tipping the current crown on his head. He tied his white hair back in a tail, and took it off for a time. "Luckily, I'm not so material as to only look at money, Kylin. Really, you should entertain yourself once in a blue moon, you're too uptight. Shame on Leoric's crown, but what's this new news I'd be so interested in?"

I do not require entertainment, nor anything so base. Even if they were not beyond my grasp, I have no desire in squandering my time on things that grant me no progress. It vexes me that you have no goal in mind beyond this quarrel you carry and your petty destruction.

Now, in spite of all of that, the news I have for you does not involve any progress. He sighed heavily and shook his head. Thin though it might be, it seems your blood line runs in the world still. Your sibling, through means unknown, has borne children who wait in the ancient city of Tatuet.

The gate we were standing at, too shortly, is a gateway leading into the phantasmal city where they reside.

The dagger clattered to the floor, and he turned to stare at Kylin with a shocked spark in his eyes. "You're joking… There's no possible way." He rose to his feet then, and picked the dagger up, staring into the blade and his reflection. "So, he's managed to spread our blood. Then that technically makes me an uncle now, doesn't it? I feel old," he half-smirked, and stared into his own eyes in the blade. "I suppose I should introduce myself, though if I remember correctly, there's no way to get into it. We tried for hours with no results. There's got to be a way in somehow." He thought for a moment and then waved to Kylin, making his way to the little trap door where bandits used to hole up their treasures. "You can wander, looking for your 'progressive' course of action. I have a quick detour I need to make now. Thanks for the information, though, really." His smile flashed all fangs, and his eyes flashed a glowing red for a moment.

There is one last thing I should mention before you set off getting yourself killed, which I do not recommend. It seems they know of you already, so do tread carefully in this endeavor.

"Oh? Interesting. My brother obviously thinks of me somehow," he mused sarcastically. "Well, at least I won't need much of an introduction, though if they've seen him already, I'll be pretty easy to figure out at first glance." He strode to the door immediately. "I refuse to hesitate. And I don't know how long I'll be either, so relax for a while," he said, and strolled out the door. The desert wouldn't bother him too much. That was a bonus.

As he drifted away, Kylin chuckled to himself internally. Even better than I could have planned.

He traveled for four days, sometimes floating, sometimes physically walking until he reached the gate a second time. There had to be a way to get supplies into the castle at some point, right? He looked around, thinking, until he realized the only close village was the one he and Kylin hadn't even bothered to walk into when they passed by. If anyone knew, they would.

The guardsmen of Aras'Nevac paced back and forth on their usual watch. In the distance, they noted a stranger they hadn't seen before, in colors belonging to no one in the area, not to mention the continent in its entirety.

Lerin mentioned the discovery to their captain, Garren, who stopped his rounds and watched the godforsaken desert for this mysterious man who defied all explanation. He ordered them back to their posts and kept an eye out, hoping he was wrong in guessing that he was headed their way.

Splice walked, straight forward at the sight of roof-tops over the wall that encased it, and then marched straight to the gate. "Hail there," he shouted to the guards above the wall. "I want to know when the traders send their caravans into the desert, to the sealed gate to the south," he said with a devilish cheeriness. "There's someone inside I have to meet."

He noted their stares and glances, and then understood they knew what he was talking about. Better yet, and more interesting, he noted they looked afraid. That doesn't sound much like a place my brother would go, he thought with a smile.

The captain hopped down from the archway above the city gates and looked at the stranger. "No one goes through the south gates anymore, too many wild monsters and raiders. Although, you kind of look like the fellow we sent running off in that direction toward the beginning of the week. Funny, I swear he asked about you as we escorted him through town."

He quirked a brow. "Oh, so someone mentioned me, eh? I'm taking it he was tall, blue, and dressed like me." He grinned wide. "Well, funny thing actually. The person I have to meet at the southern gate likely kind of resembles that too," he smiled. "The problem is I can't get in, and I imagine they send for supplies once in a while."

"Aye, though I don't know why the guilds insist on tolerating them. I'd be lying if I said they couldn't decimate our forces, but if the damned mages and mercenaries helped, it wouldn't be so bad. We might even be able to fight them off completely. What day is today?"

Splice thought for a while, and pondered how long it had been since he'd first left it. "I think it's Wednesday, but I could be wrong. I've traveled a while out here alone, and I don't carry a watch." He cursed himself for that. It was a bad habit of his, not carrying around something that told time. Days tended to blend together when years didn't matter.

"I don't count days either. I'm out here literally every day, so only the big events stand out. If those bastards don't send their envoy out tomorrow, it'll be the next day. Problem being, I don't think most of the townsfolk will consider accepting your presence. Even I'm a little worried. Those monsters terrorize us every other decade, and now they get two visitors in the span of a week? Doesn't sit well in my books."

Interesting, he thought simply, and grinned to himself. They clearly weren't like Nexus was. "So, I take it they give you a fair amount of trouble then? I haven't met them to be honest. I'm here out of curiosity," he shrugged. "I've heard stories, and they sounded like my brother, the blue jester who passed through here a bit ago." He threw him a wicked grin. "I won't be any trouble at all. Pinkie promise."

At max, two days. That wasn't so bad. He figured it could be worse. Being holed up the way they were, he imagined they'd only send for supplies once in a great while, and get what they wanted in bulk when they needed it. Looks like Kylin had perfect timing, and even better timing on his end, traveling here for four days and still making the window. He smiled. Things seemed to be falling into place for him now, considering he'd been getting a little antsy.

"Oh, I know you'll be on your best behavior. If not from the fact that you'll most likely be demonized by every citizen here because of your similarity to the devils, then because I'll promise you that you'll be skewered by no less than sixty damned good marksmen with crossbows. Tough as you odd ones always are, I know even that has to be quite painful."

He shrugged. "Painful, yes. And being demonized isn't something I'm worried about, mister. I am a demon," he waved his hand dismissively. "My only concern is to find an inn, and relax until the caravans leave. Once they do, I'm gone. And if it's as soon as you say it is, you won't have to deal with me very long." He thought of ways to escape the place in case it ever happened. Usually flying above their heads was enough, but too many archers, and crossbows to boot, would be difficult to maneuver out of the way of. He didn't want to wind up in his cell in Hell again because he was reckless. Even Kylin would likely be proud of that line of thinking, he scoffed. Stuffy. Insulting. It was no wonder he let him go to wander for a while. The wraith was probably tired of his near-constant exuberance.

The captain stood slack-jawed for a moment and stared, processing the words. Demons. That made perfect sense now. Not just some strange eldritch horrors meant to plague the realm of the living, but vile, killable creatures. He made a note to place a bulk order for some of the strange iron the orcs brought over. Whatever it was, it harmed outsiders quite easily. He had a weapon now, and so they might be able to arrange something against the foul demons once and for all.

"Very well, just be sure not to stir anyone up. The commoners are skittish as it is, and I'd rather not have to deal with thirty folks making formal complaints."

His stare was enough. He didn't know? He narrowed his eyes in disbelief, and then turned his attention back down toward the south. Trouble. He opened his mouth, and invited trouble. This made room, however, for an interesting deal, one he would have to craft carefully.

For a moment, he stood, thinking. There were a few things he could do, some of which just weren't suited for the occasion. He nodded then, finally, and stood straight. "I shall condemn myself straight to my inn chambers, until the caravans go then. Have someone knock on the door to let me know, and then I'll be out of your hair," he smiled.

When morning came, Roland wondered exactly why the captain had chosen him to be the courier of this particular day. He cursed each and every god he could think of as he climbed the stairs of the inn to find the traveler. In their groups and formations, they might stand a chance if he'd proven to be as serious a threat as the Yslrand was. Alone, he might as well be unarmed and unarmored. With a small prayer before doing so, the guard knocked on the locked door and waited for a response.

The red fool heard the sound, and stared up at the ceiling with a grim smile from his little cot. The uneaten dinner from the night before remained on the desk, untouched, and his wine glass was still full. "Come in," he said simply. "I just have one more thing to pack up, and we can be on our way."

"I'm afraid not, sir," Roland choked out, opening the door and raising his crossbow at the demon. "Strict orders were given not to enter your chambers for any reason until your departure. Captain Garren also gave me permission to use lethal force if you refused to come with -!"

He grabbed the poor man by the collar, clawed his wrist where he held the crossbow, and pinned him against the wall, throwing his hand over his mouth, and kicking the door closed in wicked speed. He grinned down at him, and then sank his teeth into the man's throat, ignoring his muffled scream of protest, tasting the blood as it dripped into his mouth like a fountain. He stopped, and looked down at him. "I can check myself out, thank you," he said with a smile. "Door is that way then?"

By comparison, the man that walked into the room now made Roland look like a child. "Garren said you would try and do something like that. I'm glad you did." He gripped the demon by the neck and threw him down the stairs as hard as he could, signaling for one of his rank to join him while six others poised swords at the collapsed traveler.

"Tosh, fix Roland up if you can. I'd hate to see the kid go this soon. I'll see to this mess." He walked down the steps and stood by the others, ready to strike if necessary. "Good morning."

Splice groaned in pain, but laughed as he held onto his side. "Good morning to you too, sir." He coughed. He stayed where he was, and looked around at the group. "Honestly," he coughed again, "it's not the blue ones you have to worry about," he smiled. "If I know the one, then I can guess the others." He rolled his eyes, and then rested his cheek back against the floor, grinning back up at them. Interesting day already.

Jed shook his head and hefted the traveler over his shoulder, holding a dagger to his ribs with his spare hand. "Why can't you just be a monster like they say you are in the books? Why are you always so crazy? Not you in particular, but anything that manages to crawl itself out of the fiery pit where it belongs. I might be asking a redundant question, but I'm kind of getting sick and tired of you."

Tosh came down the steps and sighed. "Well, the kid's not going to die, but those teeth marks scarred over horribly. I used the best spells I know and it still looks like he got branded with a hot iron."

"Well, that's good at least, maybe it'll help him learn to be more cautious next time." Jed poked his captive with the blade tip lightly and continued. "In addition to these six by us, there are ten more archers situated outside. Don't do anything stupid, at least until we give you over to Brandt, okay?"

"Monsters," Splice half coughed, half scoffed. "Monsters. Everyone always assumes monsters. We're not mindless, you know," he coughed, and then tapped Jed on the back. "Hey, if my skin gets too hot, just let me know, and I'll fix it," he laughed darkly, and rested his cheek against his back, allowing his body to be limp. Better to just wait until they were outside. The fall was enough, he didn't want spikes sticking out of him. Shame though. He was pretty hungry. If he'd had the time, he would have finished the job. I really should have seen that coming, he thought, amused. I'm getting rusty.

"Predictable is more like it, although that I can't complain about. We knew you'd do something, despite anything you might have said. Garren knew better, I knew better, even Roland knew better. That's why he was so nervous about being sent for this. This is good though, it'll toughen him up for when the Yslrand comes along and he has to face something worse than you. By a long shot." He waited by the south gate, keeping an eye on his comrades, waiting for Brandt to make his way out.

"The Yslrand? What's that, the spawn of my brother's loins south of the gate? Interesting choice of words," he said with raised brows and a grin. "I wouldn't have thought he would spawn something horrible, as angelic as he is." He tapped his chin, thinking. Whatever it was they did to this town, it was pretty damn fun. He imagined actually meeting them would be like meeting Nexus if he were drugged up and crazy. At the thought, he felt a touch of excitement.

"Horrible doesn't begin to cover it. I assume you at least have the decency to kill your victims? Who knows what the hell they do with them," he gestured with his head, and it wasn't a question. "Some return, most never do, but they invariably take a dozen or so of our people and haul them off to that infernal city. Tatuet – may the name forever bear a curse as black as the void between worlds." Jed shook his head and motioned for the point men to open the gates.

Brandt pulled his heavy cart behind him and nodded at the gatekeepers in appreciation. With surprising ease, he hooked it up to the rigging for the gigantic scorpions and turned his attention back to Jed. "No need to even tell me, Jed. No way in any hell it could be anyone else." He grabbed the iron chain out of his cart and shook his head. "I'm certain they'll be happy about the news, and I'm certain he'll be out of these bonds by the time we make it back." He nonetheless began tying complicated loops in the chain as he bound the red demon.

"Sorry about that, Jed. Tell your men I apologize on their behalf as well." After a moment of silence he nodded and ushered the scorpions onward.

Splice listened, but kept his head down, tied down to the flat of the cart like a hunted animal. He held his grin, but was careful. He did tend to kill his victims. Not always, sometimes he left them to suffer, but for the most part, he sucked them into dried grapes. He thought about it for a time, and wondered where they could have gone. Did they eat them? No, that was impossible, they'd come out more often to get victims. It both puzzled and fascinated him.

"So no beatings then? No tying me up in some prison? That has to be the first," he mumbled to them from the back, careful not to breathe too deep and injure his sides more.

"Unlike some," he said slowly, peering back at him over his shoulder, "I know well enough to keep conversation to a minimum. In an effort to preserve my status as it is, I would request you try and do the same. We will arrive at the Silver City, Tatuet, within the hour. Whether or not you will face consequences for your actions, I cannot say." He urged the scorpions onward faster, hoping that it would be sooner.

He raised a brow at that. "Status? You're not one of them then," he said, jerking his head back toward the city, referencing the guards. "You sneaky man you," he said with a grin.

He rested his head back on the supplies, and relaxed. Consequences? Again, interesting choice of words. Whatever came his way, he was prepared to face the pain. For once, he was stumped. His biggest motivation for now was to simply see them. Something he hadn't heard of ever in history happening, happened to his brother. So what after that? The possibilities were endless, but none of them seemed to be long-lasting. Striking a deal is gone now, he thought with a frown. The guards are my fault now, so there's no way that'll work. Hmm… And here I was hoping to buy my way in.

The ride was short; thankfully the beasts had been fully rested when they took off that day. As they neared the gate, Brandt focused on the word he would need before he could gain entrance once more. Several large tombs drifted by on their hills, and at last they came to the valley between the two low dunes. There, at the gate, he urged them to stop as he dismounted. He covered his ears and spoke.

Out came a word unlike any meant to be spoken, and a ripple went through the air, leaving a loud ringing in the ears of any close by. He called to the demon several times to ensure he was safe, and then spoke again.

"Silgredan."

The gate opened slowly, revealing what looked to be a hallway dead in the center of air. Splice gawked at it, and looked around. "Clever," he said simply. Once more the large guardian stepped out, though this time it instinctively reached out to carry in the things in the cart.

"It will not hurt you, don't worry just yet. I will inform them of your arrival, and you will be brought in shortly thereafter. Do mind yourself in the court."

The fool looked up at the beast, and then looked around, interested. "Sounds like fun," he said with a smile. With some maneuvering, he managed to slip his wrists through his bindings, and then slip them through his ankles as well once his hands were free. He sat, and swung his legs off the side of the cart like a child. I'm probably going to get a nice spanking for that one, he said, thinking back to the boy in the room. He was still hungry. How long had it been now? He was so used to starving himself for long periods of time, mostly because it made killings done afterwards that much sweeter, that he wasn't sure how many days or hours had gone by. Too long was still too long.

He wondered what Kylin was doing. I'll have to write him a letter about my amazing vacation, he thought with a touch of hysteric glee. He coughed, holding his rib, and then purposefully prodded himself for broken bones. The flight down the steps wasn't a light one, and he didn't have a chance to fully check himself out before now. From what he could tell, they were still fine, but he had some pretty bad bruising toward his back. He rubbed it gingerly.

The blood-colored gargoyle cocked its head at the thing as it breathed in its scent as it finished with the remaining materials. Instinctively used to hauling in captives from the visits to the city, it grabbed a hold of the demon around the arms and legs. Holding its cargo like a log, the guardian walked back into the doorway, speaking the word to close the gate behind him. Through the turning corridor it walked before unceremoniously dropping the creature in the middle of the throne room. It listened for commands for a second, and without receiving more, it walked back to its position.

Azren and Cordia readied themselves for anything that might conceivably happen at that moment, and frowned at the thing before them.

The fool groaned again at the bruise as he landed, and lay where he was for a moment, stunned. He stared up at the ceiling, unsure of where he was for a moment, and then rolled upright into a sitting position. Rubbing the back of his neck, he simply said, "… ugh." When he was sure he wasn't spinning, he looked around, until his eyes landed on the two of them, staring back at him.

Stunned, he held still as if frozen, arm still poised over his neck, and didn't move.

Azren clapped and held his gaze with him. "Congratulations, by arriving here, you've proven that you possess the same level of responsibility and discipline that we did as children. Certainly an accomplishment for one with such a noble goal as yourself. An entire world to burn and you manage to find yourself here." He sighed and held his hand in his palm. "I cannot say I didn't expect you. As soon as they mentioned you, I knew it was only a matter of time. Well, go on."

He rose to his feet, careful, observing everything about the boy head to toe. His eyes shifted to the girl next to him, silent, watching. The barbs and jabs he expected; it was something Nexus did time and time again. But using his knowledge of what he heard in town, he expected a monster. This… this was a pair of teens, seemingly normal minus their strange blue skin and white eyes."The second I heard wind of you I just had to come," he said with a half-grin, holding his rib. "Honestly, why wouldn't I come to at least visit my favorite niece and nephew?"

The room was large. He took in his surroundings, memorizing as much as he could. It probably wouldn't be long before he had a blackout. The pain in his ribs was climbing up his back a ways, causing his spine to twinge. It was starting to make him dizzy.

"Only," he corrected. He raised his hand, signaled in the assassin's sign language, and caught a small bottle that was tossed to him from the balcony above him. He then tossed it to his guest. "Drink – it should desensitize your injuries and quicken the healing process. I'm honestly surprised you managed to get injured that easily."

"You must remember, Azren dear, father wasn't any more durable than he was, if we have his trials in the catacombs to judge by. It must be something they went without all that time. If anything, it's impressive that they managed without it."

He narrowed his eyes at the hint of strength, and stored it away in the back of his mind for later use. "Let me guess. He almost died, and he was a crybaby about it," he grinned wide. "I have no such fear. Actually," he said, slowly strolling up to them, "you could say I have quite a bit of a fetish for pain." He took a long deep breath of the air, and then his pupils narrowed to hard lines. He knew that scent. He turned his white, lined pupils to them in surprise.

"He always did say you were an odd one. No, he was clearing out our basement and ran into some things that nearly killed him. After hearing the stories, I cannot say I fault him. We had no idea such horrid things lived down there, but it's not like we were going to take care of it ourselves. In any case, they got a few relics of the past, and we were saved the expense."

"Besides," Cordia added, "From what I hear, your return to your realm would be most unfortunate. I hear tell that the Dark Prince is looking for you, vehemently."

His eyes lit up. "Really now? That's a warm fuzzy feeling," he thought with a dumbstruck smile. The Master hunted him pretty badly, eh? So much so apparently that he was willing to allow people to know about his disappearance, which had never happened before. "I must really be on track with this set piece I'm after this time round out of my cell." He crossed his arms, and peered down at her. "If you two were to injure me right now, it would be an honor. I'd go back into Hell and come back out another day to hunt down these relics." His sneer was deep, and he almost snarled. "When time means nothing to you, as the two of you should already know, really, it's not much of a problem to have a quick setback."

Another whiff on the air brought him almost to his knees as he growled out, and felt a painful pang of hunger rock him from the inside. "Well… it's clearly been a lot longer than I remember when I fed," he groaned on his knees.

"Ah, yes, I suspected as much. I'm not quite sure what to do in that regard. I cannot say I trust you enough to let you in the servant's hall without killing half of them, if the stories are to be believed. Well, Cordia dear, who's your least favorite?"

Cordia lay back in her half of the throne and pondered. "Hmm, now that's not an easy decision. It's a shame he's too late to destroy poor Galvus for us. If I had to choose, I'd say it would likely be Maria. Her hesitation before she listens to us infuriates me. I had hoped to clear that out of her, but it's been long enough that she should know by now."

Azren chuckled and nodded. "Somehow I knew you'd pick her. Very well. Cage, go send for Maria to be brought here. Tell her we have a surprise for her. That should get her to come quickly and quietly enough so as not to disturb the others."

Splice looked at him in disbelief. It caught him off guard. He'd noticed the scent when he came in, it was a familiar one, but as a descendent of his brother, he was flung from the track. "You're joking," he said with unmasked amazement. "You truly are unique," he grinned wide. "I have to say, you interest me a hell of a lot more than my rotting friend does. I'll try to be easy on the poor thing," he laughed lowly.

"Don't be," the king retorted with minimal concern. "That's why we're offering her up to you."

Kylin wouldn't miss him, would he? No. He was too stuffy and couldn't handle his willingness to indulge himself. Then again, it would completely throw off his plans of finding all the pieces, and it still wasn't certain as to whether or not they were truly an ally or enemy. His eyes widened as he thought about that. They were nothing. No friend, no enemy, at least not to him. Compared to what he expected to meet them with, which was aggression, he could truly say now he was blown away.

"This is literally the best vacation I think I've ever had," he said seriously, bending back down in a pang of pain.

Cage drifted out of the silver door to their left and landed back on his perch on the wall with a grin. "She'll be out in a moment. You were right, quite excited." He held up his hand and pointed at the door a split second before it opened. He shook his head and laughed silently.

"What is it you ask of me, my liege?" Maria bowed her head before them, golden locks hiding her sea-green eyes. She looked up after a moment of silence, and saw the king gesture behind her. When she turned, she couldn't help but lose her composure. Never had she seen such an odd traveler in her entire life, before and after she'd been taken here.

Azren sighed and rolled his eyes. "See, this is exactly what we were talking about. Every. Single. Time. Well, go on then, do what you will."

"Liege? Liege, seriously?" He glanced back and forth from Maria to Azren and Cordia. "Alright," he said at last, after several moments of stunned silence. "I prefer them to fight, it gets boring if they don't." He turned his red eyes on the girl, and a nasty smile played his lips all the way up to his cheeks. "Hello there, sweetie," he said, feigning warmth.

37: C#36 - The Phantom Speaks

"Did… nevermind," Bri mumbled. They'd gotten off the boat, and were already two of the three days through travel on their way to Darius' castle now. The ship voyage had truly been a quiet one. For a little while, she dealt with being sick, until she touched land again.

Shae raised a brow from his spot by the fire, cooking a nice fat deer Kale had shot in the woods. "Something troubling you, little one?"

She thought some more before she responded, then looked back at Nexus, who was off in the field talking to Kale out of earshot. "Did you ever get the feeling something really bad just happened?"

"I honestly can't say I have. Then again, I've been removed from the world for quite a bit of time, so it's not like a lot has affected me in the long run. Well, up until now, that is. In which case, I basically wait for the next disaster so I can start planning for it." Cryia took a bite of one of the fruits growing in the thicket behind them and shrugged.

Bri stared at the ground, thinking, and feeling strange. "I guess it's just me this time around then," she said, wondering what it could be.

The shadow shook his head. "I suppose. I don't feel any different, though now I admit, you have me pretty worried."

Cryia rolled her eyes and lay back in the grass. "Shae, if we weren't in a constant state of worry, I'm pretty sure we'd be dead by now. Not panicking or obsessing like Kale does, but at least giving the situation at hand the concern it deserves. This way you think about the problem and start planning for the best and worst outcomes."

Celia played with a few blades of grass as she thought about the events of the past week. "In the best outcome, there'd be nothing to worry about at all. Then again, I guess I expected as much, especially when he and I first met. Much like each of you, he had this air about him that suggested he got into dangerous situations a lot."

The succubus couldn't help but chuckle a little bit at the notion. "Way to prove the whole Bad-Boy theory."

In the field away from the rest of the group, Kale unstrung his bow and wondered if he could go about making himself a better one when they got back to the Citadel. He also wondered if he could use his new powers to kill and cook a creature in one shot, to save him the trouble. "So, how do you plan on breaking the news to Celia?"

Nexus shrugged. "When the time comes. I don't plan on worrying her about it for now, if it's unlikely ever going to pass. I'm pretty sure that would throw her off pretty hard if I were to tell her that now, after years of silence."

"That's probably the best way to go about it. I can't imagine that going over well any other way. Then again, as a group, each and every one of us has the worst possible timing imaginable, so… Anyway, I'm pretty hungry. We should get back to the others. Knowing our luck, they'd be snatched up by a dragon before we got to them."

Nexus wandered back into the camp with him, tired and pondering. "Is there any food left?" He checked the deer, and then scoffed, jokingly. "Nope. We're too late, Kale."

Shae shook his head, and relaxed back while the meat cooked. He'd already spun it on the spit. "So Celia… how did you come to know where the next piece was anyway? The last I remembered, you simply told us the next day you knew."

Bri's ear twitched and she watched her from across the fire, carefully. That had been a strange night, and she suspected something.

Celia closed her eyes in concentration and tried to recall it all. "I'm not exactly sure. I know it happened when we were on the ship over here. I don't remember what I dreamed before, but suddenly it all became very bleak. Horrible twisted things like metal tendrils burst forth from the ground, and I was running toward a large book on a stone pedestal. There was a thing there, like a man made of fog, and it was skimming through the pages looking for something I think. I tried to stop it, but my hands passed right through it. When the creature spoke, a certain passage lit up, though I can't be sure which one. It then took a pen and wrote upon the page following. It was all very painful, but then it went back to normal when it was over. The next day I woke up, I knew it."

Kale stirred the coals as he thought about the description. "Hmm, that doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard before. Actually, good question, has anything like this ever happened to you prior? No history of visions or revelations?"

She shook her head and gazed at the flames in a trance. "To the best of my knowledge, I don't think I have any aptitude for magic at all, let alone something as tough as divination."

The shae stared into the flames in thought, then passed his gaze on the other side to the halfling, who looked sick. "I said it earlier, and I'll say it again now. Something feels awful wrong. And by awful wrong, I mean combined with whatever we've been doing and going through so far is about to get way, way worse." Bri thought about what it could be. How had she gotten a vision? On the trek back, nonetheless, when things were supposed to be settling down. Out of the castle, out of the desert, and out of that poor little begotten town. Here they were, almost back to the Citadel, and things just seemed to feel as if there were a shroud over it.

Nexus watched her, and then shoved her, hard, in the shoulder where she immediately snapped out of her reverie. "Wake up," he said simply, and then pulled her back up. "Are you okay? You stared into the fire like that for, damn, twenty minutes."

"I don't know," she said.

Kale looked up at the starry sky for a while and shook his head, cursing his luck even harder than the night before. "…And now I don't feel safe out here." He got up and tapped Cryia on the shoulder before walking a safe enough distance away from the fire and the group. He called out to her as he began to work a sufficient spell out. "Cryia, you know of nightmares, yes?"

A look of confusion crossed her face as she nodded. "Of course I know of Hell-Steeds, Kale. They roam around in the pits. Why are you asking?"

"Can they be summoned? Do you know of any special restrictions regarding them?"

Once she understood, she shook her head and winced. "I think so, but I can't guarantee it won't attack you, or expect payment in return, or something, I don't know."

"Well, that doesn't matter, really. Just help me out if this doesn't work out right." He quickly finished the binding spell in his head before he spoke the invocation aloud. He planted his palm on the ground and watched the flames skitter about, eventually forming the burning ebony steed he sought. He was taken aback in awe at the sheer size of the thing. It was clearly larger than the grandest of knight warhorses he'd ever seen.

You have some nerve, beckoning me, warlock. It stamped a metal hoof on the ground that caused a flash and smoke to rise from the spot. Explain to me why I should not crush you right now.

Bri rose to her feet, and stared at the gigantic horse. "Kale… why?" You have a terrible habit of getting yourself into trouble. She froze, then glanced around, as if someone had spoken. It wasn't the nightmare, the voice was too young. The others didn't seem affected, and their eyes were still on Kale and Cryia. She watched the horse, trying to hold her concentration and seem normal. I can see you're more powerful now. Are you going to make the same mistake you did in the past?

Nexus walked forward, and stood beside his friend. Shae joined him, and held one hand on Bri's shoulder, feeling her shake. He assumed it was mostly nerves. Hell-Steeds were very temperamental.

Kale scowled at the thing and spoke in a hushed, angry tone. "Look, I need to get us to safety, ideally the massive black castle floating around in the sky that's still about a day's walk away. I need you to get us there as fast as you can."

The nightmare snorted fire and dug at the ground. Your concern is not mine. Tell me why I shouldn't try and destroy you.

"I was strong enough to pull you here, wasn't I? I'd rather not waste more time, but if you're hell-bent on making sure, then go ahead. Try me." His skin crackled and shone from the inside as he stared the creature in the eyes, daring it to its word.

The steed took a delicate step forward and examined the mortal in front of him, inside and out. Its eyes swirled and shifted as it saw the power and potential the warlock possessed. With a heavy snort it lowered its head and raised it back up, absently pawing the grass beneath it. I see your claim is no idle threat. In truth, I admire your courage, but know that I will not take directions from a coward or a weakling. If you begin to slip, warlock, I will crush you. Until then, I will do as you ask.

It roared out into the night, sounding more like a banshee than a horse, and two smaller nightmares crawled their way through the earth before standing by his side.

"Come on then," he called out to his friends. "Skip dinner, put out the fire, we're riding."

They blinked at him in confusion. "What? Already?" Nexus doused the flames easily, with a flick of his wrist and a small cone of water, then leapt to his feet to hastily stuff this possessions back into his pack. "Can't say I expected that," he mumbled.

Shae looked up at the nightmares, and whistled. "Don't slip, Kale. Because if you do, this would be a pretty nasty fight, indeed." He lifted Bri up onto one of their backs, and then slid on behind her to hold her in place for the ride.

She still looked about in a daze, and the sinking feeling lessened a little. Whatever Kale's plan was, she imagined it would help. The last thing she wanted to do right now was worry her friends. You have no friends, the voice taunted. I thought you knew that already.

Her eyes widened in horror. She remembered. The day in the Devil's ballroom, she had seen him. Missing eye, and twisted smile, offering her a way to escape. There we go, that's it! I thought you had forgotten me for a time.

Why was he here? Was it connected to the awful feeling she had? The nightmare's presence? Perhaps they triggered a memory? "I really think we should go," she said, trying to hide her urgency. "I need to ask Darius a huge favor."

The nightmares howled out at once, and the largest called out to the group. That's the plan. You shall be there within the hour. They began at a slow trot, sped up to a gallop, and then began to sprint as fast as they could, flames trailing from their hooves and tails into the night. They seemed to go ever faster, until the trees they were passing seemed as one solid color.

Kale tried to hide his concern the best he could, but was glad they were making such haste. Whatever was going on, it was something that he couldn't figure. The death knight's wisdom and insight were always a welcome addition when he had problems of this magnitude. Someday, he hoped, he would be able to match it. He held himself steady as they raced onward.

Run, run. Run as fast as you can, the voice echoed, but you can't outrun me. She gathered control of her composure, and held her face still. Darius would know. He'd be able to help. If not to summon the spirit, to banish it.

Could she? Was that part of her now? She closed her eyes in concentration, feeling the nightmare's muscles tense and loosen as it ran. Before long, her body fell limp onto Shae, who held her up, and cried out in alarm, afraid she would fall off.

She stood in a room. A dark one, lit with candles that didn't give off but an inch of light in a single circle. There was yelling outside, but it sounded distant, as if the ones who shouted weren't even screaming at her. Yet she knew they were. She looked around at the old wooden shack, dusty, dirty, a few broken plates and a shattered mirror. You found it then, the voice continued. I didn't think you'd ever figure out how to get here. I've been waiting here a long time, Bri.

What do you want?

At first, I was sent to warn. But now, I think I shall take advantage of my distraction. I swore vengeance on you, no matter whether I passed into the void or not, and now here we stand. The figure walked out from the shadow, and stood before her, smiling, his grisly eye socket glowing at her in an eerie green light. You and your friends are in danger, more than you think you are. You fancy your travels are to stop an evil, but all you do is attract more.

It seems that way, yes…

Then unlock what's inside you to truly stop it, he smiled. It doesn't take much to unlock, so why are you hesitating? Love? Destroy this wretched world, and rid it of everything. Your friends can find peace in the afterlife. Your lover included.

Bri thought back to Kale, and almost woke up in her terror. Don't touch him, she warned.

Why? Is that what it's going to take? If that's the way it'll have to be, I'll gladly do it. He smiled. You've softened. Pathetic. Yet you let me die, he said, a shadow passing his sarcastic face, and turning him serious. He looked almost about to cry. You let me die, and you can't do it now?

Her body hung awkwardly in the saddle, leaning on a startled shae who repeatedly shook her. Nexus sat behind him, and reached around Shae to help him lift her up straight. "Bri?" He tapped her cheek with his hand. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know what's going on," Shae stressed, inspecting her face.

Kale kept his eyes forward and tried to ease his mind, though it did little to help. The steeds marched on in their startling speed, and he could do no more at the moment. He looked back at her and held his eyes shut. "Just a little further."

His attention returned to Shae as he saw the black stone enter his view. What confused him was the almost malicious sense of satisfaction coming from the nightmares as they neared it. When they trotted to a stop, he immediately leapt off and noticed why.

The charred skeletons of a dozen warriors still in their armor were strewn about by the silver rope. As he checked the bodies, he understood them completely. "Paladins, likely here to talk to Darius, though we can see how that ended up."

The nightmares snorted and knelt down, letting them off before vanishing below the surface again. "Come on, let's get up there and figure this out."

Bri still lay limp in her strange daze, listening to a voice no one else could hear. Nexus lifted her up and carried her to the door with Kale and his friends. "I feel bad about it, because I can't wake her up," he said simply. "She can wiggle into my mind all she wants, but when the time comes that I need to wiggle into hers, I meet a wall."

The shadow tipped his head. "You're not a necromancer, Nexus. She is."

"I know, but I don't like how she's just laying here like that," he said, goosebumps rising on his arms. After his first encounter with her, it was a strange sight, to see her lying so helplessly in his arms like that.

Shae's mind raced. "Whatever is ailing her, Darius should be able to see it. I couldn't wake her up in the saddle, so wherever she is, it's far from here."

I never wanted to fail you. It… it just happened… Her tears began to slide down her cheek. I tried to grab your hand before he got you, but I failed.

And now you're much stronger than you were before. It amazes me, really. You have such potential. You could save them. You could in fact capture the red demon if you wanted to, but you won't let it go. Is it the blue one? You split Sunder years before now. That cute story you told Kale about summoning him in a circle was all too flowery and sweet, you know. He chuckled. No. The truth is deeper than that. You summoned a giant monster to do you a favor because you were too arrogant to understand your own weakness. When he crushed me, denying you your request, you sought vengeance and split him in two, taking the blue one as your slave.

Bri placed her hands over her ears, feeling the tears well down her cheeks. She hoped he wouldn't say it, but she knew it was coming anyway.

It's your fault the red demon is loose and destroying everything. You're the entire reason this entire party is in constant danger, and yet the blue one still follows you on his own. Do you know why? He wants put together again, the voice taunted, sweetly. If you can get him to join his brother again, he'll feel peace, because all he feels now is the will to war with him. He follows you because that satisfies it.

The doors opened and Darius walked out with several of his skeletal minions behind him. He barked out an order and they rushed out to collect whatever it was the group had brought with them. "It is good to see you all again, I had feared for the worst, but I -." He stopped himself and noticed the halfling in her current condition. He shook his head and cursed. "What happened?"

"We really don't know. It's nothing physical, no wounds or poison. We were actually hoping you could identify what was going on. I'll bring her up to the ritual chambers. Do you think you'll be able to at least find out?" Cryia's expression was grim and worried, unlike he'd ever seen her.

"Yes, of course, go ahead and drop her off and I'll grab all the tools I'll need." He turned to the rest and signaled over. "Do what you will, but I must have concentration to divine the answer we seek. Leave me be, and I'll send Cryia to get you if I find anything."

Kale nodded silently and walked over to the edge of the balcony, seething and despairing.

Do you know what the best part is, Bri? The fact that I died because you summoned something out of your control, and now that same thing is going to crush you. I don't have to lift a finger in vengeance, because the very thing that killed me, that you let kill me, will now get you. That was the original warning I came to tell you, but I decided to take advantage of your weakness, despite your physical strength, he spat.

Amun, I tried, she despaired. I tried, I didn't think he would crush you. I took Nexus as vengeance for taking you out of the world. Isn't that enough somehow?

Besides the fact you're both friends now, and he's not really your slave? And now his brother runs free, terrorizing the country and everyone in it. When your friends find out, they will hate you. You will lose everything you've ever worked for, his voice said smugly.

No! No, Kale loves me! The others are my friends, she argued desperately.

Until they find out, the voice continued gleefully. Then whenever they do, Nexus will remember. You have to join him back together again, Bri. You split him, you must put him back together. When he is whole, he will remember fully what transpired that day. He will remember me, and he'll remember your selfish request. Did you tell them that too? Do they even know how old you really are?

She fought harder to slam her hands over her ears. No…

Yes.

38: C#37 - A Key to Ruin

"I hate this world." A torrent of crimson flame sprouted forth from Kale's hands into the night sky.

The black imp sitting on the balcony railing shook its head and sighed. No, you don't.

"Don't I?" He conjured up a small demon, not truly a summoned fiend, but a fake creature meant to be a temporary creation, and bathed it in his fires as soon as it charged him. "Every time something good happens, I end up back here."

The shadowy thing stretched and took to the air. If that really bothered you, you'd have given up by now, and you know that.

He growled and stomped his boot against the stone, conjuring up seven more of the demonic things. "It's not like I want to keep doing this. The adventuring life was supposed to make me happy." He brought up small walls of black flame to keep some at bay while he fired a searing violet ray at two of the others that were coming for him.

And so it has, the fluttering thing answered him. Are you going to tell me that she's not the best thing that's happened to you in your apparently miserable life?

He dropped the walls and waved at them, flames as black as the void coming up to disintegrate them. "Yes, I can agree to that. But what happiness do we have? The small respite we have between larger conflicts?" He barked out a word and a spectral copy of himself like a grey shadow burst out of his body. It then poised itself with its own spells and came at him. "I try to tolerate all the trouble we get into. I try to deal with it, praying the whole time that we don't end up dead, so that I can actually enjoy my life for once."

And that's why you haven't given up yet.

"I don't have to give up everything to concede that I might be miserable for the rest of my days." He deflected several of the rays and blasts of flame sent at him before launching his own. "Am I supposed to enjoy the times that my life is in danger? And what of hers? Am I supposed to smile when our brief joy is threatened?" He scowled and held his hand up at his opponent, absorbing the energy directly without shielding against it.

The thing sighed and rolled its eyes. No, you're supposed to stare it in the face and fight with every fiber of your being, and then some.

His body reacted to the arc of energy that streamed past his face before he even noticed it. With a quick gesture, he fired a similar one back at his mirror, catching it in the chest and disintegrating it. He spoke the word again, conjuring what might have been a demonic four-armed gargoyle twice and a half his size. "That's exactly what I've been doing, and here I am again, at risk of losing everything."

Well then, keep at it, or you're going to end up without it. This is entirely your choice, but I'm telling you, deep down you're ready to sacrifice everything for this small chance you have.

He dodged two of the monstrous strikes before firing off an unstable blast of violet energy at the monster. "I…" It took to the air and dove at him, catching him in the shoulder. Kale looked down at his body and noted that it tore through his armor, his skin, and much of the muscle that attached it. "I… don't…" He ducked as it came at him again, and bathed the sky above him in black fire again.

Come on, finish the sentence.

He flexed his arm, now that it had healed itself over completely, and began channeling the power he needed in front of him. As the monster dove at him, scorched and roaring, he set the spell loose. For a moment, all he could see was the fire, swirling, burning, consuming. When the flames cleared, he saw a few pieces of the beast slowly deteriorating. "I know that."

You know what? Come on now, don't you give up now.

"I know that I'd give up everything else for this. And I know that I'll keep on fighting until this is over, or until I die, possibly even after that." He let the black aura about him die out as he sat down next to the imp.

That's all I wanted to hear you say.

----------

Katrin waited in the ritual chamber. As Darius walked into the room holding the halfling, she hopped off of the crate and gestured at the circle, which she had already prepared for him. "I knew this would happen. Not until recently, though. When you started walking outside, I knew what was happening. The first thing you need to do is take the gold butterfly pin from her hood. That should help her stabilize at least. After that, you'll have to use one of the spells of true seeing. Good luck, I know you can do this." She pushed her way out of the room and hoped she was right.

Darius nodded, removed her cloak entirely, and set her down. He spoke the incantation and let his vision adjust before he spoke out to her.

"Bri, if you can hear me, let my voice be a beacon for you to follow. Speak to me."

The voice continued to taunt, but Bri thought she could hear something else behind him. Did you tell them that you asked Sunder for the Key to the Cage? Did you tell them why you wanted it, or what was inside? No, you didn't. You're a monster, Bri. You're angry, and you deserve what comes to you.

I'm not like that anymore, she said fretfully. I've put all that behind me. I'm happy, I have all I need right here.

And yet you stole it, the voice spat, disgusted. Worse, you actually still have the damn thing. You ran past Sunder after you split him, and you took the Key yourself. You have it. It's been with you all along. You don't even have to be in Hell. All you have to do is focus on it. The thing knows what you want, you just have to tell it what to do. Simple. You put absolutely everything regarding Sunder off the map, and your friends remain safe. Despite you I mean.

I won't! She began to cry harder. Someone help me!

No one can hear you.

Her body began to toss and turn on the table, the tears streaming down her cheeks. No, I don't want to do it anymore, I don't even want the damn thing!

Too bad, Bri. If you destroy it, you die. Your soul is now bound to it, as was Sunder's once. When you split him, he didn't die in return because he technically ceased to exist. You hold it now, and unfortunately for you, you're not as lucky as Sunder was. Try getting rid of it, and it will find its way back to you. You're marked.

Amun grabbed her voice and her body, throwing her sitting straight up on the table. Out loud, she shrieked on the table, "Unleash the Black Witch…"

Recognition burned in the death knight's eyes as he saw through the veil and perceived the creature responsible. He uttered a foul curse and tore off his ring, letting the flesh fade. He flexed his skeletal hand and reached into her body through the veil, grabbing a hold of the tether this thing had on her. He pulled back and held onto the spirit, ripping it from her body where it sought to dwell. His skull morphed into a horrible scowl as he threw it into the circle, raising a force cage around the thing, holding it in place.

"Bri, get up if you can."

Amun screamed, and thrashed against the edge of the cage. Bri sprung up on the table gasping and screaming, until she realized she was on a table, and that the skeletal thing beside her was Darius. The tears were down her cheeks, a wet sheen in the candle light. She was dumbstruck. How had she even gotten here? The last she remembered they were riding the nightmares.

She couldn't find words, and she turned her expression to the circle, watching Amun struggle against the bars. When he caught sight of her there, he stopped his thrashing and smiled at her. "Here's your chance, necromancer. Tell them the truth."

His fist sparked with green power as he pointed to the cage. "Medreth otar, kel uus maar gaan. Speak no more, vile thing, lest you find yourself trapped in a crystal prison for eternity." He gestured to the large blue jewel sitting atop a dais nearby.

He turned and wrapped his arms around Bri, holding her tight. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

She shook, fixated on Amun, who merely smiled evilly at her. She turned her gaze at Darius, and then whispered, horrified, "the Black Witch… I have her Key…"

Regret. Everything she'd done to split Sunder flew across her mind like a painting on a scroll. She'd shoved it out of her mind, forgetting her evil past, and focusing on making things right. Her old motives were gone. She didn't tell anyone useless words that meant nothing. Why risk her friendships? She preferred to let it die in the past, where it belonged, and unrevealed. It looked like now was a time when it was going to be laid bare anyway.

For a moment, she rested there, and pondered her next move. She could do as Amun said, and return Sunder to himself. For that, she would have to trick the two of them into agreeing with one another on a moral level, a very hard thing to do, and that's all she knew. The plan to set Splice on his own plane was the one she wanted to go with. Amun telling her to put Sunder back was something she didn't even remember how to do.

How had she split him? There was a way she'd done it. She remembered saying something to cause him to question himself, possibly a paradox. In turn, they had split apart when one of them felt an extreme emotion that offset their balance, leaning more toward the other half than maintaining neutrality. It was something deep, and she'd done it when she was very strong. But she couldn't remember what she was doing that made her so powerful. It had to be something great, to summon a demon of his magnitude, and then to ask for a key he wouldn't give. She remembered darting behind him during the split, and nabbing it from the small pedestal it rested on, saturated in green light.

Why did she want the Key? She could barely remember. Aspirations of long since dead memories began to resurrect, and she could remember a purple, roiling smoke. Anger, vengeance, and general disgust had overwhelmed her at the time. Her partner's change of heart only furthered her wish to destroy everything, to burn it all.

His face contorted slowly into a puzzled look. "Black Witch? Key? What are you talking about? I have saturated myself in lore, history, and mythology, and in no place did I ever find mention of a Black Witch. Maybe a Black Lich, Karkazen, but not a Witch."

He recited the old spell from ages past, when he'd begun his initiation as a paladin. He placed his hand on her head and set the energy to work. It was only temporary, but it would ease the mind and provide clarity when one was upset and confused. "Now, what's wrong?"

She felt peace seep into her bones, and she began to organize her thoughts more clearly, shaking her head all the while. "No, there's another legend, one in Hell alone, that speaks of a demon that will bring about the End of All. Her other name is the Angel Eater, because the thing devours angels. It will eat demons as well when there are no more of them. And once it's done with both of them, it will eat humanity. I have her Key, the key to her cage below the throne of the Devil himself," she said, horror filling her every word. "I stole it, when I asked Sunder for it in a summoning circle, because at the time, I'd planned on destroying the entire world. He refused, and killed my friend before I had a chance to save him," she pointed to Amun, who grinned back all the while. "When I forced him into thinking two different ways, he disagreed with himself, causing him to split into two beings, Nexus and Splice. I am responsible for his freedom, and all the destruction he's caused…"

For a while, she sat, continuing to organize her memories and thoughts. The Key. Where did she put it? She had it somewhere, but couldn't think of where. Amun said it was inside of her. Where? "The Devil fears this creature, it's why she sits below his throne in a small cell dungeon and locked in a cage. I had at once planned to release her, but that was a long time ago." She rose up from where she was sitting, and grabbed the cloak around his neck, yanking him an inch from her face, eyes wide in horror and disgust. "Do not release the Black Witch. When I find the Key again, I will give it to you to lock away. Don't let anyone touch it. Don't even let my friends know this conversation. Especially Nexus. He barely remembers anymore what happened. He knows I split him, and he remembers nothing else. Leave it that way."

He stroked his bony chin and pondered. "I'll automatically assume there's no way of destroying it, then. Don't worry my dear, your secret it safe with me. I swear it on my honor as a knight. As far as the relic is concerned, it will be safe with me. There are quite a few artifacts thought lost to times gone by that I have within my halls."

"No, don't destroy it. I'm soul-bound to it as her keeper. If it's destroyed, I go with it. She will first devour me, and then she will destroy everything because no one will be in charge of her anymore," she shook. "If I release her, she will leave me alone. But destroying the key makes me her first target. It's how the Devil makes sure the Keeper does their job. Sunder's not dead because when I split him and took it, he technically didn't exist anymore. That brief few minutes between, she could have actually broken out. The second my hands touched it, I became Keeper. I'm not as lucky as Sunder was," she said.

He saw her face, still horrified, and put a hand on her shoulder. "You bear much guilt, but you don't need to worry about it. You are not the only one who wished to burn the world. That much I can assure you. I don't worry about it though. Those times are far gone, and I am doing my best to change it rather than destroy it. Relax, little one. Now, if you can muster it, I will teach you the spell to put your friend's spirit at ease. I believe you can, your aura has at least tripled in its radiance since last we met."

She felt relief at his words, and she settled, still weak and slightly shaking. "The Master wanted to release her someday, but he has no idea where it's gone," she said. "As long as it remains out of his reach, we're safe." She felt herself on the inside, and forced her shaking to stop. "I still try." She turned to Amun with sadness.

But his only reaction was to leer back at her. "You choose to hide behind your fear rather than tell your friends the truth," he said, shaking his head.

"I will tell them myself in time, when I feel it's right," she retorted calmly.

Darius found himself wishing he had eyes so that he might roll them. He walked over to the cage and peered inside, examining the spirit inside. He cocked his head after a moment and opened his mouth as if to speak before doubling his efforts to confirm his question.

"Just how long have you been clinging to the mortal realm, spirit? I cannot even identify your color, let alone substance. That should, by all means, be impossible. Even the most determined manage to lose their fervor and move on within a few centuries."

Amun smiled back at him, tossing Bri a poisonous glance. "I have held here since the time of my death, meaning your friend there is far older than she appears, because she is not living. Since her soul belongs to the Master now for holding onto the Witch's Key, she is considered undead, though she feels and has skin. I have clung to her, hunting my vengeance for three centuries, only two hundred years after Sunder was first created," he stated simply. "Back then, he was a wide-spread story, long forgotten now, and after her encounter and my death, I held here for any shred of chance that she might pay for it."

Bri felt herself shrink inside with shame and regret.

"You have answered the how, but you have not told me the why of it. I have watched men wage wars under the banners of kings. I have seen entire cities decimated in the names of gods. I have witnessed a woman walking her way into the underworld to save the soul of her lover. I have beheld a man who sold his soul to the foulest of demons that he might make the world a better place. I know a man who has held off embracing his wife and child in the afterlife, for decades, that he might atone for the countless lives he has taken. And yet here you are, because of something so petty. Why?"

"Petty to you, perhaps," the boy said simply. "We were long-standing friends growing up, and we had planned to do this together. She claims she tried to save me, but when Sunder reached down to crush me, she stood at the edge of the circle, and watched." He turned his one eye on her, the smile fading into a twisted frown. "And then when he reached for her, and she said her splitting sentence, she darted right by me to grab the Key. I am still lying there, at the dais where he once sat on his own special throne. A broken mass of bones so old, they've half caved into dust, yet here she sits, holding onto the thing I died in the midst of getting, and doing nothing with it."

"My goals changed," Bri said flatly, staring straight at the floor. "And I tried to reach for you, Amun, but you were too far away from me…"

"So do bones," Amun said, nodding. "You could have at least buried me. You left me laying there for all this time, not even bothering to throw a thought to me at all, until the Devil himself appeared to you. It was the first you'd thought of me in years." He turned back to Darius. "That Key has a special effect. Your un-living friend is bound to it now, whether you take it from her or not for safe keeping. She is not what she appears to be. When the Master goes to release the Black Witch, he will find her Key at last, and when that happens, she will get what comes to her. She is a form of lich. The Key is now her phylactery, but not by any sort of choice. It stole her soul, and she is bound to the Black Witch. Once the Witch dies, she dies too. And if you destroy Bri, she will awaken once more by the Key's side, because her job is not done. Destroy the Key, and you kill Bri and let the Witch free," he smiled. "Release the Witch, kill it, and kill her," he pointed at Bri, "at the same time."

Darius shook his head, chuckling at the spirit. "Quite the assumption you've made there, but not a correct one. I can understand your bitterness to a degree, but plenty have died chasing their life dreams and merely moved on to better things." He turned to Bri and shrugged. "If you can find the Key, I can either give your soul back, or move it to a different object. While manipulation of spirits and souls is something new to you, I have honed the ability at some point during these last few decades. How do you think I grabbed our friend here? Your fate is not as sealed as you might think."

"That's just it," Bri said, the fear turning her voice again. "There was a curse on the Key the Master himself placed on it, that if anyone were to ever steal it, it would steal their soul and bind them to it, and kill me. He was so afraid of her… When he wants the key, I'll be summoned whether he knows I stole it or not," she said, the color draining from her face. "I'm not a lich in the traditional sense. I'm flesh and blood, and I feel pain. But since I'm soul-bound to guard this key, I'd come back. I'm life-bound to the Key now. The only way I could avoid it is if the Devil himself were to lift my burden. He only holds onto her as a 'just in case' scenario. It's why no one can know about it." She shuddered. "You would have to talk to the Master himself about releasing me. And even then, I'll likely be punished for splitting Sunder and stealing it for myself anyway."

He took in the words and slowly nodded. "Just one of the many reasons I rely on no other power than my own. So, where do we proceed from here? If we found the Key, what happens? If the bastard is anything like the stories and legends say, then he'll likely want something of equal value in return. Any ideas?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea, unless he just wants Sunder put back together again, which isn't going to happen, I don't think. He would technically become the Keeper again, considering he didn't really die when he split, and I'd be free. But that means losing Nexus, so that's out of the question. We had an idea to capture Splice's soul, and lock him in his own personal plane, away from the world, for eternity. He wouldn't be able to get out, and he'd be stuck there forever. Nexus gets his freedom if he catches Splice, so there's that. If I find the Key again, nothing changes, until he summons it to release her. In which case, I blindly follow the call and unlock the cage door," she shivered. "What he would want in return for my freedom is beyond me. Sunder will no longer exist to guard it."

He paced around the room, dredging up lost artifacts and stories in his mind. "Maybe I'm interpreting this wrong. It's not like there's an item on this green earth that he could possibly want or need. Hell, it's not like he really cares about anything except -."

The death knight stopped and spun around on his heel as he snapped his fingers. "Kylin. For eight hundred years the bastard had been loose before my ancestors bound him to serve those of our blood. Now that he's loose, he's probably going on about his world domination and whatnot. If we can catch him – I know at least that I certainly can – and offer him up, maybe in addition to getting the Key back and ensuring that the Red Devil isn't a problem anymore."

Bri's head snapped up. "Are you talking about the wraith? He spoke to us at the gate of…" She stopped. "You don't know of Azren do you? Anyway, he met us outside of a gate to a castle, and fought us there. He told us we could find the crowns inside," she said. "A lot of things just started to make sense," she groaned and rubbed her temples. "Celia knows where the next piece of Nexus' set is. I'm betting he had something to do with that. He might be making Splice do what he wants because he knows he'll destroy everything so he can start over," she said, "and gave him a different kind of crown as a 'mistake' so that he could keep him occupied. If Nexus finds his set, then he can destroy Splice, which would rid him of him once he rebuilds. You're right, he's going about his world domination right now. Splice is his decimator."

"Wait, if he knows where it is and you know where it is, then that's what he'll be expecting you to do. You've got to go find it, and then we'll see if we can't catch him as he follows you, which he will invariably do. He'll want to make sure you have that piece. As for the other, I recovered the Laughing Knife while you were away and brought it back. Sure, there's the Binding Tome, but you don't really need to fool around with that now."

He took a deep breath, an odd thing for a skeleton to do, and nodded to himself. "Go find the last piece, catch Kylin, find the Red Devil, catch him, find my old friend Skarse and get him to build us a pocket plane, find the Key, bring them all down with us as we venture down to Hell, and sort everything out. At last, we have a plan."

"You got the Knife?" She gaped. "Okay, that takes care of one more headache. Kale, Cryia, Nexus and Shae will be really glad things are falling into place," she smiled, finally seeing the end of the tunnel. Far though it may be, it was still there. All they had to do now was move toward it. "We were wondering who could make a pocket plane for us. It was one of the things we'd been trying to figure out, and assumed you could help us for. I'm sure one of them would have mentioned it to you. Where one of them is, we're likely going to find the other. So the hardest part right now is figuring out where just one of them is," she tapped her cheek. "I suppose I will go now, and let them all know. This should make everyone's day."

Amun listened, and smiled at the two of them from behind his bars. Sarcastically, he sneered, "good luck, friend."

Bri paused, and looked at him. "First, we let him go, I suppose. What was the spell?"

"Here, I will show you, and I will help you." Firstly, he explained the nature of the spell and the energies that would need to be involved. Then he went into detail about the patterns and the incantation they would need to recite, taking special care they got the pronunciation. Finally, he stood back and performed his half, covering the room in a soft, warm, white light. "Now, it is your turn. Remember, you need to make sure you pour your intention into this."

She focused, and stared directly at her long-gone friend, who continued to merely leer at her in response, bitterness playing his lips. She closed her eyes, and focused on her will, the motivation behind the spell itself, and let the words flow out on their own from her mouth. When she finished, she wished him well and peace.

The light intensified so greatly that Darius was actually glad that he didn't have eyes at that point. Lighthearted laughter filled the room, and the light dropped to its normal level. He inspected the cage carefully before undoing the spell, and nodded in satisfaction.

"I cannot begin to guess how long he'd been seeking that, but it's an incredibly good thing you've done for him. That is something you can remove from your conscience now, or at least try to. I guess we should return to the others and fill them in on the details."

She nodded. "They're going to ask about the Key, now. It will have to come up in conversation when we trek into Hell. I'll have to be sure I break this carefully, lest I lose some close friends." Dread soaked down into her stomach and she particularly thought about Shae's possibly dangerous reaction, and then how Kale would take it. On top of that, she hoped Nexus wouldn't be too angered at the remembering of his split, his loss of the only way of peace he had in his punishment, in depth.

It was going to be a long night. She rubbed her eyes, and then grabbed her cloak, wrapping it back around her tightly, and placing her pendant in a pouch at her waist. "I'll wear that again later, but not right now," she moaned.

39: C#38 - Pondering Possibilities

He walked with her to the double doors of the chamber, thinking as he went. "If I may, I'm not one to lie, but if it prevents more harm than it causes, I can understand doing so. In this case, I suggest we tell them the Key is meant to re-seal the chamber my accursed ancestor was a part of until all is said and done. This is, of course, if it comes up in conversation. This way you don't risk tearing each other apart when you need to work together most. Don't worry, I'll keep this secret until you're ready." In a slightly disturbing manner, he winked and grinned at her.

She thought about that for a moment, uncomfortable with the twist in truth, but decided Darius was right. This was not the time to fight. It wasn't the time at all. She smiled back, and hugged him as best she could. "I'd rather do what you just said than possibly spread fear and hatred everywhere. I'll worry about that once everything is done, especially catching Splice," she winced. "That one in particular could gain me a rather nasty enemy." She thought of Shae. "Kylin hasn't done anything particularly personal, though he's the mastermind, compared to what Splice has done several times. Particularly in person to one of my friends, who is out for revenge even long before all this happened."

She walked out, and prepared to tell them all good news. There was only one part left now, and Celia knew where it was. She smiled. Things were beginning to fit together now.

Cryia immediately rushed forward and half-tackled the halfling and held onto her as she hovered in the air. "Oh thank Dagon you're alright. I was so scared, I was so worried, and I didn't know what to do. We've all been extremely nervous while we waited, except Kale. He's worried, nervous, and out making black fire storms the size of tornados on the balcony outside. I must say, I'm impressed but frightened that he developed so quickly." She looked down at Bri and smiled. "He'll be thrilled."

Darius sighed and walked toward the others. "Yes, she's fine. Yes, we figured out what was wrong. Apparently there was a spirit plaguing her, something not uncommon among necromancers who are ill prepared with dealing with the phantasmal realm. Also, I have good news for you."

He walked over to the fireplace and reached beneath the burning logs, pulling out a thin, silvery blue dagger with a wicked curve to it. "I found one of the other pieces you needed. If you found the crown, then all you need is the amulet, which she informs me you already know of." He tossed the Laughing Dagger to Nexus and smiled. "This brings me to the last point of good news. I know how we can stop my infinitely damned ancestor from ruining all that we hold dear. Someone go get Kale and we'll explain everything in detail."

Nexus and Shae stared at the blade in amazement, dumbfounded. "Wow, Darius. You can do great things, but I didn't expect one of these to have shown up in your citadel while we were away. I'll go grab him," he said with a big smile. "That poor man, he needs some damn good news." He dashed out onto the balcony.

"I'm glad you're alright, Bri," Shae said, and picked her up in the air for a hug. "I was afraid you would never come back around. I guess you were right after all," he said sadly. "Something bad did happen. Do you feel better?"

She nodded. "For now," she said simply.

The fool carefully tread into the balcony, and looked around. "Kale! Come here, quick, you have to see what Darius found," he said, inspecting the blade. "We have the best news we've had in months."

The words took a moment to reach him, and a moment for his brain to understand them. The grand and horrifying vortex of ebony flames that swirled above him died down as he turned his attention. "Good news? That's unusual for us to hear, like finding a unicorn in the desert."

The imp rolled its eyes and smacked him in the head as it fluttered above him. Oh shut up and go find out what it is. Also, good job, you're really getting the hang of the most advanced stuff we can figure out. Next step is to make sure that each and every one of your spells can drain life force without adding to the casting and sustaining energy costs.

Kale smirked at the thing and let it land on his shoulder as he walked in. "I take it she's okay then?"

"As far Darius said, and from what I saw, yes." He held out the blade. "Darius found the second piece, and Celia knows where the last one is," he grinned. "Better, Darius knows how to catch Kylin." He tossed the blade into his hands to inspect. "We're almost there," he said, flashing every fang in the largest possible grin he could manage. "Come inside, he's going to explain further."

Kale caught the blade and immediately dropped it. "Whoa, a little warning would be nice. Well, actually, I guess you wouldn't feel that. That thing would give glaciers a run for their money if it came down to it." He picked it back up and inspected it while switching hands, particularly looking at the razor edge. "It's also probably sharp and hard enough to cut through rocks if you tried." He tossed it back to him and walked back to the entrance of the castle again.

"It's cold? Interesting," he said looking back down at it. "I don't feel it," he grinned. "I didn't expect it to sear your skin, Kale, sorry." He checked his reflection in it, and watched it glint in the light. Two down. One to go.

Bri held herself steady for the reunion with Kale, and after her talk with Darius, she felt her heart sink a bit. At some point, she'd have to reveal what they'd talked about. The last thing she wanted was to lose everything again, to wander from town to town living on scraps. No home. No friends. No family. Nothing to work for. At least with all the things that had happened thus far, she had made some pretty close bonds with people.

Kale immediately rushed over and picked her up, holding her tight to him. "Best news I heard was that you were okay. Although, yeah, everything else is pretty damned good too."

Bri smiled up at him, and hugged him back as hard as she could, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. Maybe it won't be so bad, actually, she thought.

Darius cracked his knuckles and chuckled. "Well, I assure you that's an accurate statement. It would seem that your incredibly long quest is nearing its end. That is perhaps the best news.

"Firstly, now that we only have to find the amulet to his set, incapacitating Splice is going to be quite a bit easier. Secondly, I know an old friend, an incredibly old lich by the name of Skarse, who might be able to help us create the pocket plane where we can imprison the Red Devil. He and his colleagues should be able to do that quite quickly.

"Lastly, if we manage to get ahold of Kylin, we can drag him down to Hell ourselves, and the Dark Prince can imprison him for us. This is really the only way I can think of that we could handle him."

For a moment, all Kale did was stare. "Wow. I'm figuratively speechless. This is actual good news, which I haven't expected since we started this whole crazy endeavor. Okay, so we get this lich to make a pocket plane to stash Splice in.

"Wait, he wouldn't happen to know a lich named Melicard, would he? Because we ran into him in the desert, and he mentioned having several lich friends who were making their own world."

"The name is familiar, yes. Actually, I do remember him saying that he had been lost along the way, for quite some time to us, but it seemed like such a trifle to him. When we find Skarse, I'll ask him."

"Well, either way, once we get that taken care of, it's tracking the devil down that's the hard part. We could always grease up Nexus and tie him to a pole, that should get his attention eventually."

Katrin came down the steps and shook her head. "Not even funny as a joke, Kale. Pretty horrifying, actually. Also, I know exactly where he is. I remember seeing him, so I guess I'm coming with you as we go. He's back in Tatuet, visiting his newly-discovered family. They're not going to kill him, but they're not going to kick him out of their palace either."

Nexus' blood drained from his face, and Bri felt her heart stop. "You're kidding. He's back in Tatuet? How the hell did he figure out who they were and how to get in?" She remembered the rooms, and the hot desert and cringed. The gate itself was an enigma.

But Nexus was horrified. "They're not going to kill him, and they're not going to kick him out? That has to be… I don't even know how to take that."

Shae calmed himself into a warm resolve. "Finally. Although, they're going to be pretty exasperated with all of us by the time we're through," he laughed. "I'm not excited about heading back that way, especially since we'd already came from there. Let's just get Nexus' last piece first, and then we'll focus on cornering him. If they're not going to kick him out, knowing Splice, I imagine he'll relax there for a little while and cause some problems for himself."

The fool looked at the shae and raised his brows. "You indeed know my brother."

"Well, I'd hate to break it to you Shae, but he won't be much of a threat. When we get there, he'll be in no condition to fight. Unless, of course, that's what you want. I seem to recall him saying that the majority of his bones had recently been broken," Katrin said.

Cryia cringed before nodding in agreement. "That does sound like Azren, although what would make him do that, I really can't say. I really wish he had the motivation to just bring him to us, but I doubt that'd ever happen. He'll probably be glad that we got rid of him, of course. I know I would."

Kale just shrugged. "Actually, I admire his carelessness at this point. It means he'll put up with him for quite some time, meaning we don't have to worry about a deadline or anything."

"At the same time, his ability to handle my brother is unmistakably disturbing. Broken bones eh? Sounds like he touched forbidden fruit to me." He thought about that for a moment. "He either touched Cordia, or he laid a hand on Azren. Those are the only two things I can think of."

The shae was disappointed. "Shame. When I went for his eyes, I wanted him to be in tip-top condition so I could prove that I could bring him to his knees. Oh well. However this ends, I'll just be glad to lay a blade into him, even if it doesn't kill him. Stick him in his own little universe, and that'll be that, I suppose."

Bri groaned. "Their carelessness is exactly what makes my skin crawl. Their proper speech and etiquette spooks me too, for the lack of time they spend outside. Not to mention they look like younger teenagers. That speech coming from someone who looks so young, even if they're not, just sends strange vibes all over the place. I'm not too happy to go back there, but if it means Splice is well entertained and is sitting still, that's one less enemy we have to worry about."

"Wait, what?" Darius looked around the group in confusion. "That makes no sense. I had no idea that you could procreate. That defies every single piece of text I have ever seen. This isn't something that just happens, is it?"

"Don't worry," Kale chuckled, "It's pretty unique. As in, I think maybe one out of every million incubi will possess the ability to care about someone enough to make it happen. So, no spontaneous mini Cryia, if that's what you're worried about."

She smirked as she punched Kale in the arm. "Not that there would be anything wrong with that," the succubus joked.

A thought occurred to Nexus. "Actually, I can't help but wonder if maybe it's possible again, considering the two of us are together again. I'm not entirely sure I want that to happen, frankly."

Bri sent him a strange stare. "Why not?"

"Because I don't know how the first two would handle that, that's why," he said. "I wasn't there that entire time, and Celia was gone for far too long. Their childhoods were pretty bleak, actually." For a moment, he remembered how Azren had said they'd been chased around, and wondered exactly how bad it had been that he clipped out. "I don't want them to think we've replaced them by winding up with another family. They seemed pretty bitter with Celia for a while."

"That's something we'll worry about after all this is said and done," Shae smirked, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "First, we handle this piece. Then we travel there, again, to trap your brother. Which should be a pretty nice surprise," he grinned. "There's no way he knows we're coming back there."

Kale smiled and rubbed his hands together, glad that things were coming together at last. "So, where exactly is this amulet at? Celia mentioned some place called Black Scale Hollow? I don't think I've ever heard of it. Then again, with all the different names commoners give things, I'm not surprised."

Darius turned to his table and pulled out a map of the region, scanning it for any identifying marks. "There's a Bleeding Heart Hollow somewhere just to the east of here, and a Black Rock Point north of that… And I… oh." He set down the map and winced as he turned around. "Black Scale Hollow is a dense bog surrounded by a marshy forest about half a day north of here, then another half day through a hidden path leading through the woods… and it's a dragon lair."

Cryia managed to shut her jaw after it hung open for a moment. "You did just say dragon, right? Not wyverns, drakes, or hydras. Giant, armor scaled, razor toothed, fire breathing, winged death that can probably outwit us given enough time?"

"So… about that good luck," Bri managed to choke out.

"Hold on, let's not all panic here," Shae said with some pride. "I'm a shadow. Given I've got enough time, I can change into a cloud of smoke for a short period of time, whether Splice bound me to a physical, touchable body or not. When we get there, you go for the item, and I'll gladly irritate it so much it will only come for me."

The demon tapped his thigh with the staff. "And you're not afraid of it flaming you into nothingness? Or accidentally throwing its flame all over the place so that it manages to hit us anyway?"

He shrugged. "Smoke? Smoke doesn't burn, Nexus. Besides, if worse comes to worse, your little water elemental should be able to upset his flame enough for you to defend everyone, plus some. You've already got a water ability," he smiled.

"Well, the good news is that dragons are largely exaggerated in lore and stories. Yes, they're large, but probably no more than a horse. Yes, they can breathe fire, but it's not an unrelenting stream of death that most artists interpret it to be. Yes, they can fly, but they're pretty clumsy, and they can't stay aloft for too long. Yes, they're intelligent, but they have an incredibly skewed view on things, and don't often relate with mortal kind. So we do have that advantage on our side," Darius interjected.

Kale cringed and bit his lip before he asked, knowing he'd regret it. "And the bad news?"

"Dragons don't have solitary nests. We'll probably find between eight and twelve of the things there, along with the brood mother, who will be about the size of an ogre, and greatly stronger than her smaller spawn."

The warlock blinked a few times and stared at the ceiling. "Well, what are we waiting for? I've always wanted a set of dragon scale armor."

Shae was thrown off by the sheer amount of them. "This is clearly going to be a stealth mission." He turned to the rest of them. "I'm ready to go when you all are."

"Same here," Bri said with resolve.

"I am," Nexus groaned. "Not really, but yes."

"Then away we go," the shadow smiled, unsure of how to take the situation. There was always room for fear when they actually got there. For now, things were looking up. The Red Devil was cornered, willingly, in a place they were familiar with, they found a way to capture the puppeteer, the second piece was found, and they knew where the last one was. The biggest worry now was the dragons.

Bri pondered for a moment on how many there exactly were. Nests. Eggs. Aside from the larger dragons, there were likely hungry little ones around, and an angry mother of any kind of creature wasn't a fun one to deal with.

An idea popped in Kale's head that made him laugh aloud. "Hey Bri, do you think you could reanimate one of the dragons if we managed to kill it?"

Cryia turned on her heel and glared at him. "Okay, Kale, I know we told you to stop worrying and to take things less seriously, but that's just ridiculous."

"What? I'm serious. Having an undead dragon minion would be incredible. That would make us pretty damned intimidating. Hell, we'd likely never have to worry about being openly attacked by anyone or anything ever again."

She sighed and rolled her eyes before turning around to head to her chambers. "I'll be right out, give me, let's say fifteen minutes."

Bri blinked, then thought back to her earlier thought of dragon hatchlings. "I'm going to be honest here Kale, depending on the size, yes, I probably very well could. I raised an army at one point, though it almost killed me. And I think I'm going to look for a dragon baby skeleton while we're out there, because that would make an amazing familiar. Most necromancers have them. A little snake here, a bat there, a zombie maybe, but a skeletal dragon hatchling? No one." She smiled wide.

The fool glanced her way and rolled his eyes. "Good luck finding one when the parents aren't looking. You're like, a sliver of a bite of meat to them."

"That's fine," she smirked back sarcastically. "At least I can likely avoid their teeth."

"Well, if it comes down to it, we can just steal one of the eggs. Assuming they can hatch under normal conditions. It'd be a shame to have to kill it as soon as it hatches, but then it would probably try and eat us as soon as it came out, so no guilt there," Kale pondered.

Darius laughed at the notion as he put on his robes and cowl. "I usually don't approve of hunting for the sport of it, but in this instance I can make an exception."

Kale paused on his way to the entrance. "Wait, aren't some dragons supposed to be righteous and benevolent? I swore I saw that in a book once."

The death knight cackled in his response. "If there are, I have not seen one, and I have been to each of the continents we know of. If there ever were, they are gone now. All that's left are these cruel things that devour people whenever they want."

Bri shrugged. "I'm not sure it'll be intelligent when I'm done with it. If it's dead, it's dead, right? Not sure exactly. I'm not even sure if I'll clean the body to the bones, or leave it a corpse and preserve it. I'll think about it as we travel. I should have already had a familiar, being this far into my craft as I am. Other folks would probably laugh at me."

The fool tipped his head. "Technically, for a while there, I was your slave. So, does that count?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "You're undead, yes, and you were under my control. So probably. Not anymore though."

Shae looked at the light, and thought. "This looks harder and harder the more I stand and think about it. Come along then, I'm sure the walk will refresh all our minds as we go, and get some fresh air." He thought about hunting again, and grinned. "We left our deer. Kale, you owe us."

Darius gave orders to Rupert to continue the day to day operations as they were, and to make sure that Katrin had everything she might have needed. They stepped outside and gathered around the base of the rope that led up to the keep. Once they were all down, he sighed as he realized that Cryia was likely still in her chambers.

Kale tapped his foot on the ground and waited. "Relax, Shae, I'll see if I can't find something even better. I've always wanted to try the strange antelope-like things that roam in the plains before the forests. I hear tell their horns are made of precious stones."

Cryia leapt from the top of the balcony and drifted slowly down to join the rest of the group. "Sorry, I needed to attend to some things. My subjects missed me." She reached behind her and tied her hair up, once more its original waist-length.

"That reminds me," Bri said with some dismay. "I haven't brushed mine for weeks. I'm fairly certain mine is in so many tangles, I have dread locks." She yanked back her hood, and whipped her hair around, inspecting the strands. "No dread locks, but I certainly have a matted tangle here or there. That's going to take forever to brush out."

Nexus rolled his eyes. "This is why I sheared mine ages ago, and keep it short. I don't know how my brother can have it almost to the back of his knees, and then just tuck it up in his hat. That has to be incredibly hot." He stopped and thought about what he said. "Oh. Nevermind."

"There's your answer," Shae smirked. "Don't you love it when you answer your own question aloud like that? Also, is that what you're hiding under your hat? A bad shearing?"

He glared. "No."

Kale shrugged and laughed. "That's one thing I'm glad I got from my father. My hair is incredible by human standards, like thick silk. Although I don't get how he could keep it any longer than mine. Anywhere past the neck and it's a pain to pin up or risk getting grabbed at in a moment's notice."

The succubus drifted over to him and grabbed the whole length of it and bunched it in her fist. "Well, firstly I might say that most people aren't usually in a situation where that might be a consistent risk." She let go of it and then hovered just above Bri. "Secondly, I might say that some people find having hair that one can grab a hold of to be… advantageous." She returned to her spot, pursing her lips.

Darius reached up and scraped his fingertips against the top of his skull with a sigh.

Bri turned pink, and peeked Cryia's way out of the corner of her eye, avoiding Kale's. Nexus smirked at Cryia knowingly.

"Indeed. As well as having claws," he nodded.

Bri covered her ears. "How we ever ended up with so many deviants is beyond me, particularly demons."

"You have no idea," he smirked again, poking fun at her.

"I feel for you, Darius," Shae said with a sigh, and folded his arms over his torso as if he had a stomach ache. "I am glad this isn't much of a problem for me."

Kale shrugged and gestured to the two demons. "Honestly, I'd take these two over any other demon any day. At least they can just stop by a bordello if need be, rather than having to flat out murder someone or devour small children every other day. A little embarrassment at graphic imagery is worth putting up with for that."

The death knight scoffed at the notion. "You must also consider that these two are an uncommon example of their class. Most of them are more like vampires and ghouls than seductive demons. It's still a horribly inefficient and crude process though."

"Thank you, Kale, it means a lot to hear coming from you." Cryia jokingly glared at Darius before continuing. "And thank you for your addition, my lord."

"Graphic imagery? I could do a hell of a lot more than that to scar anyone for life," the fool waved his hand dismissively. "At best, I can consume energy by sitting next to you." He scooted closer to Kale, and elbow-bumped him. "Like now. Mmm, tasty."

"That sounds worse when you consider the other way you do it," Bri said, disgusted. "Ugh. No wonder you are what you are." He smirked to her in response.

"At least they're friendly," Shae sighed. "Kale's right. You could have to eat people every other day to get what you need."

Nexus flashed his teeth. "Actually, I can get energy that way. It's more direct and faster than how I normally do, but it's just that; cruel. I prefer it the embarrassing way," he smiled at Kale some more, an inch from his cheek, and threatened to poke him with his green, forked tongue.

Kale turned his eyes to face the demon without turning. "You know, I still have that cold iron dagger in my belt. The wound would take forever to heal."

Cryia shifted her jaw from side to side before she winced at the notion. "The thought actually never occurred to me. Then again though, I guess I'm the luckier of the two of us. All I need to do is find some poor sap in a tavern, picking from a dozen or so. In your case, yikes."

The fool flashed Kale a smile that taunted and challenged, but then leaned back away, giving him more space. "I have teeth for a reason," he said indignantly. "I sure as hell don't have twelve sharp fangs to look pretty. It's barbaric, but that's what they're there for," he placed his hands on his hips.

Bri opened her mouth to say something, and then snapped her mouth closed again. "Nope. Not touching that."

The shadow laughed at Kale, and then grinned between the two of them. "I'm amazed after this whole trip you haven't used it yet anyway."

40: C#39 - Pointless Admiration

Splice struggled to breathe, taking each breath with a twinge through his ribcage. He shook in pain, and then dripped a little blood onto the ground. The deep purple would stain, he imagined. Among the wracking sensation through his body, he forced himself to chuckle softly to himself. That was a mistake. Next time he'd be more careful, and tie her mouth shut.

The girl had gone quick, painlessly, or so he thought. When he left her body crumpled to the floor, and the queen walked in, he couldn't resist. The will to foul up a descendent of his brother flashed up forefront in his mind the second Cordia walked in alone. For the last few hours, he'd hanged there, half tied up to a metal bar, and on his knees. Strong. He was strong. Where did he get that strength? Nowhere in their blood was there any kind of power like that. Fascinated, he laughed again, and then almost howled in pain as he felt his rib twinge again.

Soft bare footsteps echoed through the hallway. Azren smirked in appreciation of the dramatic effect it might have caused. Before he even came around the corner, he called out. "I admit, I was clearly mistaken in my assumption. I thought you would have enough common sense to know better."

He stepped out into clear view and walked just out of reach of the demon. "It is not my place to kill you, as that might upset things for our father and his group. As much as I'd hate to admit it, I find myself almost hoping they come out on top of this great endeavor. Regardless, it is most certainly my place to ensure that you are punished as all of our guests would be."

The king walked over to the pool in the room and poured in the contents of a small, white vial, stirring it up before turning back. "The only difference between you and them is that you don't seem to die as easily. I almost feel sorry for that little fact, but it won't stop me from following through on my decree. I'm going to put you into those waters, and they will begin to heal you, inside and out. When you are sufficiently rejuvenated, you may rejoin us."

He crouched down and leveled his face with his guest's. "The next time you try that, and I know that you inevitably will, I will personally take the time to break each and every bone in your arms, legs, hands and feet, and I will make you crawl to the water."

He undid the bindings and carried the quaking figure before him, setting him gently into the pool. "Enjoy the bath and don't forget to clean yourself up. One of the servants will mend your clothing." He shook his head and walked out of the room, humming an old song to himself.

The red fool watched him go with a vile smile. It hurt, but the pool was beginning to mend things, and he could feel it itching all the way around him. He fought the urge to scratch, knowing full well it wouldn't stop the annoying sensation. Intimidating. Definitely not as sweet as sugar as he would have imagined. You did good, Nexus, he thought, growling, and immersed himself below the surface. When he came back up, he fought off the urge to scratch his skin with the intensity of the itching sensation.

When he was sure he was back to normal, he pulled himself out, and tied his hair back again in what was left of his snapped red ribbon. He missed his hat, and the crown was a little heavy for normal use. He had allowed it to remain in his room upon arrival, and now his head felt strangely naked. When he dried off, and found his mended clothes neatly folded on the floor, he sighed and pulled the bottoms on, leaving his top exposed. No sense in ruining that again, he thought with a grin. He's right. I'll likely do it again, and this time I'm not going to flinch when he rushes me. I'm going to watch every second of it, and feel the pain burn. When he realized what he'd just thought, he froze. I truly am mad.

He walked out into their hall, hair still dripping onto the floor, and sarcastically bowed. "Well, my liege, I have to say that was a new experience. You might want to clean the bars you tied me to last time. I accidentally twitched, and a chunk of skin from my wrist was sliced out of me." He thought for a moment and tapped his chin. "You're blue like my brother is. Is your blood as green, or do you share my royal purple, Majesty?"

Azren smiled slowly and gestured toward his guest. "Oh, right, I guess you wouldn't know. You couldn't even manage to lay a hand on me. I'll save you the anxiousness and tell you it's the same rich green as his. So few get the chance to see it, even I forget sometimes."

Cordia glanced up at Cage and smiled. "Cage, dear boy, you may go clean up our guest's chamber if you want. I have the feeling this isn't going to be the last time you'll need to do such a thing." She watched as the boy dropped down from his ledge and drifted down the hall. "It's the little things that make his day. I'm glad he's a boy. I doubt a girl would have the stomach or fascination for this job."

Splice tipped his head slightly at the king's remark. "You seem to think I care about harming you," he said shaking his head. He grinned back at the two of them, then. "You know, you kind of confuse me. You could easily just kick me out of here, after all. I stumble in, cause a ruckus, and I get a beating. Now here I sit, just waiting for the next chance," he mused. "Normally, if someone invades your house and disrupts your hospitality, it's an instant stab or whatever, but there you are, watching me, watching you."

He flashed Cordia a cunning and daring smile. While he watched Cage wander past to clean his own personal torture chamber, he thought about how to next try. "When you get tired of playing with little boys, you come call me," he winked, voice low. "Really, Azren, how old are the two of you? I'm genuinely curious."

Cordia returned his smile with startling mimicry. "This year makes us one hundred and thirty-two. We have regents of Tatuet for one hundred and seventeen of those years. Our mother returned to us in our sixty seventh year and waited for the next fifty before father returned."

Azren swirled his glass of wine in his hand and stared at it as he spoke. "I haven't had you removed from my palace because, on some level, you fascinate me. It would be foolish not to say that we're alike in some ways that father is not. You have potential, but I know it will go unrefined."

He smirked in response to Azren's statement, and nodded his head slowly. "Yes, actually, I can agree on that. For instance, he never actually satisfies himself with his hungers, and I full indulge in them. There's the difference between you and I though, in that I don't mind a little murder. It's not like I hold a place to myself like this and need to… breed them."

He soaked in Cordia's words, and then shook his head a little. "I mean appearance, darling, not your actual age. I imagined you two were pretty old. Younger than I would have thought, but older nonetheless. What are you? Sixteen, seventeen? I'm actually going as far as to guess you're fourteen, judging by how small you are," he sneered. "The two of you are actually pretty unnerving, personality to physical size wise." He tapped his chin, thinking on something, and then rushed Azren on the throne, trying to at least scratch the skin.

First, the king threw his wine glass at his attacker, but Splice dodged lower, and then dove in again. Azren leapt forward and gripped him by the neck, slamming him into the ground and pinning him there. He looked around the room and then returned his gaze to his attacker. "Do you have any idea how many kings have fallen because they were not prepared to defend themselves on their thrones? Try again." He tossed him a few feet away and sat back down on his throne, casually grabbing another glass. "Fifteen and a few months, actually. I believe that's when we noticed that the changes had stopped. Not that it matters at all, as you can see."

The red fool groaned and blinked some more, still staring up at the ceiling in shock. "Fast too," he said with a wide grin. "I'm fast in the air, but not on the ground. I enjoy testing your limits, you know." He sat back up, and watched him. "Fifteen. That's an odd age to stop growing. Too young to technically live alone in society, and too old to be considered a child. For what you do to live, that's definitely an interesting thought. Perhaps once you holed up here, with the lack of stress and misery, you simply ceased growing because there was no need to."

Cordia shrugged and took a piece from the bowl of cactus chunks by her side. "I honestly have no idea why we stopped at that age. By then, though, we really had no reason to worry about it. Although, you do bring an interesting point. That is when we found this place and evicted the previous occupants."

Azren sighed and smiled at the memory. "That certainly was fun. We were so awful back then, killing left and right when they stood their ground. How barbaric. And to cover your sarcasm, yes, actually our subjects do adore us. They're the ones that fight the least when we stroll into town, and thus the ones we bring back with us first. Those that don't, well, we train that out of them over time. Eventually they all become obedient, or they die and make room for those that will."

His ears twitched, and he stared at him. "I can't imagine you slashing left and right to destroy a creature for defending its territory. You laugh at my lack of 'refinement,' yet there you were." He gestured with his hands to the king with a feigned appalled expression. "And technically, it's still pretty barbaric to kidnap a group of people to horde here for your… pleasures," he rolled the thought through his mind slowly, drawing out the word. "I don't bother having one begin to care for me," he stated flatly. "I take what I want and move on, same as any lion in a field. You take it to a different level, what with your self-proclaimed kingship." He shook his head, and then compared their lives. They were pretty similar. "How did you ever deal with my brother's being here for such a short amount of time, if you and I are more similar than the two of you? It seems to me you picked up roughly two-thirds of my blood, and I didn't even father you. I'm pretty damn sure I don't have the capacity for that. Then again," he turned his gaze back on Cordia with a malicious grin, "I could try."

She couldn't help but smirk at his advance. "I actually researched the possibility after a few decades here. Do you possess the capacity to truly know and experience love? I'm fairly certain I don't, and as such, am fairly certain you do not either. That is one of the key components to whatever transpired that night, although I swear the phase of the moon might also have had something to do with it. Well, that or the fates are cruel and unpredictable. Take your pick."

Azren shook his head at his suggestion. "Yes, I agree that we might have been rash and downright foul when we were younger, but what can you truly expect of a pair of teenagers with the rebellious spirit of youth and the power to do what they wanted? Also, your insinuation that what we do with our servants could be called cruel is… insulting. They live better than the vast majority of those unfortunate souls in the city, and in exchange, they obey us. We don't torture them, we don't punish them harshly except when they break the greatest of rules, and we give them everything they could want or need. All this in exchange for a bit of their vitae and an hour or so of their time. I find it to be the most civil solution we could come to, given our circumstances."

Splice passed his glance between the two of them, and then took a deep, measuring sniff. "No, I don't think I have the ability for love," he said with a lifted lip at the word. "You two though. Nothing? I've done horrible things to my brother out of spite, considering our skins are so vastly different in temperature it's painful, and I did it out of the foulest of reasons. But the two of you? No, you do it because you care about each other. If anything, I'm willing to bet the two of you could," he said seriously, and contemplated the chances.

He imagined the two of them gathering up villagers and packing them into their castle, ignoring the screams and pleas for help to drag them back here. "You claim it's for the best here, but I bet when you captured those poor souls, you dragged them here kicking and screaming." He grinned wide at the thought of the sound. "You've still a touch of evil in you, boy. One I haven't seen in my brother in centuries. And yet he's the one that had spawn," he shook his head in amazement. "I've followed some leaders in my day out of boredom, to watch them burn their own worlds down. I've attached myself to nasty high society to watch everyone rip each other apart, because I knew that one with power would do so. I've done it right now, by following a spirit who's greater goals I find interesting, and because I have a part to play in it where I can ravage the countryside rather than sit in a cell for eternity. But you two fascinate me the most out of anyone I've ever tagged along with. You're calm, you're collected and calculating, and you'recold. Not in my brother's skin sense, but down inside of you. Best of all, you still think the way they do; that you're right." He tilted back, and glanced around the room. "Frankly, I'd rather stay here. Kylin can handle himself," he grinned.

"Well, you're more than welcome to stay as long as you're willing to accept the consequences of your actions while you're in our hall." He rubbed his hands together, rose to his feet, and paced around the throne. "Cordia dear, who do you want for tonight?"

She gazed off in the distance considering her options. "Hmm. Why not make it an eventful evening. What do you think of Karth and Isabel? I appreciate their enthusiasm and their talents. Plus, I think they're interested in one another."

He paused in consideration and a predatory look crossed over his face. "That sounds delightful. They've behaved quite well lately. They're always obedient, and they're always fun. After tonight, I think we should grant them the right to their joined privacy." He shifted his gaze up to Cage, who was back on his perch and spotless after cleaning up the mess they'd made. "Do us a favor and go fetch them from their chambers, please." He turned back to Splice and chuckled. "We'll see about your kicking and screaming theory."

He watched the boy vanish, curious of his purpose and existence. "Hungry, eh? I'm surprised you have the same appetites we do, considering you're not true demons. Not to mention your abilities aside from ours. Unless your mother was something else, in which case - gross, Nexus," he scrunched up his nose. "I prefer humans, elves if I'm feeling adventurous, and that's about all." He pondered his fetching, and then paused awkwardly. "So, about the kicking and screaming bit," he started, looking around the room, smirking at the idea of anyone willing to come here on their own.

Azren laughed and shook his head. "No, we're not true demons like you. In truth, I've found that we need to about once every three days. When we had the ability to do so, we inverted the formula, and now we aim for at least three a day, not counting our own separate exploits. This keeps us occupied, which is a great thing when we have little else that needs to be done in the day. I don't see why we shouldn't, especially if we have the ability and resources on hand."

Cage leapt up to his perch and lay back against the wall. In a moment, Karth and Isabel came through the silver door, heads bowed, and stood before them, side by side. "How may I serve you?" They both asked at the same time before raising their heads.

Azren and Cordia exchanged glances and nodded to one another. "I would request that both of you wait for us in our chambers. We shall be joining you in fifteen minutes."

The pair each glanced at their king and queen, then at each other, and bowed before them. "I will do as you ask. Thank you," they both choked out before walking at top speed to the staircase in the hall.

"Now, what was that you said about kicking and screaming?"

Splice didn't know what to say. They had the perfect setup here, including those who were willing to abide by the rules. "You truly are magnificent," he beamed. "I don't exactly know how to respond to you, which is appalling, considering I've stood next to warlords before who raised armies to fight another country. You, you keep your regal behavior directly beside your desires."

For the first time in his long lifespan, Splice actually bowed, a true non-sarcastic thing. "I have no words. If you were my king, I would be honor-bound serving you simply out of my own will. I haven't, in my entire life, said that to someone." He struggled back, thinking to his snippy remarks and jabs at those who he followed for brief periods of time. Upon their first meeting, he was quite the same. But now he couldn't find anything inside of him but actual respect, even if he was still willing to cause trouble and suffer the pain for it.

"I'm almost sad," he said shaking his head, "that eventually my brother will track me here. I think I'd rather just sit and wait it out than leave."

Azren stood up and rested his chin in his hand, tapping his foot as he considered the words. "You know, I'm guessing I should feel glad to inspire such loyalty. I should feel pity knowing that you've resigned yourself to such a fate, but that's your ordeal. I almost think I'll be sad when you go, but I can't tell myself that in any honesty. I'll leave you to sit here in awe, but I'm afraid I can't share the moment. We have guests to entertain."

Cordia stood and nodded. "That sums it up rather nicely. Well, try not to destroy anything, you know the drill. Don't think this little outburst absolves you from punishment."

The two of them left and wandered their way to the staircase, chuckling to themselves as they went.

41: C#40 - Musings

Bri stepped through the trees, and considered the situation. Dragons were known to be deadly, no matter the size. Regarding how many there were in the cave, she assumed this sounded way easier than it actually was. "I can't necessarily say I'm experienced in dragon fighting," she said with some dismay. "I don't think I've ever even really seen a dragon."

The shadow nodded solemnly. "I agree. But I figure I could be of some good use to the lot of you with my ability to let go of a physical form, even if it's only temporary." He cursed his inability to remain as a smoky being.

Nexus grimaced. "Yes, dragons. If I had to pick the worst thing we've faced during this entire quest, I have to say the upcoming one, and we didn't even get there yet."

"You said it," Bri said with some exaggeration.

Kale shot them a confused look as he listened. "I've never fought a dragon before. I saw one once, flying overhead as I took a carriage out east. I can say I'm anxious, but not really frightened. If anything, it'll be a good learning experience, and definitely something to brag about."

Darius turned around and stared at Kale incredulously. "Are you sure this has nothing to do with the fact that you want to use their carcasses as your own personal armory? Are you sure this has nothing to do with the fact that every dragon story mentions they have a large stash of treasure?"

Bri turned to look at Kale with the same look Darius shot him. "I have enough to be comfy now, so I'm not too terribly worried about what's inside. Aside from the familiar, which I can live without if there isn't a chance," she shrugged.

The shadow shook his head. "It's their fire or whatever other element they breathe that I'm most worried about, not their teeth or claws. Unless a large amount of them attack at once."

Kale shrugged and watched a few of the creatures skittering about at the edge of the forest. "I always like to plan ahead, and having a large reserve with which to live lavishly is always a good thing. Of course, I also chalk it up not really having much to myself for the large majority of my life until now."

Cryia looked around and took note of the changing scenery in case they had to come back through this way in a hurry. "Really, Kale? What more could you want? Ah, but then I forget the obsession with men and their shiny new toys."

Darius nodded appreciatively. "I do have to admit, I'm curious to see if the stories are true, particularly what kind of things they keep in their lairs. Not that I need more to add to the trophy room, but it's a matter of curiosity. That being said, what exactly is the plan when we get in there?"

Shae shrugged. "I plan to be a good distraction, particularly if they get too close to us. Frustrating, annoying, and generally a good way to get them off your trail and onto mine. Hopefully, if the tome kicked in by now, I can restore your strength a little bit," he smirked. "Restoration sounds like a good plan to me."

Holding her sword, Bri swung it around her hand. "Eye-stabbing. A blind anything is a baffled anything, regardless of its size, or other senses."

Nexus agreed. "Actually, she has a good point. I'd say go for their weak points, considering the amount of strength alone it would take to take out that many dragons at once is nearly impossible right now. Stun them. That's my plan."

"It all depends on the size of the clearing we have to work with." Kale held his hand out and conjured up dark figures of a large imp, a few skeletons, and a large gargoyle. They all kept pace and stayed in formation as they walked along. "They're not great, but they'll help to serve as good shields and distractions if need be."

"Stepping on Bri's toes with those skeletons, aren't you?" Cryia waved a hand at the things and hefted them up in the air, giggling at their squirming. One made a squeaking and grunting noise in the air, uncomfortable. "It's not bad, but you really need to work on their other aspects."

Darius sighed and rubbed his temples. "I just had a great idea. What if we didn't go about showing off what we could do in plain view so as not to alert our presence to anyone that might come across our paths and give them a good reason to try and kill us."

Shae grinned at Darius' suggestion. "I agree, but I still must know. How many of the dead devils do you think you could raise up, Bri?"

"About two adults, maximum. I haven't had an awakening dream from the book I read at their library yet. I'm starting to get worried. And at the moment, Darius took my pin because of the spirit that was bothering me. So I'm left with whatever corpse or skeleton of theirs is laying around. Aside from that, if they're smaller, probably three or four."

"That would make an alright distraction as well," Nexus nodded. "A good way to at least make them wonder how their dead is risen for a moment or two. That could buy time for a sword to the neck."

Kale spontaneously darted off to the right of the group, sprinting as fast as he could to the tree line. He jumped in, shaking the underbrush as he continued to run inward. From in the thicket he shouted. "Got you!" A large flash of light and the distinct smell of burning filled the air around him. When he emerged, he carried the body of one of the bizarre elk he saw. "Told you I'd make it up to you, didn't I?"

Cryia threw her arms in the air and glared at him. "A little warning would be nice next time!"

Darius closed his eye sockets in mock frustration and exhaled sharply before continuing. "Anyway, Bri, what's this you mentioned about a book?"

Shae rubbed his black, inky hands together. "Oh, yes! Are we going to stop here and skin it up? I don't know how much time we have, or if we're really in a rush."

"That's the best part," the warlock replied, "We don't have to, really." In a somewhat grizzly display, he peeled back the charred hide to reveal the flesh beneath, fully cooked already. "One of the benefits of having fire in your arsenal I guess, especially when it sort of knows what you want."

For a moment, Bri didn't understand his question, and then she realized he hadn't been to Tatuet. "Azren and Cordia had a basement that was basically overrun by some horrible aberrations. We went in to clear it out for them, and among the treasure, they pulled out a set of books that transferred magical properties, I suppose, when you read them. Cryia said they were very old, and that none had been found in centuries or so. There seemed to be a bit of everything for all of us, about seven books I think. So far, most of us have had dreams, and woken up with extra power. I don't think me and Shae have had ours yet."

The shadow shook his head. "No, not yet for either of us. But don't worry, little one. They'll come."

The succubus shuddered and cringed as she watched him. "I'm not sure whether to be impressed, disgusted, or terrified at what just happened, Kale. The same goes for knowing that you can do that."

Kale turned to Bri and Darius and held up a hand. "That reminds me," he said, digging in his pack, "I wanted to throw it in the ocean, but I forgot about it during the boat ride. I'm honestly worried about keeping it with me for such a long time. Any idea on a safe way to get rid of this thing?" He handed the foulest of the books to the death knight in hopes that he might.

He grabbed the book and read the title and the spine, a curious look on his face. "Interesting. Yes, I think it should do nicely as a trap in the entrance of my trophy room. Not that it needs one, but you never know. I must say, I'm surprised you didn't go mad just holding it."

"He vomited, does that count?" Nexus laughed.

Shae snickered and nudged Kale. "Not mad, but it definitely didn't feel too good, did it?" He was glad he never read the title. He had no will to, nor did Bri, who stood as far back as she possibly could, and preferred instead to sniff the cooked meat.

"That smells so good," she said, mouth watering. "You know what else I could go for? The fisherskant. That fish is hallowed by the gods, I swear."

Kale glared at Shae and Nexus. "Hush, both of you, or I will slap you with the damned thing until you hallucinate. Also, Bri, why did you have to bring that up? I was so excited about this exotic beast, and now I feel like I'm being forced to eat peasant gruel."

Cryia tore a piece off and chewed it slowly, savoring the new taste. "Hmm. You know, I don't like a lot of food except fruit and bacon, but this is pretty good."

Bri smiled as she chewed a piece. "I love that fish. I remember when you yanked me to that goblin cook's little stand and ordered it for the first time. Yum, yum," she mused.

"You made me take a bite too. It was good, but I hate fish too much to actually eat it on a normal, everyday basis," he pinched his nose.

Shae laughed at him. "Yet you ate it?"

"I'd literally just been plucked out of being under Bri's control. If I'd ignored her request to take a bite, I likely would have been slapped back into it. Not to mention, sugar only sustains you for so long on spikes of energy. Real food does less than sugar does, so I was still pretty hungry at the time. I ate it because I focused on the taste and not what it was."

With a sigh, Kale stared off in the distance. "I do miss Knilingtin, and those crazy goblins. Some of them had no idea what they were selling, they just kept gathering what sold the month before and it became their area of expertise. I'll have to go back and pay them a visit when this is all done." He tore himself a piece of the beast and tasted it. "Yep. Not bad, but not fisherskant. Definitely in my top five. Except now I might get to taste dragon, which will likely take one of the top spots."

"You know, Kale, there are men who train their whole lives to kill dragons and still treat the word as a curse to be feared. And here you are talking about it like it was a cow," Cryia joked.

Darius shook his head and smiled, glad to be with such pleasant company again. "Speaking of which, judging from the scenery, our path into their lair, which should still be a few hours travel, is just through this first thicket. We'll have to cut through there and continue on. Just be glad that the daylight is still with us, otherwise we'd have to do this at night."

Nexus slowly turned to face Darius. "I'd rather not even remotely think about that if it's not a problem right now," he said, heart suddenly sinking.

But the shadow just waved the idea away. "Not like it would bother me any, Darius," he smirked at the rest of them with a triumphant smile. "In fact, if I still had my complete freedom, I'd just float in, take what we needed, and float right back out."

Bri turned to him. "So how did it come to be that you're bound exactly? I know you mentioned that Splice did it to you, which doesn't surprise me considering how psychotic he is."

"The Red Devil trapped me, and bound me to a weapon of his, a dagger. Technically, I'm a summoned creature. The only reason I'm here right now, is because he lost it in his travels, over the side of a boat during one of his trips back and forth from the kingdom he ruled for a brief time. Well… he didn't really lose it. I snagged it in the middle of the night, and tossed it overboard, letting it slip down through the surface of the water blade first so as to not make any noise, and a minimal ripple." He smiled again. "When I get the chance to find that dagger again, I'll break it. You'll know it too when you see it. Because my essence is trapped in the blade itself, it's as void black as my skin." He perked up. "Actually, come to think of it, I'd like to find that very blade to carve out Splice's eyes before we trap him in his little chamber. That would satisfy me. Does anyone know where the Ablinator Lake is from here?"

Darius scratched at his mandible in thought. "If I recall correctly, it should be due east of here. About a week's travel if you're walking. Of course, if we manage to ensnare one of these dragons, we may be able to fly over there, which might take a day or so then."

Kale paused in his eating and gave Shae a puzzled look. "Okay, I understand your desire for revenge, but what's the deal with cutting out his eyes? You've said that damn near every time the idea comes up in conversation."

"First," he corrected annoyed, "I only mentioned that twice. Secondly, because," he said slowly, and stared into the ground furiously, "that's exactly what he did to my adopted child, and my wife."

Bri stopped chewing and stared. Nexus felt a twinge of surprise. "Adopted child? You had a wife? Wait… he carved their eyes out?"

"Yes," the shadow said darkly. "He did. And he made me watch, because he found the irony in that absolutely hilarious. I intend to return the favor. And doing so with the very blade he stole my essence with is perfection. Although, I'm fine with any blade, really, if we can't make it."

Darius walked over and rested his hand on his shoulder. "When my family was taken from me, I was left to race to them against a devil infinitely faster than I. By the time I reached my home, they were naught but ashes on the floor. I never fought quite as well and as viciously as I had that day. I have only the deepest of sympathies for you."

"I am deeply sorry, Darius. Truly. I know the pain. Once it's done and over with, I'll be happy again. All I want is vengeance. Once that's completed, I'll return to my normal life." He brooded then, and wouldn't eat anymore. "I can't stomach anything right now. I'll have to take mine along until later."

Bri shot Kale a glance. "Feel better?"

Nexus was glad that Celia was safe with Shari and away from there. "I just found her again. If I were to learn that the villagers had murdered her because of her strange pregnancy, I would have cast the village in eternal snow," he growled. "I'll help you when the time comes, believe me."

"Actually, I do. Now I understand my friend's motivation a lot better. I know a facet of him that previously went unspoken of. It gives me great respect for him, not that he didn't have it before. The worst I can say is that I had to murder my father for abusing my mother and sister, then abandoning us all, and I still don't feel bad about it. This though, is something I can understand fighting for."

Cryia jabbed at Kale with a frown. "And here you joked at the fact that I hadn't bothered to make friends or start a real family during all my time."

"They're a dangerous weakness," Nexus admitted. "I find myself worrying about her now that she's back to me. I don't know this wraith well enough to know if he'd use a person's family against him, but I know for a fact that Splice would. He's clearly already done so."

"Foul," Bri spat. "Just think. We're very close to finishing the two of them off now," she smiled. "Then we can all relax by the ocean or wherever we want to for a while for a nice long break."

They sighed in unison. "That would be fantastic," Nexus said. "I have so much I want to do now. Particularly try to fix things with an estranged son and daughter. If Celia wants to go back that is. I'm not entirely sure what lies ahead there."

"If they're both not absolutely tired of their lives being turned upside-down, maybe. Personally, I wouldn't go within a thousand miles of that place again," Bri shuddered. "I'd rather be with Kale in some cave than go back out there. What are you going to do once this is all said and done, Shae?"

"The beach," he said musing. "I'm going to the beach, and I'm going to build a little beachy hut with lots and lots of beachy palm trees, complete with beachy decorations."

"Yeah," she said. "That sounds awesome. What about you guys?"

"First thing I'm doing is starting up some kind of guild where I can teach others how to be good thieves and assassins like I used to be, or at least thought I was. The world could use more people like me in the world. I think I might play both sides and start a separate guild for mercenaries that specialize in tracking down thieves and assassins. This way I can double my money.

"After that… I'm really not sure. Live the easy life in a huge cabin in the middle of the woods. I don't foresee any further grand adventure in either of our lives. Then again, I sort of thought that about myself, and here I am talking about it," Kale waved.

Cryia nodded and giggled to herself. "I'll probably just keep doing what I was before this. Except now I get to make monthly trips out and pester all of you. Yes, that sounds like more fun anyway. Aside from that, who knows? Maybe I'll get the ambition to finally take my own province and rule as a monarch one day."

Bri looked at Kale awkwardly and shot him a half-grin. "What? That sounds really complicated if you ask me. Maybe Shae could help with that, considering he was an assassin once."

"No, no more of that. I've had enough killing," he said with distaste. "After my years in the Red Devil's court, I killed too many innocent folk to even think of doing that again. Even if you're as sweet as you are, Kale."

"Yeah, I can understand that. You'd make an excellent teacher though – we'd turn out the best slayers and cutthroats in the whole continent." He carved what meat he could from the beast and stowed it away in the ceramic jar in his pack before getting up and stretching. "It's not something I'd seriously consider unless I got incredibly bored or somehow squandered all of my fortune on a pair of knives made of angel bones." He guiltily stared at the ground and tried not to look excited.

Nexus stuck his tongue out at Cryia. "You can't pester me, I'm a better one for doing that than you are. If anything, you'd show up at my door and I'd bother you so much you'd just step right back out again." He grinned wide. "I bet you money I'm more annoying than you are."

Cryia rolled her eyes and poked Nexus in the ribs. "I didn't mean pester quite so literally. That's not even a contest. In fact, the next chance I get, I'm going to make you a gold medal that's going to have the words 'Pester King' engraved on it."

"Actually, that's pretty agreeable, considering it's one letter off from 'jester,' in which case it fits absolutely perfectly," he grinned stupidly.

"You really are annoying," Bri said flatly, chewing another chunk of meat from the deer-animal. "I'm sad we can't have these things around where we live. This is pretty good. I can only imagine what they're like salted, and dried into jerky," she said, savoring the flavor.

The shae nodded. "Maybe someday, Kale. With as much money as we seem to be coming across out here traveling all over the damned place and killing bad things, I suppose we could gather up a small fortune in order to do so. Teach, maybe. Actually doing said assassin work again, never."

Bri checked the sun. "We better get moving again," she said, a note of worry in her voice. "If we dawdle anymore, gabbing about what we're going to do with our free time after we're through with this, we'll never actually finish off the beast. And I'd rather not fight a horde of dragons in the darkness. Yikes."

42: C#41 - Singed Breach

Splice rested flat on the floor, back to the floor, and stared up at the dancing dots behind his eyes. The smell was too much to ignore the second she walked in the room. As expected, he met his punishment. He groaned in pain, but couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. Really, I think this is just going to keep happening until I die and wind up in my cell again. Not like it would matter anymore. I'm pretty sure Kylin's pissed off, wondering where I am as it stands.

He rolled himself up to his hands and knees, and focused on not swaying to and fro, and also focusing on not vomiting the second he felt the sensation again.

Cordia walked to the door to his chamber, carrying two small bottles in her hands with a blank expression on her face. She poured one into the pool, just as Azren had, and stirred it up until the liquids mingled. She then strode over to the demon and lifted him to his feet, holding him in place with one hand as she opened the bottle with the other.

"During the first decade of our being here, we managed to find an herbalist to live in our hall with us. He taught his successor, and she taught hers." She held the bottle up to the light and watched the pale green concoction swirl around. "One of the things they figured out was how to cheat death, so to speak. It was never a permanent solution, but it would definitely save our lives if we were grievously injured. I'm not sure how it works, but it's a small miracle." She twisted his neck until his jaw hung open and poured the contents down his throat.

"Azren insisted that what he did to you was enough. I can, however, be rather persuasive when the need arises." She reached under the skirt of her toga, and pulled out a small silver razor the length of her palm. "I assure you, if any of our servants were to follow your actions, they would be dead by now. What you are about to experience would be considered merciful."

He eyed the razor in her hand, and blinked, the taste of the liquid down his throat a burning sensation. Normally, he would fight. This time, he let himself be limp, and shift where she pulled him. The urge to vomit bothered him again, and he shoved the feeling out. Not now, he snarled at it.

He'd been here already for hours, watching the stars dance. Their tempers were very short. He smiled at the thought of that. Easy to irritate, but hard to fully anger. "You inherited your father's quickness to irritation. Short tempers can be a weakness," he said with a nasty grin. "Thank golly I'm not a mortal man then," he chokingly laughed, careful not to joust his stomach.

"Have we? I hadn't had the chance to notice. I suspect he was gauging each and every one of his actions to ensure that he didn't upset us in the slightest. A wise but unnecessary move on his part. Azren might have spared him some of the harsher consequences."

Delicately, pulled him to his knees, and examined him. "Also, your claim isn't entirely true. There are very few things that ever upset us to this extent. Most of it is just a minor annoyance, quickly dealt with, and then we move on." She reached down and grabbed his wrist, making several long incisions that wrapped around the bottom of his arm like a bracer. "Oh, and don't think this only works one way. If you had the same intention with Azren, nothing would have changed."

He winced at the lacerations, and clamped his teeth, hissing. "I'm sure as he stood there, like the coward he was, he was indeed watching your reactions to whatever stupidity flowed from his mouth," he chuckled dryly. "I don't care either way. And that's why I sit here. Consequences of any manner from the two of you probably would have been nasty ones. Your senses of annoyance and responses to such are much different than his."

He thought back and wished he'd been there to see it for himself. The first thing he thought of was the shae. He hadn't seen him since his time in the court, but he was aware he was with them, considering he'd run into him at the gate. "Probably everyone else too, actually," he said, watching her make the slices, and his dark, purple ooze drift down his arm. When the blade cut too deep in one particular place, he jerked out of habit, and hissed through his teeth.

"I would have gone for him as well, but you're just too cute," he said with another smile, and then flashed her his teeth. "Amazing he's not here to add to the broken bones already. Must have sent you to do the dirty work, since you're the one getting all the attention."

She glanced at the ceiling and considered his last statement. "That is part of it, yes, even if so inelegantly worded. You acted against me, and so I shall reciprocate. It is only fair. With that being said," she took the razor and collected some of his blood along the sharp edge of the blade, drawing it up to her face, "I must admit my curiosity at something."

Without hesitation she licked the blade clean, tasting the oddness of his vitae. "Hmm… That is most peculiar." She set the razor down and grabbed ahold of his opposite wrist, sinking her teeth into the vein just below his hand. Barely breathing, she felt his heart beat rhythmically slower, draining and consuming everything it poured into her.

Splice cried out, but the world was turning cold, fast, and he was losing focus. The world was disappearing, and he felt himself begin to fall down, the same familiar feeling of falling into his cell. What… no, not yet…

At last, when his heart stopped, she stood up and picked him up. Wordlessly, she set him into the pool to heal and regain his lost life essence.

With an unusual and almost trancelike expression on her face, she turned to him before she left the room. "I'm not sure if the tonic permits one to still perceive their world around them. Your body will begin sustaining itself in a moment or so. When you are finished, you may return to us once more." She looked around the room, and then watched his lifeless body for a moment before taking her leave.

Like a yo-yo, he bounced back, surrounded by water. When he breached the top and took some deep breaths, he stared at his wrist in shock. No one, ever, had bitten into him and stole his blood before. Not even the vampires.

Struck cold, he crawled out, gasping, and stared into nothingness again, unsure of how to respond. Well, that was new, he thought, confused.

He stood and grabbed the towel, teetering a little to the left and right. His balance hadn't fully returned, and his mind felt clouded. When he reached the main hall again, he looked around, sure of where he was, but now completely unsure of what would happen next. He stared at her oddly, and then turned to Azren.

"Your girl bit me and drank me dry," he said flatly.

"Yes, I am quite aware of what followed your latest lapse in judgment. It was an interesting notion to entertain, likely because, once you depart from our hall, it is unlikely to ever happen again. As she had anticipated, your vitae had an almost narcotic effect." Azren grinned as he watched her.

Cordia returned his gaze and narrowed her eyes at him. "Indeed, it sharpened my senses, made the passage of time nearly imperceptible, and induced a state of euphoria. Definitely one of the better things I've experienced in my lifetime here."

A small grin crossed his face, though it took him a few moments to fully understand what Azren said, and he took a longer than was natural time to answer. "I take it that's going to happen to me now for the time being that I'm here. Or at least you're going to steal vials of it until they come for me," he smirked. "It's not like I'm going to be here forever. That was a strange feeling you know, falling and falling into where I was supposed to be, then bouncing back like a rubber band the second my body hit the surface of the water."

When his mind began to clear again, and he had become almost accustomed to his surroundings, he leveled his gaze with Azren. "You next?" His grin was daring, challenging.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled at his guest. "Not without due cause, I'm not. Besides, she was always the more adventurous one. I'm quite content to leave my mind unaltered, thank you. That being said, what she decides to do with you after your next brilliant idea is up to her."

"Not that I'm opposed to the idea of making it a regular exaction of punishment. It's probably a lot more pleasant than having your skeleton twisted into irregular angles." She glanced at him, but couldn't keep eye contact for more than a second or so, preferring to look just past him instead.

"No sense in adventure? Really? You of all seemed to be the one that would dive head first into it, considering you're king of your court," he waved it off.

His head still felt dizzy, and he in turn felt as if he were spinning again. He sat down on the floor until his mind stopped swimming. "Furthermore, you are definitely not normal, considering that should have scorched your tongue on contact," he said with some amusement. "No vampire's ever targeted me as a snack, and I've watched demons go under the stronger ones." He rubbed his wrist where the holes no longer existed, and felt a touch of disappointment.

He caught the scent of someone who walked by the hall, and he tilted his head slightly in their direction, pupil's contracting. His hunger was starting to come back again. How long had he been here? He sat still, and waited to see if they'd cross into the throne room. Just one bite.

Azren called out to his guest before he entered the room. "While I advise you to wait there, Yorick, you most certainly have permission to incapacitate our other guest if he tries anything." He then turned to Splice and shook his head with a grin. "If you intend not to give it away, might I suggest not tensing up your hands and becoming so rigid in posture?"

Cordia glanced at the ceiling in her consideration. "Cage, bring out Liliana. Tell her she has a guest to entertain." As she checked her nails, she made a note to herself that they might have to make their trip out to the city a lot earlier than expected if they kept him around.

"I promise, I won't break this one," he said with a childish smile.

Well, that was a plus, he supposed. He wondered how many he had left they didn't necessarily want. At least he was weeding them out for them, and left the purest souls behind.

He contemplated eating her, or just doing what he did best. He pondered it while staring at the floor for a moment, and then concluded the latter. The point of eating someone was faster, but it took the fun away, and after being drained, he figured it'd be better to leave them to their devices for a while until he could torture them further with his madness.

How did his brother come here, and not do this? What, did he stay just as posh and sweet as the two of them during his stay? What was the point in meeting someone like him, only to not test their limits to see their power? He shook his head, and grimaced in his disgust. He was much less a demon, and more human than anything else.

"Seriously though, at least I entertain you. I can only imagine what Nexus was like, holding his tea with his pinky out and acting as if he were standing in a mine field." He shook his head and sucked his teeth. "Shame. Your bouts of anger are the best thing about you."

Azren couldn't help but laugh at his last comment. "That's certainly an interesting choice. I'd have gone with our sense of hospitality and generosity. Then again though, I suppose I could lock you in the basement and you'd still be just as happy and entertained."

Liliana walked out from the silver door and bowed before her masters. Her crimson hair contrasted her blue eyes so starkly that it was almost unnatural. "What is it you ask of me?"

"You may follow our guest to his chambers and see to him. He's not feeling very well, so do take special care with him, would you?" Cordia couldn't help but smile a bit sadistically knowing what was about to happen. "Yorick, you can come here now. Let's leave our guest to his devices."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "That is a terrible… that's awful," he said shaking his head, but smiling all the while. "You poor thing," he said to the girl. He rose to his feet to take her to his room, and then deeply bowed. "Your hospitality and generosity contrast your anger so harshly, I can't help but choose your anger over the others. It's completely baffling. I think, as such a bad boy I've been here, you've put up with me the longest out of anyone I've ever tormented."

In a final bow, he held the girls hand, who winced at the heat, and then chuckled a single time at her reaction. "I'll not be long, promise." He reached out and twirled a lock of her hair.

----------

A puddle. Always a puddle. He glanced down, half disappointed. He hadn't meant to do it that way, but it just came about as it came about. He lifted her up off the bed, and inspected her body. Burn marks, bruises, and general claw marks. I really didn't want to do that, he thought in irritation.

He wondered how long it would before his brother finally caught up to him. Better yet, what would happen when he found that Azren hadn't exactly kicked him out of the castle at all, but rather held onto him, just as amused by him as he was to the king. King. There was a funny word. At one point, he'd been a king too. It almost made him jealous, the fact he let the kingdom go, but then he shoved it away from his mind, simply for the fact he could take another whenever he felt like it.

Splice grinned. There was no good in being good. The only thing his brother chased after were long lost dreams. Why he forced himself to suffer seemed pointless, considering no angel or god would ever bring him back to what he was before. He shook his head.

When he stepped back out into the throne room, he was a darker shade of red, and feeling a lot better from his earlier dizzy spell. What to do now? He'd already tormented Cordia twice. He figured it was time to press his luck with Azren, at least enough to get him agitated enough to actually fight rather than tie him down for a beating, but it just didn't seem his style.

He stretched, sighed loudly, and then bowed again with a wide grin. "I could do this for eternity. No wonder the Master keeps me in a cell. Doing anything else is fun. I can see why he makes sure the devils and balors aren't allowed to say anything to me when they come to check rounds," he laughed. "You could rule Hell, Azren. You and your sister would make excellent punishment-dealers."

He shrugged and nodded in amusement. "It is certainly something that we would be efficient at. That having been said, I'd actually see little reason to go about condemning the majority of the poor souls lost in there. It's not like I have any right to say what is right and wrong."

Cordia chewed one of her nails and grinned at the ceiling. "I don't know, Azren dear. If we were doling out lashes every hour, it'd be a lot like that week we spent in the Old Kingdom to the far west. They certainly knew how to push the envelope."

He glanced at her, and then back at the ceiling as a smile crept on his face. "I had nearly forgotten about that little excursion. We really do have to pay them a visit again. Hopefully the Tower went untouched in the last sixty or so years. If not, they certainly do have an interesting racial makeup over there. It's kind of an exotic win-win situation."

Splice raised a white brow. "Sounds like the two of you had a good time," he said, thinking back to some of the more horrid things he'd done. "The girl's upstairs. I wound up eating her by accident, unfortunately. Didn't really intend that, but sometimes my teeth have a mind of their own."

For a time, he remembered a few adventures with his brother that ended in a lot of scorched blankets, and frozen bedframes. He laughed, and pitied them for not having anything magical in their blood. There seemed to be too much human.

He strolled to the throne, and wandered around it slowly, circling around and thinking. "You know, Azren, the rate at which you're going, you're headed there," he grinned wide. "You may not judge right and wrong, but the Master does. Some of the mean things you've said and done," he said, feigning hurt. Instinctively, he reached a claw around his cheek, and under his chin, accidentally catching the skin.

Azren took a deep breath before he straightened himself on his half of the throne. Reaching a hand to the burning, stinging sensation, he drew it back and inspected the drop of blood on his finger. He shut his eyes and sighed in frustration before he gathered his thoughts enough to speak. "You caught me off guard, got within reach, had your hand on my throat, and didn't bother to try for the kill. I do say I think I'm almost disappointed. It's odd, but I think I've gotten used to your attempts by now."

"I wouldn't kill you given the chance, which I managed to wriggle in," he said, offended, and puffed himself out, crossing his arms. Then he loosened his seriousness, and burst into laughter, which echoed from the walls. He pulled his hand back, the white glove stained green, and licked the tiny drop off. "Not much different from my brother's," he said with a sly smile, "but still not the same. Your skin is too warm."

He stood up and grabbed him by the neck in one smooth motion. "Hmm, I don't really know if you have the room to make such claims about us. Now, please step away from me willingly before I see if I can throw you onto the second floor balcony."

Cordia giggled at the thought. "Last time you managed that was with that terribly thin elf woman. I'm pretty sure she broke in half before she landed."

Through the choke, he grabbed onto Azren's wrist, looked down, and guttered out, "it's not a claim, it's a fact," he smiled, "I've torn your father into pieces before."

Before he knew he would be tossed, he clawed his forearm as hard as he could, splashed the floor in a small spray of blood, and snaked his tongue the entire way around his forearm twice with a vicious snarl. It flowed into his mouth, the same strange flavor, but warm, and he imagined the vengeance his brother would deal had he known he'd torn into his son. Priceless.

Cordia knew well enough to back up into the corner of the room and wait for the issue to resolve. Few and far between were the times that he would openly issue a challenge, but they were always exciting to watch, at least until his foe was incapacitated.

Azren let go, and glanced down at his wound and nodded. He slowly made his way to the center of the room and gestured to the space opposite him. "I'm going to go ahead and give you a chance this time. Please, take your place so that we can begin." He stretched and chuckled as he took his proper stance.

Bad feeling. Splice glanced his way for a moment, almost regretting the slashes. He hesitated, then shifted to the opposite end, and stood still. I think for once, I really went too far, he thought, feeling a rare touch of dread. He knew he was at a disadvantage, lacking the strength the two of them had. Even if he defeated Azren by a stroke of luck, Cordia was just as equally strong.

He smiled, but it wasn't a nasty or sadistic one. This was almost apologetic, an acceptance that there would be a searing pain in his future. "I take it I'm not going to have any healing this time," he remarked lowly, "and that you're going to leave me in a heap until my brother finally comes." He was proficient with swords, and an excellent dodger, but Splice was nearly useless with physical fighting. He readied his stance to do his best to avoid attacks as long as he possibly could, and prepared for the worst. Rarely did he anger someone to the point he actually dreaded the beating, considering it was his goal to absolutely enrage them to do so. This was the first he'd seen Azren seem to lose his calm. Maybe that's the magic button, he thought with a grisly smile. The difference between their annoyance, and actual anger.

His first move was to spring forward, rolling on the ground behind his target, placing one hand on his neck for a second before jumping backward. "Did you know that it's been thirty-seven years since someone actually managed to do me any serious harm?" He leapt over his target and took a swing, intentionally missing by only an inch. "I abstain from the use of weapons. They make one entirely too dependent on having it by their side, which it never is. This, however, is always a sure thing." He darted in and punched straight, nearly touching square in the sternum. "I pride myself in my ability to cause ruin by my hand alone." He hopped back to his original position and chuckled to himself. "Now you may begin, sir."

At every close touch, he felt himself sink, but he grinned anyway. "Well," he said simply, "I pressed the shiny red button that clearly said not to." He didn't move, but he automatically assumed defeat, and awaited to counter a move if he could. The string of touches Azren had on him would have decapitated him had it been a sword. No. He would have decapitated him with his hands. There was no difference. He took note to practice physically. His agility would probably do him good, even without the strength to crush a bone by squeezing someone's arm. "Although, I have to say I'm pretty proud to lay my claws into you after said amount of time." He rushed, head first, and then tried to slide to the left to claw his thigh.

Azren saw his window and shifted himself opposite his attacker, kicking him across the chest and sending him sliding a few feet. "You can certainly do better than that. I didn't say this was a fair fight, I said I wanted to give you a chance to defend yourself." He turned his back on him and shook his head as he waited for him to get up.

"I quite figured this wasn't going to be fair from the beginning," he coughed, holding his chest, and grinned at him. "I'm a sneak and magic user, not a direct fighter." He back-flipped a few feet behind him to get more distance from Azren and held ground, kneeling on one knee, and propping himself up with one hand. "I managed to catch you off-guard at your own throne, Azren. That's what I do best," he smiled flashing every fang. "Beat me bloody all you like. I rather enjoy this little game of ours."

He scoffed at the notion, not even looking back to face him. "I really can't call you much of a sneak with that outfit; how can you? But, you certainly do have a good point." He leapt backwards and flipped over his target, who was almost on the other side of the room. When he landed, he immediately placed one foot on his back and pinned him to the ground. "I just know I'm going to regret this, but why exactly?"

He gasped in pain, and turned his head for eye contact, feeling his claws dig into his back. "If you're good at what you do, you can hide in plain sight, and do your job proficiently," he smirked back at him. "That's what sneaking's all about, right?" Surprise. Without hesitating, he brought one arm around, and twisted so that he smashed Azren in the side of the neck with a hot blast of bright fire, and then dug his claws into his skin a second time, sliding clear with a nasty smile. "And because the point of breaking out of my hellish eternal sentencing is to enjoy myself," he scoffed. "You're the most interesting person I've found, and therefore a fun opponent, regardless of how much stronger than I you are. I just laid into you again. What now, Majesty?"

He paused for a moment, intrigued by the display, and rubbed the scorched patch of skin. He slowly traced the edges around his collarbone, up his neck, to the top of his cheek. He breathed deep and shuddered as he exhaled. "What now? This."

Azren rushed at his foe, careful to maintain his posture as he moved. Once he was in reach, he hopped into the air and brought his foot down on his knee as hard as he could. Shocked, Splice screamed out in agony, unable to back up or get away. The satisfying crunch of bones bending in the wrong direction prompted his next move. He set one foot on his chest, wrapped both hands around his right wrist, and pulled. He stared at the ceiling, drawing out the snapping of tendons, sinew, bone and flesh.

The stars began to swim. Splice screamed out, unsure whether to try to pull away and damage himself more, or to try to kick Azren off. Blinded by bright lights, he couldn't manage to connect with him. Something warm and wet began to slide down his shoulder…

He held the severed arm in his hand, paused, and nodded, bringing it down on his opponent's head like a club. He struck again and again until all that was left was a minute twitching in the mutilated body before him.

He tossed the limb beside the body and sighed in disgust. He shuddered again and stood up straight. "Somebody make sure he doesn't die. I'm going to wash up."

43: C#42 - Umaadil of Listric

Nexus involuntarily screamed out in agony, and fell to his knees in the grass. Bri wheeled on him, startled, and stared dumbstruck at her writhing friend.

"Nexus!" Shae dashed to his side, and tried to help him back up, but all he did was ball up, and then hold his arm, limply. His gut-wrenching scream echoed off into the trees, until he blacked out, knocked out cold on the ground.

Bri stared gaping. "What in the bloody hell just happened?"

Shae shook him again and again, but the fool didn't respond until ice cold water was thrown over his face. His eyes shot open, and he gasped as if he had been holding his breath for too long. He sat up in horror, and stared off into the trees. "Nexus, whathappened? Are you alright?" Shae shook him again, crouching in front of him in the grass, and checking him all over for any sign of a wound. When he found nothing, he leveled his gaze with him again.

He turned his glassy gaze on him, eyes wide, and then turned back to Bri. "I question whether this pocket in space is actually the better punishment for my brother," he gasped out, sucking in large amounts of air. "If he's in Tatuet, I absolutely abhor the idea of going back."

Kale stared at him in confusion. "Wait, why? The only ones of any real danger there are Azren and Cordia and - oh gods, he pissed them off, didn't he? Oh Sweet Merciless Dagon." He shuddered at the thought of how ruthless he assumed they could be. "Yeah, I'm guessing Hell seems like a voyage into dreamland right now."

Cryia merely cringed at the thought. "And they seemed so nice, too…"

Darius glared at the sky in contemplation. "You know him well enough. Is this kind of thing a big enough disincentive for him to leave? If not, then this is actually a good thing. No wild goose chase, no danger, no real risk at all. We show up at the door, apologize for the inconvenience, and carry a broken demon out with us."

Nexus shuddered on the ground. It wasn't always that he felt his brother's pain, but occasionally he did. And usually when he did, it was something particularly vile. "I'm imagining he rightly did, Kale," he shook, staring off into the grass.

The halfling's hair rose on her arms and neck. "I told you they scared me. Did I mention they scared me? Yes. Yes, I did indeed say they scared me, and I'll say it again. They scared me. Just walking into their hall, their gazes, their posture, their manner of speech… all of that in combination with their youthful appearance…" She cringed, and shook her head. "If we do go back, I'm waiting outside the gates. I'd rather play with the scorpions than go back inside of that castle ever again."

Shae stared at him. "Would he leave now? Or would he only continue to fight?"

The fool sat still and thought. "I'll be honest, I have no idea. I haven't felt pain from his end for literally years. I only ever felt his pain roughly four times in history since our Fall, and now I feel the absolute worst pain I ever have. Whatever they did to him, it involved his arm," he said, holding his arching muscles. "I felt like it was torn off of me."

Kale thought back to the incident in their dining room and cringed. "You know, I wouldn't put it past them to be able to rip it clear off. Galvus had his head reduced to a fine paste with some bone chips, and that didn't seem like it took them a lot of effort. I can't say it happening to him is a bad thing."

"By the darkness, just how powerful are they? I mean, I certainly could if I needed to, but that seems a bit much. You don't possess strength like that, Nexus." The death knight pondered for a while. "That definitely doesn't make sense as far as I can tell."

Cryia genuinely laughed at the notion. "Of course they don't make sense. Nothing about them does. Not their habits, their palace, not their history. In any case, I do applaud their sense of justice following whatever it is he's undoubtedly done to annoy them. Well, not justice really, but a fine retribution. I'm just glad they liked us."

"As far as we know they liked us," Bri said raising a finger, and looking sideways at her. "For all we know, they were planning something behind our backs. It doesn't seem their style, but you never know." She shivered, remembering how she and Kale were waiting in the room on their first night, and they'd knocked to wake them up.

"If my brother did something to get a beating there, and I imagine he did because he's an idiot, then I can safely say that at least he had what was coming to him. Azren was only annoyed when he killed Galvus. If I felt the pain from this, he must have pressed his buttons so hard, he actually lost his cool composure." Nexus shook his head, remembering their calm demeanor, even in the situation with Galvus' disrespectful behavior. "I seriously have trouble figuring out how he did something like that. And yes, as far as we know Darius, they are pretty damn strong. Neither I nor my brother possess whatever strength they have, and Celia certainly doesn't. You should go with us when we go down to pick up the jackass."

Darius chuckled at his suggestion. "Well, at the very least I know I'd be safe. Not like they'd be interested in me. For that matter, it's also not like they'd need to kill me. I'd just be boring, I'm guessing. Not that it matters in the long run."

Kale jabbed him in the ribs and scoffed. "Not to you it doesn't, cheater. You and your fancy immediate resurrection with nine redundancies. What do the rest of us get in the shiny new toy department without being a lich?"

The death knight jokingly rubbed the spot on his rib cage and shook his head. "There is always my course, but somehow I don't take it that this fate is something you'd like. Not having flesh and blood tends to make one remarkably apathetic and calculating if you're not careful."

Nexus struggled back to his feet, wobbled a minute, and then rubbed his arm again. "The pain's going away now, so we should keep moving. I'd rather get through this draconic nightmare fast, especially considering the last piece is in their cave."

The halfling felt her stomach twist. "You're too polite to anger them anyway, Darius," she scoffed. "They'd love you."

"I remember that, actually. Azren congratulated me on my formal tone when we first met them in the main throne room," the shadow said proudly. "I'm pretty sure I annoyed him the least. Ha, to the rest of you. Particularly you, Cryia," he snickered.

She drifted up behind him and set her hands on his shoulders, resting her head atop of his. "Oh Shae darling, I'd really be more careful with that tongue of yours. Remember, I know where you sleep."

Kale responded by grabbing her by the ankle and pulling her away from him. "Firstly, mind your phrasing. Secondly, Nexus is right, we need to get moving."

Darius merely sighed and shrugged. "Always so eager to run toward danger. Very well."

"Oh, I'm definitely not eager," Nexus moaned. "The last thing I want is a mouthful of teeth the size of my torso eating my leg or something. But to stop my brother," he said, heavily insinuating, "we have to find the crown."

The shadow raised an eyebrow. "Yes, indeed. The man who's likely tied upside down from the ceiling, bleeding out onto the floor." He blushed at Cryia, and then rubbed his head. "You messed up my tendrils."

Bri just smirked. "If anything, I'm the bite-sized snack around here, so don't worry about that. I'd rather lose a leg than lose my everything."

Kale readied himself for the impending smack or punch before he even spoke. "Maybe they'll have a few eggs that just hatched, and one of the wyrmlings can bite your leg off."

She turned her head slowly, with a flat expression. Shae withheld his snicker, and exchanged glances with Nexus.

On and on they kept walking through the forest. During the second hour, Kale took a note of something. "Okay, we're definitely getting into dragon territory. I've never seen one, but I had to track my father down to one a long time ago, and the surroundings were just as empty. Start looking on the ground for scales and claw marks on the trees."

The death knight kept his gaze affixed to the sky, watching around in all directions for attack. "You know, I almost imagined this place to be completely burned down."

The shadow kicked around some batches of sticks and grass, looking for scales or a sign that one had passed by. "There's a lake over there as well," he said pointing, "but I'm not sure whether they would live under water or not." He paused and glanced in. "It's pretty deep, so maybe?"

Bri threw him a sideways glare. "Why would a dragon live under water?"

"Different types," Nexus said. "I'm pretty sure we're looking for ones that breathe fire though, Shae. I doubt it, unless you happen to notice that there are no fish in there." He floated up into a tree, and dug through branches, looking for claw marks. "I found something small up here. Very little scratches, but I don't see any scales."

Darius inspected the area as he spoke, thinking back to his adventures and tales he'd heard. "Most aquatic dragons need a fairly constant supply of fish and plants. For the fresh water species, they'd need an incredibly large lake for any sustainable populations. Sea dragons should be fairly obvious. Fire drakes differ between region, and change habits between generations, so they're the odd ones."

Kale looked around incredulously, letting the possibilities hit him. "Wait. Why does that seem kind of terrifying? I mean, if they cross all terrains, and we keep pushing them back, and only the strongest ones are left to reproduce, won't that eventually just leave us with terribly powerful monsters in every corner of the world?"

Bri just shrugged. "Sounds like the stories to me. Then again, all dragons sound large when you're my size. I suppose it depends where you live. I imagine living up in the frozen wastes means finding either really tough small dragons, or really tough big dragons depending on what lives in the area to feed on. This though, this just looks empty. I don't really see how we would have big dragons here."

"No, but there are a cluster of them," Nexus said. "That's what makes this so hard. Hopefully they're not very big. These scratches don't look like it, but then again, these could be any animal."

A deep rumbling stretched across the expanse of forest, coming from farther down the patch into a particularly dense thicket. What most assumed was a large, jagged, moss-covered rock began to shift and straighten in the distance. The ground shook beneath their feet, and Shae backed away a little bit, instinctively close to the tree. The creature that rose from the ground was enormous, not at all what the death knight had described.

"…So, after all this time, wyrmhunters find their way into our once sacred territory. Once more the arrogant mortal races come to test their mettle. Come then, egg-breakers and blood-spillers, and fall before the last of the Taalkrozos in these lands."

Kale froze in his spot and listened to his heart slowly pick up its pace from the skipped beats to the quickened hammering. "Hey Darius, what happened to horse sized? That sounds like something that would eat a horse as breakfast."

Darius swore and tore his robe off, drawing his sword from his rib cage and preparing his more powerful spells just in case. He inched forward, listening in and preparing.

Nexus gaped, then glanced back and forth from the scratches to the dragon in disbelief. "No, nevermind. I'm pretty sure these belong to a squirrel now," he choked, and floated back down to the ground, holding two ice spears in each hand.

"Oh. Look at that," the halfling said, looking down at herself. "And here I thought Azren and Cordia were still scary for being taller than me, even though they was clearly shorter than all of you. Hello there," she said casually, and stepped back. "We're really not here to break any eggs…" Not anymore on my end, she thought silently.

Shae clamped a black hand over her mouth, mortified, and stared up at the beast. "I wouldn't last as smoke long enough to escape a torrent of fire from something that size," he whispered, "so if anyone has any plans of escape, now would be the time to explain them."

The dragon stood at full height, matching in height to the roof of a large cabin in the woods. It turned and eyed the group, wisps of acrid, yellowed smoke drifting from its nostrils as it breathed. "It is true that you do not bear the proper attire of the egg-breakers. You are missing the scales and claws of steel they carry with them like so many desperations."

Cryia dropped to the ground and stepped forward from the group. "Did you say Taalkrozos? As in the name of the great wyrm that fought with Reven on Mt. Zelzeth for seven days?"

The creature's eyes shot open fully as it craned its neck to look at her eye to eye. In draconic, it called out to her. "You know of the stories of our mighty blood-father. Clearly not a wyrmhunter. What have you come out here for, daughter-of-fires?"

She bowed lightly and spoke back in the creature's tongue. "A particular treasure within the horde kept here, a blue amulet of strong aura. It is needed for a scale-war against the blue one's nest mate. His blood runs foul, and we must remove him from the world."

The verdant dragon roared and let loose a stream of flames into the air. "You seek things lost. The monster, Umaadil of Listrik, came and stole it from us. He carried off the eggs and the treasures, to his own den some wingspans north of here. A vile creature, hunting for greed without creating a proper nest. I would see him upon the shoulders of some hero."

"Allow me to speak with the others, for they are ignorant of the fire-tongue. I may be able to get them to help you in this trial." Her conversation partner nodded and she turned to her friends again. "The dragon says the amulet was carted off by another dragon, along with some of the eggs. So right now, our choices are to go and get it, or turn back. Also, sorry, now that I've spoken with him, he won't speak in mortal tongues to others."

Nexus blinked at her, and looked back and forth between the two. "Well, that's both good and bad news. Okay, so basically we go after it then. And then find another dragon."

The shadow lowered his hand from the halfling's mouth, and she squinted. "How do you know draconic? And the word he said earlier? Is that in some type of history book Darius has?" Bri turned her gaze to him, and then raised a brow. "You know so much, I can only assume she got the information from you."

"Okay. Well, that's sadly out of the way, but at least we don't have anything to worry about right now. That's one foot in the door, is it not?" Shae blinked, disoriented.

Kale shook his head in disbelief. "I know infernal, a bit of celestial, orc, goblin, elvish, dark elvish, undercommon, and giant. Not draconic though. Anyway, I'm totally up for slaying a dragon that stole eggs, that's just intolerable."

Darius let his sword disperse and he bowed in the dragon's direction before returning to Cryia. "I guess not every dragon is as bad as the legends make them out to be. Maybe a few of the benevolent ones Kale mentioned earlier survived? I wonder if the mortal races are the same way in dragon legend. Regardless, in this case I can make an exception. Let's go kill a dragon and save some wyrmlings, shall we?"

Cryia held a hand up and shook her head. "I know a bit of everything here and there, a lot of it is history, and his clan progenitor was an incredibly powerful being, ruling most of the continent in his time." She turned back and smiled, seeing the toothy smile of the dragon. "Now, just to inform you, once I give him our word, we all agree that it's death or victory. There will be no going back without winding up a small pile of ash on the ground."

Shae, Bri, and Nexus all raised their swords in agreement. "I guess it's victory or death then," Bri said with a smile. "I personally can't wait to bring back some eggs!" She regretted her earlier idea, and shrugged it off as just an idea that came and went. "Frankly, I'm wondering why he stole eggs in the first place. That doesn't seem like something a dragon would really need to take."

"Interesting," Nexus proclaimed with a chuckle. "We always manage to find ourselves in do-or-die situations, don't we? In this particular case, I actually feel worse for the eggs than the amulet. At least we know my brother is contained at the moment, which doesn't make that goal too particularly urgent. Hatchlings though? That could happen at any time, couldn't it?"

The shadow wasn't so sure. "Ask him how big our enemy is, and how much of a threat he poses the rest of us. I'd rather be prepared," he said. He smiled in appreciation in his training. Take in every bit of detail, and always be ready. You can never be taken surprise if you're aware of your enemies strengths and weaknesses alike. In fact, he believed it complete folly to understand only the bad things about your foe. Knowing their good points meant honing his own skills in order to eventually defeat them.

Cryia turned to the dragon and spoke again to it. "They have promised to help. Not just to retrieve what we came seeking, but to aid you and your nest-mates. The dark one, however, has asked me to inquire about the size of Umaadil. They will not try to flee, but it's always good to be prepared."

The dragon slowly shook its head and sighed. "The thief is only slightly larger than I am, though his years have spanned greater than mine. He is likely stronger, though he will be alone in his lair. I will not lie, it is incredibly dangerous. I would join you, but I cannot let my spawn alone for much longer than it takes to carry you out there."

She turned back to the group and shrugged. "He's only a little bigger, but certainly a lot tougher. That being said, it'll just be him, and that's definitely in our favor. Also, if I had to guess, there's going to be a few neat trinkets in there as well. He'll fly us out there, drop us off, and return when Umaadil is dead."

"That's a start," Shae said with a nod. "It definitely beats fighting a whole bunch of smaller ones in one place, that I can say. I can be at full use for the rest of you, not to mention if my speed grants me the ability to land a decent strike here or there."

"Agreed," Nexus sighed. "I'd rather fight one big one than a bunch of them at once, no matter how small. There is safety in numbers."

However, the halfling shrank and groaned. "Yay, I'm a crumb. That's better than being a bite I guess, right? Which way are we headed?"

"They are ready," Cryia called out to the dragon. "Let us atop and lead us there."

It dipped its massive head and let the diminutive mortals on its back, leading them through the path and out into a large clearing. It examined the skies and roared before it took flight. "Hold on, we shall be there within the sand's fall." Shifting and stretching, the scaled beast dipped and picked up speed, making the trees below seem a blur.

Kale tried not to look down as he took in the scenery. "No one is ever going to believe this, you know that? People have had scale armor and bone weapons, but no one's made the claim that they've actually ridden a dragon and managed to tell the tale."

Cryia patted the leviathan on the shoulder and shouted out to it, "Forgive my friends, they're not used to dealing with great things and powerful creatures."

Darius glanced around and picked out some of the landmarks. Old ruins probably crawling with ghosts, a sacred grove that sprites would call home, and even another empty dragon's nest. "This is impressive by any means. Without a form of flight, most would never get to see such incredible heights. The Citadel is great, of course, but it cannot achieve such altitude and speed."

Nexus grinned at Darius and then let the breeze blow his hat about his head like an irritated octopus. "I can, but I don't leave the ground very much, since I prefer the feel of solid earth, but yes, this is absolutely amazing on dragon-back!" He watched the trees and the ground zip by, amazed at the view. He realized, after so many centuries, he completely neglected his ability of flight. The most he'd ever used it was to get higher than a building in case he had to run and hide. He concluded he would have to start flying again, and get back into the habit.

Bri held her arms tentatively out to her sides, and let the air blow her cloak out behind her like wings. She didn't say anything, but she felt the air lift her off of his back a ways, yet she smiled. If she had wings, she would do this all the time. "How do you ever land?"

The sun had hardly moved in the sky when they approached the mountain. "There, in the side of the mountain. That gargantuan hole in the side is where he will be." The dragon let itself slow down and roared loudly into the sky. "He must come out to the main chambers to face you. If you go further into his lair, you might risk damaging the eggs." He circled around the mountain peak, waiting for a response. At last, a deep, angry howl emerged from the mouth of the cave. "He has spoken. I wish for your safety and swift success. Oh, and halfling…"

He dropped down at terrifying speed toward the entrance, slowing his descent only at the last moment, and landed with a deafening thud and a large quake "That's how we land." He dipped his head and let them hop off of him before he turned away. "Call out when he lays dead." He shouted once more and took off to circle around once more to care for his wyrmlings.

Kale drew his sword out and looked around, taking in the details of the oddly smooth walls of the rocky tunnel. "Well, that's something to note. No nooks to run into or hide in. Guess this'll end up being a bit tougher than we thought."

"Oh, come now, Kale," Cryia called out, "I thought you were excited about this. New armor and weapons, remember? Not to mention whatever treasures he might have stowed away."

Darius grabbed his blade once more and shook his head. "What I'm more concerned about is the fact that he hasn't come out and tried to melt us quite yet. Atypical of dragons that I know."

Shae staggered around, and caught his breath. Through the flight, he'd held onto his stomach, hoping not to vomit over the side. "I'd rather stay on the ground, unlike the rest of you. That was quite a wavy way of travel. I think my legs are more stable than that." He looked around, one arm still wrapped around his torso, and looked around the landscape.

"Maybe he's waiting for us to come in," Bri thought softly. "If he won't come out, we'll have to get his attention to do so."

"I'm pretty sure he's watching and listening right now," Nexus whispered lowly. "Keep your tones down lest he hear you. Is there any possible way we can sneak in now?"

"With a dragon's nose? Come on, demon," Shae scoffed. "Would your nose allow people to slip past you? When you have treasure and eggs, and gods know what else hidden in your home? No. This is an up front and personal battle we face here."

Umaadil cried out a terrifying howl causing dust to fall from the ceiling as the sound ripped through the tunnels and caverns. "You are isolated from the world. With no place to run and no place to get help from, you will find your death within these stones."

An unmistakable voice followed the claim shortly after. Foolish to try and think you could outrun me. Even more so to think that I would not know where you were. Clearly I had underestimated your abilities as a group, and overestimated his as a tool. No more. Here, now, I will crush you, and you will be forgotten.

44: C#43 - Draconic Deep-Freeze

Nexus' mouth dropped, and his sudden morale for the fight diminished a fraction. "Well, you did say we'd have to cross blades with you someday, right? Figuratively I'm assuming." He stepped forward a bit from his shocked companions, and bowed slightly in good sport. "So, clearly my brother has failed you. I'm imagining my son and daughter took care of that for you quite nicely? If you had asked, I would have told you that he's flighty and doesn't stick around for very long." He chuckled. "At least we have that on our side."

For the first time in a while, Bri almost didn't see a way out. With the vampire, there was at the very least, a way. Fighting Splice alone was difficult on its own. She had expected to fight Kylin, but not with a dragon in tow at the same time. "Oh no," she sighed.

The shadow prepared his blades, but he was almost on the same terms as Bri. Shamed from his training. "I should have expected a trap," he said shaking his head. "Careless. Very, very careless."

Kale shook his head and chuckled in defeat. "Every goddamn time."

Cryia put a hand on his shoulder and smiled weakly. "Come now Kaley, it won't be that bad."

The inky imp popped out of the warlock's pack and took to the air above him. Damned right it won't be that bad. We've got a wraith and a dragon to deal with. I'll admit, that's a pretty grim prospect when you look at it. You're all pretty damned good though, so this shouldn't be too hard. Besides, the fates wouldn't throw you up against anything you couldn't really handle; not after you've come this far. Would they?

Darius shuddered and began one of his darker incantations. "You're not getting out of this, wretch. It was a mistake of them to keep you bound instead of destroying you when they had the chance. I was a fool for not making sure the seal hadn't weakened. I have something special in store for you."

Nexus began to fade out, unlocking inside what he had unlocked when he first came into contact with Darius' guardian at the entrance of his Citadel. With the coming of his new tome power, and the water elemental, he was sure he could control it this time. If he had, had the strength and ability, he would have tried to unlock the Master's gift. But as Bri had displayed in the underbelly of Tatuet, it was a flighty and very delicate thing to do. His eyes began to change flat blue, and he let the power build up for when he needed to release a torrent of snow.

For the time being, Bri managed to back up behind Kale to be out of his way, and felt the ground for any bones she could muster to drag to the surface. When she found several smaller dragons below ground, she smiled grimly, and reached for two of them. In a burst of dirt and rock, they burst from the ground, and connected themselves into being, snapping and cracking into place, each one only about three feet higher than Kale. "I can't lift any more than that, or I'll lose control," she whispered to him. "This isn't like conjuring small humanoids for an army. These dragons are strong, even after death."

"Relax, you're doing fine," Shae said, and whipped two of his smaller rapiers from their sheaths. "You're going to do a hell of a lot better than me. I need up-front attacks, so I'm going to try and distract the dragon while the rest of you fight," he said with dismay. "The tome I read hasn't kicked in yet, and neither has Bri's. I can't heal you if one of you is damaged, and Bri, you're limited. So don't overwork yourself and pass out again! I wish you all luck," he bowed his head.

Kale nodded at the dragon bones with a smile. He reached out and touched one of them, concentrating on gathering their construction and their abilities. When he felt his knowledge was sufficient, he breathed darkness into the air and watched it coalesce into shadowy twins of the skeletal drakes Bri had conjured. "Let's stay in theme, shall we? One last thing." He reached his hand into the ribcages and conjured a small spark. A devilish grin crossed his face as it expanded to form a cloud of fire in each of the beasts. "They can breathe again. A fitting sort of revenge for them, I'd say."

Cryia drifted into the air and sighed. "I can't really do anything quite that interesting. I guess I'll stick to the basics, though I'm not sure how that'll turn out against something this tough. Just in case we don't make it through this, I'll go ahead and say that this has been incredibly fun. If we do make it though, I'm taking a vacation and not speaking to anyone for the next few years."

Darius shook his head. "I'm not letting him do any more damage. Let's get a move on, or we'll never get the chance to prove him wrong."

Down the tunnel they ran, twisting and turning and jumping or flying over small gaps and pits. Nexus picked Bri up, and lifted her over his shoulder to keep her from falling down one of the holes. At last, they came to Umaadil's chamber, immense and hollow as it was.

"Welcome to your doom." The gargantuan golden-scaled wyrm sat in the center of the room, nearly double the size of the drake that had brought them there. Each scale looked like a golden coin stolen from a lost age, fitting together into a terrifying mosaic. Thick black smoke roiled forth from his mouth as he stood to full height and laughed.

Kylin shook his head as he stared at the group, hovering above the ground out of reach. No more words. I won't allow you to live.

Bri gasped, and held tightly onto her two skeletons, and prepared for the onslaught. "I'm ready," she said darkly, and crouched. She admired his scales. If Kale were to take some of those for his armor, he would have a beautiful set.

The shadow pulled out his blades, and prepared to leap into the air at the dragon's face. He was glad for the lack of hold gravity had on his almost-weightless frame. Just a flash of metal, enough to get him to blink a few times, and then to irritate him would buy them enough time to deal with Kylin without being set on fire. At the same time, being glued to his head would give him the ability to not be in the way of his flame as well.

When the fool was sure they were at a safe place, he let his power start to double, and started to freeze the floor from where he stood, expanding to the walls on each side, and began to summon another ice storm. I hope I get this right, or I'm going to crash like before. The fact I can think while doing this says volumes compared to the first time I tried, he thought proudly.

Kale took the initiative first, and ran out to engage the dragon. Jumping forward, he managed to dodge Umaadil's claws as they swung with frightening speed at him. Unfortunately he didn't have much time before he had to dodge again, this time fleeing from a fiery black stream coming from Kylin's hands as he hovered above. With a curse, he commanded his two shades to take to the air to harass his ghostly enemy.

Flames burst forth and claws moved to rend the area Kylin hovered. Kale managed a quick smile as he picked himself back up and stabbed at the exposed claw that struck the ground beside him. Just as he was about to move, flames bathed the area he was standing in. He opened his eyes and stared at the burning curtain around him. When it ceased, and yet nothing had touched him, he glanced around for the reason why.

Cryia waved at him and immediately refocused her efforts. She allowed herself a small smile at the fact that her shielding idea had worked. She tried to do what she could, applying force in the opposite direction of Umaadil's legs and tail, slowing them down and giving him a chance to dodge that he might not have otherwise had.

Shae launched himself in the air, blades flashing, and tried to go for Umaadil's eyes. When he missed and landed on the end of his nose, he prepared to disappear in a flash, and hoped that he would be able to shift fast enough to reach the very top of his head. "Surprise," he shouted, when he reappeared right on target, and prepared to bury a blade into a nostril.

Running to the dragon's right flank, Bri forced her two other dragons to breathe two hot jets of flames at his feet to throw him off balance while Shae and Kale focused on laying damage. The dragon first, the dragon first, she tried to convince herself. Darius can get Kylin, but the dragon needs to go right now. She felt something cold touch her foot, and when she looked down, she lifted her feet several times to not be frozen, trapped in one position. Confused, she glanced around at where it was coming from.

The ice spread wall to wall, and the room began to snow. It steamed in the cave, just as ice and fire touch one another. The room began to fog, but he held onto his charge, getting ready to blast the monster with the biggest water ball he could manage. The bigger, the better. When Nexus was sure there was enough ice in the room to re-melt and hurl, he was certain it would be big enough to surround the monster's head enough for him to freeze it there.

With a foul intonation, Darius finished his spell and took to the air. Ghostly armor stuck to his bones and his skull glowed with green necromantic power. "Come then, Kylin, let us end this feud that has been following our blood for centuries." He closed the distance between them and started swinging at him, black blade arcing with furious speed.

Kylin darted back and forth, careful to avoid the foul blade that might ruin him. As he dodged, he swung forward, claws gleaming with entropic power. Silence, Darius. The world needs to be fixed, and that's what I'm doing. You're just getting in the way. He grimaced and grabbed a hold of his foe's arm, forcing his negative energy upon him. It still burns, doesn't it? If you'd been even half of what Maelor had intended for you, it would be a pleasant sensation.

Clenching his jaws shut, he focused past the burning that threatened to drop him. "If I had followed his direction, there would be nothing left on this world to rule over." He swung and grinned, watching the blade tear through the wraith. When Kylin let him go, he wasted no time and stabbed the phantom twice more before he dodged through another blast of dark power.

Kale tried to keep an eye on the action overhead as he dashed up Umaadil's foreleg and held onto one of the spikes on his neck. He wasn't quite sure if it would work or not, but it was certainly worth it. Anything that had any effect was worth it at this point. He concentrated on the spell again, it had seemed so difficult back then, and slapped his gleaming red palm against the dragon's scales. He felt the tiny stream of energy flowing from the dragon and into him, and ran down the neck and onto the skull. "Any luck, Shae?" he asked, trying to stab into the spot between the skull and the spine.

The shadow shoved the blade into the soft interior of his nose, and then held on, preparing to be whipped back and forth before he had a chance to disappear to safety. "Apparently," he grinned up at him. The dragon roared in pain, and shook his head, hard, unable to loosen the annoyance.

The elemental slipped out on its own, and stared up at Nexus, who turned then to stare back in shock. He struggled to hold his concentration. "I didn't tell you to come out," he said, and the thing cocked its head at him, and looked around. When it saw what he was doing, it turned back and tilted its head the other way, and held out its watery arms as if for a hug. The storm intensified, and the snow doubled in strength, swirling now in a freezing cold blizzard. The fool grinned down at it. "Remind me to name you later," he said with a smile, and then held his gaze back on the dragon in concentration.

For a heart-stopping moment, Bri tried to force the two other dragons out of the way of Umaadil's feet before they were crushed. Ice clung up over the beast's toes, and when he shifted, jagged ice stood from the floor, sharp and dangerous. "Whoa! Awesome, Nexus," she shouted. "Let it go!"

The dragon reared its head in anger and pushed past the distractions. "This has been my domain for decades. I will not let you diminutive insects ruin this." Umaadil inhaled deeply and blasted out a stream of flame at the growing mass of elemental power ahead of him.

Seeing the incoming attack, the elemental shifted in unison with Nexus to redirect a part of the blizzard's power to create a gigantic icy shield, which covered well over the two of them. While Nexus held it in place, the elemental continually layered ice over it, thickening it almost as fast as it melted.

The fire roiled and steamed as it came in contact with the icy sphere, yet did little to diminish it. After a moment of continued effort, the dragon ceased his breath and stared at his opponent. For the first time in a long time, the leviathan had reason to be afraid. "Kra nok aal ziir mos elad." The words came as little more than a whisper. His eyes narrowed and he redoubled his efforts on the minor things around him. If death was inevitable, then he would bring it to them as well.

Kale watched the sorcerous display with awe before gripping onto one of the horns for dear life. "I'm having second thoughts on all this," he shouted out, angrily trying to jam his blade further into the monster's neck. With a grunt, he swung himself around and kicked the sword in as hard as he could.

Above, Darius and Kylin traded blows, each more concerned with harming the other more than trying to defend themselves. Each was spewing foul curses at the other, firing off horrific spells one after another. Their skill and knowledge matched up enough to allow a harsh stalemate.

Bri glanced up at them, and worried for Darius' life. Kylin was putting on quite a show for being relatively quiet until now. She wanted to help, but didn't trust her ability to use her godlike power again, after her last incident, when she lost hold on her willpower. For the time being, she continued to focus on distracting him, and possibly causing him to lose footing. The sharp, jagged ice shards were now a part of her tactic, and she forced the dragons to singe his feet in the direction they rose from the floor.

Shae held on, and swung around to hang on farther. "Let it go, Nexus! Let it go now!"

For a moment, there was silence. No sound existed in the chamber but howling wind, and the elemental and Nexus' eyes turned white with concentration and combined power. "My brother is one of fire," he said in turn to the beast, "and I am used to your tricks. I am your adversary, one of cold. You don't scare me," he smiled wickedly, and allowed the snow in the room to completely melt in a matter of seconds, making a strange ice-cracking noise, and whirling into a large formed ball.

Bri watched the ground almost immediately dry, and her ears rang with the sudden silence. She glanced up at Shae, who continued to hold onto his stuck blade, and Kale, who dangled by the beast's neck. "Guys, get out of the way!" She shouted loudly.

In a second, the two combined their efforts to hurl the enormous ball at the dragon, an entire blizzard melted and contained in concentrated form. Upon impact, Shae flung himself off before Nexus had time to freeze it where it was.

Once the water surrounded the scales of his face, neck, and shoulders, Nexus uttered a word and a scream, freezing the entire snowstorm's power on his body. If it didn't injure him, it would buy them time while Darius handled Kylin, and incapacitate the monster enough to skip a few more moments of a possible casualty.

But he was perfectly still, unable to roar out in agony or anger. Mouth gaping in mid-roar, he stood frozen solid. There had been so much water, the ice had swallowed him whole. Bri shifted out from under his feet. The two skeletons that had been flaming his feet were frozen solid where they stood as well, joined in the glacier.

Kale leapt off the beast and landed painfully on the ground some distance away. He cringed as he pushed himself up, groaning in realization that he'd lost his weapon. He readied himself for the immediate counterattack, only to find that Umaadil's body was seemingly frozen in place. For a moment, he couldn't help but gawk at the dragon, jaw slack and eyes wide.

Cryia dropped to the ground and took a few steps back, staring in shock at the scene before her. "Wow. So, that's pretty damn impressive. I sincerely find myself frightened. Remind me never to anger him, in any capacity, ever again." She shuddered at the thought of being caught like that.

Darius and Kylin exchanged glances and then looked down at Nexus with the same incredulous and shocked expression.

After a moment of silence, Kylin managed to choke out words. By the Dark Prince's Blood… If that's what just one of you is capable of…

Darius shook his head and grabbed a hold of the wraith by the neck, finger bones wreathed in a faint green aura. "If you hadn't learned to fear them here, then you would have when they finally managed to get you alone. Your time here is at an end, Kylin Blood-Traitor. You are coming with us."

His eyes returned to their black and blue, and then from there returned to gray, with his white, glowing iris. He hadn't realized he'd been floating in the air. When he floated back down to the ground, and panted, he surveyed the damage. The elemental followed him, checked him all over, and then laid a watery hand on his shoulder before returning to a puddle and slipping back into the end of his staff as if she hadn't even come out. When he could think again, he glanced around, ears ringing in the odd silence.

The halfling was stunned, and walked over slowly, careful not to startle him. "Way to go," she said quietly, jokingly punching his arm. "That was quite a show. Definitely more useful than anything I'd done."

The shadow materialized beside Kale, and exchanged a look with him. "That elemental is pretty damn powerful." From there, the group turned and watched Darius and Kylin. Nexus heard the choke, and watched in anticipation.

"Finally," he said with some malice.

Kale shook his head in dismay, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Great. I lose my silver sword, I don't get to be the hero that kills the bad guy, and I don't even get to make a new dragon-skin suit."

Cryia rubbed her temples and resisted the urge to leap up and slap him. "Please, Kale, tell me you're just being sarcastic before I choke you. You're alive, which after that fiasco is definitely something to be happy about. Even more so if you consider all the god-awful things we've already been through."

In response, he shook his head and shrugged. "I am kind of disappointed about the dragon armory not happening, but I'm pretty sure I'll eventually find something just as nice. Now, having said that, yes, I'm actually pretty glad this turned out as well as it did. Nothing more than a few scorch marks."

The fool turned his head and raised his brow at him, still panting on the floor on his knees. "You do know that as soon as we're sure he's dead, I can melt the ice, and you can do whatever you want with the scales, right?"

He straightened up immediately, eyes wide. "Seriously? I kind of figured that he'd shatter like an icicle when all was said and done. Usually that's how things go. Nice things usually don't happen to me like that. Though, yes, this is awesome. Also, my life drain spell should still be working on him even as we speak. I guess it doesn't work as well on giant archaic monstrosities."

Nexus shrugged. "He will shatter if someone hits him with something right now, but at the moment, as is, he's not going anywhere. All I have to do is remove the water from his body, including individual scales. Technically, I could do that to Bri right now and she'd be a raisin, but I wouldn't. That's a horrible thing to do," he shook his head. "Taking the ice off of Umaadil isn't hard."

Bri groaned. "Kale. Darius is in danger right now. Worry about scale armor after Kylin's dead," she poked him hard in the ribs. "I'm excited about dragon bones and flesh, but I'm more worried about Puppet Master escaping. Kale, you and Shae both can personally escort Splice into the realm when we finally get there. That can be your moment of glory," she smirked.

Shae chuckled. "No, he can do that. I'll just stick to what I wanted to do and leave it at that. I just want a moment to torture him before he goes. Kale can be the one to throw him into the little cell we'll hopefully have made for him."

Darius smiled grimly and tightened his grip on the wraith with a chuckle as he descended. "Oh, trust me, I'm in no danger. I would use the term death-grip to describe the hold I have on him, but that would be terribly uncouth. Besides, now that I've got a hold of him, I can re-work the seal he was originally bound to and just make him my thrall again." He shook his head and sighed at his victim. At least this was something he didn't have to hold against himself for the next year or so.

Kale imagined briefly a horribly desiccated body that would result from having all the water drained from it. "That's sadistic, bordering on downright horrifying. Sweet Dagon, you could destroy entire forests that way. In any case, I really don't care about glory. A bit of recognition for all the things we've done would be nice, but there are no bards in the far corners of the world, as it were."

Cryia sighed and shrugged as she drifted off to go find the dragon eggs and the amulet they'd come all this way for in the first place. "Honestly, it's better to be unknown and happy than famous and harassed every day for your autograph and tales of your exploits."

She picked them up and smirked. Hopefully they wouldn't have to find the hatchlings in the future.

Bri rolled her eyes. "I'm with Cryia, Kale. I could care less if I'm known. Actually, if we're together and most people absolutely abhor necromancy, I'm likely going to get bad publicity if we have a herd of admirers after you. That's not to mention what I would have to do to some of them," she sulked.

Nexus chuckled, and rubbed her head, wobbly rising to his feet. "I doubt that would be a problem, small fry. You're pretty terrifying." She looked up at him with a sad glare, and mindlessly rolled the ring Kale gave her on her finger.

"Funny. That's not what Katcha said."

"And Katcha's dead. As is his little whore. Because you are a scary person," he corrected, and tapped her little nose. "Relax, midget, you're fine." Nexus picked her up, and placed her on Kale's shoulder.

Shae flashed Kale a crooked smile. "There, now you made her sad, Kale. You're going to have to make that up to her now." He turned his attention back to Darius. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if he gets loose again? I'm pretty sure he's going to be twice as angry if he gets free."

Kale rolled his eyes and glared at the ceiling for a moment before speaking. "Yes, I'll make it up to you. I may or may not do so by building a giant grey castle in the shape of a skull and run it as a secret necromantic college. Though, that does remind me, I do have a dark elf bastard to hunt down and flay, layer by layer. Or do I? I guess I should thank him for leading me into all this."

Cryia winced at the notion and pursed her lips. "You know, I think I'm actually glad now that I didn't get to maul you when you first set foot in the Citadel. If this is how one or both of you react towards salacious behavior, I think I'd rather not risk it."

The death knight laughed and sighed at his captive. "No, it would just be until I turn him over. Keeping him bound on this world would be a terrible idea, I know that now. This is just for fun."

The halfling watched Kylin, and smirked at him. "Amusing indeed. Remember that nasty conversation in the desert? It's pretty interesting how the tables turned, isn't it? Where's your little red demon to save you, Kylin? Thanks to our blue equivalent over here, we're well aware he's in Tatuet at the moment. Let me guess. You told him, and he left you to go and play. Now he won't come back out because he found someone more interesting than you to tag along with." She shook her head. "You should have just stayed with Darius."

Nexus grinned in return. "Every bit of that is true," he said with a nod. "My brother doesn't stick around very long, Kylin. He really wasn't the best choice to have do your dirty work for you."

…Lesson learned. Far too late, it seems.

Darius glared at him and scowled. "Silence you. As soon as they'd found a way to alert me and we all showed up, it would have ended almost exactly like this. From what the family journals had written, you never could pick your lieutenants very well."

Kale shrugged and chuckled as he began to make his way toward the cave entrance. "I'm actually kind of glad that our villains in this magnificent tale turned out so incompetent. Good turnout."

"Wait, Kale," Nexus stopped him with a hand, and then wandered to the golden dragon's frozen statue. "If you have your Bag of Holding on you right now, you can grab as many of these scales as you want." He reached a hand on the dragon's flank, and slowly began to undo the ice that encased him. "I'll just leave his head frozen, just in case, and only take the ice off from his upper leg and back. You'll have to climb up. If I unfreeze his leg, and he's not dead, he could likely kick us into oblivion."

He shook his head and held up his dagger. "This may take a while, actually. I assume though that he'll bleed to death long before I get to his head. Nearly everything else though, I'm salvaging. Don't want to put anything to waste."

Cryia cringed at the constant sound of butchery coming from the other chamber. It took him nearly twenty minutes, but he returned to them covered in blood and bits of flesh. He held up his bag and smiled excitedly.

"The only things I couldn't fit in here were the pelvic bones and the skull. If he wasn't dead when we started, he bled to death by the time I was done. Everything else is in here and ready to be treated and turned into something incredible, deadly or both. Now, because I'm sure none of you want to sit next to me while I smell like carnage, Nexus, hose me down."

When they were done, Kale headed toward the entrance to the cave. Cryia drifted out ahead of him and hummed to herself as she twirled the mithril necklace around her fingers as she admired the amulet. "Nifty piece of jewelry, Nexus darling. Try not to lose it or let it go to your head." She giggled and tossed it to him as she called out to the dragon outside, voice echoing over the hills.

He caught it and inspected the jewel. "Well now. We have all three pieces, we just need the Tomes, as Kale said before." He walked outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. "Okay. Now we just need to head back to Tatuet, sorry Bri, and finish off my brother. First, let's stop by the lake and grab Shae's blade. Even if it's only to put Splice's eyes out, we may as well nab it before we head down."

"It's alright," the shadow said, palms in the air. "I'm actually pretty sure now that your little ones punished the poor man more than I ever could. You said before it felt as if your arm had been torn clear off. If the opportunity arises, I'll put his eyes out with just any old blade. It doesn't matter particularly anymore. If anything, we could grab the blade to grab my essence back so I could return to my normal smoky self. And I'm not in any sort of rush for that anymore. I'll just handle that on my own sometime after all this is done."

Bri shrugged. "If you say so. I'm personally up for anything that puts off actually going back to that place. I can already feel that unnerving stare of theirs sink into my soul again." She shivered.

Nexus chuckled. "What do we do about Binding Tomes? We don't even know where they are. Should we take the other pieces he has to his set, along with his crown and just hang onto everything? I suppose Darius could lock them up in the Citadel for however long it needs to stay there. Tomes included if we ever come across them."

"That's a great idea," Shae nodded. "If we don't wind up needing to use them, they may as well be held in a safe place."

The great leviathan landed on the stone perch outside and bowed its head. "Clearly I underestimated you, something I shall not repeat. Umaadil is dead and you have returned my spawn to me. You have held your word, mortals, something unheard of in these times among my kind. Whether or not this seemed difficult for you, the immensity of what you've done is obvious to me. If you ever need assistance in the area, you must only call for me, and I and my future clan shall aid you as best we can."

Cryia bowed and placed the eggs in the dragon's mouth before climbing on top. She switched to draconic before she started speaking to him alone. "I don't think they understand the volume of what transpired here, but I certainly do. You're the last of the progenitors in your bloodline, aren't you?" When the dragon nodded, she closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry that it came down to this. I promise I'll try and spread the word with the local populace that you should be left alone for a few years while the young ones grow."

Kale shrugged and climbed up, hoping that they weren't negotiating which of them to eat first. He smirked and reminded himself that good things did happen once in a while. Acknowledging that, he wrapped his arms around Bri and enjoyed the view as they readied for takeoff.

"I love flying," she said with a big smile. "I'll have to take Cryia up on her offer sometime. It may not be as interesting as riding dragon-back, but at least flying in the air will be fun on my own."

Nexus smiled at the eggs, and then floated on top to perch behind Kale and Bri. Shae followed and wondered at the sound of the language. "You know, Kale, your understanding of language baffles me. You should be able to understand what she's saying, of all of us."

Kale tried hard not to laugh at the idea of Bri flying and not needing assistance to grab things off of the higher shelves in their house. He made a note to himself to bring that up carefully one day. He turned to Nexus and shook his head in response. "I've tried to understand it before, but all I get is the odd word here and there. There's just something completely alien about it that I can't quite wrap my head around. You need to actually understand the word the way they do before you can speak it, and that's not something I can do. I actually have no idea how she does it."

Darius rolled his eyes and shrugged his free shoulder. "My only guess is that, somehow, her vanity matches that of a dragon's. In this way, she may be able to see things from their point of view."

Cryia paused her speech with the dragon just long enough to shout out to them without turning. "You know, just because I'm speaking a different language doesn't mean I can't understand everything you lot are saying about me."

Shae and Nexus burst into laughter together. "Hey, we didn't say anything about you," Shae chimed in cheerily, palms in the air in defeat.

"I didn't say anything at all," Bri mumbled, biting back another laugh. "That's all Kale and Darius. See? Now you got us into trouble."

Nexus turned back to Shae, and shouted over the forceful wind that blew his prongs in all directions. "So, we're skipping the lake then?"

"Yes. The sooner we dispose of your disgrace of a sibling, the better. The blade can wait for another day. I'm sure he's learned his lesson by now anyway."

"I'm not sure about that, but if you say so. I guess we're headed back to the desert. Again," he groaned. "Oh how I hate dunes now. With an itchy, sandy passion."

45: C#44 - The Floating Ship

Only a few hours had gone by before the dragon landed on the great balcony of the Citadel. Darius hopped off and helped the others dismount before he addressed his new guest. "Thank you for returning us home, despite the distance. I imagine it's not so great for you, but it makes a difference for us. Oh, and what is your name?" He caught a death glare from Cryia and bowed his head before adding, "…If it's not improper to ask."

The dragon straightened up, nearly standing on its hind legs, and stared at the death knight. A deep hum resonated through his chest as he pondered the moment and all it meant. "…Though you have done me a great service, you have shown no loyalty. However, you do bear the appropriate respect, and have expressed honor in your actions. I trust you with this, do not take it for granted. I am Tetheroc of clan Taalkrozos."

Kale bowed dramatically, but spoke sincerely. "It brings me great honor to bear this knowledge. It has been a great pleasure to know your great company, even for this short while. May you live long and prosper, despite the world around you."

Bri, Shae, and Nexus followed suit, though the fool was the one to speak. "You've done us a great service in return, and we thank you. We hope you and your little ones the best when they hatch," he bowed, and stepped back again beside his friends.

For a moment, Bri was disappointed the flight had ended, but she would catch up with Cryia on how it could be done. No more short jokes, she thought.

Shae turned to Darius. "So what of you? Will you stay here and handle him while we're gone?"

The death knight chuckled in response and wished that he could roll his eyes. "I can't miss an opportunity to study the demonic equivalent of a winged unicorn. I'm going to stash this worm in my spectral holding cell, grab Katrin, and we'll be all set to go."

Kale couldn't help but feel frightened at the fact that his host had built a cell specifically for the containment of ethereal creatures. "Damn, you've thought of literally everything, haven't you?"

"Quite a lot of things," he retorted, "But not everything. One doesn't make it to my age without gaining a healthy level of paranoia that often proves to be vital to their survival."

Cryia sighed and watched as Tetheroc flew back to his nesting ground. Rarely ever did she meet such beings innately worthy of even her respect. "Well, I'm going to miss him. I do hope everything goes well for him and the younglings. I believe I'll have to check up on them from time to time and see how they're doing, just in case."

The warlock stood, stunned momentarily at the statement. "That's incredibly strange to hear coming from you, do you know that?"

Bri grinned up at her. "Should be fun," she said. "I bet the babies are going to be adorable."

Shae laughed at Darius' wording. "Well, when you put it that way… I'm pretty sure they're going to be cranky though. Having us first, then dealing with Nexus' obnoxious brother, then having us return again, with two more friends nonetheless, is going to grate on their nerves, I'm sure. The two of them aren't the most social creatures I've seen," he thought back to Azren's shimmering anger, and their disregard for the outside world.

"I plan to stay, so hopefully they'll let me," Nexus shrugged uncomfortably. "I have a lot to patch up. So likely, when this is all done with Splice, you all will leave me and Celia behind again." He looked at Bri. "Go find some other slave now," he smirked teasingly.

"What? Better than a demon? Sure," she sulked. "I'll just go tie up some goblin or something. A dead one, obviously. Wait, no, goblins are fun. Ugh, great, you threw my whole life off balance now."

Shae smirked. "You could go with an undead animal. That seems to fit your style. Perhaps a large dog to ride?"

"…Shae, you're brilliant."

Kale sighed and turned to the demon with a look of regret on his face. "Well, damn. I can certainly understand that. It's what I'd do in your curly shoes. What am I supposed to do if I need to freeze things now? Learn an entirely new branch of magic?"

Cryia patted him on the shoulder as she floated by. "Oh come now, Kale, it's not like you can't make new friends. Besides, I'm certain he won't be gone forever. After this, there's no way we won't be running into each other again, that's for certain."

"Oh, I could have told you that from the start." Katrin rolled her eyes and walked out towards the group, writing in a small notebook as she went. "Honestly, why does no one listen to me or ask me these things? I'll say that this certainly isn't your last adventure together. It also won't be your greatest, at least not that I remember."

"I'd prefer not to have my future spoiled too much," Cryia chided, "It takes the fun away from new experiences if they don't live up to the grand expectations you've made. I can't help but think of a lovely evening spoiled because you already knew it was going to happen."

Bri smirked at Katrin, and then back at the group. "I may not want to know every single detail, but for wide-range questions, that's comforting you can see that. Well, good. Now we know we're stuck with each other now, no matter what continent or country we're in."

"That sounds so bleak, Bri," Shae said with a chuckle.

"I'm going to pack," Nexus said with a wave of his hand. "There's a few things I didn't take with me last time that I fully plan to bring this round. Also, I'm hungry. Cryia?"

Cryia cocked her brow at him and shrugged. "Well, I'm not sure how Celia would feel about it, but sure, I'm up for it if you are."

Nexus blinked at her, and then cringed. "No, not what I meant…"

Kale punched her in the arm as he glared at her. "Oh, right, sorry," she smirked.

Kale rolled his eyes and dug out some smoked meat to pass around. "Whatever you intend on doing, make it quick. I'd rather not waste any time with the journey back to the Sareshi." He turned to Bri and frowned before continuing. "Unfortunately, that means more boat rides, darling." He made a note to seriously find a method of teleportation so that this could be avoided in the future.

"That actually won't be necessary," Katrin added, her eyes still glued to her book. "Delvin will be here quite shortly. The trip should only take a day or so, if that."

"Your family is definitely dysfunctional," Shae said with a joking poke in Nexus' ribs. "Go on then, get moving! I'm with Kale. Also… Delvin's coming? Was his airship completed?" His eyes lit up.

Bri shoved off the queasy feeling, and instead felt a jolt of excitement. "That would be really awesome," she said, beaming. "More time in the air? Shoot, I'm not complaining. Besides, I learned I don't get airsick, considering the dragon was no problem."

Katrin nodded and smiled, remembering every vivid detail of the magnificent vessel she could recall. "Indeed he has, and it's spectacular. I'm not sure what kind of wizards those goblins have, but they managed to make it fly, coated the whole thing in rich ebony metal, and even animated the figurehead. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."

Kale grinned at the notion of Delvin being some fantastical sky-captain. "I hope he knows what he's getting into. This kind of tips the scales dramatically in his favor. Although, something tells me he won't be worried about that very much."

"Come on then, Nexus dear," Cryia called out before grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him with her as she darted into the Citadel. "This isn't something I want to miss, and I'll be twice-damned if I let you and your tendency to draw things out to make me late."

"Yes, ma'am," he garbled down the hallway.

Bri finished packing and wandered through the hallway into the large foyer again, and waited. Shae joined her shortly after, and they leaned against the wall and talked a while. The trip was going to be fun this time, unlike the two miserable trips before on the sea waves. "I'm glad we're in the air this time and not on the constant hills and dives on a ship."

"I bet you are," he responded in turn, and then sighed. "Although, I personally liked the sea. It was nice to actually see it for the first time. I think when this all settles, I really will take up the idea of picking out a spot by the ocean, and building a little shanty."

Before long, the fool made his way back down the steps, wobbly and disoriented. "Okay, I'm back now, and I feel a ton better. The last thing I wanted was to go down there, miserable and hungry, so my son could berate me again about coming to my senses," he groaned.

"Or terrorizing his… I don't want to say staff, but his servants and whatnot," Shae proclaimed. "Poor Celia, though. This has to be hard on you both."

He shrugged. "I'm actually not sure how she takes that, honestly. I should go find her now, considering its nearing time to leave."

"Not to worry, I already explained things to her," Cryia called out from her door. "Not that I felt it was my place to do so, but she asked about what would happen next, and you were preoccupied. She'll be out in a minute or so."

"I'm actually glad you handled that," Nexus squeaked. "I hope she didn't get too bothered by the idea. When me and Shae knocked on her door, she was certain someone had been sent to kill her. I figured she wouldn't want to go back."

Kale tapped his foot against the floor and stared at the wall in thought, considering their position. "I'd like to take this moment to say that I'm glad my worst trait is my greed, and not a lecherous disposition. Worse comes to worst, I merely turn into the demonic equivalent of a magpie and can't keep my hands off of silver and gold."

Katrin winced and eyed the ground to avoid contact with him. "Actually, no. I don't know why, but you actually turn into this horrifying monster, like a bat, a spider, and a zombie all mashed together." She watched his expression turn sour as the color drained from his face. "Oh come on now, I'm joking. You're not that bad, nor do you truly have the capacity to be so. The worst thing you did was get revenge on a woman for wronging you, it's not like you burned down an orphanage."

The shadow shrugged. "Don't worry, Kale, no matter what you turn into, we'll still come save you if you're ever being attacked by some horrible monster."

Bri snickered. "Your pride too, Kale. Your pride too. Mr. I-Hope-To-Be-Known-Someday."

Kale scowled at her and rolled his eyes. "Can't blame me for wanting to be part of the oldest dream men have known. I swear I think it's secretly woven into our being upon creation."

"I don't recall your name ever being celebrated across nations, but then again, you really don't seem the type to do anything that would incite such a reaction. Saving the world, yes, but now you're dangerous, and still every bit the rogue you were before this." Katrin shook her head and giggled at him. "I can tell you right now that if you start up that crazy guild idea you had, you'll be infamous, but your name will indeed be known across the continent."

Celia walked around the corner, bag in hand, and walked over to Nexus. "I'm ready to head home. Not that I had much to pack up, but her bath is incredibly difficult to get out of. Also, for one as open as you used to be, I'd like to think you'd be less secretive of your plans in the future."

The fool ducked his head, and flashed her a wry smile. "It's going to take some getting used to. I'm just being a little extra cautious is all."

Bri yanked her pack over her back, and grabbed Kale's hand, grinning up at him. "Can't wait to see the sky," she said. "He almost makes me wish I had my own personal one to tote people around and make a living on. At least it would be the best job ever."

Shae rolled his eyes. "You really want to fling yourself into the air, don't you?"

"Yes," she smirked widely.

"I don't know. It was pretty awesome seeing it all from a dragon's point of view, but every day? Well, who knows, my opinion may change depending on what Delvin's ride is like," Kale said, imagining the coming magnificence.

"Speaking of which," Katrin interrupted, "We should head out to the terrace and prepare a landing party for him. He'll be here any minute I think."

Outside, Darius had his skeleton guard stand and wave to the ship as it approached in the distance. Just as Katrin explained, it was truly a sight to behold. The setting sunlight glimmered off the smooth sides of the vessel, making it seem more liquid than solid as it cut through the air. "This is definitely something I never imagined I'd see in my years."

"Ah knew ya'd need me again," the captain called out, "Or at least Ah hoped so, lest Ah lose good money on a wager that Ah just won. Ah told ya Ah'd have her sailin' the skies soon enough. Those little buggers work fast if ya know how to get em' movin'."

"Hello again, Captain," Nexus called out sheepishly. "What wager was that? Ha, that we'd gotten into more trouble? That seems to always be the case."

Bri stared up at it in amazement. "This is going to be a pleasant trip there, thankfully. I'm so glad I don't have to feel the rolling waves!" She spun in a little dance, and held her cloak open like wings, letting in the breeze. "Fun, fun!"

The shadow nodded in appreciation, and awe. "Fast, indeed! Bri and Kale had told me already that goblins were good with their hands, but I didn't think a flying ship would be possible that fast. Definitely different from any goblin I'd ever met in my lifetime," he chuckled.

"How'd you know to meet us here, Delvin?" Nexus tapped the wood, and looked it over. "We were getting ready to head out to the docks right before we got to the Citadel again."

Delvin stomped his foot down on the deck and grinned as the mast's figurehead pried itself loose and leapt down onto the terrace to aid them. "Lucky guess, honestly. Ah remember ya talkin' about this place, and somehow Ah knew ya'd need to go back there. Besides, ye're all the most interestin' bunch Ah've come across in the past few years, so why not follow?"

The large golem hadn't changed from the intricately carved woman that used to adorn the vessel, although now its skin was coated in the same black metal as the ship. One by one, it hefted the passengers up onto the deck before setting back into its original position.

"Firstly, that's pretty damned incredible. Secondly, I guess we can take the name Black Mary literally now. Thirdly, I'm guessing this isn't the first time your instinct has lead you to the right assumption." Kale peered over the railing and watched the land below slowly shrink as they rose into the sky. The strange feeling of lifting into air tickled their stomachs, and Bri held hers with a smile.

"Aye, not the first, and hopefully not the last. This is too much fun. Much better than bein' forced to haul idiots up and down the shore lookin' for mounds of gold while not knowin' how to hold a sword properly. Ugh."

Bri hovered on the edge of the railing, and watched the ground shrink away with a beaming smile stretching eye to eye. "I could live up here. I'm not too thrilled about where we're headed, but I can say I'll enjoy the ride this time," she laughed. "Look Delvin, I don't need magic grapes anymore." She waved her hands in the air on either side of her.

"Good thing you came, though," Shae said, plucking Bri from the edge, and setting her back on the solid deck. "It saves so much more time now, and flying, I imagine, is faster. Katrin said it would only take a day. That's impressive," he nodded. "And satisfying too. We're very close to finishing off our quest now, actually. We just got done catching one of the bastards, and we're out to collect the other. Then you can relax and take a break from hauling our troublesome back-ends all over the place," he chuckled.

Delvin nodded while guiltily keeping his eye on the deck. "Ah must admit, Ah do have a pretty selfish reason for helpin' you lot out the whole time. Ah know yer type, and Ah've seen plenty meet their end on these kinds of quests only to have somethin' worse come along. In essence, Ah know that helpin' you is also helpin' me in the long run."

Kale nodded appreciatively and smiled at the captain, knowing he would have done the same had this been his trade. "I really can't blame a man trying to save his own skin. Besides, you've done us quite a bit of good, so I can't even say what you're doing is bad."

Darius stared out into the passing trees below and gave a nod of approval. "I would be lying if I said that I hadn't done exactly that a dozen or so times in my life. In any case, be glad you did. You're certainly volunteering to help the right team."

Shae chuckled out loud. "Well, the good news is that we're likely going to see you again in the future, even if it's years down the line. Katrin says she sees us all together in the future." He leaned against the railing, and looked down, imagining all the sorts of things they would be joined again to accomplish later. The possibilities were endless. Monsters? War?

Nexus shrugged. "I still count you as a friend, Delvin," he smirked.

Bri grinned up at all of them from her short perch on the ground, and glanced at the sky. "Well. We certainly had a long day fighting a dragon, didn't we? Take a look." She pointed at the setting sun. "Looks like we get to see the moonlight from up here now real soon."

The captain turned mid-stride and gave a concerned expression. "Oh, uh, good question. Ah'm usually pretty good at tellin', but no one here's got lycanthropy, do ya?"

Celia shot him a confused look at his question. "You're okay with warlocks, necromancers, undead, and demons, but not werewolves?"

He shrugged in response. "It's never been a problem on the seas; moonlight rarely filters in through crashing waves. Up here though? Yeah, it might be a problem."

Darius chuckled at the thought and shook his head. "We might all be a little monstrous in some regards, but we're still humane, and more importantly, sane."

Kale stared at the setting sun, but slid his way over to Nexus before tapping his shoulder. "Hey. No mermaids up in the sky."

Katrin painfully glared at him and shook her head slowly. "…As if to prove his point."

Nexus turned to give Kale a strange look, and then flicked his eyes to the halfling. "No. No mermaids indeed," he flashed a wolfish smile to Celia.

Bri flushed bright pink, and then turned her attention back to the moon. "No, I'm no werewolf," she said to Delvin, awkwardly. "Even if I was, I would look like a puppy," she huffed. "I'm pretty sure if Shae was one, we'd all be dead by now too, considering he would make a terrifying werewolf."

"And thank goodness I'm not," the shadow smiled.

46: C#45 - Manic Vengeance

"I think I'll let you live," he whispered into her ear, and then forced himself to sit up and stretch. It had been a long night. The girl panted, tired, on the bed, and whimpered in pain. He caught scent of the queen on her before he'd stepped in, and decided to come ruin her night.

When he was sure he was dressed, and flushed warm with newfound energy, he stepped out into the grand hallway, and into the throne room, hobbling, and still somewhat spooked. He bowed, and then sat cross-legged perched in front of them. "Well now," he said with a sigh, "I'm damn sure I've had my fill of adventure for this trip."

Azren glanced at him and furrowed his brow for a moment before dismissing the notion. "You see, the problem with your claim is that it bears a familiar intonation. Like a boy entering a confectioner's, grabbing his favorite treat, but still eyeing everything else on the shelves as he approaches the counter. Quite simply put, I'll believe it when I see it." He finished his glass and inspected it for a moment before throwing it at the wall at full force.

Cordia stared at the tiny glass chips on the floor and turned to face him. "Something wrong, Azren dear? It's unlike you to damage any of Lanser's work."

He glared at the ceiling in a moment of consideration and then shrugged with a smile. "I don't know. I can't say why, but I'm feeling particularly destructive today. It's a shame there aren't any nearby settlements we could raze."

Splice flinched, and leaned away as a shard flew past his face. If he had stuck his tongue out, it would have sliced it straight through. "You know -. Well. As you said just now, I suppose opening my mouth at this exact moment would only prove your point, but I'm going to say it anyway. You know that little outburst you just had? That's what I saw children do when they felt the need to burn something in the village. And you called me childish when I first came here," he leaned back, and looked him up and down.

I just can't stay out of trouble.

The king nodded and chuckled at before responding. "That I did, and I still hold that to be true. The difference is, this happens maybe once every few decades for me, and I don't always act on it. Meanwhile, I don't think you possess anything beyond the most basic level of impulse control."

Cordia pondered, thinking back to the last time this had happened. "Indeed, it's been nearly sixty years, I think. That instance was fun though. We arrived during what was intended to be a siege on Aras'Nevac. Those poor bastards had been fighting for two days, and then we showed up and mopped up in an hour or two."

The red fool grinned. "It must be a real burden, to appear so young and yet be an adult. And then still have immature impulses on top of adult ones. Impulse control? I can honestly agree with that as well, considering I have nothing to fear, not even death, to stop me from doing whatever it is I feel like. You, I imagine, would quite literally die. That's a shame, actually." He tapped his chin with a touch of real disappointment, before a nasty smile spread his cheeks to the eyes. "I have a quick cure for that, actually, though it doesn't quite seem your style. You still hold too much of my brother in your blood to likely take me up on my proposed fix."

Shame. The two of them seemed slightly more like him than Nexus, but they still held onto a certain degree of restraint and reason. Reason. He hated that word.

"If you were to take me up on the offer, it'd indirectly make us all one big happy family," he bit off the snicker before it slipped out. "That, or I could make a contract with you. Which is a lot less fun."

He stood up and slowly walked over to him, shaking his head the whole time. Splice involuntarily tensed. "You presume to tell me what is in my best interests? You, who have personally made a failed attempt on my life? Have you any idea how many times our existence has been threatened?" His eyes narrowed as he recalled his past. "When we were chased with torches and stakes at the unfortunate age of eight, I was afraid. When we turned eleven and they followed us through the forest with pitchforks and irons, I was afraid. When they cornered us in the ruins of an old church when we were fourteen, miles away from where they started, I was afraid and angry."

He reached up to the fool and gripped him by the neck. Splice gagged, and felt fear shake him from the inside again. "Like cowards, they ran after three of their number had their heads removed. They learned that night, as did those that stayed behind to defend this palace when we arrived. I used to be afraid, and then I learned how much better it was that others feared me instead. It's been over a century since I've felt any kind of panic or terror. It's been over a century since I've relied on no power but our own."

With an angry huff, he tossed his victim to the floor. "The sheer audacity to even suggest I follow your advice is astounding."

His eyes widened, and he coughed, rubbing his throat and looking up at him. He smirked back up at him regardless, though he shook his head in disappointment. "It's not only for your sake I care," he said with a hollow chuckle. "I'm selfish, and you're fun. That's the basic bottom line." He rose to his knees again, and rubbed his still-aching shoulder. "But regardless, Azren, you're going to die eventually. Both of you are. Someday, someone will break in here, be it a paladin or a demon-hunter, and will bring something powerful enough to end it all. End everything you have here in this little begotten place. You're not invincible, regardless of your impressive strength." He shrugged though, and smiled evilly. "Then again, all on your own, you're a pretty nasty duo. I'd see you again anyway."

Cordia held a hand up and smirked, walking over and taking a place beside her king. "We've handled both, quite well, actually. I can't blame you for assuming that, though. They all do. But I must ask: who would expect us to secretly be working on a way to completely negate death itself?"

Azren chuckled and nodded at the mention of the idea. "We came to the same conclusion you did. For eight generations now, we've had at least two mages working on a way to bypass all that. There are plenty of means, that's true, but they're all unwholesome. Escaping from Hell and coming back to earth certainly works, but we'd be gone for too long to have any consistency. There's always the option of vampirism, but that's too restrictive, plus I'm not too fond of the idea of being undead. That also rules out being a lich or turning into some kind of phantom."

"Eventually, we began to find pieces of a much larger truth," Cordia added, "something completely different than the rest. The gods have nothing to fear. They alone get to walk the world unhindered. It was only a matter of finding the source. I'd say we only have a few decades to go before the research is finished and we can continue."

His mind suddenly felt a tug, and Splice turned his head as if he'd heard someone talking in his ear. For a moment, he'd almost forgotten. I need that damned crown, and Kylin better find those blasted tomes, he thought bitterly. He felt the urge to find them again, and also an unnerving stir in his soul regarding the two of them becoming gods.

For a moment, he wasn't sure how to respond. "So, that's the way to fix it, eh? Funny," he said with a smirk. "I was just on my way to do something pretty close to that. But my stuffy friend kind of killed the idea when he introduced me to you. Odd, we have the same goal."

The two double doors clicked open, and Bri strode into the room with a nasty smile. "Surprise," she said with a smirk.

Shae followed suit holding onto his silver sword, and bowed an apologetically to Azren and Cordia. "We're terribly sorry for the intrusion, majesties," he said hurriedly, and tried to grab Bri's wrist to yank her back. "Bri stop, don't offend them," he whispered frantically.

Nexus rushed in, and looked around awkwardly, thinking to see him hanging from the ceiling by ropes, but instead found him sitting on the floor, casually having a conversation. He blinked a few times and rubbed his arm. "I thought I felt my arm get torn off," he said, blinking sideways at the pair, "but then…"

Azren turned to face the group and spread his arms out in welcome. "No offense taken, good sir! In fact, I was waiting for you to return so you could pick him up. As soon as he showed his face here, I trusted that you would figure out where he wound up. Looks like I guessed correctly, as usual."

Kale looked the king up and down and nodded in appreciation. "From the moment we met, I always knew you were incredibly intelligent. Good call."

Darius stepped forth and bowed before addressing them. "Whether or not it was your intention, I thank you for keeping the elusive bastard in one spot until we caught him. You've saved us quite a bit of trouble in the long run."

Cordia stared at the death knight incredulously. "You… you're supposed to look like that, right?"

Katrin smiled and cut in front of him. "Yes, he's supposed to be that way." She closed her eyes and smirked. "And yes, I am too, before you ask."

The queen closed her mouth and mirrored the girl's smirk. She pointed to her and turned to Azren. "I like her. Reminds me of us."

Splice glared and leapt up to his feet in a rage. "No! No! No, no, no. You ruin everything," he snarled at Nexus. The halfling had a split second to dodge before the Red Devil soared past her, and tackled Nexus to the floor, teeth snapping by his ear with a loud snarl. His head hit the floor with a loud crack, and he cried out in surprise.

"Nexus," Shae called, and rushed to knock Splice off of him.

"Shae, don't be an idiot," Bri yelled, and dodged to the side. "Get out of the way so I can do what I need to do!"

He slid to a stop, and turned back to her with a look of surprise, and then a wide grin. He side-stepped, and allowed her some room.

"You," she growled lowly. Splice yelled, and his white, slitted pupils thinned into lines. He looked up at her in horror. "Stand up, you wretch."

In a scream, and a roar of anger, he rose to his feet, muscles jerking as he tried his best to remain in control of his movements. "Where in the bloody hell did you learn how to do that?" He straightened up to his full height, and stood at attention like a soldier. But the halfling only smiled, her eyes turning red, glowing ominously from behind her blindfold as always, and her teeth sharpening.

"Shut up," she said calmly.

Splice, still snarling through clamped teeth, narrowed his eyes in hatred. Nexus huffed on the ground, and stared up at the ceiling, unsure of what to do. When the command reached his ears, he forced himself up to his hands and knees, and then stood at attention in much the same manner. He closed his eyes, hoping for the best, and then reopened them in shock.

When she realized she'd grabbed both of them, she cursed, and her will wavered. In the second it took for her indecision to rise, Splice snapped out of his enslavement, and slit Nexus across the throat with one sharp nail, dashing off into the bowels of the castle before she had the chance to order a stopping command.

"Dammit! Dammit!" The halfling cursed, and in her rage, darted off in pursuit of the monster before realizing she had no idea where she was really going. When she stopped to look around, all she saw was a dark room, and a few dusty shelves and rugs.

Behind her, she could hear Shae and the others yelling, but she didn't know from which direction. The sound floated all around, echoing from every expanse of the large walls. She instinctively crouched, and backed herself against the wall, surveying her surroundings, and concluded she was lost. A chuckle echoed through the chamber. Fear crawled up her back, and she felt the hair on her neck begin to rise.

When she backed herself up against the back corner, she tried her best to keep her eyes on everything in the room, just in case he sprang out from hiding behind a shelf or door. There were three doors in the room, and she could take any of them to hide further. But she knew the deeper she went, the more lost she would be.

Bri slipped into another dark room anyway, trying her best to keep her cloak off the floor. Staying in one easy to find place was a worse idea. The rooms that were further into the castle were pitch black. Maybe they could smell their way to her. The sliding of the cloth on the stone drew attention, and she glanced up into corners, and peeked behind walls as she went, certain she was getting more and more lost. She held her breathing as still as she possibly could, though her blood throbbed, and her heart felt as though it would pound clear out of both her rib cages.

From above, the shadow of a body dropped, hitting the floor with a wet crunch, and when she gasped in horror and took a few steps back, a low laugh echoed through the chamber. The blood pooled, and she could tell it was fresh when she reached a cautious hand to touch it. "What are you doing, Splice?" She asked, trying her best keep her voice steady.

"Revenge," was his simple, dark reply. "I enjoyed my time here, painful though it was at times." A hint of hysteria colored his voice, and her heart jolted at the strange musical tone. The same tone he'd had when speaking to Kylin for the first time. Splice smirked from his position evilly. He knew he was falling into another fit of mania, but he couldn't help it. "You and my brother and your little miscreant friends aren't going to destroy that right now. I'm not ready to leave yet. Go bother Kylin," he growled.

"Kylin's already down," she added with a touch of sarcasm. "He put up a fight, but we overwhelmed him in the end. You're next."

"It's too bad about the girl," he said, implying the body on the floor. "She saw me. The last I need is someone going and telling the king and queen," he sneered, "where I am. Unfortunately for you…" He leapt from the ceiling from wherever it was he was hiding in, and nabbed her by the hood, dragging her into the air again like a spider.

She screamed before he clamped a hand over her mouth, unable to tell where she was or where she was going, and then shadowed her through four more rooms, looking for any hidden areas Azren had made into the walls to dodge into. They weren't dragging him back to Hell already. Not yet. He smashed her in the back of the head with something hot, and hard.

By the time she woke back up, she was staring at the ceiling in another dingy room. Her hands and mouth were bound, but her legs were still loose. She forced herself into a sitting position, and groaned at the throbbing sensation in the back of her head. So I can't talk? Smart, she thought bitterly. I should have got you when I was sure we were alone. She cursed at her lack of practicality, and fear.

"Don't bother to run," a voice echoed, somewhere near. He stepped through the darkness, and Bri could barely catch sight of the white of his clothing giving him away. He dragged a limp body with him, another girl, and threw her into a hallway as a false track. "When I'm damn certain your friends are confused, I'm going to slaughter you upside down like a fucking pig, and spray you back into the half-elf's face," he said abnormally lowly, his voice a menacing growl like an animal. A smile cracked his expression though, and she could see a hint of his insanity swirling in the red.

What the hell is wrong?

"If you're all dragging me back into my cell, you'll drag me clawing and snarling the whole way," he laughed quietly, the low tone of his voice tainting it. "And hopefully, I'll be taking your accursed necromantic entrails with me."

Bri stared at nothing, and clenched her eyes shut. There would be no point in seeing anything. I hope they can smell him, she thought, fighting her panic. I can't scream…

He lifted her by the wrists, and forced her to march into another room. "Keep moving," the red fool snarled at her. "Don't stand still." When he was sure he was in an obscure room, he shut the door, and caught a poor servant girl when she turned around from scrubbing the floor. She didn't have a chance to even squeak, before he threw the body out into a different room, five rooms down. "Now. If I'm going to kill you, it'd be no fun to let the other idiots go as well, least of all Nexus. I can't kill the skeleton, and the other two are in the hallway guarding the entrance. So that just leaves you, Nexus, his half-sized family, and Kale. That's more than enough to satisfy me before I'm sent back into Hell. But first… here piggy, piggy." His mouth was something twisted between a smile and a snarl, and it flashed every fang in his mouth.

She gasped through her gag, and tried to scoot herself farther away, wishing desperately that her hands were free. He strolled up, and threw her to the floor, rolling her to her back for a time to whip out his snake-like, purple tongue to lick her cheek in mockery. "You taste sweet," he whispered into her ear. "Too bad." With a flourish and a small cry from Bri, he lifted her into the air by her ankles, and pointed his pinky claw directly at her abdomen. She squirmed, squealing and crying, waiting for the goring.

He heard their voices coming down the hall, and he cursed, dragging her back to her feet, and through what looked like an air duct in the ceiling. "It's a good thing we're both relatively skinny," he said with a nasty smirk, and snapped his teeth an inch from her nose. He threw her into another room above them, the third floor now. They were moving fast. Too fast for him to have a chance.

Before long, his expression iced over, and a slow, devastating smile flashed every tooth he had. "I know what to do," he thought with glee. "I know the best way to get rid of my brother, once I'm done where with you," he chuckled blackly, and flipped her upside-down again.

47: C#46 - The Black and White Keeper

In the main chamber, Nexus turned to the group, holding his throat. He froze the blood in place to keep from bleeding to death. "That went horribly wrong," he croaked.

Azren walked over to Kale and gave him a stark, annoyed look in the eye. "Well?"

"What are you asking me for? You know this place better than I would."

"Yes, but you know him better than I would. All he's done in his time here is tried to annoy me and get beaten nearly to death."

"…So he's probably someplace unused so that we'll have to search each room individually. That'll give him more time to run. Likely he already checked the rooms."

"Despite the fact that he'd expect us to expect that and by all rights he should run someplace obvious so that we wouldn't look there already?"

"While that does make sense, he doesn't. He's going to try and go for the ambush, and there's lots of room for that. Can you track him by scent?"

"I hadn't actually considered that, I never needed to. Good call." He turned and darted down the hallway with the warlock in tow.

Cordia darted over to her father and gave him a genuine concerned look as she examined him. "Are you alright? I'd imagine it takes a bit more than that to really hurt you."

He wavered for a moment, understanding and clicking things into place. "I think I'm fine. It hurts, but it'll heal if I keep it frozen, though her words are still echoing in my head," he said, shaking it. "I was supposed to be far out of range before she tried to grab his will away, but his spring caught us both by surprise. That didn't quite work out as planned." He rubbed the back of his head, and groaned.

Shae laid a hand to his shoulder, and nodded to them. "I'm going with the two of them. I'm a good tracker, and I notice things and places that a sniper could hide in. If there is a chance for ambush, I might be able to spot the bastard before he has a chance to hurt one or both of them." He darted off after the two others.

Darius straightened himself up and turned to the girl. "Katrin, is she going to be alright?" A moment of silence followed, uncertainty in her eyes. "I see," he added, glaring at the ground.

Cordia scowled down the hallway and growled out loud, a sound that might have frightened a banshee. She turned to her parents, the succubus and the girl and sighed. "Stay here and make sure he can't get away." Turning to Darius, she placed a hand on his shoulder and glared. "Come on then, let's go find our guest."

Azren breathed in the air, pausing to evaluate it. "He definitely passed through here, but he moved very quickly. All these rooms are very bare. If anything, I'd say he moved toward the ones you had used during your stay. Lots of closets."

As they ran, Kale shook his head and swore. "If you entertained guests more often, I'd suggest you get guards to make sure this doesn't happen."

Kale checked the one room and winced. "I don't know how he got to them, but the body of one of your subjects is down here. It's still fresh, so he's got to be out that way."

Darting through the corridor, Azren growled and shook his head. "I don't get it. Why is he doing that? The struggling and putting up a fight, sure, but why is he killing them?"

They both slowed to a stop and shouted at the same time. "To throw us off."

"I didn't even realize it until now, but I can't smell him anymore. Damn, he's good. Come on, let's head upstairs. There's plenty of room to hide there, especially since we never use it."

"Damn it all," Cordia shouted, examining the corpse in the hallway. "He's got to be around here."

Darius jumped at her outburst, but regained his composure when he saw the poor girl. "Allow me." He straightened out the body, positioning her left hand over her head and her right over her heart. With a quick invocation, he pressed a finger to her lips and asked. "Where is he?"

The girl's eyes snapped open, and she sat upright, stared through them and through the walls, and pointed just above herself and to her left before laying back down.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly before standing back up. "I'm not sure if that's where he is, or where he was, but it's something."

Shae rounded a corner, and almost ran full-tilt into them. "A body here too?" He huffed, exhausted. "There's another one in the hallway I just came from. It's opposite of all of you. He's definitely slaughtering them to throw us off his heels. That's not the worst part of it. He's doing it so discreetly, they're not screaming. That means he knows we're close."

Cordia stopped and stared at the end of the hall. "I lost him." She punched a hole in the wall as she clenched her jaw shut and shouted an old curse before rejoining them.

Kale shut his eyes and concentrated for a moment. "Well, it's not like he can pass through walls. None of these rooms have surprise trap doors to lead down into the floor below, do they?"

Azren turned and ran toward the staircase. "Only one way to go. Up." When they got to the third floor, he and Cordia breathed in and nodded. "He's definitely here. We'll take the far end, you start here."

Darius nodded and began moving from door to door, placing a hand on each and searching for signs of life and listening for any sounds.

While Kale and Azren ran down to the other end of the hall, he couldn't help but ask. "There aren't any more surprises after this, right? Nowhere else to run?"

The king shook his head and glared at the doorways. "No, we finally have him cornered."

Shae cursed at his inability to smell anything, but instead followed Darius' way of things. He pressed his ear to doors, slipped in and around corners, and then finally paced back to them. "I'm going to smoke myself into a room, and slip along the shadows to see if I can spot them."

The first three rooms, he smoked himself under the door, and back out again, listening for any signs of sounds or words. At the fourth room, however, he happened to come full onto them.

Splice held Bri by her ankles in front of him, pinky still poised at her belly, and faced the surprised shae, who had expected them to be hiding. The fool dropped her, and grabbed a metal poker from the room's fireplace, and smashed him over the head with it before he had a chance to disappear. "You're like an annoying fly," he scoffed. "Buzz, buzz, and then you land right in danger's hands." He shook his head, grabbed Bri by the cuff of her hood, and then grinned at her, pinching her neck.

She squealed in protest, but fell limp, the room seemingly spinning into blackness. He left her lay there, and kicked open the door to the hallway. "Hello and goodbye again," he said with a laugh.

With only a split second to decide what to do, Kale went with the first idea that came to him. When the demon ran out from the room, he skipped through the incantation, focusing only on his cause and intent. He held his hand out toward him, and brought forth everything that encompassed the being. Wisps of grey smoke swirled about the fool, coalescing in front of him into a greyscale mirror copy of him. Much to the warlock's dismay, it also smiled in his same sickening manner before grabbing him and pinning him to the ground.

Slightly dizzy from the effort it took, he stabilized himself before leaping over the two and into the room. He propped Shae up against the wall and checked him. At the very least he wasn't bleeding, but he was clearly unconscious. He then grabbed Bri, unbound her, and listened. When he was sure she was still breathing, he set her down and stepped back outside.

Azren stood above the shade and its captive, setting a foot down on his ribcage and trying desperately to calm himself down in spite of the situation.

He looked up at him, and smiled, placing his palms in the air. "I submit," he said roughly under the weight.

Cordia quickly made her way over to them and shook her head. "I'm afraid that's not really an option in your position right now. I for one think we should kill you, but that would only lead us into doing this whole thing over again."

"Good point," Kale added, and modified the shade to supply the demon with his life force if he tried to kill himself. At this point, he had to think of everything.

Azren shook his head cursed himself internally before asking. "I have to know, why didn't you just run? As soon as we were on the second floor, you could have just jumped down and ran outside."

"Indeed," the death knight spoke as he pondered the situation. "Rarely ever are things this simple."

The fool just smirked back, and rested his head back casually on the floor. "I was going to just kill her and take out as many of you as possible first. But then I simply decided it wasn't worth it."

The shadow moaned, and glanced around in a daze. His head hurt, and he hobbled outside the room to see them all surrounding him. "Oh good, you got him. Now what?" He pulled off his mask, revealing his blank, featureless face, and examined it for any cracks or damage. From the look of things, it worked fine, and nothing was damaged. The strike was to his skull alone, it seemed.

Kale glared at him and sighed, wanting more than anything to drive a spike through his throat. "If that's the extent of it, then I can almost muster up the ability to feel bad for you for what comes next."

"Indeed," Darius repeated grimly. "My apologies, your majesties, but I must rid our world of this blight, and to do so I must make use of your hall."

Cordia nodded to the death knight before returning to glare at the demon pinned beneath them. "I'm with Kale. You're interesting, and certainly had a lot of potential. It's just a shame you're so… unstable. That kind of ruined everything."

The invocation was a difficult and lengthy one. It needed to pierce through the veil between worlds and reach the lich in his circle's home plane. Though he didn't understand how or why these things apparently worked, Skarse did, and having written the spell, he knew it would work as intended.

The red fool just smiled, unsure of what Darius was doing. Nexus stumbled into the room from the side, following their scents down the hallways. "You've been gone an awful long ti-. Oh." He looked around at all of them, and then at the portal. "It's a shame Bri wasn't able to grab him. Where is she?" When he saw the halfling knocked out in the room, he shook his head.

Splice's pupils narrowed, and his grin widened. This was his one and only chance before whatever punishment befell him. If he waited any longer, he was certain it would be too late. Taking advantage of his brother's situation, he stared up at the ceiling blankly. "Nexus," he said flatly.

The blue fool looked at him, thrown by his flat and simple tone. "What?"

"You care about your family. Do you not?"

The blue fool paused, considering his words, and narrowed his eyes, glancing between Azren and Cordia respectively. "…Yes, of course."

He felt inside of himself, needing to feel exactly the same as his brother did for his plan to work properly. It was different, but it would suffice if he believed it strongly enough. With a smile, he replied with a small, threatening chuckle. "So do I."

The castle quaked, and a black, silvery fog swept the room, creeping around Nexus ankles. His breath turned silvery, as if he had been warm-blooded and standing in a winter's snow. Splice's likewise changed, and as he watched it swirl into the air, he smiled. "What did… Splice!" He yelled, clawing at thin air as the fog drifted him up from the floor, and thickened. It choked his voice, and he coughed several times, unable to speak again. The more he tried to fight, the more a certain unexplainable peace began to overwhelm him, and he fought less and less in defeat.

His brother's laughter echoed off the wall, and he was lifted from Azren's hold as if he were liquid. Together, they hovered, suspended in the air, facing each other an inch apart. Nexus had calmed to a disturbing flatness, and Splice continued to grin maniacally back at him, arms out wide, and waiting.

Kale paused and stared at the scene before him, completely expressionless. "I refuse to deal with this any longer. I don't care. Azren, Cordia, sorry, but I'm really not spending more time trying to undo whatever horrifying thing is happening. Darius finish what you're doing, and hope Skarse can throw them both in there."

The death knight paused for a moment before finishing his spell and sending word out through the world to his old ally. He then turned and punched Kale in the face as hard as he could, the resulting crunch indicating he'd broken his nose and likely fractured his skull.

"What in the hell is wrong with you? If that was you up there, she'd give up everything to save you. If it were her up there, I guarantee you would too."

Azren stepped forward and tapped him on the shoulder. "I speak for both of us when we say that we'd rather him not get banished too, but it's really not that important on our end. Our mother, however, would be devastated, so do try and figure something out."

Darius turned and nodded in understanding. "I'd sooner give myself up than leave him up there. Let's hope that's not the case." Stepping into the room, he picked Bri up and tried to wake her. "If you can hear me, we could really use your help right now."

The two began to merge, a white light separating them both mid-air. Bri's eyes snapped open, wide, and flat white. She rose to a sitting position, and stared through Darius. Her voice was double, a deeper, resonant female voice on top of her own higher one. The second voice didn't fit her body, or her age. "I am the Angel Eater," she stated flatly, expressionlessly. "I have found my Key, and I am free. However, neither the Keeper nor the Master wills it, and so I will turn it over to the one who is meant to be my guardian." She rose, and strode out of the room, slowly. She turned, and stared upward at the two figures.

Splice and Nexus had changed when the light finally faded. They became one being, black, white, and bronze. One red eye, and one blue eye shown through the shroud of strange blackish fog on his white face, and he peered down at them from high above. He grew slightly larger, seeing the portal, and looking around at everyone in a sort of confused daze. I am Sunder, he stated aloud, though his lips didn't move. I was once the Key Keeper, and it is lost now, stolen from me by one who Split me. I sense that it is near.

The halfling stepped forward, eyes still aglow, and stared squarely up at him. She reached seemingly straight into her own chest, and pulled out what looked to be a black key with a red sheen, wrapped in bright red wire. "You were once my guardian, and this creature is the one of which you speak whole stole it. You have returned, and I am to give you possession of the Key again," she said simply.

Sunder leaned down, large and tall, and came eye to eye with her. You should not be loose, he said simply.

"It is not willed I be free by the Master, or the Keeper" she said simply in return. "I shall channel to return this to you, and go back where I belong until I am called upon." She held the key out to him and waited, feeling her being switching hands, and the second Sunder's hand touched the Key, Bri's eyes became normal again.

She hovered where she stood, wavering and confused, staring straight into the eyes of the jester. She turned her head sideways, and stared at everyone else. "What is going on? Why is Sunder back?"

Kale stood and stared at her, gesturing at the creature. "I don't know, you tell me."

Cordia glared at him. "Try being productive. I'm not sure what exactly is going on. You were out cold, and our father came up here to check on us, the red idiot asked him if he cared about us, and then… that happened."

The death knight winced at Bri and added, "You were also possessed, and handed the Key back to him. You said you lost it, but you pulled it from inside of you as if your skin was liquid. You were really out of it."

Azren stared at the floating figure and shrugged. "Well, what now? I'm guessing from their choice of words that they can be split apart again, though knowing how the universe works, that will not be an easy feat, will it?"

Bri blinked, groaned, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, he can be split again," she said, and then guiltily hung her head. "Look… I lied to you, Kale. I did pick him up out of a gutter, but it wasn't because I found him. I ran into Sunder a long, long, long time ago, at a time when I wanted to burn the world to the ground. I split him to steal a key from the Dark Prince himself, a key that unleashed a horrible monster. When I split him, I took the blue one as my slave, and the red one escaped." She cut it as short as she possibly could. "Darius, yes, he knows, can explain to you in further detail exactly what happened."

Kale shrugged at her. "Well, while we're on the subject, I should let you know that I'm secretly the god of fire cast down into a mortal body. Seriously though, in the future, do be more careful. I mean, this last month of nearly getting killed seemingly every week is technically your fault. I don't blame you though, I could have skipped out at any time. No harm done. Well, to me, personally. Lots and lots of harm to lots and lots of others though."

She felt her heart sink at his words, and cast her eyes to the floor.

Sunder tilted his head down, and inspected Azren and Cordia with interest. Greetings, Small Ones, he said calmly, almost emotionless. It is indeed possible to Split me again, but I cannot say I am willing to allow it. I find peace here, my only escape from the torment of my punishment.

Shae backed up, and glanced at his bleak scheme. "Nexus? Are you in there?"

Sunder tipped his head in return to look at him, and his expression and voice remained flat. My halves are one, and they are neither awake nor sleeping.

Cordia couldn't help but punch Azren in the arm. "Are you going to contribute to a plan, or are you just going to stare in awe for another hour?"

He shot her an angry glare for the first time since they were still at home with their mother. "Yes, all I hear behind me are the sounds of productivity. Leave me alone."

The king turned his attention back to the immense demonoid and focused. "Judging from what I've seen, I can make a few assumptions. Firstly, this is meant to be both a blessing and a curse. Those two hated each other, and this is some sick, ironic, divine joke. I'll just assume both sides are muted into a state of agreement to encourage you to stay this way. Also cruel, whether or not you think so.

"From the nature of the curse, and the nature of the halves to mirror one another, I'll go ahead and say that whatever they did to be damned as incubi, it had to be done, willingly, together. I'll spare everyone else what my best guess is on that, it's not a long list, and skip forward to the point.

"Regardless of what you might say, both pieces are listening and both contribute to the thought process even if it's altered. It's meant to come full circle and you're supposed to be made to argue with one another to break apart again, only to be cursed to find one another yet again. Cruel, evil, elegant. Tell, me, am I right so far?"

Sunder narrowed his eyes, and lowered himself eye-level, inspecting him closely. What I think upon my burden is subject to what is deemed cruel and evil to oneself. Everyone's viewpoint on it is strictly their own, and not others. I myself, find peace in my complete form. At the basics of what you deem is evil and cruel, you would be correct since it is what you believe, but that does not mean I share your view, half-mortal.

Bri and Shae stepped to the side, and backed against the wall. "Be careful, Azren, he's used to being petitioned for requests, and he can be unpredictable as to how he wants to answer you," she whispered quietly. "If he deems the conversation over, and he doesn't agree, he could kill one or all of us if it means he can escape back to his cell, willingly mind you, in Hell to take up his job again."

Azren merely shrugged in response to her. "I'll feel a little guilty if he kills any of you, but it's not something I'd pay too much attention to. Besides, I'd like to see him try and kill me. Our father wouldn't, but his wastrel of a brother already made an attempt once. The bastard only finds us amusing, he doesn't really give a damn. Well, perhaps more than he could have about anything else in his sporadically indecent life."

"I'd rather not die," she said flatly in response. "Just make sure if you do split him to get out of the way, because he kind of explodes."

Shae backed to where Darius and Kale stood. "He's big," he whispered.

The fool squinted down, and looked up past the ceiling, then back down into the floor. Is that all? Or are you merely stalling?

"I wouldn't quite call it stalling, but now that I think of it, there is something that I must ask you, or rather have someone else ask. Would you permit me just a minute longer?"

A minute and no more, he said flatly. I have somewhere I need to be.

"Thank you. Cordia dear, be as fast as you can. Go and get me my languorwine knife and bring me the woman that the sands of time have not touched." A smile spread across his face as he tapped his foot against the stone.

48: C#47 - Half a Crumpled Plane

Sprinting as fast as she could, Cordia leapt down the second floor balcony and down to the throne room. "Don't talk, I can only imagine what he's planning." She reached behind the throne and grabbed the blade he spoke of, and literally picked up her mother before sprinting back up the stairs.

Celia blinked, dazed, and forced the questions that bubbled into her throat back down, heeding her daughter's warning. Upon entering the chamber, she gasped in horror, and stared dumbstruck.

Azren nodded as he stood Celia up beside him and held the thin, narrow dagger in his other hand. He twirled the blade around his fingers and placed the point above her breast, angling just above the heart through the ribcage. "You remember Celia, don't you? Of course you do. I'm going to kill her unless you can convince me otherwise." She gaped, frozen still, and glanced between the two of them. She stared down at the blade, terrified.

Sunder leaned back, and watched for a moment, evaluating. I am not concerned by mortal-world threats any longer. My sole purpose is to guard the Black Witch's Key. If you were to so-called kill her, she would only be transcended into the eternal afterlife, regardless.

For a heart-stopping moment, Bri gawked between Azren and Celia, unsure of what to do. "Is he serious?" She slipped up to Shae in a sudden panic, whispering in a hiss.

"Hush, wait," he said, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do anything rash," he warned, his voice calm.

"Exactly," Azren added with a flourish of the knife. "Afterlife. Funny thing about that. Do you know where she's going? I can certainly tell you it won't be Hell where you'll be. In spite of her choice of mate," he added, gesturing at Sunder with the dagger, "all she did was love. No sin, no impurity. So she'll be elsewhere. What a shame too, after only having seen her beloved for so long. She was so excited to see you return, you know that? More than I'd seen her in my entire life. In any case, since you're not making a point to defend her, I just figured I'd give you the rare opportunity to say goodbye to the one woman that truly mattered in your entire lifetime before you never see her ever again."

He paused for the briefest of moments before looking at the timepiece on the wall. "Oops, my minute's up. Too late." He switched his grip, placing a hand over her mouth before burying the blade down to the guard into her chest. She squealed and kicked, and when she finally went limp, he glanced back at the demon with a smile. "Sorry."

His eyes widened ever so slightly for a brief moment of time, and before he had time to re-stabilize, he slowly reached a black glove out. He stared, awestruck at him, and felt himself begin to shimmer. Bri and gasped when her body went still, and backed up into the next room, shutting the door to avoid the blast. Shae opened it and joined her, lifting her up to keep her from doing anything dangerous, holding her shaking frame still.

Once safe, she placed her hand to her mouth and gasped again. "Shae," she said breathlessly, burying her face into his neck.

He pulled her back, and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Trust him."

For a moment, his eyes shifted from being blue and red, to just being blue. Before he had time to catch himself, he had already experienced a too one-sided emotion, and he experienced a strange sensation of falling in two different directions. He fought hard to hold himself together, but his panic had already shifted the scale. There was a flesh-rending tear that split him into two again, sending one screaming fool flying to one wall, and the other to the opposite in a cloud of both fire and ice, steaming and hissing in every direction in a small popping explosion.

Splice landed and rubbed the back of his head in a furious roar, and Nexus landed so hard, he could barely move. When he managed to force himself, wobbling on his legs, he turned to Azren, unsure of what to do, and gaped.

"You didn't… Azren, you didn't…" He shook his head in disbelief.

The boy casually strolled across the floor to where his father stood and smiled before punching him in the head about half as hard as he could. He caught the toppling body in his other hand and set it down on the ground gently. "That's enough out of you for now."

He hummed to himself as he crossed the floor once more, toward Splice. "You never learn, do you?"

The red monster glared across at his crumpled brother. "You're a monster," he chuckled. He pulled the Key out from under his golden collar, and held it out. "You don't know who the Black Witch is, do you? You kill me, and you free her. Everything on this entire planet will be nothingness."

"Firstly, I don't need to kill you, and neither will they. Secondly, you really don't learn." He rolled his eyes and punched him in the throat and then in the side of the head with the same speed and agility he'd used when they fought in the main hall earlier. He chuckled to himself as he backed up, letting the body and the Key clatter to the floor. "Cordia dear, go and fetch me that pale green tonic I can never quite remember the name of and a clean knife."

She was back in under a minute, handing him a small bottle of their herbal concoction, the plant he requested, and his favorite dagger. He took them from her, removed the stopper from the bottle, and poured the contents down Splice's throat. "I really do feel sorry for this – or I would if you were anyone else."

Carefully, he broke the mandible and cut out the tongue. He then twisted his arms and legs out of their sockets and broke each of the joints, paying special care to the wrists and knuckles. He stood up, satisfied at his work, and walked back to the group. "Shae, if you still want to cut out his eyes, now would be the time to do it. He's not going to die, he'll just have to live forever without them."

He stood over his mother and shook his head with a smirk on his face. "You'll be happy to know she's still alive. Languorwine paralyzes the body and maintains it in a vegetative state for a few hours. We'll just set her in one of our rejuvenation baths and she'll be good as new in an hour or so."

Shae opened the door, and allowed Bri to wobble close to Kale. She shook, horrified, and looked around at the mess of ice, charred curtains, and steam. It took a few moments for his words to register, and she felt her mind calm itself down, though her muscles still refused to function properly.

The shadow shook his head, with a sly smile. "I wanted to do it with the blade he trapped my essence into, and stole my freedom with, but I also said that if the opportunity arose, I would take it with any blade available." He turned his head, and then smirked back at the Red Devil, unsure if he was even still conscious. He walked over slowly, and evaluated the damage, then leaned down to his ear. He pulled out a small blade he held in an inner pocket, and then gouged only one of his eyes out, spearing the red orb on the tip, and snarling. "That's for my wife," he said with venom, then pierced the other eye, enjoying the small cry he heard in response from his weak frame. "And that one's for my daughter," he spat, and rose to his feet. "Here Bri, you'd likely have use for these."

She took them shakily, and nodded approval, unable to speak.

A small hole ripped in the center of the room, leading into a vast nebula of stars and galaxies. The lich, Skarse, appeared from the portal dressed in fine black silk. Looking around, he winced at the damage. "You have certainly been through some ordeal, although that is much like you, Darius."

"And it's a lot like you to be right behind me fixing the largest of mistakes, Skarse." He gestured toward the trembling body of Splice and chuckled. "There's our victim. Keep it simple, just a small bubble, large enough for him to move around in if he ever heals."

Azren interrupted loudly. "He won't."

Darius couldn't help but laugh at that notion. "Most importantly, make sure he'll never get out. I mean it. If he ever gets loose, this whole world is in danger, and I know you and your colleagues wouldn't want that. Not that you couldn't handle it of course."

The lich chuckled to himself. "Is that all? I thought you said you had a challenge for me." He held out his palms and whispered in a painful language to give his wishes form. Each word spoke volumes about the promises and secrets of creation and destruction. Before a moment had passed, a large black hole, completely devoid of sound and gravity, appeared before them.

Azren stepped forth and held up a small piece of paper. "Make sure you don't touch the Key, and make sure he has this when you lock him away."

Skarse nodded and spoke aloud another phrase, making the body get up and carry its items through the seam into the plane, limbs angled unnaturally, eyes holes bleeding, and bones clicking. When Darius confirmed that all was as it should be, he uttered the command phrase, and the hole disappeared. The lich clapped his withered hands together and smiled. "The Devil himself would have to search for a hundred thousand years to find it and make his way in. If that is all you require, I must be off. We have a world to make."

Shae and Bri bowed to the lich, and thanked him profusely. "You've done us all a huge service by sticking him in that little pocket of air," Bri said cheerily.

"Thank you, my friend. I'm certain we'll meet again in the future." Darius bowed and watched as the lich stepped through his nebulous portal and faded from view.

Bri stumbled over, and evaluated the blue demon, knocked against the wall. "So who wants to be the unfortunate soul who wakes him up to let him know everything's done now? Because whoever does, I imagine, is going to get a swift punch. He's not aware Celia's going to be alright."

The shadow side-stepped and stood halfway behind Kale.

Kale shrugged and walked over to the unconscious fool. "I guess it actually should be me. I already got injured once on his account today, why not be consistent?" He rubbed his broken nose and sighed.

He bent down and heaved him up to a standing position by the wall before shaking him lightly. "Come on now, Nexus, we can't celebrate without you. Hell, you've got more to be happy about than the rest of us. Wake up."

Nexus opened his eyes, but stared as if he wasn't aware of his surroundings. He felt himself being shaken, and heard Kale's voice seemingly through water. "Hmm? Mmm," he mumbled, and tipped to the side again in a daze.

"Or not," Shae said with a grin. "I don't think he'd be able to even lift his finger let alone punch you, Kale," he chuckled. "Does anyone have water nearby? Perhaps spray him with that. There, his staff is laying over there by the wall. Twist the top and see if the elemental comes out to splash him." He pointed to the discarded scepter, which rested against the opposite wall. "It must have been thrown over there by accident whenever he joined into Sunder again."

Darius grabbed a hold of the peculiar thing and studied its surface, particularly the almost invisible glyphs that covered it. Taking note to make further observations in the future, he did as the shae instructed. With a quiet sound almost like a small stream running over rocks, the creature spilled out and took its form. When it gave him a puzzled look, he pointed toward Kale, who still at least tried to hold Nexus upright. Kale then stepped to the side and pointed at the fool instead.

It blinked at them, and then walked over, leaving little water puddle footprints as it went. When it finally reached him, it placed one of its long arms over his forehead, and froze itself for a moment. Nexus felt the flash of cold, and immediately sprang upright in shock. The elemental backed up a step or two, and then looked him up and down.

"…What?" He looked up, down, and around at the circle of people hovering above him, and then in a flash leapt to his feet. "Celia!"

The warlock put a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. "Relax, she's fine. Well, in a manner of speaking. She is injured, but the blade was poisoned, so she's kind of paralyzed right now. We'll get around to healing her up after we're all done here. You should thank her, she saved you from a fate worse than death. Oh, and thank Azren, who is apparently many times more cunning and brilliant than any of us will ever be."

The king glanced at his father and bowed with a mockingly smug smile across his face. "Consider yourself lucky that this happened here, and not elsewhere. I assume other than the disorientation, you're doing alright?"

Nexus' pupils were still thin, and he struggled to comprehend through his panic. "Poisoned with what? You really stabbed her then?" He rubbed his temples, particularly the place where he'd received the braining blow. He stopped, yanked his hand away from his cheek, and then stared at Azren, shocked stiff. "You split Sunder." He shook his head again, and then opted to sit back down. "Disoriented, yes, very. I'm just going to sit here. Injuries wise, also, yes. You hit me hard."

"Relax, Nexus, you're going to be alright," Shae smiled. "Bri was pretty worried too." He turned to Azren then with a sly smile. "I trusted you to know what you were doing. It's partially why I dragged her out of the hall, to avoid a conflict. I once had a target that wasn't actually a target. He was a church leader, and we knew he was going to be ambushed in the night. So we 'murdered' him before they had the chance. The bluff worked. His enemy slipped right back out of the room and reported false information to their chiefs," he smiled wickedly. "They were fired later of course."

She shook a little, and then nodded at Nexus. "She'll be okay. It worked though. You split faster than when I tricked you years ago," she nodded in approval. "It at least took me quite a few tries, and even then, I had to do it a cheap way."

"Did I… do anything particularly bad when we were joined? I don't remember things when I am Sunder, but I'm aware of things before and after. Oddly enough, when I am Sunder, I retain memories Splice has had even on his side of his life as well as my own. I can see how he met Kylin and everything," he grimaced in disgust. "Foul."

"You mean aside from scaring us to death and infuriating Kale to no end?" Darius asked. "No, nothing really. You might have destroyed us if he hadn't come through, but nothing else."

Cordia rolled her eyes as she approached her father with a condescending glare. "You didn't bat an eye when he threatened to kill her the first time, although I suppose I can't fault you for that." He stared for a moment in shame, and then felt terrible. He would have to make that up to her.

He cringed at Cordia. "That's another thing. Apparently when we're joined, we have a strict compulsion to remain that way. If I didn't leap up in a panic the first time, I was likely trying to keep the two of us stable." Way to go, he thought to himself. "I'll make sure to explain a little better when she wakes up," he said with a sigh.

"Well, I don't see anything to do here except clean up and sleep for a day or two. Then we pick up Kylin, open up a gate to Hell, turn in the baddie, get our rewards, and live happily ever after," Kale said with relief.

Azren gawked at the warlock. "Clean? You can clean if you want to. I have people to do that for me. It's a damn shame he killed the ones he did. They were good people. The two of us, and even their peers, will miss them… And we'll have to make a special trip out to replace them. That's always fun, especially if he caused a riot in town, which he invariably did."

He picked Celia up and looked into her eyes before turning to his father. "She's still alive, but unable to respond. I'll go ahead and carry her to your chambers, prepare the pool, and set her down to recuperate. When she comes to, do tell her I apologize for not having the chance to tell her ahead of time. I'm sure she was quite frightened."

Bri sat down cross-legged on the floor, and calmed her nerves. "I don't want to move. Also, yikes, you have to go back into town? Oh, that sounds like it'd be a real fun reunion. Pitchforks and flaming brands abound. How many were there? I think I saw him kill three."

"That's about right," Shae said darkly. "Plus, I imagine during his stay he 'fed' on a few of your subjects as well? He really caused a lot of disgraceful damage," he snipped. "Come on. Let's all go fill Cryia and Katrin in on what just happened, and recuperate for a day or so. I really don't feel like going anywhere for a bit, considering we finally have a chance to relax. Celebration anyone?" He cheered up, and mockingly put a goblet to his silver lips.

Cordia smiled and nodded before frowning. "I was going to say yes to the celebration, but then I remembered that you all aren't very adventurous. It wouldn't be much of something either of us could participate in to the fullest extent."

Kale permitted himself a rare opportunity to completely relax. No thinking about what horrors the future might hold, no trying to find solutions to the problems of today, and no being paranoid about what might happen through the night. "That really sounds fantastic, Shae. I think I might just come out of my shell and have actual fun for once."

"Nobody move," Darius spoke aloud, harshly. "Everyone did just hear that, right?"

Nexus bit his lip, and nudged Cordia. "Actually, I was hoping we could return here permanently to work things out, considering I'd been gone a very long time. I have a pretty large debt to pay. Also, given what the three of us are, I suppose we could have our own celebration somewhere when they leave," he winced, and then added hastily, "well, hopefully with subjects involved on my end. I don't mind what the two of you do, though I'd love to know the full story later."

Cordia shrugged and smiled to her father. "Of course, you're more than welcome to stay. The stipulation to that, of course, being that you don't conflict with our rules, but that doesn't seem your style. We'll have to arrange for a master bedroom like ours to be made. That tiny closet mother referred to as her room simply won't do."

Nexus perked up at the mention of being able to stay, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. "The room she had was small? Really? I don't know if I'd need room much larger than that. I don't really have very many possessions to begin with aside from what I'm carrying around right now. And rules, I imagined, you would have. I'm not necessarily a parent so to speak," he thought awkwardly, and shifted a foot, "and I think it's rather rude to not follow someone's ground rules in their own domain. You'll have to fill me in on what they are, although any pertaining to your subjects is likely going to be different. I'm still going to ask permission from them first," he shrugged softly. "Though I'll likely feed more often, considering they don't seem to mind here."

Bri scrunched her nose, opened her mouth to say something, then sighed and shook her head slightly. "Also, yes Kale, please have some fun. It's nice to see you happy, and not worrying all the time." She scooted closer and kissed him on the cheek.

Shae pursed his lips, casting a quick glance out to the main hall where Cryia was still standing, and then his eyes scrunched again at what Cordia had offered before. "I'm still… tender," he said glancing at the bloodied blade, "so I think I'll keep out of such activities until I'm certain I'm fully healed. A meal and a party though. That sounds amazing."

"Here, here!" Bri held her hand out, and Shae slapped it. "I could eat a scorpion," she said.

"Well, you could, but it might burn a bit," Kale retorted. "Oh, also, I'm going to need a change of clothes. This leather held out for the duration of our little adventure, but it's burnt to hell now."

Azren looked Kale up and down and nodded. "I think we have something that might fit. If not, I'll get our tailor to fix something up for you. I certainly wouldn't mind you walking about in your undergarments, but if that's what you want, so be it."

Shae groaned at his own. "I forgot to ask you Darius. Mine is about as beat up as Kale's, and this poor little tar in the tin is more for actual battle than traveling garments." He rubbed a particularly scuffed spot, and cursed at it. "No amount of polishing will get some of these out."

Bri paled. "Um… we don't have Splice in our hands anymore, but he's still technically caught. Before we do anything, we should let the Master know."

Kale's heart skipped a beat. "Oh, yeah, I guess we should now." He stepped back and pondered the invocation required for the portal. It certainly wasn't the best place one could go, but it was deemed necessary. By the Dark Prince's will, the spell was made simple enough to those that knew it. To the warlock, it now seemed simpler than it had been before. "Etho'n. Halzar ut'tiir ut'haros."

The blackened purple archway once more invaded a world it was not meant to be a part of. From inside, a voice called out like haunting music.

"I trust you have a reason for returning to me. Come, let us speak."

49: C#48 - Absolving Mercy

Bri held her breath, and stepped through. I'm so glad he has no idea where the Key is, or that I took it in the first place. It's nice to know my soul is free of that thing now. Hopefully I'll return to aging like I should, so I can remain with Kale. She shivered despite the waves of heat.

Nexus squinted, and placed a hand over his eyes at the bright light, and cleared his throat, dragging Shae with him directly beside. "Don't leave me by myself," he said.

Kale walked through and locked gazes with the god, feeling himself shrink. "We actually do, and it's good news for all parties involved."

Darius followed behind Kale and bowed in the presence of the deific being. "Indeed we do."

He leaned forward in his seat and gestured toward them. "I assumed that much. You seemed wise enough not to return here unless you brought fortunate information. So tell me, what's become of that infernal miscreant I sent you out to kill and capture?"

Bri tried to hide her smirk, and Shae gestured to Darius. "He knows a friend, a lich, who had a very nice hiding place in mind. Splice is basically sitting in a box right now. Another friend of ours broke every single bone in his arms and legs before tossing him in too, so it's not like he's going to break out any time soon. There's no doors, no way out… nothing."

Nexus grinned, and held his eyes down. "He won't be any problem to you anymore, constantly breaking out of his cell."

The air around the throne pulsed and the dark one smiled. As he sighed, the faint chorus of souls followed his vocalization. He turned to Nexus and applauded. "At the very least, you had the decency to stay put for a while. Tell me, how long has it been since your arrival? My scope of time tends to be very different from all others."

"I can't tell you the exact amount of years, since I myself have forgotten a few of them, but it's roughly been about five hundred," the fool replied said humbly.

Bri stared around and watched the light pulse, glad that it signaled something good and not menacing.

"Five hundred is quite a long span of time. Millions of lives are born and lost, and empires rise and fall during that span. To your credit, most of it was waited out, dutifully. Now, you have performed a great service for me; saved me the trouble of revealing my presence to those halo-bearing ingrates that would see my efforts undone. But I do believe," he added, drawing a few scrolls from the air, "that we had made an agreement? Ah, yes, here it is. My good word that if you did as I requested, I would free you from your misery. Is this still what you desire?"

He'd forgotten. He blinked in confusion, and his mind raced. Changing what he was would also change things with his son, daughter, and Celia. He contemplated hard. "Is it possible to remain what I am, however simply have my bonds cut from Hell, along with what would normally occur with Sunder? What would happen to Splice if that were to happen?"

The Dark Prince pondered for a moment and smiled. "Why not? There are a few modifications we'll need to make so you match your progeny, however. Yes I know about them. I didn't feel it would be fair to spoil the surprise during our last visit, however." He stretched a hand out and chuckled as a viscous, black orb was painfully drawn from the fool's body. He gritted his teeth, and groaned, looking back up at him with a feeling of airlessness. "That's better, a clean slate of karma to start over with. You have your life back, yet you'll retain your immortality. Do try not to get killed this time. You'll probably end up with their same feeding schedule, and you'll find you can actually enjoy normal food once more. Everything else can stay. I may have need of you in the future again, and we don't want you to lose all the benefit of your condition, now do we?

"As for Denye… Well, it must have slipped my mind, seeing as how he wasn't here when I made these changes. How terribly inconsiderate of me, leaving him to starve and wither, undying, in that desolate new prison he now finds himself in. What a shame."

"Well," he said with a smile, "I suppose since Sunder isn't possible anymore, I can start using my regular name again. Also, I'm imagining my brother is going to be one happy camper if he ever manages to heal and realize where he is. Thank you, really. This means a lot," he flashed his fangs, and reached up to touch them, glad they were still there. "I'd ask to be human again, but I have too much right now I'd rather stay consistent with."

Bri narrowed her eyes and grabbed a hold of her power. "Sit," she said, and when Denji turned to give her a strange look, she frowned. "Well, no more of that," she said, and threw her hands into the air. "I can't tell you what to do anymore. That's kind of unfortunate in the case of you causing trouble in some town again."

"I'm not going far," he said, "not now anyway."

Shae placed a hand on his shoulder and beamed. "Congratulations, you have your freedom. And as far as I know, you're the only demon to ever have won it."

The god raised a finger to silence them, and then pointed to Kale. "Speaking of freedom, you haven't found Sulareial yet, have you? Do keep that in mind, lest the time slip past you and you find yourself serving his sentence instead."

Kale glanced to the ground for a moment before looking back up with a look of confusion. "Wait, why do you actually want me to get out of this deal? It doesn't make a lot of sense to me."

"That is because you did not know him. He was one of the exceptional few to find a way to escape death, and by extension, my judgment. If you return him to me, he will serve as a warning to those that might try to exceed me. That is why."

He paused a moment before turning to Bri with narrowed eyes and a smile. "I take it you resolved your problem? You are different than you were during our first meeting. Also, I should tell you in person; your contract with Nexus about your eyes is now void on two counts. One, that his effect wore off, and your friend replaced your sight without needing one. And two, that Nexus no longer exists. You're free."

Bri slightly tensed, but nodded her head, thinking of all that happened to them in between rather than the first thing she panicked and thought of. The second thing she particularly thought of was Amun, and his spirit-plaguing. "Thank you. For the time being. I imagine we're not done getting ourselves into trouble, considering we've drowned ourselves so far into it, we enjoy the adventure," she laughed.

The god shook his head and amusingly pondered the mortal mind. "It is good fortune that you have not met your untimely fate. I trust you'll not come barging into my domain and/or lose anything of great value and dire importance again?"

Shae and Denji turned sideways at her, and for a moment, felt their hearts drop to their feet. Bri held as still as possible, and then fought the urge to chew her lip.

"…No, sir," she said simply, forcing composure.

With a genuine smile, he nodded to the halfling. "Good. I'm glad we cleared that up. Now, before we depart, what news do you have for me, death knight?"

Darius bowed his head once more and addressed his host. "It's actually about my great ancestor, Kylin. Since his death, he's managed a great amount of suffering, even orchestrated the events of this troubling time. I thought you might be interested in taking him since I have him bound."

The Dark Prince cocked an eyebrow and stared past the ceiling and through the world. He reached his hand out, pinched his thumb and forefinger together, and pulled his hand back, holding the wraith by the neck. "Indeed it is as you say. He's certainly got a lot to atone for. Not a single good deed in his entire life, as you can imagine. You've done a great deal of good by bringing him to me."

He smiled darkly and shook his head at the skeletal being before him. "You've actually done a great deal of good with your extended years in general. However, unfortunately, you are also responsible for the purging of the cities of Hastren, Maerliel, Yurga, and Hammersreach, not to mention the decimation of villages and small hamlets numbering two dozen, at least. In the span of thirty years, you took a grand total of seven hundred and thirty-two lives that did not need to be taken. I'm afraid you'll have to spend some time in our cozy little inn before you may be free. I'm feeling generous, so we'll say twenty years, and then you may be free to go."

The death knight stared at the floor and nodded in acceptance. "Will it have any bearing on my standing as far as the afterlife is concerned?"

"If you're asking whether or not you'll ever truly get to see your son and wife again, certainly sooner than you might think."

Unable to do more, Darius knelt and waited patiently for their audience to be finished.

"Don't worry," Kale spoke to him in a hushed tone, "I'll make sure we take care of things for you."

Bri and Shae knelt as well, and Nexus bowed once before he too went to his knees in respect. With the sentencing Darius received, they couldn't keep their full hearts into it. Bri peeked up under her hood at him, and felt her heart sink, the shock of the punishment weighing down on her. None of them had expected that… they didn't even have time to prepare, she thought sadly.

The shadow was torn between pride and sorrow, and his smile across the mask as he waited was strained. He felt a pang of misfortune for Darius' fate, and at the same time some solace in that he would see his family again. He related to that type of pain well. He'd gotten his vengeance, Denji had gotten his freedom and his name back, Bri had been forgiven her theft and had a minor contract voided, and Denye and Kylin had gotten what they deserved, although the Red Devil certainly got the crueler of the two punishments. He felt satisfied.

"Thank you again," Denji replied. "Good-bye Darius, we hope to see you again sometime. It's not so bad, really," he tried painfully.

Bri and Shae glanced up quickly, and wished him well with a small, half-hearted smile.

"You're certainly welcome," the Dark Prince replied. "As I said, I may call on you again, and I may not. In the meantime, go enjoy yourselves to the fullest. That's what life's all about, you know."

With a flourish, he shifted them out of the gate and laughed to himself as he forced it shut.

Shae stood, feeling a hole inside. There as a brief silence as they all stood there, feeling the empty space next to them where Darius should have been.

Kale stood and whistled, taking in the enormity of the situation. The gods weren't very forgiving, which made this all the more incredible. "Well, that's pretty awesome. Even if Darius had to stay back, he's lived, what, twelve times that at least? It should pass pretty quickly for him."

Azren stared with incredulity and gestured toward the rest of the group, unsure. "Well, are you going to share, or must we pry it out?"

"I'm free," Denji smiled, then added, "Bri's forgiven for stealing the Witch's key, Kale was warned about finding Sulareial, and… unfortunately, Darius was held accountable for several things he's had to pay back. He won't be out for twenty years, but he should return either way," he concluded a little disappointed. "Unless he sees his family. I don't know the whole story behind that part, so I can't say for certain. I get to maintain my appearance, and my, ahem, appetite, mostly because I'll be staying with the two of you, and my immortality."

"I'm also technically mortal now, since the Key isn't in my possession anymore. Let's just hope if Denye ever gets out of there, he forgets how to use it," Bri added.

Shae shrugged. "I highly doubt it. That world doesn't have anything in it but a circle of land, floating in blackness. He doesn't even have a form of light in there," he chuckled.

The king and queen glanced at one another, allowing their thoughts to meld for the slightest of moments. "Well, that is unfortunate. He was one of the more interesting ones. It is good to see nearly everyone getting a happy ending though. Let's head downstairs, wash up, and wait for the feast to begin, shall we? It may take an hour though, so keep yourselves occupied… somehow." He glared down at Cordia when she nudged him in the ribs with a wicked grin.

For the first time that day, Kale became acutely aware of how grimy his skin was. "Yes, to all of that."

"I'll follow Kale for a good bath and wash up," Bri mumbled, holding out her filthy robe. "Also, Kale, I'll need a new robe. This one's filthy now, and I almost feel shame for the goblin who cut it to fit me."

Shae felt grim, and nodded. "Yes, I'll wash as well. And likely mourn for about twenty or so minutes, depending." He sighed heavily, taking a last look at the wall where the portal stood before. "So, who are we going to call when we have a cryptic question that requires extensive years of knowledge and experience to answer now?" He smirked jokingly.

The fool shrugged, and tried to be cheery. "Look on the bright side. Twenty years isn't eternity, and I've spent five hundred. He'll come back, and we'll hold a party for him too," he laughed, then stretched. "I'm going to find Celia, see if her bath fixed her up, and then fill Cryia and Katrin in on all the details officially now. Unless Katrin already knows," he rolled his eyes.

"I don't know about mother," Cordia began, "But I did inform those two of the goings on. Cryia specifically said, 'I'm really not surprised they managed to make things that bad,' and Katrin merely nodded as if she expected it. You'll have to tell them the latest news though."

Kale shrugged and made his way to the staircase. "I'll let them know. I guess they're going to be the temporary new keepers of the Citadel for a while. Cryia's not going to be too thrilled. I'll meet you guys down there, and then we'll get ready."

As expected, Cryia didn't take it well at all. Genuine tears came to her eyes when she found out her Lord was being punished. "He was the first one to ever stop and think of me as more than a monster. He gave me a home. But I'll see him again, and make sure everything goes back to the way it was." She bit her lip and hugged Kale tightly, letting the gravity of the situation take its toll. When she finally stopped sobbing, she straightened herself and smiled weakly. "Sorry. I know he meant a lot to you too, but… No, I'll try to be happy about this. We got a lot done, and now it's time to be merry and relax a little." The succubus set herself aloft again and drifted down to her room.

"I worry about him, you know." Katrin stared unwaveringly at the ceiling as she contemplated it. "He burned the world for a while in a fit of rage, and then fought for the rest of his life against such things. In a way, he returned to his old self. I'm not sure he'll be quite the same when he's done with this. If not, I'm almost afraid to think of what he'll end up as."

The warlock nodded, sharing the same uneasy gaze with the girl as he thought about it. "…Me too."

50: C#49 - A Toast to Shadows

Bri stepped into the pool of water, and stared into the ripples. "I feel… bad. I'm glad things worked out, and even though it's a temporary sentencing, I feel like I just lost a friend forever," she mumbled, and kicked some water into the air, splashing it slightly against the wall on the opposite side.

Kale stood by the edge of the pool and slowly conjured into being a new robe for her. "I know. I mean, it definitely could have gone a lot worse. Seven hundred and thirty-two counts of murder is usually an eternity sentence. I guess I consider twenty years to be an act of extreme mercy."

"I know," she said with wide eyes, "I thought I was going to lose my cool the first time he said that. I'm glad he was so nice to loosen it that way."

He paused and added the finishing touches to it, a silver and black embroidering along all the hems to contrast with the luxurious red. "Well, what do you think?"

She examined the cloak, and smiled wide. "Beautiful," she said, and held it up. When she was done glancing over it, she dunked under the water, and came back up, with a mop of wet, blood-red hair around her face. She blew on it, making a splashing thin curtain, and smiled at him from under it. "May as well have some goofy fun, right?" She flipped her head forward, and then flung her head back, whipping water and her hair down her back in a wide spray. "Come on, Kale, play."

"Oh fine, I'll make mine when we're finished." He rolled his eyes and tossed his tattered armor to the side before getting a running start and jumping in. He popped back up and spat water at her with a smile. "Oops."

She dodged, and then splashed him with a hand, which didn't make much of a wave considering how small it was. She stared down at it, and then huffed. "Forget it," she said, and then used most of her arm to splash as much water as she could at his face. "Try that," she said with a quirk of the brow, and then high-tailed it to the other side of the pool-sized tub.

He giggled to himself before kicking off the wall and catching up with her in a second. He grabbed a hold of her ankle and pulled her toward him. "Try what now?" He reached around and held her against his chest, leaning against the wall. "Oh, right, serious question. Are we formally going to do a wedding ceremony? Do halflings do that? Because all the human and elvish ones rely on scriptures of lesser gods that would probably want to see us destroyed."

Bri wiggled, trying to get loose, but shook her head. "I don't know. I never lived with a group of my own kind to know whether they do or not. I wandered everywhere, because once my mentor taught me necromancy, I was on my own. They were going to burn him for what he was doing, and that's all I'm aware of. He was sort of like my father, and the only other halfling I ever knew," she said, and then managed to break loose enough to squirt a small fountain of liquid at him, smiling when she missed again. "Damn it, stand still," she teased. "I have horrible aim!"

Kale took a quick step toward her, placed a hand on her head, and dunked her under, biting back his laughter. When she popped back up, he shrugged and looked away guiltily. "I guess I don't have to stand still. Maybe you should practice more."

She gasped and gagged up water before laughing. "I guess I do. Also, this bathtub is ridiculously deep," she said. "I don't know anyone who needs a bathtub this deep or large."

As she crawled out to dry off, she pondered the rest of their night. A lot had happened during the last month and a half. "So, what now? Do you want to see if we can find someplace to live for a while to settle down? I imagine we'll all meet up again, but not right away." Once she was dabbed dry, she grabbed her new cloak, and threw it on, ready to start their celebratory evening.

He rinsed himself off and got out, contemplating the possibilities while working on a new outfit. "That's pretty much the plan. I kind of figured someplace woodsy, but warm. It's too bad there's not a region that exists in a state of perpetual autumn. I always picture a cabin in the woods, with a small garden and fallen leaves everywhere. I guess that's what I'd pick. What about you?"

"I said the beach before I think," she laughed, "when we were talking about where we were going, and Shae mentioned it. But I honestly don't care where, so long as it's away from prying eyes that happen to despise necromancy. The woods sound nice. Plenty of animals and whatnot to work with, bones and other things." She mused, glad to finally be able to settle down with him. She shifted closer, and hugged his thigh, thinking back to all they'd gone through and their very first meeting. She chuckled, remembering seeing Anise's body in the alleyway, and demanding he let her take the corpse. "So much has happened since then. And that was only a month and a half ago, Kale. A month and a half. Can you imagine how much longer we have to relax together?"

"With the way we're almost magnetically attracted to danger? Hopefully quite a long time. I admit, it's difficult for me to think about us being together without something bad turning up like it has been. Life's going to be pretty fun now that we don't have to worry." He kept his gaze locked with hers and smiled before he realized what he was doing. He turned to his creation, a pair of black pants, a matching pair of boots and tunic, and a light overcoat to go along. All along the edges and stitches were dark red decorations that matched the color of her cloak. "I like it."

"Me too," she smirked and then pointed to the door. "Come on, everyone's probably ready by now. Our little game in the tub took up a ridiculous amount of time," she laughed. "I don't want the four demons down there to laugh at us."

They slipped down the steps, and Bri ran into Shae just as he was walking out of his specific chamber. He rubbed his mask's eyes for a few moments, and then smiled lightly at her. "Oh, hello Bri. I figured everyone was already downstairs."

She quirked her head, and then shook her head slowly, flashing him a wry, knowing smile. "No, not yet. We figured you all were down there too. Let's go drink, eat, and relax." I'll toast to you, Darius, she added internally, sad that he couldn't accompany them all.

Shae saw her eyes darken, and nodded slowly in understanding. "Come on, I'm starved. When we're done here, I plan on going to find my blade and returning myself to normal," he grinned, "then getting that little house by the ocean. What of you?"

Bri filled him in on her and Kale's plans as they walked down into the grand dining room. Denji sat at the far side next to Azren and Cordia, and the entire table was lined already with plates. "We were clearly longer than we thought," Bri blushed.

Azren glanced over at her, smelled only the clean water on them and shook his head. "Not long enough, actually. So disappointing, really."

Cordia kicked him lightly under the table and scowled at him. "You know, you don't have to bring that up every time, Azren dear."

Bri paled a moment and then pinched the bridge of her nose. "Really?"

"Don't feel bad, you two," Cryia chimed to her hosts. "Your father and I practically danced when they first got together back home. I did help set the whole thing up of course."

Kale stared at her in confusion. "Wait, you what?"

"No offense Kaley, but you're incredibly predictable. I just gave her the right information, that's all. Otherwise you would have gotten nervous and put it off until one of you died."

Bri blushed, remembering the ring that made her tall. "Yeah, actually, the ring that made me larger that first night was her idea," she laughed lightly. "But I didn't really need it, Cryia. Things worked out better when I was my normal size."

Denji smiled at the memory and poked. "Actually, yeah, I remember that. I caught wind of it the second it happened," he laughed. "It's good you two got together, you know. You fit so well. Well, figuratively of course." The grin he flashed everyone at the table with was devious.

"Ugh," Bri said, and pinched her nose harder. "Maybe I do need it, if only to avoid the short jokes."

The small shadowy imp fluttered its way into the room and plopped next to the warlock and the necromancer. Don't worry darling, you'll learn it's easier just to give them a quick zap and remind them who's in charge. That's what I've taken to, anyway.

Kale rolled his eyes and poked the tiny thing with his spoon. "Yes, because that's really the greatest idea in the world with the company we keep, right?"

Hey, you never know. It reached up and grabbed a piece of meat to chew on. Oh, and good job, by the way, with the resolution of your seemingly endless problems. That's definitely something to be proud of.

"Indeed so," the king added. "It'll be nice in the future when you come to visit and don't bring trouble to our doorstep. Not that we mind it, of course, it's easy to deal with on our end."

Bri ducked her head. "Sorry about that."

Shae smirked and nudged her. "It brought us all together though, right? You met your father again, and he was also reunited with Celia. Then Kale and Bri got together, which is fantastic. Then I met a crowd of friends, which was a definite change from the misery that little red monster swirled me into, and Cryia got to explore a little bit," he smiled at her nervously, and then stared back down at his plate, trailing off. "Also, Katrin, you were a big foreseeing help."

Denji nodded. "Yes, definitely."

The girl shook her head and sighed. "Not nearly as much as I will be in the future, that much I can guarantee. Just find your way back to me and I'll already know what you need. It's actually kind of fun knowing things like that ahead of time. Also, Shae, stay in your room tonight. Cryia; no."

The succubus glared at the girl and grumbled to herself as she stared off at the ceiling.

Azren made a weak attempt to stop his chuckling at Cryia before he turned to the girl. "Anything interesting you can tell about our future?"

She returned the king's gaze and sorted through her memories. "The only things in particular I can remember are the name of a large city named Vohthyouleh, which is the more modern dialect of what Denji spoke in Hell, and… oh. Well, I won't spoil that part for you. But remember, there is much to be gained when everything is lost, especially where joined blood is concerned." She went back to eating while trying to seem at ease.

Cordia shrugged. "More opportunity for fun, I guess."

Shae glanced sideways between Cryia and Katrin, then stared at his plate, perplexed. "Well," he coughed. "Anyway, Kale, would you mind passing the cactus? I was particularly fond of that the last time we were here," he smirked.

Bri raised a brow at Katrin's remark, and tried to ignore it. "Well, if we do wind up seeking you out, I'm sure it'll be because we're all in trouble again!" She raised her glass, mockingly laughing. "Isn't that always the way? To trouble!"

Shae clinked his glass with hers, and did Denji raised his from across the table. "Yes, indeed! Trouble, as always seems to be the case."

"It's alright, it's got to end one way or another, right? I mean… we can't live bad luck, can we? Experience it once in a while, but certainly not live in it." Bri took a sip, and then thought again. "Actually… no, I'm pretty sure we live in absolute bad luck. Otherwise none of us, not a single one, would be sitting at this table right now."

The king and queen exchanged looks and smiled guiltily, knowing her words to be precisely the truth. They raised their glasses and chuckled. "To trouble and the good found in the bad."

Cryia shrugged and followed suit. "Why not? Life wouldn't be fun without getting into it every now and then."

Kale gazed around the table and smiled, happy to be in the middle of such troublesome company. "To trouble, and all the good opportunity it brings. And to a dozen more adventures like this one."

Denji nodded in approval, understanding full well that Bri was right. "Yes, very much so. And also to good things to come, which invariably will stem from bad things," he laughed, and waved his fork in the air.

Shae grinned wide, and his mind traveled back to why he wanted vengeance in the first place, meeting every single one of them along the way. "Wow, Bri, you're right," he smirked. "Normally I don't like to believe in pure good or bad luck, but wow, we really do have a knack for it, don't we? To new friends in low places," he said with a chuckle.

Bri sat still for a moment. "Also, to Darius, who without his help we wouldn't have even known what the pieces were that Kylin and Denye had been looking for. We owe him a lot," she said lowly, and stared into her glass of wine, swirling it. "It's a shame he can't be here right now, so we have to enjoy the moment for him."

Shae and Denji nodded in agreement, and raised their glasses a second time. "To Darius," they said in unison.

"To a good man, whom I can't wait to join in adventure again," Kale added.

Cryia took a heavy sip and raised her own once more. "To Lord Shadowheart. May he find peace until we can celebrate his return in earnest."

Katrin briefly allowed herself to smile, and tried to ignore her knowledge of their future.